01. Prologue

“Are you sure you want to do this?”

That question gained a slanted eye look from the person it was directed towards…a look that said just one thing. ‘Shut up or I will fry your behind off.’

“Ororo….” the ruby red visor and black leather garbed Scott started again, his voice carrying a genuine concern.
“Cyclops.” The fact that she used his codename, by itself, enough to put Scott on the defensive. “Are you insinuating that I am not fit to serve on the team?” The Weather Goddess was in full flow and firing on all cylinders.

“No….yes, its not like that,” Cyclops was at a loss for words. Had it been anyone else or even any other time for that matter, he could and would have argued, but given the mission, facing off against Magneto and his latest effort at world domination, the could not only use but severely required whatever man (or woman) power they could get their hands on. “But, under the situation….Wolverine,” he turned to the only other person left standing in the X-Men’s underground conference room. Shrouded in the shadows, his ever present cigar…an unlit one this time, clenched between his teeth, Logan seemed too silent for Scott’s liking….not that he liked him talking, not that he did it anyway. Somehow, he hoped this time would be different…but nothing.

“Don’t try and get him into this, this is between you and me,” Ororo cut in even before Logan could respond, her rising anger barely contained under her calm exterior. “Besides we have already had this discussion. Haven’t we….Logan.”
“There wasn’t any discussion,” Logan scowled, not at Ororo or even Scott but at what Ororo was going to do.

“You agree with her?” Cyclops asked incredulously.

“Of course I don’t, shithead,” Logan’s reply was equally blunt.

“He didn’t have any choice. The decision was mine to make.” Ororo spoke up again, eliciting a snort from the feral Canadian.

----

Before anyone could say anything else, a shock of yellow, purple and pink announced the entrance of the firecracker Jubilee. Event though she was still on probationary X-Men status and thus not allotted a uniform, and not allowed to go on missions, Jubilee was always up there with the confidence and the supportive chatter. Today was a special case and she and Kitty, the two probationers on the team were accompanying the others, but only in a passive status. They were to remain back in the Blackbird and provide triage to anyone injured, including the dozen or so mutants that the X-Men were on their way to rescue. Their information stated that Magneto had constructed a device that would allow him to speed-up and switch on the mutation of the still ‘human’ children. He had recently recruited a new member to the Brotherhood, a Cheyenne Indian who went by the name Forge and who with the genius of his mind could construct right about anything.

“Hey guys…” Jubilee prattled off in her usual enthusiastic manner, not noticing the tense situation she had chanced upon. “Lets get goinnnnngggg! So, lets get that hairy butt of your into action Wolvie….” She commented just for Wolverine’s benefit. Since the time he first came to the mansion, Wolverine had gained a fan following of sorts, not only with Rogue but also with her roommates, Jubilee and Kitty, and with Kitty’s boyfriend, Piotr too. The other junior X-Men, namely, Rogue’s own beau, Bobby Drake a.k.a. Iceman, and Alex Summers, Scott’s younger brother, leaned more towards the ‘Scooter Academy of Tight Assedness,’ as Jubilee had termed it, while they belonged to the ‘Wolvie School for Gifted Ass Kicking.’ Then there were the neutrals like Lorna Dane, a.k.a. Polaris, a.k.a. Miss. Buckethead (courtesy of Jubilee), who were the independents, or as Kitty called them, followers of the middle path….trying to get the best of both worlds.

----

For a moment it seemed as if no had heard what the young Asian-American had just said. Finally heaving a sigh of defeat, Cyclops started towards the door.

“Come on Jubilee, you can prep the jet,” he called out to the youngest member of the X-Team. At sixteen years and eight and a half months, Jubilee was more six months younger than the seventeen and a half years old Kitty, and a year than the almost eighteen Rogue….not that it mattered to her. With her, it was a case of seventeen going on seventy, especially in terms of the gossip she could spread around and be involved in.

“Ok, that’s more like it,” Jubilee’s excitement fell through at Scott’s next words.

“Think of it as a test.”

Nevertheless, with a parting look at the duo remaining in the room, she surmised their need for some time alone and quietly moved away along the path that Scott had taken a few seconds ago.

---

“Ororo…” Logan started, his voice carrying an uncharacteristic and rare softness, one that he only reserved for her.

“Logan, we have already been over this. I know I....” she stopped at the ‘puppy-wolf’ look on her usually stoic Canadian’s face. “What?” She sighed in exasperation.

“Just be careful, okay,” was all the lecture she got, as moving to her side, Logan guided her the door.

“Thanks,” that garnered him an appreciative smile. “You too.”

“An’ stay right next to me…..”

“Logan!”

------

A couple of hours later,

Mortimer Toynbee a.k.a. Toad’s, limp form flew thru the air. Propelled by the force of Cyclops’s optical blast, her literally levitated and rammed into the side of the warehouse that the X-Men had tracked the Brotherhood to. Once he had ensured that the Toad was out for good, Cyclops turned around just in time to see Cyclops leap onto a reprogrammed Sentinel Mark II, one of many that Forge and Magneto had commandeered from their human creators. One powerful organo-metallic punch later, the robot had lost its head….literally. However, no soon did that one, a second one stepped up to take its place, charging and firing its gun before Colossus to make a move on him.

Meanwhile, inside the warehouse, Storm, having blown half the roof off, and Wolverine were facing off against Sabertooth and some red-black eyed punk (Wolverine’s description) who kept charging metal, pieces of debris, whatever he could get his hands on and chucking them at the airborne Ororo. Although she was fighting him, even Ororo would admit to the acrobatic finesse with which the Gambit, as he called himself, moved. Until now, she had only seen such grace and limber in one other such person...the Incredible Nightcrawler, Kurt Wagner. The fact alone that he had been able to dodge ever single one of the lightening bolts she sent his way, impressed the Windrider.

----

Occupied with fending off and taking down the sweet talking Cajun charmer, while dodging his charges, Ororo did not notice how one of the sentinels, hovering a couple of hundred feet and battling Jean, had by chance lined up with her…..just as she missed on the charging and subsequent firing of the hand-cum-energy cannon of the metallic construct.

“Storm!” Logan’s yell drew her attention, her eyes turning just in time to see the Wolverine leap up along the crates placed around her and launch himself towards her. His larger body shielding hers and his weight forcing them down, the duo rapidly moved towards the ground.

If only they had been faster.

---

Everyone fighting stopped short as a bone-chilling cry, a combination of Storm’s shrill scream of Logan’s name and Wolverine’s own animalistic roar, tore through the air.

“Scott,” Jean’s own cry rang out almost in conjunction with her teammates. Just as she dealt with the sentinel in question, a massive burst of emotions assaulted her telepathic link with Storm and Wolverine. Such great was the force that, letting out her own cry, the flame haired Phoenix hurtled towards the earth, only escaping a rather painful landing at the ice slide that appeared out of thin air, its gentle slope guiding her to safety.

“JEAN!” Another blast and Scott ran to his wife’s side.

Reaching her, he blanched at the blood flowing out of Jean’s nose and ears.

“Jean,” he called out again, cradling her to lift her up in his arms.

Barely conscious from the emotional feedback she had just received, Jean hung on long enough to moan out six words.

“They’re gone Scott…they’re both gone.”

“Uhnn…” Letting out a slightly painful moan, Ororo turned over onto her back. She did not need to open her eyes to feel moisture in the air…moisture not from a sea or an ocean, but from a fresh water source. She seemed to be outdoors somewhere, lying on the softest grass she had felt in a long time. The air was cool, not overtly cold but cool enough to warrant a light sweater…not that she needed it. Being attuned with nature allowed her to wary her body’s insulation, thus precluding her from feeling the affects of warm and or cold weather. It wasn’t that she didn’t feel the cold, just that on a general basis, if required, she could do without warm clothing.

Finally opening her eyes, Ororo slammed them shut as the bright, reflected sunlight (from the water) momentarily blinded her.

----

“Goddess.” The weather witch cursed under her breath as she forced her aching body to follow the call of her mind and to sit up groggily. Taking a deep breath, she shaded her eyes and slowly cracking them open to let them get acclimated to her current situation. Once that was done, she let her hand fall to her side and looked around. Everywhere she turned, it was all water….fresh, blue, life giving water.

‘How did I get here?’ The thought had just risen up in her mind, when the last thing she remembered cropped up…and along with that a worrisome feeling.

‘ORORO!’ Logan’s cry still rang in her ears, as did the buzz she felt at being struck by that energy beam from that accursed robot. Logan had tried to….

“Logan!” Ororo’s eyes widened at the name of her feral teammate escaped her lips. Logan had been with her. What had happened to him? Was he alright? She has seen his healing factor help him rise up from anything, including her lightening strikes (let loose in the danger room), but even she did not know whether it would recover from taking a point blank hit from a sentinel’s canon.

---

“Logan,” The hail rang out in the empty surroundings, that is, except for the wildlife in the area….and they surely didn’t answer her.

‘Where am I?’ Ororo pushed herself into a standing position.

“Logan! Scottt? Anybody?” Ororo chanced calling out to her other teammates, in the hope that they might be looking for her. However, given that that they had been in a city and her current location seemed to be miles away from any human settlements, the solitary Storm once again got just silence in return.

As she would later come to know, she was in the Great Lakes region, more specifically, right next to Lake Huron, around eight hundred miles from where she had been before the energy strike.

---

Getting her bearings and she feeling her energy coming back, the still weakened Ororo checked for any broken bones or any other major injuries.

‘They are going to have a fit,’ she thought of her two teammates who had tried to convince her to stay back….and even included Jean and the Professor in that group.

‘Especially Logan. This will give him enough blackmail material for at least the next ten years,’ she shook her head in amused exasperation, wincing as pain shot out at her actions. Checking for any head injury, she found none except the bump at the back of her head.

“Well, everything seems to be working just fine. Not even a concussion,” she spoke to herself, having just conducted a rough field test to check her comprehension.

“I had better get back.”

Pressing the comm. link in the ‘X’ sewn into the leather of her uniform, she hailed evenly.

“Storm to base, come in base.”

----

**Professor? Jean? Please respond**

Ororo had reached the end of the line as far as any contact with her teammates was concerned. Unable to reach them with conventional communication systems, she then tried to hail the telepaths, but to no avail.

To make matters worse, not only was it getting darker, she was also more than a little hungry, she was down right famished.

Muttering a silent thanks to Logan and the Professor for persuading (forcing) all the X-Men to take a week long survival crash course under the Wolverine, she set about foraging for food and a shelter to spend the night. A smile played on her lips as she recalled how, not only Jubilee and Kitty, the two X-Men with the worse case of city-girl syndrome, but also seniors such as Scott had complained about the slave-master treatment Logan levied on them. While Scott was convinced that Logan was personally getting back at him for all the times he had shown him up, Jubilee swore that she was the one getting treated the worst, as a payback for the few (dozen, hundred) times, she made fun of and or played tricks on the Wolv-shyster.

Forcing herself not to think about the fate of her teammates, not to mention her own, Ororo soon had a small stock of some wild but more importantly, non-poisonous berries. Washing them out in the cool water of the lake, she slowly savored them while contemplating her next move. After a few hours rest to regain her strength, she would start out towards some form of civilization. Even though she did not know where she was exactly, from the surrounding topography, she guessed that it was somewhere in North East United States or South Canada. It that were true, starting early morning, she would be home by noon, evening at the most.

With that thought, and the memory of her family in her mind, she retired for the night.

----

“Logan! Scott?” Her eyes wide in shock, Ororo watched as the people she knew as her teammates, spread out in battle formation around her. “Jean? What happened to you? Logan?”

Starting out according to plan, she made her way to the nearest town and from there on, jet-streamed to New York. Arriving at the mansion in record time, she stopped short as; instead of welcoming her, the X-Men set out to attack her.

“What do you mean what happened to us?” Cyclops had his hand ready at the side of his head, ready to blast the intruder out of the sky. “And who do you think you are?”

“Me?” Ororo could not help feel that somehow, somewhere, things had gone wrong….Big-Time. “I am Ororo. I am…..” she stopped at saying ‘your friend,’ because somehow that word did not quite fit well in the current situation. “I am Storm.”

“If you are Ororo,” Jean Grey, the Phoenix demanded as she floated in the air in front of the strange woman. “Then who is this?”

Turning her gaze towards the sound, Ororo’s eyes shot up even further at the person right behind her.

For there, not ten feet from her, was….HERSELF.

03. Me, Myself and….Oh No!!

Summary: The title is clear enough.

---

“She is who she says she is?” Jean addressed her fellow X-Men. Gathered in the conference room, called up for an emergency meeting, along with Cyclops, Phoenix, Wolverine, were Iceman, Nightcrawler, Colossus, Shadowcat and Rogue….not to mention, their Storm.

“How is that possible?” Cyclops was the first to speak up. “A shape shifter? A clone?” He presented his views. With Jean standing at the front, everyone except for Wolverine seated at lecture hall style chairs, it looked more like a teaching class than a x-meeting. Jean because she was the one who, in the Professor’s absence, conducted a telepathic survey of their entirely unexpected guest, not to mention a host of physical and medical tests. As for Logan, he was leaning against the wall, right next to the door….and was looking tense and wound up, well, more than he usually looked.

“At least we know she is nice,” Kurt offered with his heavily accented voice. If nothing more, he had liked it when, instead of the usual horrified reaction that he was wont to get, the strange woman smiled as him…almost as if she knew him quite well.

“Yeah,” Bobby put up his oh so technical opinion. “Even looks like Ororo, except that her boobs…uh,” he realized a second too late as what he was saying. “Never mind,” he apologized nervously looking at Storm. During the early days of the team, he had a massive crush on his Moroccan teammate had spent many a night fantasizing about her while involved in certain private activities. “You know, not that I measured or anything, or even see your br….I’ll stop now,” he hung his head before he could shove the shove of his leg to join the foot that was already lodged in his mouth.

----

“Where did she come from?” was Ororo’s question.

“What are we gonna do with her?” was Logan’s. There was something about this strange woman that was setting off his alarms. Something that made him want to run away and to her….all at the same time.

“According to her, she is from earth,” Jean avoided his question and answered Ororo’s, as she set about explaining further with what she had got from her telepathic interrogation. “She says she is also with the X-Men, and that like us, lives in a mansion, just like ours….here in Salem Center, New York.”

“How is that possible?” Kitty piped up. “Is she from the future?”

“Yeah, right.” Bobby sneered at her. “Looks like someone has been dipping into Dazzler’s stash.”

“Looks like someone needs to keep their mouth shut,” Kitty shot back with a tone that bordered between disdain and anger. Ever since she had caught Bobby’s email to Rogue, well, he CC-ed it to her by mistake, leading to her dumping him, the conversations between the two had been anything but cordial.

“Shadowcat. Iceman.” Scott went into leader mode, adopting his leadery voice, to do his leader bit…well, that was what Alison had termed it as, with a couple of more leader words thrown in for good measure. Never one to conform to the norm, the wildcat Alison seemed to thrive off at pushing others’ buttons, especially Cyclops’s…Mr. Tight Ass himself.

“You mentioned some differences earlier?” He turned back to Jean, missing out on the middle finger salute that Bobby sent his way.

---

“In her timeline, on her earth, whatever…” Jean wasn’t quite sure how to term it. “….their too are stationed in the same place and way as us. Even the teams seems to be similar. Just like us, they have senior and junior members, which we call Team-A and Team-B. Moreover, like us, their Professor Xavier is the head there too, with Cyclops as the team leader.” That revelation gained more than a few snorts from the gathering. “However, there are slight differences. Instead of the five members we had here, their team started with just three members, Cyclops, Storm and myself, I mean their version of me. The current team has five senior members with Wolverine and Beast being the other two. The junior members include Iceman, Shadowcat, Rogue, Colossus and someone called Jubilee. Recent additions include two new students, both of whom are as yet not on the actual team but on probation.” Sparing a glance at Scott, she carefully spoke the two names. “Havok and Polaris.”

‘Alex and Lorna,’ and as she expected, Jean sensed her boyfriend tense up. With their latest mission too recent for comfort, she knew this could….would be a problem. Even though he had not residual feelings towards Lorna, Scott did resent her and his brother…even if it was on a subconscious level.

“Whoa!” Bobby echoed in appreciation. Maybe in that world he and Storm….

“All the junior members are students at the school…and the senior members, their teachers.”

…or maybe not. Jeez-Louise, a teacher for crying out aloud. What could be worse than that. Maybe they had a teacher-student thing…..Oh yeah!

---
Paying no attention to Bobby’s hormonal thoughts, Jean elaborated further. “Neither Nightcrawler nor Dazzler are on the team. K…”
“Vas?” Kurt lamented loudly. “I am not on the ze team. Why?”

“Like I was saying,” Jean carried on. “Although the X-Men rescued their Kurt, who is in mid twenties, he is a reserve member. Moreover, he does not stay in New York, rather elected to return to his home in Germany.”
“Oh.” That seemed to settle Kurt. He, himself had often wondered what it would be like to go back to Germany to see if anything from his past, his life before Weapon X and now the X-Men, still existed there.

“What about Alison?” Kitty questioned. ‘And what about Peter?’ She thought about her boyfriend, (the Ultimate) Spider-Man. Were the two of them together there too.

“She is not with the team,” Jean answered in the nugatory. While she did run her telepathic scan, she did not go deep into the other Ororo’s mind. With her shields strong, the Professor would be the one who would be able to get a deeper, detailed reading. However, seeing as to how he was away to Washington for the week…alone, well, with his new friend, one Ms. Lilandra Neramini, that would have to wait…for now.

----

“So what is she doin’ here?” Logan growled from the sidelines, the tension rolling off in waves from him, his claws itching for release, as Jean brought up the surveillance camera from room….the holding-cell where they had placed the new arrival. “How did she get here?”

As everyone watched the eerily familiar visage of Storm, Jean explained the events that had conspired to cause the other Storm to be transported into their dimension.

“It seems like a freak accident resulting from a combined charge from a Sentinel, some sort of machine Magneto created, Wolverine’s…their Wolverine’s Admantium, Storm’s own lightening and Gambit’s charging attacks.”

‘Gambit.’ Quite a few of the X-Men turned to the newly returned Rogue. Her red-black eyes were clear indicators of the time she had spent away from the X-Men, in the company of the now dead Remy Lebeau a.k.a. Gambit.

----

“How do we get her back to her own world?” Ororo asked in concern.

“We have no confirmed idea at present?’ Jean shook his head. “Once the Professor returns, we will be able to make some headway in that area. However, even then, it could weeks, if not months…that is if we can do something about it in the first place.”

“You mean she maybe stuck here permanently?” Kitty questioned again.
“We don’t know.” Scott answered on Jean’s behalf. Truth was he knew that they were out of their depth here. If Henry had been alive, maybe he could have rigged something up. However, seeing that that was not the case, they would have to make do with whatever resources they had at hand. One thing he was sure of…there was no way that he was letting whoever this Storm was leave the X-Men….preferably the mansion, both for her safety as well as the X-Men’s.

“What should we do with her in the mean time,” Cyclops pointed a finger at the screen. “We cannot just keep her locked up like a criminal.”
“Its better to keep her where we can keep a track of her. We don’t know her true intentions,” Wolverine pointed out as the Devil’s Advocate. “We only know what she has told us.

----

“Yer hiding something,” Logan’s accusation cut into his thoughts. For a second he thought that the feral Canadian might be talking to him, but the tilt in his head was clearly towards Jean.

“I-uh,” Jean faltered for a second, but even was enough to pique the others to full attention towards her. “There are some things…” she began slowly, her eyes not quite meeting Logan or Scott. “…things that are different about her.”
“Different?” Scott echoed. “Different how?”
“Nothing much…nothing important as far as we are concerned anyway,” Jean tried to downplay it. “Just a few differences I found about during the telepathic scan….but those are expected seeing as to how she is at least eight to ten years older than Ororo here.”

“What do you mean Jean?” Ororo narrowed her eyes at the redhead. Noticing how Logan was flexing his hands, she too adopted a wary yet inquisitive tone.
“She has had some experiences that are similar to yours but have worked out differently due to differing decisions on her part,” Jean answered cryptically.

“Like what?” Now she was really concerned….and even slightly excited. From the little see had seen of her doppelganger so far, the woman seemed quite well put together, real refined and regal like…something, which she, a former car thief, was not. Could she be someday like that? ‘I bet that would get Logan’s attention,’ the thought flashing through her mind made her frown. Logan. Ever with everything she had tried and hinted at so far, Logan still didn’t seem to come around. ‘Perennially stuck in Ms. Red-Bush and her oh so, old-frickin’-soul….my ass.’

At Jean’s reluctance, Scott stepped up to second her motion, but was shot down by all the others. Even though he was the team leader, and the others deferred to that…mostly, they never did at such times…especially not when, in their eyes, he was trying to act like Professor X-Junior.

“I-We should let her tell us about it?” Logan noticed the tightness in Jean’s jaw. Whatever it was…whatever had him on the edge, Jean had seen it, and it had set her off too.

“That would be a good idea,” Storm nodded in support. Not a particularly big fan of Ms. Prissy-High society in the first place, her past thing with Logan, only set her on an even shorter leash where trust was concerned. “I’ll get her.”
“No,” Wolverine’s sudden outburst stopped her in mid action. “Ya stay here. Pete. Elf.”

“On it,” Kurt did not even spare a second to seek Scott or Jean’s confirmation. However, the choice of taking Piotr with him, did give him a falter. Ever since Piotr had come out, things had been tense at best between him and his teleporting teammate.

*BAMPF*

-----

Inside the holding cell,

Ororo sat calmly, waiting for her hosts, well, given her current situation, more like her captors to reach a decision about her status. Not twenty-four hours ago, she had been with her team and now….not only was she not on her own earth, she was locked up in a holding cell similar to the one she had on her underground base. Moreover, although the decision had been hers i.e. she had given into voluntarily, she did not like it one bit, but did it as a show of good faith.

Arriving at the mansion, at first glance she found nothing out of the ordinary. It was only after she gave it a second look did she notice the absence of the large garden she maintained, with just a solitary greenhouse standing in its stead. Then came the other and much larger surprise. She found herself face to face with an exact duplicate of herself….albeit a much younger one. Initially about to put up a resistance, especially on sensing that Jean entering her mind, she relented when, instead of knocking her out, Jean expressed surprise and seconds later linked her with her other self.

Giving up peacefully, she was escorted inside and finally to the holding cell she was in.

-----

“Storm,” a familiar voice drew her out of her thoughts. Looking up she saw the familiar blue form of Nightcrawler standing on the other side of the force field. Alongside him was Colossus, in his steeled up form.

“Kurt you can call me Ororo,” her calm voice and the fact she called him by his name, seemed to throw the teleporter for a second.

“Uh-well, yes, I guess so, let me think about it,” Kurt looked up at Colossus for support, but getting none from the equally confused Piotr.

Entering the pass-code, he deactivated the force field and asked Ororo to accompany them to the conference room…..this time electing to walk instead of just Bampf-ing away.

----

“Your name,” Jean started with the usual question, more to get things going than anything.
“Ororo Monroe,” came the confident answer.

“Species?”
“Mutant.”

“Do you mean any harm to us?” The question gained a raised eye from both Ororos….the look on the older one especially unnerving to the telekinetic-telepath. Being the oldest, both age and time spent with the Professor-wise, not to mention her own status in the team, Jean had grown accustomed to be the number-one female on the team. However, in the presence of this newcomer, that feeling of hierarchical superiority seemed to falter….the assured confidence that the older woman put out almost subconsciously, wasn’t helping in any way either.

“You can rest assured….all of you…even you Wolverine.” Logan and Ororo’s eeys shot up, while Jean slightly flinched at the declaration. Things were going to get out of hand pretty soon….out of HER than that is. “You will be the last person that I do any harm to.”

“Why is that?” Wolverine asked coldly.
“I...” Ororo spared a look at he counterpart. Noting her nervous anticipation, she instantly read into the reason for her interest. This would be interesting for her.

Taking a deep breath, she continued. “In my world-dimension, Logan and I…we are….together.”

-SNIKT-

The claws shooting out sounded clearly in the suddenly silent room.

-----

“Together,” Cyclops was the first to break the tension. “As in….”

“As in romantically involved, intimate,” Ororo offered with a tender yet confident smile.

A shaken (younger) Ororo looked from Wolverine to Cyclops to her twin to Jean, finally understanding the reason for the redhead’s wordplay. Finally, her gaze settled on her mirror image. “How intimate?” She couldn’t contain the words from spilling out.

“Very,” the answer came out easily this time. “We have been for quite some time.”

“Oh,” the interrogating Ororo voiced as her mind mulled over Jean’s words. ‘Different decisions on her part,’ that was what she had said. ‘Had Logan, that world’s Logan and she…had they…’ the corner of her lips curved up at the thought.

“Are there any more questions about my identity,” the new Ororo asked wearily. “I have had a long day and am tired. I’d like to get some rest. I need to be careful in my state.”

----

“What do you mean your state?” Scott questioned her words. “Why do you have to be careful?”

The new Ororo sighed as she squelched the urge to rub the back of her neck. “I wasn’t even supposed to be on active duty….but the mission warranted that we get as much help as we could get. I haven’t been on active duty since Henry put me on reserved status and gave strict instructions against any stress.”

“Henry,” Ororo choked at the memory of her now dead teammate and former lover.

“He is our resident genius…and doctor.” As she did not see the blue furred Beast anywhere around, Ororo assumed that he was not a part of the team….hence the explanation. “His said, and I quote refrain from all these x-erting activities until six months after the delivery.”

“Delivery!” Iceman leapt off his seat, away from Wolverine and both Ororos. “Delivery of what?”

The way that Ororo smiled and her gravitating to and around her midsection was answer enough without her to having to spell it out.

“Goddess!!” Her younger counterpart fell back into her chair, her wild eyes alternating between Wolverine and the Storm from the other dimension. “You-you…and him, I mean….”

“Not him,” Kitty was quick to point out, rather excited at the development. “Her Wolverine.” The present Wolverine blanched at the ‘her’…not to mention the present Jean…and consequently Scott.

“Yes,” the guest Storm’s face seemed to glow with joy. “We are going to have babies.”

“Babies!” That got yet another exclamation from the freaked out Iceman.

“Yes…twins.”

---

Note: Had initially planned on just a single child, but seeing that I have used Kendall quite a lot in the recent past, I decided to give her a break….well, for now. Who knows what sex the babies might be?

Please Review and let me know how you like it so far!!

04. Decisions

“Yes…twins.”

“What do say Wolfman?” Bobby exclaimed as he iced-up two bawling babies, complete with their very own ice-prams. Identical in almost every respect, one was a boy with three tiny claws sticking out of each hand while the other a girl with seemingly charged up hands and eyes, just like her mother. However, what was comical, if it just did not come true, were the muttonchops that the girl child seemed to be sporting.

“Wheeee,” he made a mock impression of young children enjoying themselves.

Wolverine glared at the teenager as he continued with his charade. His attention was not as much on them as it was on his two other teammates, Jean and Storm, both of whom had been silent for quite some time. Kitty and Piotr had taken leave to allow the new Ororo to get some rest while the rest of the team reached a consensus as to where to keep her, and more importantly what to with her.

He did not like the way the two women were staring at him, one who he knew wanted to be with him, and the other who had been with him….even if were for a short time. He deliberately put of his own musing until a more opportune time….opportune meaning, a couple of bottle of Jack Daniels, at least, and a solitary space…away from all this. Although he knew where he stood with Jean…until now, and even though he would have liked if things were different between them, he could not deny feeling some of the attraction that Ororo felt towards him. While Ororo looked pensive, a thoughtful aura coming off her, Jean looked downright put off. Was it because of what the other Ororo had told them…was it because, even though she was with Dickhead, she still had feelings towards him, or was there something else that she sensed while she mind-read the newcomer.

Things had been so simple until a few hours ago….then one sniff of the other woman, and his carefully built up walls had a blow off in them. One sniff, because, that was all he needed to recognize a man’s smell, one just like his own, on her…that, and something else. Something that told him beforehand what words confirmed later. She was with child….and the presence of only one man’s child on her, clearly proclaimed the child’s parentage.

Intently staring at the redhead, a part of him hoped that she was thinking about him…while another, a newly risen, small but growing part, hoping not.

‘What is going through your mind Jeannie? You look as if you are a puppy and someone has taken your favorite chew toy. Why is it affecting you so much?’

----

“Hey look, the kids are all grown up,” Bobby’s exclamation drew everyone’s attention towards the fully-grown ice Wolverine and Storm. It was clearly set to indicate that as the kids step into adulthood and come into their own, they take over the mantle from their parents, allowing the oldies to getting some alone time in the superhero old-age home.

“I left her in your room, Storm.” Kitty’s spoke up as she phased through the wall. “Pete is outside the door.”

“Thanks Kitty,” Ororo smiled weakly, her mind still swirling from the revelations of her doppelganger. The news that in another alternate timeline, not only was she in a romantic relationship with Logan, but the two of them were starting a family. That, she was already pregnant with not one, but two children, was something she still could not get her head around.

‘Children!’ The thought had never even crossed her mind…until now. However, seeing how her twin was, she studied Logan with new eyes, but was fearful at allowing herself from imagining how she would feel with life growing inside her….life that she and Logan made together.

A major cause of that apprehension sat a few feet from her. Ororo had noticed how the Jean tensed up as she and later the other Ororo, talked about her personal life and the revealed about her and her Logan. It wasn’t enough that Logan still seemed to be carrying a torch for her, now it seemed that Jean herself didn’t want him to move on to someone else…with someone else…with her.

----

Ororo was still lost in her thoughts, when a light hand rested on her shoulder. Feeling the three thick digits, she instinctively knew who it was.

“Yes Kurt,” she plastered on a smile for her friend, and true to his nature, he gave her a supportive smile. In the immediate time after Henry’s death, it was Kurt who had finally gotten through to her and it was his words that made her finally come out of the funk she had been in….not even Xavier could do that, and for that, she respected and cherished her angel in elfish-demon garb friend.

Turning to the others, she saw Bobby still playing with his ice-statues, while a giggling Rogue sitting beside him. Ever since her return, the couple had rekindled their relationship…hopefully with a maturity that had been lacking the first time. Kitty was busy at her laptop, most probably chatting with Peter. Scott and Jean were in conversation with the Professor, updating him about this unexpected development. That left only Logan…and he, with a distant closed off look in his eyes, he might as well have been somewhere else.

Ororo had expected such a reaction from him. After all, he was just as involved into it as she was...both of them more so than the rest of their teammates. Even though it was her counterpart that had come over the dimension rift, it was his counterpart’s life-seeds that were germinating inside the body of her older twin.

‘What are you thinking Logan?’ She almost spoke out aloud. ‘What is going on in that impenetrable mind of yours?’

----

“Until the Professor returns,” Jean got off from her mind-phone with Xavier. “We are to keep a close eye on our guest and conduct tests to confirm her authenticity.”

“What do you mean?” Ororo did not like the sound of that, nor did she think whatever Jean and Scott’s game was, the older Ororo would fall for it.

“For starters, we run a DNA test,” Scott began, his tone all business. “Along with detailed physical tests….and we also have to check out her claims of being pregnant.”
“You mean pregnant with Logan’s babies,” Bobby was quick on the draw, his words getting supportive nods from Rogue.

“She ain’t lyin’,” everyone snapped to Logan, clearly surprised and expecting an explanation.
“How…” was all Scott got out before Logan cut him off.
“I smelled it on her,” Logan clarified.

“You can smell that?” echoed Kitty, her eyes bugging out of her head. “What else can you smell?” She wasn’t too sure she wanted the answer to that.

Instead of answering her, Logan carried on. “An’ the heartbeats….they’re there.”

“Whoa!” Bobby shot up. “That means she’s really…you know….”
“Yup,” Logan grunted in his answer to his fumbled question. Even though he did not know the exact time, Logan knew enough that for the kid to have a heart beat, the pregnancy was really coming along.....who cares how many months.

“We’ll test nonetheless,” Scott reiterated his position. Even if it was just for a formality, there was no way he was going to give Logan his smug satisfaction. Moreover, the question of the father was still an open one…at least for him. Although he did not know the other Ororo quite well, he had seen enough to know that she was quite learned and sophisticated. Unless the other world’s Logan was a complete 180 degree opposite of the Logan here, there was no way in hell that she would be in a relationship with a man like him, let alone him be the father of her children. Heck, the Ororo here was street-smart and he still did not see what she saw in Wolverine. ‘Probably what Jean saw,’ he flinched at the unwanted thought.

The whole Logan-Jean thing was still a sore issue for him, well, it would be for anyone, who had his life put in danger and almost lost at the hands of the said person.

-----

“What about getting her back to her world?” Ororo put up her next question. “If she is indeed who she says she is, then I am sure she would like to get back home as soon as possible, and so would her friends and teammates….her family.”

“Not to mention, her Wolf-dad….dy,” Bobby’s words were lost at a cold glare from Wolverine. “I mean hers….not you, not at all. Her Wolverine.”

“Why not keep her downstairs?” Wolverine still wasn’t sold on the idea of allowing the stranger free access to the mansion, especially a stranger who wore his scent, which for all purposes, it was, her body clearly proclaiming her…uh, contacts with his other world self. “It would be safer than to let her get out.”

“You mean, safer for you,” Ororo’s biting remark did not faze him the least bit. “I would think you of all people would know how it feels to be locked up.”

“There are two reasons for that,” Jean stepped in…reluctantly. Even though she might not like the situation, she had to take care of their guest…as was the Professor’s strict orders. “One, she doesn’t like closed spaces, she’s claustrophobic. Secondly, Professor’s orders….she is to be allowed access to anything and everything she wants, as long as it doesn’t require her leaving the mansion. Thirdly, if she is pregnant,” she still did not let that ‘if’ go. “Then according a fresh, clean, natural environment is necessary for her and for the child’s development.”

“Hn,” was Wolverine succinct response.

-----

“We should tell her,” Ororo started up from her chair. Ready to return to her room, she arched a brow as all of her teammates seemed to stand up with her. “Where do you think all of you are going?”

“I am the team leader, I have to be present,” was Scott’s excuse.

“I am going to have to tell her about the tests I will be running.” Jean.

“Keeping an eye.” Kitty, Rogue and Kurt were under orders from Scott.

“You crazy, there is no way I am losing even a second of this. This is even better than watching funny videos on the Internet.” Bobby was practically leaping off the table…leaving Logan.

“…..”

---

Note: Hope you liked this chapter. If some of the facts are out of line, excuse me. (Not a doctor here.)

Also, as the summary states, this is a crossover between the x-movies (1, 2 and the upcoming 3) and the Ultimate X-Men comics. Although, I hope to stay true to the specific ‘Universes’, some events and or settings may be moved a bit.

Spoiler: Bobby (and/with Rogue) does watch the said videos in Ultimate X-Men #66.

An’ don’t forget to review!!

05. ‘Interesting’

“Oh, sorry.”

Storm apologized to the new Ororo. Arriving at her room, she thanked Piotr for keeping a lookout, opened the door and stepped through it. That and the others talking woke up the sleeping woman inside.

Her hair mussed from sleep; her doe like eyes bleary from the sudden and abrupt wake up call, the older Ororo sat up, instinctively pulling up the sheet to her chest. Even if they did not agree on her authenticity, everyone present in the room did agree on one thing…the woman, whoever she was, was a dead ringer for Ororo….a few years down the line. Heck, how many people were there with natural blue eyes, white hair and coffee colored skin?

---

“Huhn,” the bedside Ororo seemed lost for a moment. As she regained complete consciousness, she remembered that she was no longer in her world, in her and Logan’s room at the mansion or even at their cabin in the Canadian Rockies. She was in an alternate dimension where until a couple of hours ago, she had been a prisoner of sorts.

“We didn’t know you were asleep,” Scott offered as an apology. “Perhaps we should do this a later time and let you get your rest.”

“Its alright,” the new Ororo smiled languidly, her body still feeling the cumulative after affects of her battle, having slept out in the open, and the general tiredness that came with being pregnant. “I hope you don’t mind, I took some clothes of yours,” she looked up at her counterpart, who had noticed her changed attire. “Just wanted to get out of the leather uniform.”

“Nope. No problem at all.” Ororo smiled as she came forward into the room. “Need anything, just take it.”

“Thank you,” the older Storm returned the friendly smile.

----

Once the others, well, Jean and Scott had spouted off their little speech, the younger Ororo turned them out, closed and locked the door behind her.

“Tell me more about yourself and your….world,” she started as she opened her closet to take out a change of clothes for herself.
“What would you like to know?” Ororo looked up to her counterpart. Slipping out of her own costume, she was in the process of donning 'normal civilian clothes.

“Uh, Ororo,” she didn’t know what else to call her, they were, for all obvious purposes, the same person, except for the slight bulge at the midsection of the new Ororo…a bulge she had not noticed earlier, but couldn’t help but check out now “How far along are you?”
“Four and a half, almost five months,” she replied, tracing a loving hand over her silk covered belly. “Soon I won’t be able to wear the leather,” she gestured towards her costume. “It already chafes my nipples,” she stated with a grin.

Looking away from the mirror, she turned to the un-pregnant Ororo. “You want to feel them?”

“Me!” Ororo’s mind reeled at the offer. Even from where she was standing, the fact that one of her was with child was still overwhelming. “Can I?” she asked softly, hesitantly.

“Sure,” the pregnant Ororo seemed to glow with the warmth of motherhood. “Logan always likes to feel them. He does it every morning when he wakes up and at every chance he gets…he even talks to them sometimes. ”

“Oh,” Ororo did not know what to say to that either. It seemed that the Wolverine of the other dimension was much more emotionally open that the one here. More importantly, he was love with her, well, the other Ororo, and not with Jean-Jeannie-Red-Grey.

“He is the same there too,” her twin seemed to dip right into her thoughts. “Intensely closed off, private, highly emotional…..”
“And you still choose to be with him?” Ororo had to ask the question. From what her counterpart had just described, there wasn’t any difference between the two Wolverines.

“Those are the qualities that drew me to him. You know, the whole Bad-Boy thing,” the pregnant Ororo chuckled humorously. “No seriously, what drew me to him was his warrior spirit, his loyalty, his sense of honor…his hidden love. Although I must say, it is hidden quite well. I had to go through layers upon layers of emotional shielding to get to it. It took me a lot of time and effort to get to where we are now. And you know what; I’d do it again in a heartbeat.”

----

“What about you?” the new Ororo made her own inquiry, looking down at her twin as she caressed the gentle swell of midsection.
“What about me?” Asked Ororo, her temple creased in confusion. Being like this, sensing the growing life….made the thought of how it would feel to birth, to have her own family, grow stronger within her.

“How are things between you and the Logan here?”
“What makes you think there is something between me and him?” The words sounded hollow to Ororo herself. She mentally cursed herself for trying to lie to…well, to herself.

“Just the way you talk about him.” Ororo arched her eyebrow as if saying, go on. “Your questions, their singled approach towards Logan and my relation and the affect it has had on both of us. That, and the way you looked at him when you came to know about my relation with my Logan. Although I must say, there are some things about you that are intriguing to me too.”

“What do you want to know about me?” Ororo sighed and sat down on a chair, facing her counterpart.
“Well,” the new Ororo seemed to think it over for a moment. “I guess everything. After all, we are from two different worlds…not to mention ages.”

“I…” Starting to speak, Ororo stopped short at the knock from the other side. Excusing herself, she walked to the door, unlocked and opened it….to face Scott and Jean, no doubt on their fact-finding mission. Both of her teammates were not quite looking at her but at her doppelganger inside the room…as if to check whether she was still there or not.

“Yes,” the Nubian beauty arched a snowy brow in query.

“Uh-we…” Jean faltered as if she had been caught with a hand in the cookie jar. One of the main reasons the new arrival unnerved her, well, apart from the already stated ones, was that Jean wasn’t properly able to get a good read from her….her mental shields were just too strong, and moreover, their where built up from her subconscious up. She had had training; the redhead inferred….training in locking out telepaths. “We just came to invite you …I mean both of you…you and Ms. Monroe to dinner.”

“Okay, give us ten minutes,” and with that, Ororo bear about slammed the door on their faces.

----

As she turned to her twin, she saw a mysterious smirk on her face.

“That was….interesting.” The older Ororo commented, her smirk growing knowing.
“What was?”

“You,” she gestured towards the door. “Scott and Jean. Your friendship….”
“Please…” her (ultimate) twin interrupted at the friendship comment. “They might be my teammates, but they are most definitely not my friends…well, not among the ones I feel closer to. They are entirely too anal and stuck up for my liking.”

“That’s why I said interesting,” her doppelganger repeated her comment, letting the ‘anal’ comment slide. This version of her…this younger version of her, was a feisty one and did not hesitate to voice her opinion, even sprinkling it with rather colorful language. “See, on my world, the Scott and Jean there…they are two of my closest friends.”
“Huhn…” Ororo’s mouth fell open, disbelief clearly plastered on her features.

“Yes. We were among the first students to join the Professor and have been friends for years. Seeing the three of you like this….”

“Yeah I know…” the younger Storm completed the older one’s sentence, her face scrunched up in thinly disguised dislike.

“…Interesting”

-----

Elsewhere,

“Anything Professor?” Even as the doors to the mutant detecting machine, Cerebro, opened, the gathered X-Men stepped up to their mentor.

“No Scott,” Xavier shook his head, fatigue clear on his face. Of the thirty-six hours since Ororo and Logan vanished, he had spent almost twenty-three of those in Cerebro, trying to get a reading of their cerebral signatures. However, no matter how long and how hard he tried, all his efforts had been in vain. With Beast, Colossus and Iceman returning to the scene of the battle, the only viable hope was to salvage whatever they could of their teammates….that was the thought that he was getting from more than few of his students.

“Professor, do you think…?” Kitty started, only to be silenced by an outburst from an increasingly agitated Rogue.

“They ain’t dead,” the southerner snapped at her ex-roommate. One time close friends, the relationship and camaraderie between the two girls had cooled over time…especially due to Kitty’s affair with Bobby…at a time when Rogue and Bobby were dating, and were still very much a couple. Even though she came to know about it sooner, Rogue let it slide for a short period of time, mostly due to a hope that Bobby might come back….and also due to her own insecurities. Unable to touch anyone, even for a few seconds, it felt nice to have someone care about and be willing to touch you…even if it were with the use of gloves, scarves and other partitions.

However, things finally ended between them, when during one Danger Room session, Bobby, propelled by a telekinetic blast (courtesy of Jean), came into contact with the only exposed surface on Rogue’s body, her face. Even though it wasn’t long enough to knock him unconscious, it did allow for Rogue to sense the extent of the thing between Kitty and Bobby. Bobby had no plans of ending it…in fact; he seemed to be looking for a way to call it off with Rogue. Beating him to the punch, Rogue visited him the next day in the infirmary, and in front of Kitty, not to mention Jean and Henry in the adjoining room, revealed that she knew about them…and had known for quite sometime.

“If he cheated with meh,” she turned to the girl who was ‘supposed to be’ one of her closest friends. “How long do yah think will it take foh him to do the same with you?”

Not waiting for an answer, she stormed out of the room, spending the rest of the day alone in her room. Jubilee, her other former roommate, wisely or out of guilt, stayed away for the same duration. She too knew about the Bobby and Kitty, and even though she had previously warned Kitty against it, she still felt at fault for not telling it to Rogue. ‘Its none of your business,’ she would repeat to herself, every time she saw the two of them together.

Finally, it had been Logan and Piotr who got her out and about. Logan, who had dropped hints, not blatant ones, but ones like, ‘You can do better,’ ‘He’s a dickwad,’ ‘If you ever want, just say…I’ll gut him…and feed him his entrails.’ He refrained from saying anything to Kitty, but had tracked down Bobby, more than once and had warned him.

Even though, during his time at the institute, he had grown to care about the people there, Rogue would always hold a special place in his heart….just like Jean, and most importantly Ororo. Therefore, when things finally ended, his put all his support behind Marie…something that even Kitty, who was among the top five people in Logan’s list, knew.

As for Piotr, ever since returning from Alkali Lake and with John’s departure, not to mention his selection for the team, he and Rogue had grown closer together to become very good friends. As a rule, he never commented or pointed a finger at anyone else’s private life…that just wasn’t him. Nor did he want to come between anyone else…That quality of his stopped him from step in or try to get Rogue for himself…even when he developed a crush over her.

Things had improved down since that event almost seven months ago, and even though the four of them did not get back to the level where they had been before, Rogue, Kitty, Bobby and Piotr had ‘sort of’ settled down around each other. While Kitty and Bobby were still together as a couple, Rogue and Piotr had been slower in their progress. It was only about a month now that they had finally gone out on an actual ‘proper’ date.

---

“I am not saying that they are dead?” Kitty defended herself, knowing that that was exactly what she was about to say.

“Then what were yah saying?” Rogue demanded, feeling at her wits end at Logan and Ororo’s disappearance. The truth was, she was barely holding herself from thinking the same thoughts….and having others around her speak it aloud didn’t help matters.

“Rogue,” Jean intervened. She could sense the pain and anger, and a fast fading hope, just rolling off the younger woman. Having lost her ‘birth’ family, Rogue had found a second one in the X-Men and more importantly in Logan and Ororo. The possibility that she might have lost them too, was playing on her, even at normal times, tumultuous psyche.

Even though, she did not say it aloud…ever, whether it was due to her own nature or the various personalities she had absorbed, Rogue had an acute need for an emotional and mental anchor. Although the Professor and to some extent, Jean, were able to fulfill the latter, no one, except for Logan, then Ororo and now, somewhat, Piotr had been able to do so with the former.

“We have to wait until we reach any conclusion,” the redhead kept her voice even and soothing, while forcing herself not to fall back onto the usual clinical tone. “…at least until we have exhausted all avenues.”

‘Then what?’ Was a question that not only Rogue, but also the others, including Jean herself, wanted an answer for.

‘Then what?’

---

Note: I hope the differences between the two worlds are clear enough to set them apart….and that the ‘Ororo’ talk isn’t confusing!!

In addition, the Kitty-Bobby-Rogue-Piotr thing is from the various spoiler posts and the first teaser trailer. I just carried it a bit forward in time and development. A Rogue-Piotr couple is something that I haven’t done….or as far as I can remember, even read about. Lets see how it turns out.

As Ororo’s eye color, I will be keeping it blue….and not brown/hazel, as it has been drawn in some Ultimate-X issues. Same goes for the movieverse Ororo.

Please Review!!

06. Fishing n’ Catching


“Aahhhh….” Ororo looked in the mirror and saw the reflection of her dimensional twin utter a sigh of relief as she lowered herself in the warm bath she had just drawn up. Always preferring baths to showers, Ororo was particularly thankful for this one, seeing that it was her first in almost two days. Allotted her own room, the one next to her younger counterpart’s, she was in her own bathroom…but welcomed and appreciated the company. If nothing else, it would keep her involved, keep her empty…free thoughts from reading too much about the possibility of Logan disappearing the same way as she had, after all, she had just received a secondary shot; it was Logan who took the brunt of it. Had he been sent to this world too? Or was he somewhere else? When would….could they be together again? ‘Logan….’

---

The younger Ororo peered intently at her doppelganger, marveling at their similarities. Except for the differences in ages and the fact that one of them had the start of the telltale bulge of pregnancy, they were exactly same. Ororo felt as if she was having an out of body experience and was watching herself enjoying the scented bath.

“Tell me more about yourself.” She asked as settled down on one of the two stairs leading up to the custom designed tub.

“Hmm,” the bathing Storm opened her eyes and tilted her head to face her younger sister. They had settled on using this as their ‘front’ for any inquisitive eyes and ears. “What would you like to know? More about the X-Men? We are pretty much the same as yours. My life in Africa…before I came to New York. I lost my parents at a young age, earned my living as a thief…was even a Goddess of a tribal village for a few years.”

“Oh,” Ororo nodded at information. ‘Goddess, huh?’ That was new and different from her story. She too had been orphaned when she was still a child…and had got into stealing, first pick-pocketing and soon cars and bikes. However, the Goddess thing was new. “I did it slightly differently.” She started telling her story, where she smuggled into America aboard a cargo ship and once she was near the coast, high tailed out of there with her powers. “I was in jail when the Professor sent Jean to get me out. I had already turned down one of Magneto’s lackeys and his world domination schemes. Well, long story short, I landed up here, got the Storm codename and the rest is in front of you.”

“Hmm,” her twin nodded her head. “I got the name from what the villagers used call me…Windrider or the Storm Goddess.”

---

Hesitating for a moment, Ororo finally asked the question on her mind. “What about your relation with Wolverine? How did you two…?”

“You want to know about how we got together…” The visiting Ororo was quick on the uptake. “…and about Jean.”

If the stunned look on her twin’s face was anything to go by, her question was a bull's-eye one.

“Wha…how…” Ororo fumbled for her words. “Are you telepathic?” She blurted out. ‘How did she know about what was between Logan and Ms. Prissy Pants?’

“No, I am not,” the other Ororo replied with a knowing smile as she wiggled her toes under the slowly cooling, lukewarm water. Deciding to move to a more suitable location for the story, she pushed herself up, accepting the towel and one size too small robe offered to her by her otherworld sister. “Just speaking from personal experiences.”

“Personal experiences?”

“Yes,” came the slightly humorous reply. “About Logan and Jean.” Although able to joke now, the question about Logan and his feelings for the redhead was one that had not been a happy…or easy one for Ororo. For a long time, she had not known where she stood with the feral Canadian. Although she had truly fallen in love with him, there was no way that she was going to be a substitute or worse yet, a consolation prize…she had made it clear to Logan.

Now…now, all that felt like it was a lifetime ago. Even though Logan one in a while still flirted with Jean, but it was mostly to yank Scott’s chain. His heart and his loyalty now belonged to her…and only her, the proof of their promise to each other clear for everyone to see.

-----

Ororo did not know how to respond to that. From what she had seen and heard, her twin seemed quite settled in her life and with Logan….and he with her.

Still the question of Jean still bugged her. ‘How can she be at ease with it? Maybe it is some freaky triangle.’ At the thought, she blanched at herself. ‘Are you crazy?’

“Things....” the words caught her attention as the older Ororo walked to dresser, sat down and began brushing her hair. “….worked out for the better…for all of us.”

“What do you mean?” Ororo came around and stood next to the mirror. “Seeing you, and from what I have been able to gather…the Logan on your world seems to be quite different from the one here. The one here…” she muttered a forlorn curse for the man in question. “He is too boneheaded to even look at anything…anyone, other than Jeannie.” The petname uttered sarcastically clearly stated it that was Logan’s for Jean.

“No Ororo.” Finishing her nightly ritual, the now tired but relaxed Ororo headed towards the bed. “It is….or rather it wasn’t much different from what you describe.” She remembered a time when, as Logan was concerned, his heart’s reach began and ended with Jeannie. “However, like I said, things work out…you just need to have patience…and give it time.”

“Is that what you did?” Ororo had to question the status she…her counterpart held in Wolverine’s life. Well, apart from obvious one….the mother of his children. A drinking binge and night, maybe even one time, of unprotected sex could explain that situation. Where did she stand as a person?

“And love?” That question also came out on its own.

Turning around to face twin, the new Ororo smiled a slightly wistful and equally mischievous smile. “We get enough of that in either facet of our lives….even as Storm and Wolverine.”

That silenced Ororo again; at a loss for words as to how seamlessly her and Logan’s counterparts had modified their lives to make space for the other…and even somewhat accommodated the X-Men and more importantly Jean.

“About….” She started to ask, but stopped at an audible rap on the door.

---

“Come in Jean,” once again the instinctive…and correct way that the other Ororo guessed the person on the other side of the door, surprised not only her younger counterpart, but the new arrival herself.

What she did not tell them, was even though was thankful of being able to rest in somewhat familiar surroundings, her years of street living had ingrained in her, a sort of sixth sense. Almost subconscious in its working, it seemed to work as a early warning system. Her trust of her hosts still not complete, her senses were working overtime…without her actually trying to do so. However, seeing that she had no other particularly ‘sound’ choice, she was playing it safe by going along with them, both for a chance to get back to her world and more importantly for the wellbeing of the lives growing within her….her maternal instinct trouncing all others.

“Oh…hi,” Jean tried to ‘humor-ise’ her surprise at the detection. Telepathy was her gig….and even though until now the new Ororo seemed just like the one in this world, Jean could not…and did not discount the possibility of a different or even secondary mutation. Even though that concept was just that, a concept, she surmised that giving the age difference, it might manifest itself later on in the weather witch’s life.

“What do you want Jean?” The sultry redhead was the last person that Ororo (the younger one) wanted to see…especially, given the nature of the talk that she and her dimensional double were having.

Getting a ‘whiff’ of the annoyance of her teammate, Jean skillfully steered clear of her. Both women, independent and strong opinioned had never grown to be the best of friends. While Henry’s betrayal, both the team and to her, caused the previously ‘open’ Ororo to distance herself from the others, her subsequent ‘latching’ onto (Jean’s words) Wolverine, made her especially guarded towards Jean.

Even if she would not admit it aloud, it felt nice to have a man such as Logan fawn over you….and man did he do it ‘hook, line and sinker’ over the fiery Phoenix. Moreover, seeing that she was the only one who, even it was a rare occurrence, could get a mental reading from the feral Canadian…made her feel even more prou….uh, privileged. Even the Professor could not do that much.

-----

When Logan, after disappearing for months, called up with panic clear in his voice, the X-Men rushed to where he was, only to find him cradling an unconscious Ororo. He was showing such care….almost as if she were the most delicate, fragile…valuable thing in the world…that Jean had to do all she could, just to keep herself from throwing up. She had made her choice, and it Logan wasn’t it. Nevertheless, the memory of the passion she shared with him, even it was for those few days, a passion that Scott still couldn’t match…let along surpass, still burnt bright deep within her.

Whether it was her, or the supposed Phoenix entity within her, on more than one occasion, Jean found herself almost feeding off that passion….and craving more. She loved Scott with all her heart, she truly did, but he was just too ‘ordered’ in every damn aspect of his life. She knew he wanted her, heck, she had read his mind months ago, even before Logan made an appearance in their lives. She just wanted him to do something different, something to surprise her (if that were possible for him) ….something spontaneous.

----

“I said, what do you want Jean?” Like a needle through an air-filled balloon, Ororo voice pierced through her thoughts.

“I-I….” ‘What did I come here for?’ “I just came to check up on…Ms. Monroe,” she used the formal title.
“Yeah well, she is fine,” the younger Ororo, answered before her older counterpart. ‘And here we were on a breakthrough,’ she stuck her lower lips out in a pout.

“I am well, Jean,” the pregnant Ororo replied with a knowing smile. She had an inkling as to why Jean was here…pretty much for the same reason that he her own younger version had been with her. While they did truly seem concerned about her wellbeing, they were wary of her. ‘And rightly so,’ she admitted to herself. After all, it wasn’t everyday that something like this happened.

“What time do you want me to report for the tests,” she was straightforward with her question. This also she understood, even if it wasn’t too enticing for her. Scientific proof, if nothing else, would only confirm what Jean and she was certain, the Wolverine of this world, had already revealed.

“Oh-uhm,” Jean fumbled for a second. Used to have others around her, open like…well, an open book, the new Ororo’s mental shields unnerved her. Not because, she was plotting anything against them, which she might have…but because, it precluded her from the easy entry that Jean had in her other teammates, well, except the Professor and Logan. “Whenever you want. We can do it in the morning.”

“Anything else?” The seemingly forgotten Ororo cut in. “She needs to sleep.” As if to accentuate her point, she pushed herself off from the wall she was leaning against and started towards the door. “You can do you blood letting tomorrow.” Oh, it would have been so easy to use ‘sucking’ instead of ‘letting’. ‘And rightly so….bitch.’

Slightly put off at being practically chucked out, Jean quickly composed herself, plastering on a smile for her guest’s benefit, bade her goodnight and followed the younger snow haired African to the door.

----

Finally alone, the events of the days caching up with her, Ororo soon slipped into a tired slumber.

Not a particularly peaceful one, even as she slept, one question kept on rolling around in her subconscious.

Where was her Logan?

----

Twelve hours after the accident,

His clothes in tatters, his body carrying nary a scar, a lone figure groaned, rolled over and finally cracked open his eyes.

“What the fuck happen….” He started, but stopped mid-sentence and mid move as the memories of the events from a few hours ago came out in an uncontrolled torrent, as did the realization that he was alone.

“’Ro…” He called out, only to have the silence of the night answer him. “’Ro….Ororo?”

“ORORO!!”

---

Note: Was planning on more ‘Ro-‘Ro moments in there, but more on that…soon.

Have nearly got MV Logan’s placement done and ready...but not just yet. After all…we still have the UV Logan’s P.O.V….not to mention any possible Jean-Logan and ‘Ro-Logan confrontations.

Don’t forget to review!!

07. More Talk

“So, you are from another world?”

Lying on her back, Ororo tilted her head to look at the teenage girl, who thankfully for her, was closer to her counterpart in her own world. At age fifteen, the Kitty Pryde here was just a couple of years younger to the Kitty she knew. However, what made hings easier was her having seen Kitty at that age…even younger. When she first came to the mansion, the Kitty on her own world was barely fourteen years old and even though she had grown and matured over the years, Ororo had had the experience of how to deal with the fifteen-year-old version of her.

“Yes,” she answered as she took in her surroundings. Apart from a few differences, the infirmary too was the same as the one on…well, the one she saw regularly…so much so, that even the overhead lights seemed to be the same energy saving ones. The only other people in the room were Kitty and the younger Ororo. Completing her physical tests, the usual height, weight etc., Jean had retired to the lab next door to conduct the rest of them from the fluids she had collected.

---

“And on you world….” Inquisitive brown eyes flitted to the ring adorning the slender ring finger of the older version of her ex-roommate. The ring was a new addition and was naturally, even if she neglected its visual beauty, quite intriguing for Kitty. “You and Wolverine….are engaged.”
“Yes,” Ororo nodded again, feeling that just like the Ororo-Jean-Scott dynamic here, the Kitty-Logan dynamic was also different from the one she was wont to.

“How long?” Getting a confused look from both Ororos, she elaborated. “I mean how long have you two been together and or been engaged?
“We’ve been together for more than a year now,” Ororo answered with a smile. On second thought, she corrected herself. “Exclusively for around eleven months. As for the engagement, that just happened just four months ago.”

“What do you mean exclusively?” Kitty probed further, missing the knowing smirk passed between the two women. The exclusive part, although not entirely clear to the (ultimate) Ororo herself, she guessed the possible reason behind it….Jean and Logan’s residual and confusing feelings towards her. Once all this testing crap was over and done with, she intended to get the whole 411 on it. ‘Just for information purposes,’ she lied to herself.

--

“Oh, nothing,” the new Ororo deflected the question easily, instead letting another tidbit out to draw the teenager’s attention. “We moved in together around six months ago.”
“Together?” That seemed to do the trick. “You mean the two of you in one room?” Kitty’s disbelieving eyes flitted between the two Storms.

“Loft suite actually,” Ororo levered herself into a sitting position, gratefully accepting the robe that her twin out to her. “We have two rooms and are in the process of building a rather large nursery with plans to convert it into two separate rooms at a later date.”

“Two rooms?” For a second there Kitty seemed confused. However, as the realization for the need for two rooms dawned on her, so did a deep blush. ‘Of course, they would need two rooms….one for each kid.’ She also realized that while the thought of cohabitating seemed scandalous to her, even if it were for the nearly five years older Ororo, it was expected and accepted for the other one, who was if not more, at least five to six years senior to the Ororo here.

---

“What about me?” She blurted out next. “I mean, you said I am there too…and that I am on the team. How old am I? I mean the Kitty there.”
“You,” Ororo sounded from behind the changing partition. “The Kitty there, she is around seventeen and a half, in the equivalent of grade-twelve…and is on the junior team.”

“What about…” Starting to ask about her boyfriend Peter Parker, she stopped short as the door to the infirmary slid open revealing Scott, Rogue and Bobby….Grrr!!

“Oh, I hope I am not disturbing you.” Scott feigned surprise. Truth was, Jean had just about finished with the results and it was on her signal that he had come to the infirmary. The other two, well, they had been with him in the Danger Room, where Rogue was trying out her new powers. Since she absorbed Remy, for good it seemed, her own powers seemed to have disappeared, along with all the other temporary ones, leaving only Gambit’s ‘charging’ powers….along with the hereto untested and underdeveloped empathic ones. The downside to all this, apart from her still tenuous and sometimes ‘out of control’ control, was that, she now had an unwanted and seemingly permanent resident in her mind….Remy.

“Please come in. I think we are just about finished,” Ororo stepped from behind the partition. Dressed in a Xavier ‘X’ Sweat pants and shirt, she looked even more so like the other Ororo than before. Her own uniform stored in a closet of the room she had been allotted, she thanked her twin for the clothes she had rummaged for her. However, given her current condition she chose to wear loose fitting clothing.

As the small group made it out of the infirmary, heading towards the upper levels, conspicuous by his absence, from the mansion itself, was Wolverine. Disappearing soon after the meeting and the revelation about Ororo’s pregnancy, he was yet to make a return.


----

At that very moment,

“’nother one hun?” Even as she asked the question, the pleasant but slightly portly bartender pushed another set of shots down the counter.

“Hn,” was all the answer she got as the wild and entirely sex-in-leather-and-denim looking man reached forward and in one smooth swift move gulped one shot down, his other hand already reaching for the other. Three bars and almost dozen such shots, not to mention countless beers and four bathroom breaks later, Logan was still as able to feel his teeth…not to mention the words, scents…memories, that he wanted to forget…even if it were just for a few hours.

--

“…Logan and I…we are….together.”

“As in romantically involved, intimate,”

“We have been for quite some time.”

“We are going to have babies.”

“…twins.”

--

“Fuck,” the bartender and bar owner, Thelma (no Thelma-n’-Louise jokes) raised a silent eyebrow at the first non-drink word from Mr. Wild-sex-man. Twenty-three years of marriage and three kids later, she knew where she stood in the ‘sex-line up’…but, a gal can look, can’t she?

While most of the time her husband, Billy handled the bar, on Wednesday’s she was the one manning the trenches, with Billy taking a bowling-night break with his war veteran buddies. Always favoring a gossip, Thelma had to really reign herself in from heading over to Mr. Wild-man. Something about him…even without his raising an eyebrow at anyone….just seemed to flash a clear as day, ‘Stay the Fuck Away’ neon sign on his head.

However, if there was one thing that Thelma knew, that was, nine times out of ten, it had to be a girl….maybe even two, who was the cause of this ‘drink till your piss flows uncontrolled’ binge.

----

‘She’s carrying kids?’ Logan blankly stared at the now empty shot glass resting in the palm of his large hand. Rolling it between his fingers, he seemed to do the same with the thoughts that had been ailing him.

Not fifty miles away….in the same place, under the roof of the same house where he lived for a large part of the year or so, was a woman, an older version of Ororo, who was not only with him, yeah, fine, a different him. Not only was she with him…not only did she not have his scent all over her body, but was also carrying his kids….Fuck, two of them.

Although the Ororo here was not as old as the other one, but she too liked him…he knew that. Heck, even before they kissed on that roof, he had smelled her lust….her want for him. He’d neglected it, pushed it away as rebounding from blue-chubby’s croaking off. Even after they kissed, he turned away…partly because of his not wanting to take advantage of her, and even as she knew, his inability to move away and get over Jean.

‘Jean.’ Just her name was enough to set him on fire…as well as sent a razor sharp spike through his heart. ‘Jeannie….’ It was his petname for her, one that dickhead Scooter did not get to use. He had screwed up big time with Jean, first by revealing the true nature of his coming to the X-Men and then after she kicked him to the curb and cuddled with one-eye, almost killing the fucker. Even over that, his repentance split into two. One-half, the new and still nascent human part, repented at doing what he did, while the other, the ruthless killer, did so as not completing the job. If he had just flipped out a claw and run it through one-eye’s ass-wipe skull, things would have been so easy for him.

One, Jean would have been with him…She would have come around…eventually.

Two, Ororo wouldn’t have got close to him….staying away as she did when he first came to the institute.

Three, this shit wouldn’t be bugging him as much as it was.

---

“That woulda been better,” he spoke aloud as if to convince himself of his reasons.

He needed that…not only to confirm whatever his mind had spouted until now, but equally, if not more, to deny what out coming out next. Although not as loud and boisterous as his proclamations about Jean, a small, almost infinitesimal in comparison, voice squeaked in support of Ororo.

‘Jean may set ya on fire, but ‘Ro does something that even Jeannie couldna do…..’

“Gimmie another one,” he growled at the bar-chickie, as if trying to drown the voices within him.

‘She treats you like yer an actual person…not just a dick with a body attached to it.’

‘Jeannie didn’ do that either,’ the larger voice snarled in opposition.

‘Oh, yeah, then how about this…?’

--

‘…I really, really wish we’d never met you.’

‘...I do not forgive you. And I will never forget what you did.’

‘You tried to kill the man I love.’

--

‘What’s yer point?’

‘My point,’ the smaller voice gained in strength and timber. ‘Is that, Jean might light yer fire, but Ororo does that an’ something else….she calms ya, like a soothing rain over the tortured shit that’s yer life. An’….Jean loves Scooter, and as even you can see, the shithead loves her back.’

‘Jean can…me…I do….’

‘Yeah, well, maybe she can, maybe she can’t….but not as sure as hell with ya. You don’t put fire with fire, it just burns everything away. That’s why someone like Jean works with a dead-brain like Scooter. An’ as fer passion, you know you can have with ‘Ro…just get yer head outta yer…or rather outta Jeannie’s ass. Heck you just kissed her once and if it weren’t fer the time…you wouldna stopped there.’

‘Fuck off. You can’t make me like, love or want someone, just causa you say so.’

‘Yeah, well, I say so, means you say so. I am inside you….you’d lie to yerself if ya say ya don’ like the kid. Why else would ya go out and save her life? Heck why not just screw her when she came onto ya the first time? Ya did in the past. Heck ya did it with Jean…ya forced her hand.’

‘I aint’ like that anymore. Jeannie made me better,’ even as that thought came up, Logan flinched at the pro-Jean side playing into its opposition’s hand.

‘Yup, she sure did.’ And there came the chuckle. ‘That’s you fucked her, but wanted to play it safe with ‘Ro. I don’t even like you. That’s what you told her. What a load of shit that was.’

‘….’

‘You just snapped at her, ‘cause she was the closest one. You not only like her, but you, the part of you that is me, the part born out of your joining Xavier and his mutie crusade, that part looks at everyone and that part not only likes her, likes her company, but also wants her.’

‘….’

‘You…Us, an’ Jean, never gonna work. Tried it once, bombed like Nazi fuckers did at Normandy. You wanna try it again…well, that’s up to ya. Just one thing…’
‘What?’ Logan was ever more confused than before this internal conferencing began.

‘If ya don’ want her, stop yankin’ ‘Ro around.’
‘…..’

‘She sure as hell doesn’t deserve any of this shit.’

---

Note: Did not plan on so much UV Logan time. Will get back to the others in the next chapter…including a view of how things are going on the other side of the dimensional rift.

Spoilers: Ultimate X-Men #4, #38, #53

“Hmph.” A pout plastered on his face, an audible sigh on his lips, Bobby Drake a.k.a. Iceman, flopped down in front of the television, his teammate Kurt already there engrossed in some old pirate movie (not ‘pirated’ movie). So enthralled that the indigo-skinned teleporter did not even turn to acknowledge his teammate’s presence. What did the blue elf find so exciting in these pirate, fantasy, swashbuckling style movies was something Bobby couldn’t make heads or tails off. Not only did he watch them, he even programmed scenes and scenarios which then he and Warren used to act out. Give him some light comedy…or even freaky, double-entendre one at that.

Right now, that was the last thing on his mind. His was more ‘concerned’ about their guest and whatever tidbits she had let out to the others. When he and Rogue accompanied Scott to the infirmary, he had thought that he would get to know something useful…like, the Bobby Drake on her world is Don Juan or that his powers have some kick-ass variation or that he is the best and most promising among the new comers. If nothing else, at least that he had been able to ‘get some’, which even though Rogue was able to touch him and he her, was still an elusive goal for him.

Well, things did not work out as planned. The Bobby in the other world seemed to be a…ugh, studious fellow… ‘Nerd alert,’ his powers seemed pretty much the same as the one here, except that unlike the ‘cool’ one here (Self Worship), the dumbass there could not even ice-up. The most promising newcomer seemed to be Rogue. ‘Well, one thing is kinda okay,’ was the thought that rose up…only to be squashed under the weight of the next revelation. Not only that, it also put him in the doghouse, as far Rogue was concerned.

It seemed that not only did the Bobby….uh, he did not want to be associated with the guy now. Not only did he break up with the Rogue on that world, he did so after cheating on her....and surprise-surprise, he cheated with the same person who had got his relation here in trouble the first time, Madam Kitty ‘steal other’s boyfriends’ Pryde. (Again Bobby’s words)

That particular thing hit right on the nose…after all; it was his impromptu show of manhood that caused trouble between him and Rogue the first time around. Kitty pushed his buttons, he reacted and kissed her, Rogue saw it and…well, not to be punny, but she went rogue. What happened after that was something that was best forgotten. Rogue went away, leaving with that Gambit guy, he rebounded with Kitty, but soon resumed email correspondence with Rogue, and by mistake, CC-ed one particularly ‘heavy’ mail to Kitty….she dumped him and started dating Mr. Blue-n’-Red-tights-Man.

If the knowledge that something quite similar happened on the other world wasn’t enough torture, now Rogue wasn’t talking to him. Leaving the infirmary she had run off to her room saying that she was feeling tired. ‘Yeah, tired.’ That was a lame excuse…and a pretty clichéd one.

Having nothing to do, and nowhere to do, Bobby did the only thing he could…he sought out company.

‘Misery loves company.’

----

Elsewhere,

“Oh Rogue,” lifting his head from the viewer, Henry McCoy startled at the silent figure at his side. Even with his enhanced senses, he had to marvel at the stealth with which the girl could move…..and that had nothing to do with what she absorbed from Wolverine, because as he understood, those powers of her had faded long ago, soon after Logan left for the first time. “I didn’t see you there. Is there something….”

“Whaht are we gonna do?” Rogue’s question cut off his own.

“I-I…” His first reaction was try to assuage her, his second to tell her the truth. He went with the second. “I don’t know….”
“Oh.”
“…yet,” he added on at the fallen look on his student and teammate’s face. “Although I am working on it….and so far the results are hopeful.”
“Oh,” this time her eyes lit up the hope that he was so desperately trying to give. “Whaht dya mean? Need any help? I can do…work with you.” She rattled off in her excitement. It was literally a grasping at toothpicks kind of situation for her.

“Hmm, let me think,” easing off his glasses, Henry pinched the bridge of his nose, trying to relieve some of the fatigue that had set in after almost twenty hours of continuous lab work. Although his mutation, meaning his increased strength and durability allowed him to work for longer, he did tire…just not as fast as average humans did.

“Ah, yes. You can help me with the samples and evidence we collected from the blast site. Scott, Bobby and Piotr will be bringing in more and with Kitty handling the computations, we can focus our attention on the physical part.”

“Ah’ll call Jubilee,” the southerner was up in an instant. Even before Henry could say anything, she explained herself. “She wanted ta come, but was afraid yah will send her back.”
“Ahem,” Henry cast an amused look towards the sliding open door and the living firecracker standing on the other side. Ever since she set off an explosion by trying to light a Bunsen burner by paff-ing it, the infirmary’s lab had been off-limits for her.

“Come on blue,” Jubilee pleaded from the door. “No paff-ing. Promise.” As a show of faith, she even took off her ever present pink goggles, the ones that protected her from the intense light of her own extra power-bursts.

Sparing a glance between the two teenagers, a small smile, the first one since the accident, formed on Beast’s lips.

“Very well…”

“Yippee!” The words were hardly out before Jubilee made a show and jumped over the parting line between the lab and the outer corridor.
“But no powers….” The warning came out just as fast. “Not even a little bit.”
“Ah’ll see that she doesn’t,” Rogue interjected.

“We’ll find them, right?” Her large doe like eyes pleaded with the doctor.
“Of course we will,” Jubilee piped up. Although appearing as chirpy as ever, she was in fact putting up a strong front for the benefit of her teammates…especially Rogue.

Understanding what the girl was trying to do, Henry nodded and offered words of his own.

“Yes we will. We will find them and we will get them back.”

----

Back in the other mansion, (Ultimate Universe)

Gaping in shock, her eyes bugging as if to launch out of their sockets, Jean Grey was still taking in what the visiting Ororo had told her about the Jean on her world.

Although avoiding the whole Phoenix and the subsequent problems it caused, not to mention the destruction, Ororo did tell the younger Jean about how Stryker and his men attacked the mansion and the ensuing drama. She told her, and the other three people in the room with her about Logan, Bobby, John and Rogue escaping to Bobby’s home, Jean and Ororo meeting them there…along with a newly rescued Kurt, and the final showdown at Alkali Lake. About her (Jean’s) death, she slightly modified to just an apparent death. She deliberately did this because she did not want to mention the Phoenix…let alone explain it.

One thing she made clear to Jean was that she did not appreciate being spied upon, which had led to quite a red-faced moment for the telepath, the color of her cheeks matching that of her hair. Despite her best tries, Jean could not get past those accused shields that the older woman had in place.

“Jean.” The younger Ororo stepped to her twin’s side. “You might wanna lay off the mind reading bit.”

“You will find it very difficult to get past my shields…some of them are natural,” the older one wasn’t as blunt as her twin. However, her clearly spoken words got more than a raised eyebrow from her younger counterpart, not to mention the other people in this small group, Kitty and Rogue.

----

Leaving the infirmary, the two African beauties left the inner confines of the mansion. On their way out, Kitty fell into step with them. Rogue they met outside, where she was sulking after having blown off Bobby. For Jean, it was a mixture of keeping and eye, her concern about the newcomer and her own inquisitiveness about the world that the other Ororo came from….the fact that the other Ororo just happened to be with Logan…well, it played its own part. While not actually in love with the feral Canadian, she could not deny that even after all that had gone down between them, there was an odd sort of attraction…a bond, one that she still could not explain, that she shared with him. Forming even before they got intimate, the bond still hadn’t lost any of its strength, and was still there….almost like an undercurrent waiting to breakout.

---

“What do you mean natural?” The younger Ororo questioned the revelation.
“While the Professor trained us in blocking out telepaths,” the new Ororo started. “We found that my mutation provided a short of natural barrier from such intrusion. As my control progressed, so did the effectiveness of those shields…until I don’t even have to concentrate to do so, they are just there….even when I am sleeping.”

A stunned silence settled over the group.

“Whoa!” Kitty exclaimed in awe, her eyes flitting between the two Ororos. Having led a sheltered life, she had always been more than a little intrigued by the street-smart, taking no bull, Ororo….even trying to emulate her sometimes. With Jean, she saw what she would have become had she continued on the path she was, but with Ororo…and to some extent, with the brash, gutter-mouth, kick-ass singing Ali, she saw who she could be. Although not as outgoing as the other two, she had, nevertheless, tried to come out of her shell….and look where it got her. She had Peter Parker, Spider-Man…THE Spider-Man as her boyfriend, a superhero and all around nice-guy…a million times better than that loser Bobby….not to mention an ultimate (punny stuff) kisser.

What she still couldn’t understand, was how her dimensional twin not only made the same mistake that she did, but stuck with it…the mistake being getting involved with Bobby.

In addition, even though she wasn’t like best friends with Rogue, she still felt sorry for her. If having someone like Bobby as your boyfriend wasn’t punishment enough….you come to know that not only was it the same in another world, but that he cheated on you….even worse than what he did on this world. Here, the kiss was just that, A kiss…not like the full fledged affair that seemed to have gone down on the other side.

---

“So ya’ll still live at the mansion?” Rogue put up her question, her first ever since the group had gathered. Even though she had stopped with the psychic surveillance, Jean was still keeping an open channel, both with Scott and with all those around her. She just couldn’t help it. Sensing people’s thought even before they worded them had become second nature to her…maybe that is why she felt unnerved around Wolverine when he first came to the mansion…still did, and for the same reasons he was wary around the visiting Ororo. It was as simple as ‘audio’ listening for her.

“Yes,” Ororo answered over a mouthful of freshly cut kiwi. Seemingly perpetually hungry, she had been thankful when her doppelganger suggested a detour to the kitchen before making their way out to the gardens.
“And ya and Logan live together?” Same question as Kitty. Rogue’s question arose from the thought that seeing as they were about to start a family, Ororo and Logan might have wanted to move out, not far, but still be by themselves…in that kinda semi-independent autonomous way.
“Yes, for quite some time now.” Ororo understood what the young girl was leading too. The truth was, Logan and her had discussed about the possibility of moving into the boathouse on the mansion grounds, or even use some of the acres of empty land to construct a house….a home of their own. However, all those plans were shelved for until after the birth.

“How far along are you?” Rogue gestured to the slight bulge.
“About four and half…almost five months,” Ororo answered with a smile, her arms automatically going around her midsection. The blissful on her face noticed by everyone…her projected happiness only reached one in the group.

---

The only silent member of the group, Jean had an internal conversation going on with herself.

‘Will…can,’ she corrected herself. ‘Can this be the possible future for the Ororo and Logan here?’ She already knew about the Scott and Jean on the other side. Even after all they had been through, including Jean’s apparent death and return, they were still together and very much in love….and from what Ororo told them…so it seemed were Logan and her.

‘If they came together there….could they….’

She did not get to complete the thought as Kitty jumped in with her question.

---

“So, you moved in together before you came to know about your pregnancy?” It was less of a question and more of a statement as Ororo had already told her about how long Logan and she had been living together.
“Before,” the other Ororo answered with a smile. Even though this Kitty was new to her, the link….the camaraderie still seemed to be there….as was clear in the girl’s voice and eyes. “But just about…Although not exactly a surprise, seeing that we had talked about it….once, it still shook both of us up, not to mention revealing it to the others. Well, except to the Professor and the Doctor’s.”

“Oh, this I got to hear,” excited brown eyes lit up. “But first, I got to know one thing…and I bet ‘Ro does too. How on heaven, earth, and the nine levels of hell, did the two of you get together? I can’t see Wolverine being the settle down type….let alone romantic.”
“He can be,” Ororo contested that remark. “I mean romantic as you call it. When he wants to, and not in that overbearing Wolverine kind of way, the one he has on display for the public. However, once you get past that….when you get past that, it’s a…it’s a revelation. Although, in all sense, it was a sort of mutual progression for both of us, with him starting out more towards the physical aspects and me more towards the emotional…we sort of met in the middle. He opened up a little, while I....” The sentence did not need to be completed. Its implications were clear to everyone.

“Tell us about it?” That comment caused laughter to breakout from everyone, including a somewhat uncomfortable Jean and a ‘so hot that about to burst into flames’ blushing Ororo.

“No seriously,” Kitty wiped the tears appeared in her eyes. “Tell me, tell us, in detail. Maybe Ororo can take pointers from you and who knows….maybe the two of them can stop their dancing around, their whole ‘male bonding’ thing they do and finally get their act together here too.”
“Kitty!” Ororo exclaimed in shock, her cheeks reddening ever further.

“Sure, why not,” her doppelganger got a mischievous smile on her face.

----

Just as she was about to start again, Jean bolted up straight, causing all eyes to turn to her.

“Jean?” Ororo, the older one immediately knew the telltale signs of a rather sudden telepathic hail. She did not even need Jean to say the next words…she already knew who it was.

“It’s the Professor. He is on his way back and is about to reach the mansion.”

---

Next, what new things will Charles bring in….and Oh; Logan also returns to the mansion….and another appearance by the displaced one.

“Jean…Jean.”

Scott Summers frowned at the far away look in his girlfriend’s eyes. “HEY Grey!”

“Uh….huh,” shook out of her musings, Jean Grey looked up at the ruby quartz glasses wearing Scoot standing over her with his arms crossed at his chest, his leader pose on in full force. “Yes Scott.”
“Are you alright?” Scott settled down at her side. With the Professor in conversation with the new Ororo, the two of them and the Ororo from their world were waiting for that meeting to be over, although not in the same place. While she and Scott were in the foyer, Ororo had returned to her room….detouring through the usual places she would find Logan, only to realize that he was still MIA from the mansion. “Where were you?”
“Oh, nothing,” barely containing her flinch at reading Scott’s mind, she tried to move the conversation to a different direction. Scott’s thought about her thinking about Logan were a little too much ‘on the nose’ for comfort. “Is the Professor…?”
“No, not yet,” Cyclops shook his head. “Wouldn’t you know if he were?”
“No,” the redheaded telepath shook her head. “The Professor’s office seems to be in a sort of telepathic lockdown. He is shielding both his and Ms. Monroe’s thoughts.”

“Don’t you mean Ororo Sr.?” Scott tried for a moment of levity. Jean’s asking him to be spontaneous in their relationship had got him thinking of a plan of how to exactly that….except that planned spontaneity was as good as no spontaneity. It just defeated the whole purpose of the thinking by the seat of your pants things and the sudden bursts of impulsiveness that such a behavior called for. “Or the future Mrs. Logan?”
“Very funny Scott, ha ha,” even before he said it, Jean knew what Scott was talking about. That, by itself, cut out quite a bit out of the surprise factor. “You should try at the comedy impov next. You’ll make a killing with that wit of yours.”
“Yeah, well, it’s better than just sitting around brooding about…” Scott trailed off, knowing that Jean would get the rest from his thoughts. Physically she was here…but her mind, their psychic link although not giving him telepathy, did allow him a window into her mind….and what that ‘look’ into her was telling him was something he wasn’t quite ready to face, let alone talk about. The new Ororo’s entry and her subsequent revelations about her life and the people around her, had not only made Jean think about a future between the two of them but also her past and the future as far as Logan was concerned….and that line of thought didn’t impress Scott…at all.

Mentally flinching at being caught and somewhat put off at Scott’s denial to bring it out in public, Jean settled for a, “it’s not what you think,” and resume her self-conversations. While a part of her was relieved at Scott’s silence, another, a larger part was peeved at it. ‘Come on Scott, let some emotions…some anger through. You are as stiff as an ironing board.’


‘He is right you know,’ a voice called from within her. ‘You made your choice….’ It was true, wasn’t it? Whatever happened between her and Logan was a thing of a past, an itch that they both needed to scratch….and scratched quite well they did. Maybe things could have been different had she given him a chance after he saved the Professor from Magneto, or maybe it would have ended soon enough. Even though she despised Logan for what he did to Scott, even if it was just from a teammate’s point of view, she couldn’t deny that a small part of her…..a previously seemingly non-existent part of her, liked the feeling of being so….wanted….and try as she might, she could not bring herself to hate that part.

-

“…I need you here. We all do.”

“Maybe it’s time we stop running. Today isn’t so bad Logan….”

“…and tomorrow can only be better.”

-

Ororo’s words still rang in his mind.

Spoken to Logan, she has caught them with her telepathy, and it was those words that struck her the deepest, not just because the sincerity that she sensed from the snow haired Storm, but the affect they seemed to have on Logan…..they stilled him, almost as if providing him an anchor to stay on at the mansion.

‘Something you couldn’t do,’ realization dawned from within her.

It was true. Even when they were together, even before she started getting those flashes into Logan’s psyche, she more often than not detected a feeling of restlessness, of being tied down…emanating from the Wolverine. Right from the first day on, to the day he left, that feeling of not fitting in, and maybe not wanting to fit in, was always there in him.....maybe not so now.

“Maybe it’s time we stop running.” Almost as if the words had come like a soothing rain shower to quench that smoldering blaze within him.

And try as she might, just as she couldn’t suppress the feeling of being wanted, she also couldn’t deny that it hadn’t been her who gave him that pause he was almost subconsciously crying out for….it was Ororo.

---

Inside Xavier’s office,

Even though it was progressing quite smoothly, the start of the conversation between the Professor and the trans-located Ororo had been anything but. Right of the start, Ororo made it clear that she’d grateful if the Professor laid off on the telepathy.

It started with just a simple comment that Xavier made in front of Jean and Scott, and although she retained her silence in front of his students, the Professor sensed her clamping down on him, and in deference to her wishes, withdrew from her mind. Even as he had first entered it, he sensed an unease building up in her. Interested in its cause, he wanted to know the reason for that and the possible risks it posed for him or his students.

“Ms. Monroe,” he brought soon after Scott and Jean left the room. After almost ten minutes of introductory ‘catching up’ conversation, he had to ask about it, because even with just talking to her, he was finding very difficult to ignore her involuntary projections. “I hope you don’t mind, but I sense that something troubling you….and it’s just not your being away from your home.”
“Did you…?” Even though she did not sense slight tickle of a telepathic probe, Ororo knew, from experience that Xavier, even if were the Xavier from her world, was a powerful enough telepath to do so without her knowing it.
“Let me assure you that I haven’t broken your telepathic privacy,” Xavier reiterated his position, mentally flinching at the sudden surge of distrust, fear and oddest of all, for Storm, anger, rise within her. Something had seriously gone wrong, because from what Jean had sensed in her first and only, ‘proper’ scan, this Ororo was very controlled with her emotions…almost exuding a sense of peace and calm that hung like an aura around her…and even seemed to affect those in her immediate vicinity.

“I-I…” For the first time since she had stumbled onto this world, Ororo felt a dread rising up within her, almost as if a pit was forming within her. “I am sorry Professor…I didn’t mean to…” she stumbled with her words, resting against the back of the chair as the energy just seeped out of her. ‘Goddess, what is happening….to….’

“Ms. Monroe…” Xavier drew nearer but stopped as Ororo flinched away from him. “Ms. Monroe…Ororo…” he offered her a glass of water, waiting for some sort of a reaction from her. Just about to let down the telepathic lock on the room to alert Jean, he halted at Ororo’s next words.
“I didn’t mean to….trouble….” Uttering a cry of pain, Ororo doubled over, the glass falling from her hand and she fell onto the floor, curling in to a fetal position her body starting to convulse uncontrollably.

----

**JEAN, SCOTT** Even as the telepathic hail rang out, not only the two people in question, but a third, the Ororo from their world were already on their way up the stairs, with Ororo adopting an aerial route to directly swoop into the Professor’s office through an open window.

Just having stepped out the shower, the younger Ororo, shuddered as a cold shiver ran down her spine. Not able to understand as to the reason behind it, she got a pretty good idea at the sudden change in the weather outside her window. In place of the clear sunny day from a few minutes ago, she now saw what could be termed as a ‘night causing cover’. So thick were the ominous grey clouds that not did they cut the sunlight out, they made it down right disappear….and that was without the snow, rain and golf ball sized hail that was pelting down not only on the mansion but also on the rest of Westchester County and its surrounding areas.

It was so intense that even as she tried to stop it, Ororo felt her own powers reach out and add to the already precarious situation. Even though both Storms shared the same powers, the older one was clearly more adept in her control...and the destruction she could cause with them.

It took everything she had for Ororo to rise up and leave her room for the Professor’s office. Prepared to give him a nice thunder-lightening lashing for whatever he had done to her older twin, she gasped at the sight before her….for even as she neared the window, she saw Xavier push himself off his wheelchair, reaching out for the other Ororo.

“What did you…?” She raised her crackling with electric energy hand, ready to strike at the Professor. “GET AWAY FROM HER.”

“Storm, help her…” the concern in Xavier’s voice gave her pause, her eyes and attention shifting to the by now barely conscious Ororo, tears of uncontrollable pain flowing down the side of her face.

---

“Professor!” Jean and Scott burst through the heavy wooden door, their hands raised to lash out at whoever was attacking their mentor. Seeing the spectacle before them, they drew back from the battle formation. “What happened…”
“Get her to the infirmary,” the panic in Xavier’s voice was something that they had never heard.
“Professor…” Scott reached forward to help him off the ground.
“Leave me you idiot,” Xavier bellowed at him. “Help her.”

*BAMPF*

“Vat…?” Appearing out of thin air, Kurt Wagner a.k.a. Nightcrawler had a look of utter astonishment on his face. Only a second ago he was in the recreation room, following up on his movie marathon. How did he land up here?

Unknown to him, Xavier had taken over his mind and made him come to their guest’s rescue.

“Kurt, get us to the infirmary. NOW.”

“Huh…Ja,” Even though he did not know what was going on, Kurt cradled the elder Ororo in his arms, with Charles latching onto this back.

*BAMPF*

…and they were gone.

----

Elsewhere,

Even as his twin tore through the ‘life threatening’ weather, on his way to the Xavier Mansion, a howl of dread and anger tore from the throat of the feral Wolverine.

“ORORO!!”

---

Note:

Next...You thought two trans-located mutants was bad….well, let’s just say…things get even more weirder from now on.

Spoiler: Ultimate X-Men #60

Please Review!!

“Wind’s died down again.”
“Yeah, let’s see what we can do about that….”


“You can’t tell me you haven’t been feeling what I have, Logan! The last few months, the two of us have….”


“I don’t want you getting mixed up in my old battles again.”
“Is that really why you want me to go….or are you just afraid I’ll tell your wife about the time you and I kissed?”


“ORORO!!”

--

“ORORO!!”

His heart thumping against his Adamantium ribcage, Logan burst through the doors of the mansion infirmary, his wild eyes dancing all over the place to finally settle on the woman for whom he literally blazed through the Westchester county countryside. On his way back from the bar, he was about twenty miles away when a hail-rain-snow mix storm appeared out of thin air. For anyone else it might have been a freak weather occurrence, but for a man who had seen this more times the bothered to count, it was a clear indication that whatever it was, it wasn’t good….hence his current behavior.

“Logan…” even as the words left her lips, Ororo rushed towards him, throwing her arms around him and holding on for dear life, Logan’s own arms automatically going around her. The fact that he was soaked to the bone and smelling of alcohol and burnt tobacco did not matter to her…especially given the current situation.

Tearing his eyes from the door in front of which most of the x-men were stationed, he turned sideways and looked down at Ororo, his anger rising at the tear stains on her face.

“What happened?” He finally asked, but not before making sure that Ororo was fine. If anyone had done anything to her…. ‘Fuck, shoulda been here,’ he cursed himself. With that stranger in the house, what did he do? Tucked his tail and ran to the farthest hole he could think off.

Even though her tears were more a silent stream than outright sobs, Ororo took the time to compose herself, using only one hand, not letting go of Logan…almost as if she expected/feared him to vanish into thin air.

“’Ro…” stepping back, around a corner, away from the eyes of the Kurt, Bobby, Rogue and Piotr, Logan cradled Ororo’s chin and lifted it up so that they were looking eye to eye.
“Something’s wrong with her…with that Ororo…..” the younger of the two Storms finally managed to get out.
“What happ…” Logan started to speak.

“….and with the Professor.”

---

“Kurt, get us to the infirmary. NOW.”

Those were the last words Jean, Scott and Ororo heard as Kurt teleported Xavier and the near unconscious and convulsing (older) Ororo. In fact those were the last words they had heard from their mentor since, for arriving at the infirmary, with the rest of their teammates close behind them, they were in for yet another shock….along with Ororo, Xavier too had lost consciousness.

With Scott working on the Professor, Kitty handling the computer systems, and Jean on Ororo, the three had manage to stabilize the two patients and were in the process of running various tests on them. Jean had even tried to contact Xavier telepathically, but to no avail. However, they weren’t giving up, and tapping into a neurosurgeon located about thirty-five miles away, Jean was running yet another battery of tests, this time only on the Professor. She did not chance them with the new Ororo, both because of her current physical state and because of the mental barriers that she had faced during her earlier tries….the same barriers that were still active.

---

“…and they have been trying to get through to the Professor,” Ororo finished recounting it to Logan, both of them sitting on the ground, able to see the door but still out of sight from the others.

His arm draped across the Nubian beauty’s shoulders Logan couldn’t help but notice the frown on her face.
“And…” he asked knowing that there was something else that was on her mind apart from Xavier and that other Ororo’s condition.
“And?” Ororo looked up, her frown getting more pronounced with more than a hint of confusion.
“Yer not tellin’ me something,” Logan was straight to the point. “She say somethin’ to you?” He implied towards their guest.
“No, no,” that got a quick negative answer. “She was….is good. Its just that…that…it was…is nice to have someone like that…I mean we barely know her but seeing her, spending time with her…it feels like….”
“Feels like family,” Logan sounded her unspoken words. He knew Ororo was an orphan and even though he remembered jack about his own family, his supposed wife, and even though he had done his best to convince others and even himself that he didn’t need all the hassle, once in a while….the feeling did raise its head. And it had gotten only more pronounced ever since he joined these group of freaks.

At first he had thought that he would be able to fit in, after all they were mutants too….just like him, but that was his mistake one which swore to never make again. They were nothing like him and he wasn’t anything like them either. He was a cold blooded killer, fit for only one thing…ending life. So he left them alone and they returned the favor for him, all of them…except this kid…this woman sitting now next to him. Sitting as they were, even though it was tense time, it was the closest thing he had ever had to friendship….no…to companionship….to lo….

“You know she told me about herself and her Logan,” Ororo started again. “She told about how they got together, how they decided to start a family, they way they are making their small home within the mansion….”
Not knowing what to say Logan kept silent but firmed his grip and drew Ororo closer to him, resting her head against his shoulder and resting his head over it.
“She was going to tell me about he proposed to her…” Ororo trailed off towards the end of the sentence, staying silent for a few seconds before speaking again, her next words coming like a bolt from the blue for Logan.

“You…you love her.”

---

Across the dimensional barrier,

“Anything Henry?” It was late at night as Charles entered the infirmary, his wheelchair making nary a noise but still sounding loudly in the near silent lab.

One look and he knew all he needed to know and that too without having to use his telepathy.

“Nothing.” As it was just Xavier, Henry spoke the truth…in his true voice and not the hopeful tone he had been using with Rogue, Jubilee and the others. Almost three days of non-stop work on his part, not to mention the hours that the other volunteers put in and still all the x-men had to show were Wolverine’s DNA…his blood over various test samples. Given Logan’s style and the enemies he went up against, this was something that was not only expected but the norm. More than any other team member it was Logan who went through uniforms almost as quickly as they came in. The longest one set lasted was three mission and the shortest…well, on one particularly long mission, one lasting almost three days, he had three changes before finally giving up and going back to jeans and a t-shirt, which, like the others were ruined by the time they finally got back to Westchester.

“We even managed to get hold of the machine Magneto had built, and I have run every test, taken it apart and put it back together and still nothing. I just cannot explain how and where Logan and Ororo vanished too….or what happened to them…or whether they are even alive anymore.”

Silence reigned once again as both men realized the possible futility of their efforts. As with Henry, Xavier and Jean for that matter, had pushed themselves to the point where their minds couldn’t take the load of using Cerebro….and just like the Doctor, they took had come out empty handed.

“We have to tell the others,” the older man finally spoke, his voice sounding years older and even more tired. Ororo had been among this first batch of students, and even though Logan had been a relatively new addition, he too had grown to become a member of their family.

“Rogue…” the name came out by itself. It was only an hour ago that Henry had forced the young woman out of the lab with strict instructions to get at least eight hours of sleep before showing up on even on the same level as the infirmary.
“I’ll….I think you should be the one to talk to her,” Xavier realized that coming from him it might seem as giving up, but coming from Beast it wouldn’t seem like a ‘cop-out’….at least not in Rogue’s eyes.

“I’ll…do it,” Henry nodded his head. As Xavier turned towards the door, “Charles…” he called out to him.
“Yes Henry….”

“I’m sorry. I’m sorry we wouldn’t find them.”
“I’m sorry too….” The telepath answered over his shoulder.

“…I’m sorry for all of us.”


----

Elsewhere,

“Hey.”
“Hey. You’re back and from the looks of it with a successful catch.”

“Yup. Got a young buck today. Should last us for some time. You sure you don’t wanna…eat….”
“You know I don’t.”

“Huhn. Thought so.”
“Don’t worry my love. Everything will be fine soon.”

“I…I…yeah. But I miss you ‘Ro…”

Closing his eyes and letting his other senses span out, Logan felt the cool yet somehow heart warming breeze wash over him.

“I still feel you....but…really miss touchin’ you.”

---

Note: Its been really long since I updated this fic. I just haven’t been writing all that much…kinda have had a lull going on. But with ‘Y&T’ finally managed to get some gears turning, finally managing to get a few ideas for this too.

Spoilers: Ultimate X-Men #51, #52, #59, #60.

Please Review!!

“Oh sorry, didn’ see ya there?”

Walking into the mansion’s kitchen, Logan was surprised to see someone already there, not because of their presence, but because of the time. At almost 2 AM, Rogue was the last person he expected to run into.

Merely nodding in answer he trudged towards one of the two industrial capacity refrigerators neatly lined up against each other. One yank and he ducked his head inside to get something to eat. What he really wanted and could definitely use was a beer or dozen, but given Xavier’s no-booze rule, he settled for whatever he could get his hands on.

“How’s the Professah doin’?” The question told him that the girl was still there and hadn’t left the room as he thought she would. Normally he would have smelled her or heard her breathing or even her heart beat, but after almost seventy hours of no sleep, he was working on preserve mode, in the sense that he not quite all there….not unless he was in the infirmary. There, he had been firing on all thrusters, his ears, nose and eyes trained on the two people there….and also on one third, the one who was still on his thoughts.

“Same.” His answer was short and pithy as he began shoveling huge spoonfuls of whatever chicken preparation he had got his hands on. He had given himself a fifteen minute break, and wanted to make the best of it.

“And Ororo?” Rogue’s pulling up a chair to settle down across the table surprised him. What was her deal? If she wanted to know about something, why not just go to the infirmary and check herself? After all, hadn’t she had her duty until a few hours ago?

About to respond as with the previous question, he stopped at the last second, grunting a noncommittal, ‘which one?’ for her to specify which Ororo she was talking about?

“Both.”

“One unconscious, one sleeping.” ‘There,’ thought Logan. Maybe now she would leave….only she didn’t. Instead, her hands lifted to rest on the table top, a deliberate action to draw his attention.


“Logan,” this time when she spoke, Rogue’s voice was heavy with an accent…her original accent, not the mixed one she sometimes used nowadays, one that was a weird mixture of hers and that Cajun, Gambit.

“Whatd’ya want?” Snapping as was his habit, he frowned at the way she flinched slightly in her chair. Fuck. What was wrong with him? What had she done to get this from him?

Seeing her move to get up and leave, he reached forward, grasping her bare hand to stay her down. Even though her mutation never troubled him, not even when her skin was ‘on’ permanently, it still felt odd how it had changed when she absorbed the Cajun. When she got his powers…permanently, all the previous ones she had absorbed went away, as did the ‘do not touch’ factor of her skin.

“What happened?” This time he spoke with a soft tone, or as soft as he could manage, his finger still rounded in an Adamantium grip around her arm.

“Nothin’.” A raised eyebrow accompanied by a growl told her to try again, with the truth this time. “Ah’m sorry.”

“Hn.” This he did not expect. Well, to be frank he did not know what he expected. That Rogue was talking to him outside the team sessions was surprising enough. Now she was apologizing to him! Had it been any other time or for that matter anyone else, that person would have spent some time thinking about it. But this was not anyone else. “What fer?”

“For…for sayin’ all those things to you. Sorry foh thaht,” the southerner apologized again. “Ah didn’ know about ya. Ororo told me…”
“Told you what?” The food forgotten, Logan intently looked at his young teammate. Still in the dark about the reason for her apology, he guessed that it must have been something that happened after the arrival of that other Ororo. ‘Ororo.’ Which Ororo was she talking about?
“Thaht…thaht you thought of me as…as yer younger sister.” It was clear that even as she uttered the words that a battle was going on inside her…one between hope for a sort of family no matter how odd it might be, and fear….fear of what if he longer felt that way. After all the things that she had said to him, calling him an animal, she could not fault him if he felt otherwise.

From the tense silence she got in return, she assumed the worse and started to move again, only to have Logan firm his grip. They stayed like that for a few seconds her eyes still not meeting his. Even though it wasn’t like she was crying or would break down if it turned her down, she wanted a chance to set things right between them….especially after what the other Ororo had told her about the familial relations between the Rogue and Wolv….Logan on the other side.

Finally letting her go, Logan stood up, emptied the half eaten contents of his plate, crushed the can and turned back to face Rogue, staring at her trying to gather words to say something…anything. He did not what to do? He did not do elder brother? Heck, he did not do anything family? He just knew that like others, it would be nice if he also had one of his own….even if it wasn’t blood related.

Walking up to Rogue, he rested his hand on her head, caressing her soft brown hair as she looked up at him.

His lips twitching in the barest of ghost of a smile, he said the only thing he could to try to lift her spirits.

“Brother-Sister huh?” Rogue numbly nodded her head, her red-black eyes twinkling with barely contained tears. “So, if the Icepop hurts you, I get to beat him up?”

Even though his words were spoken lightly, Rogue caught the hidden meaning in them. Logan was reminding him of what…who he was and of his nature…and by doing that giving her the final choice to her. He was who he was and it was up to her to decide if she wanted to accept that as family….as an elder brother.

“Okay…” she lifted her hand to his. “…but only in front of meh.”

“You got it kid,” this time Logan did smile, as he helped his new sister up, his arms going around her as she hugged him, tightly, her tears finally escaping down her cheeks.

Minutes later, as they left the kitchen, each going their own way, they held a little more light, a little more warmth than they had from a few minutes ago.

However, as he neared the infirmary, the crease on Logan’s temple returned again, especially when his eyes fell on the sleeping figure on the make shift bed. Their last conversation was still weighing on him. It was because of things like this that he never got close or even tried to do so with anyone else. No friends, no family, no one to lo…no one to care for…nothing. It was not for him. Even if this other Logan, the one the other Ororo talked about, even if he had managed to…even if he managed to do whatever he did, it did not mean that he could also do it…that he was as lucky as him.

‘You love her.’ That was Ororo had said…asked. Even though he had not answered her, everything that had happened since told him that she had taken his silence as a yes…and as a result had stepped back….withdrawn from him. The truth was he did not answer because he did not have an answer….not yet. He did not know if he loved her….either her. He wanted one, he had got her, even if it was for a short time. The reason he was still hung up…stuck on her was because she was the first to turn her back from him, she left him, she did what he was used to do…what he was supposed to do. Or maybe he did love her. Who knew?

And maybe because of this he not allowing himself to move on….maybe with Ororo. What if she too saw him for he was, the truth of what he was.

What if they got together…and she too left him?

He had spent his entire remembered life alone and as much as he would deny it, even to himself, it pained him…even him.

Not only that, but he feared it…feared it from the bottom of his cold, bitter heart.

---

However all this and other actions that he had in mind would take a backseat not even an hour later…once Xavier started to emerge from his inexplicable comatose state.

And the equally unconscious older Ororo started to fade….literally.

---

Note: Sorry for the short ‘not-exactly’ RoLo idea. Will get to that soon…including what happened b/w Xavier and Ororo, how it affected the younger Ororo and more importantly what is happening to the older one now. Also, movie Logan finally gets more than a guest appearance.

Spoilers: Ultimate X-Men #54, Ultimate X-Men Annual #1

I am getting the hits but very few reviews!! Even if its bad, I seriously need it with the downer that is currently going on with MU. Heck, just checked on newsarama and it looks like Storm will cause a pilot's death in BP#15. Now, that just SUCKS A$$!!

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Everything had been normal…well, as normal as they could be given the circumstances, when within the blink of an eye Logan found himself airborne, his claws extending automatically his hands rising to in front of his face slashing midair air the chairs, bed sheets, medical equipment and whatever the impromptu hurricane gale force winds were whipping up. What made things even worse for him was that even in all this….the other three occupants of the room were as calm as if nothing was happening around them.

That and the fact that it was Ororo, their Ororo who was causing all this….without even being awake.

THUMP!! He hit the far side wall only to have the winds pick him up again and pull him towards the center.

His first reaction in trying to get a grip on any projected surface to pull himself down failing, the second of yelling at the top of his voice to try to rouse Ororo not working either, he did the only thing he could given his ‘cow in a tornado’ situation…he sent out a telepathic yell, hoping that it would be loud enough to wake up the asleep Jean.

---

“Yauzaa!!” Stepping over the debris, his wide eyes stare trying to take in everything, Bobby Drake stumbled nearly falling on his face as he reached the only non-affected part of the infirmary. “What happened here?”

“I’m sorry,” Ororo apologized from her own prone position over at a makeshift bed that Logan and Scott had prepared for her while Jean ran an entire array of tests on her too.

Arriving at the infirmary, with Scott close behind her, Jean couldn’t believe her eyes at the state things were in and the way Logan was crawling along the ground, keeping at least on hand around anything that was bolted down. A couple of minutes’ quick explanation and a quick apology from the just waking up Ororo, not to mention that after being comatose for almost three days, Xavier was coming out of it, with Jean finally able to sense him on their telepathic link…everything else took a backseat to both Ororos’ condition.

“Ororo,” seated next to his student, feeling almost up to hundred percent, Xavier’s concern sounded clear to everyone. “Can you tell us something about how you are feeling?”
“And what’s going on with her,” Jean offered as an addendum, worriedly glancing over her shoulder at their guest…their guest who even now, right before their very eyes, was rapidly fading into thin air.

“I feel….” Even though she was lying flat on her back, one would assume that she was flying high, riding on her winds, free from the forces of gravity….as free from any other bind. “I feel free.”

“Free?” Jean echoed. Even though she hadn’t said it out aloud, she knew what that sort of feeling meant having experienced it herself….when she was taken over by the Phoenix entity. It had not only increased her powers multiple times over, it had also brought a sense of being, of feeling almost everything at the same time. From what she could sense from Ororo, she too had experienced something similar, only that it wasn’t quite as blazing as the Phoenix. It was much more peaceful….fulfilling….earthy.

“Yes.” Ororo nodded, her head tilting towards her older counterpart. “I’ve never felt like this before…never. It was like I didn’t just affect the weather, just didn’t manipulate them, but was literally feeling it, almost as if I was linked to it….a part of it.”

At the stupefied looks she got from her teammates, she tried to elaborate, stumbling over words in an attempt to get them to understand. She wanted them to feel as she had….happy…utter bliss. That and something else, something that she had almost forgotten, even in her memories….safe, safe in the way a newborn child felt in his/her mother’s embrace.

“It was her,” she forced herself to sit up, still not accepting Logan’s offered hand, albeit not consciously this time, but still making him feel as if she was turning away from him, causing him to take a step back towards the wall…behind everyone else. Truth be told, seeing her the way he had, he had both been amazed and fearful…fearful for her. Even though the winds weren’t affecting her, she was floating, still in her horizontal position, her arms stretched to her sides, an ethereal glow surrounding her.

“What do you mean?” Scott was the one to sound the question now while Jean checking the stats on the other Ororo. It was more of a formality as even the naked eye could see that there was something seriously wrong with her. What had started with a barely noticeable shimmer, one that only Logan’s enhanced senses caught….starting just before Xavier started to come out of his coma, had progressed to where she was almost fifty percent transparent. The only things not changing were the clothes she was wearing…the ones that the younger Ororo had given to her. Even her engagement ring seemed to vanishing into thin air.

“She made me feel it…” Ororo answered almost reverently. “Showed it to me.”

“Showed what Ororo?” Scott asked again. It wasn’t only her that he was worried for. Along with her, and her older twin, Xavier also seemed to have been affected by whatever had happened to him. Usually it would have been him who be doing the questioning, but with the lost look on his face, Scott wasn’t quite sure what to make of it. If he had to guess, he would say that the Professor, one of the if not the most powerful telepaths in the world…was trying to remember something or trying to understand it.

“She showed what I could be…..what I am.”

“Is it just me or is any of you also getting weirded out by this,” Bobby piped up, a confused look on his face. “Hey Storm, how about trying it in something we can understand….English would be nice.”

“Shut up Bobby,” Scott snapped at the teenager, internally agreeing with his words. Truth was, he too wasn’t sure what to make of it. Maybe if the other Ororo hadn’t come here, things wouldn’t have gone wrong the way they did. It was with she that the Professor had been with before it all started. Whatever she did and maybe was still doing to their Ororo was causing her to behave erratically. At first, she didn’t leave the infirmary, not ready to get more than ten feet away from her. And now….now she was talking as she was high on some sort of drug.

Walking over to Jean, he leaned closer and whispered into her ear. “Check for drugs in her system.”
“Scott,” Jean hissed at him. “She is not high.”
“Then what is it?” Scott spared a look at the Professor. “And what is happening to the Professor?”
“I…” Jean also turned towards their mentor. “I don’t know. I know he is well, but other than that, he has completely closed off himself. Before he did, I had a chance to get a look and my head is still aching from the feedback.”
“Why didn’t you tell me?” Scott leaned in further. “You feeling okay.”
“I am fine Scott,” Jean gently caressed his cheek, taking respite for a second before turning back to the matter at hand….towards the fast fading Ororo. “I don’t know what do to stop this change in her. I don’t even know what is causing this change. And…”
“And? What and Jean?”
“I am not sure…” Jean hesitated for a second. “I mean I am not even sure if the sensors are able to detect it….”
“What Jean?”
“She is not even pregnant anymore.”

“WHAT!!”

Any hopes of keeping it under wraps were lost at Scott’s exclamation.

“What happened?” Kitty piped from her bedside seat.
“Nothing,” Scott shook his head. Tilting his head towards Wolverine, he silently gestured to him.

Walking up to them, his face set in a frown, Logan spoke with a barely contained growl. “What?”
“Check her,” Scott nodded towards the older Ororo.
“Check her? Check her fer what?” Logan scowled at him. “I ain’t no fuckin’ doctor.”
“Smell her…hear her…do your thing. I mean how you sensed her the first time. We want to know…”

However, even before he could complete his sentence, Xavier’s voice sounded from behind them.

“That won’t be necessary Scott.”

“Professor.” All three X-Men turned towards their leader, with Scott and Jean hurrying to his side, while Logan once again lingered in the back, his frown growing deeper as he took a deep breath. Even from this distance, he still couldn’t get a reading, no smell, no hearing nothing. It was as is she was not dead, but not quite there either….just occupying that physical space. Just there.

“Scott ready the Blackbird,” Xavier was straight to business. “And I will be taking the controls.”

“Professor?” This was the first time that Xavier had expressed such a desire/order. It was usually Scott who did the piloting, and in his absence Jean. They weren’t even sure that Xavier knew how to operate the controls.
“I’ve read everything from you and Jean what you know about piloting,” Xavier laid that doubt to rest. “Get it ready. We leave in one hour….and Jean,” he turned to the redhead. “Please make the appropriate arrangements for Ms. Monroe. She will be accompanying us.”

“If she’s going, I’m coming too,” Ororo practically leaped off the bed.
“Ororo…” Scott started.
“Very well,” Xavier cut in. “Wolverine, Colossus, Rogue, please get ready. You will be joining us.”

“Professah…” Surprised at being chosen, Rogue started to say something, only to stop, nod and start towards the door, close behind the already leaving Colossus.

“What about us?” Not happy at being left back again, Bobby sounded his displeasure. Plus, the fact that Rogue was going was an added incentive for him to try and gain a seat on that plane.
“You will stay back, safe guard the mansion…” Xavier too started towards the door, making one last comment as he exited through the room.

“…and please clean this mess up.”

-----

Back on the other (Movie) Earth,

“Whatd’ya want?” Rogue screamed at the closed door, finally giving into the incessant knocking.

“Rogue,” Jubilee’s subdued voice answered from the other side. “Its us…me and Kitty. We wanna come in. Can we?”

“No.” Rogue’s response was quick and direct, her voice throaty after hours of crying. Ever since Henry had told her about…told her about… “Leave me alone,” she cried out. She did not want to even think about both Logan and Ororo being gone, and seeing the others, listening to them, it would only drive it home that she was never going to see either of them again…never going to get to attend their wedding….never getting to baby sit….play with their kids. She was going to be THE cool aunt, the untouchable but still coolest aunt of all the aunts. They were going to be a complete family. And now, now she was alone…again. And this time there was no Logan to save her. No Ororo to talk to her…guide her. Nothing. No one.

“Come on Rogue,” Jubilee didn’t let up. “You haven’t even eaten dinner, or lunch. We’ve got…”
“No. Ah’ don’ want anything.”
“Either you open this door, or I am getting Kitty to phase us in.” Jubilee fired back. She had been the ones who had kept the others away until now. She knew that Rogue needed the time alone and she made sure that she got it. However, now was the time to get there….get her back. So, here she was, and she was not leaving until she got to see the girl inside and got her to eat everything that was on the tray in Kitty’s hands.

When there was no answer for over a minute, she grabbed Kitty’s hand and phasing through the door, both girls entered the near pitch dark room. As their eyes grew accustomed to the room, they caught sight of Rogue sitting on the floor, her knees drawn to her chest, her hair falling around and hiding her face.

“Rogue….” Kitty whispered softly. Walking to the bed, she set the tray on the side table and settled down beside her friend. Even though things hadn’t been the same between them ever since what went down between her, Bobby and Rogue, that didn’t matter at present.

“Roguey,” Jubilee sat down alongside her, and gently reached a gloved hand towards their friend. Even though she had shed her own tears in the privacy of her room, seeing Rogue brought them back.

Getting no response except a garbled mumbling and then silence, she moved her, and draped her arm across her shoulder.

Silence reigned in the room as the three friends supported and drew strength from each other.

----

Even as they neared and finally landed, neither of the X-Men were quite sure where they were. Xavier had not only piloted the plane but had done so without any co-pilot, being overtly secretive about their destination.

“Where are we?” Scott inquired as he drew up the hood of his jacket, the intense cold biting at him, as if going down right down to his bones.

Without answering, Xavier merely navigated his special hover-chair out of the jet and onto the virgin snow. He remained silent for a few more seconds as if trying to reach out to someone.

“What are we doin’ here?” Wolverine leapt off the edge of the hatch. Drawing a deep breath, he let it out through his mouth. He knew this place. “This is…”

Whatever he was going to say was lost as a wolf leapt out from the bushes. He was joined by a second one, then a third, a fourth, going on until finally over a dozen growling, snarling canines appeared before them, spreading out as if for an attack.

-SNIKT-

Claws out, his own fangs bared at the animals, Wolverine quickly calculated the order in which he cold take them down before they got to the others.

“Logan…” Ororo started towards him, her steps halting as another louder, more ferocious roar sounded over that of the wolves…causing them to stop immediately, step back almost as if making way for whatever the other thing was.

Wide eyed and with bated breath, everyone present watched as a much larger, bi-pedal figure appeared and emerged through the shadows

--

“What the fuck?” Wolverine.

“Huh.” Ororo

“Oh my!” Jean

“…” Scott.

“Logan?” Peter.

“Wolverine!” Rogue.

--
With the wolves gathering around him, the stranger stomped through the snow, heading towards and stopping in front of the Professor. Raising his hand Xavier greeted him.

“Its nice to see you again…Logan.”

"You KNOW him!!"

---

More on this revelation soon!!

Please Review!!

//Flashback//

Twelve hours after the accident,

His clothes in tatters, his body carrying nary a scar but positioned in an odd position with one leg twisted around a broken tree trunk, the other inside its hollow, with one arm under his back while the other lying flat on the ground, Logan, the mutant known as Wolverine, gained consciousness, groaning and rolling over to both free his arm and to move away from the gentle moonlight streaming through the foliage.

Cracking his eyes open, acting on pure instinct, the first thing he did was do a quick sight, smell and sound survey of the surrounding area. From the looks (and smells and sounds) of it, he was in some sort of wooded area, with the closest non-fauna living-being being a family of birds about fifteen feet up in a tree a couple of feet away from him.

“What the fuck happen….” Shaking his head to get rid of the buzzing sensation, Logan stopped mid-sentence, stilling for a second as the collective wave of the memories of the events from a few hours ago washed over him, as did the realization of something else…something alarming. He was alone. He was ALONE! Where was Ororo?

Scrambling up on his feet, and grabbing at the tree for support, he called out. “’Ro…” All he got in response was the silence of the night and the own hooting in the far distance. So he called out again, louder the second time. “’Ro….Ororo? ORORO!!”

---

Sometime Later,

He had been walking for almost seven straight hours and even with his healing factor….his currently ‘strained’ healing factor, it had started to weigh heavily on his body. However, as far as his mind…and his heart were concerned, they were already in a different place.

Before setting on his journey to the nearest human settlement, Logan had spent over three hours tearing through the countryside, going every and which direction…all for even for just a whiff if nothing else. Nothing. He found nothing. No trace of Scott or any of the other X-Men or their jet. And definitely no Ororo. All he had was the tattered remains of her cape, just a section…but enough for him to smell her on it…and confirm that he wasn’t hallucinating. Given his current location and his past, even that small piece of clothing was like a lifeline to him, for it and Ororo’s trace on it proved that SHE had been real….they had been real and not just a figment of his imagination.

Finally, giving up his fool’s run he started walking, keeping his eyes and ears open for any city or town. Reaching a semblance of a road, he started on it, traveling in the direction that the single set of tire tracks were headed in.

However, it would only after almost eight hours, with the day was fully dawned over, that he reached his first town…if that is what one could call a handful of broken down buildings and about three dozen cabins. Still not knowing where his exact location was, but having confirmed he was somehow back in Canada, he stomped into the town, making a beeline for the default ‘information kiosk’ of such places…the local bar.

*Cling Cling!!*

“Welcome stranger. What can I get ya to….?”

“What’s this place?” Cutting through all the introductory bull of the slightly pudgy but ‘friendly’ faced, salt n’ pepper haired bartender, Logan straightaway got down to business. ‘What a dumphole?’ he cursed internally, correcting himself the very next second. ‘Seen worse.’

Realizing that the newcomer wasn’t exactly the talkative type, and taking note of his body visible under his torn X-jacket, the older man perceptively dialed back on the usual talkative banter.

“Nowhere.”

Even as he answered, he near about jumped back at the growl from the tired, not to mentioned severely pissed off Wolverine. “What the fuck does that mean?”

“Nowhere,” suddenly fearing for his wellbeing, even possibly his life, the man fumbled over his words, trying to gauge that if…when the stranger attacked whether he would be able to get to the shotgun stored under the cash counter in time. “The town. Its name is Nowhere. That’s what is its name. It just got named because its….I mean, the people just started to call it…”

“Got a phone?” asked Logan still not able to catch sight of any communication device.
“No man. No phone, no TV nothin’. It don’t work here. The closest post-office is about hundred fifty kilometers that way,” he jerked his hand over his shoulder.

“I need money.” Those words near about drove his rising fear home. Praying to the lord for mercy, he quickly promised that if he just lived through this, he would stop troubling his goodly wife and even stop feeding her more often than not rubbery food to the dog. As it is, the mutt was perpetually getting the runs. “Know any place…”

“Look man, take what ya want. Just don’t kill me okay.”
“Fuck,” Logan cursed aloud again. “I ain’t here ta steal frem ya or kill ya,” he moved away from the man trying his best to look non-threatening, a near impossible feat for him. “I….I had an accident and lost all my stuff an’ my camper,” he lifted his hands, pointing his palms against the old man in a show of peace. “I’ve been walking the whole night. I need some money…earn it so that I can get on my way.”
“Oh,” though not completely at ease, Logan’s words seemed to have a somewhat calming effect. “How much do ya need?”
“I said don’t want yer money,” already at the last of his patience, Logan flexed his hand even further to avoid letting his claws out. “I just wanna know if there is some kinda work….a fight or something.”

“Fight!” That brought a twinkle to the bartender cum’ owner’s eyes. “Figures,” he nodded his head as he looked at Logan, up and down and then up again. “Someone like ya…” he stopped at the look on Logan’s face. “But yer late. The fight was here last week. Must be in the next county by now.”
“When will it be back again?” Logan asked with a hope against hope. Having done the circuit himself, he knew from experience that it might even be months before the fight came back to this place.
“Hmmm….there’s one at the end of the next month. Don’t think ya will wanta wait that long.”
“No shit Sherlock,” Logan snapped at him. “Anything else?”

Mulling for a few seconds, the older man spoke again. “Well, seeing as ya look like a strong fella. I do have some work that ya might wanna do. Its kinda long…”
“How much money?” Logan cut him off again.
“Dontcha want to know what the work is?” Suddenly finding himself in a strong position, the old man tried to use it to its advantage. One deep growl took care of all that….and of his bravado too.
“There is a buncha trees I need to be cut down. About two dozen.” Originally planning on getting twenty, he added a few more. ‘Why not milk it fer all its worth?’ “Money’s good. Thirty five a tree. You cut all, you get fifty…seventy five bonus.”
“Thirty five a tree,” Logan repeated as he stepped forward to the counter. “Hundred bonus fer getting all...an’ a place to stay and eat. An’ I work when I want.”
“Hundred bon….”
“Hundred. And. Fifty.” Logan brought his hands up to the counter.

“Y..You got it,” the man nodded hastily. “But that’s just ‘cause ya look like a good man.” Even to someone without enhanced senses the lie was as clear as day.

“Yeah sure.” Logan grunted his answer. “Gimmie the room now. Send the food. I’ll start at sundown.”
“Sundown?” That was something rather odd. Most people tended to work during the day and rest at night. What he did not know was that both Logan’s strength and healing factor were nearly exhausted. Moreover, although like others, Logan too would be using his hands…just not in the same way.

Neglecting the questioning look, Logan shoved his hand out for the room key....and with that and a full bottle of whatever whisky was at hand, he was soon on his way to the equally weathered building next door.

----

Even later,

“Good afternoon. How may I help you sir?” The sweet saccharine but bored voice greeted over the phone. Having made quick work of the trees, and paid three hundred of his nearly thousand dollars for a second….third….god knows how old bike, Logan was soon on his way to the next town in hopes of getting to a phone. However, it wouldn’t be until he reached the third town that he found one that was available. At the first stop, he was told that a freak flash from a couple of night ago had caused all the communication lines to crash. Putting two and two together, he hightailed it out of there…in case someone started to ask the wrong questions and linked him to the flash that he took as whatever it was that flung him wherever he had landed. It was the same problem at the second stop.

Finally, here he was, using the phone to call Ororo…but always getting ‘Please check the number you have dialed.” Trying Xavier, and then Scott and last of all Hank’s private numbers, not to mention the school’s public one, he got the same response.

“Yeah,” he grunted in response to the operator’s query, his feeling of confusion rapidly being replaced by alarm. “I want a listing for Ororo Monroe in Salem Center, Westchester County, New York.”
“Just a minute sir.” After a few seconds of silence. “Please hold sir.” Silence again. “Sorry sir. There is no one of that name in Westchester County. I also….”
“What do you mean there isn’t anyone of that name in Westchester County?” Logan’s claws shot out from his free hand.

“Sir,” the operator’s shot back. “As I said. There is no one of that name in either Westchester County or in the rest of New York state.”

“Try Charles Xavier….or Scott Summers or…”

“Sir, one name at a time.”

“Charles Xavier. He has a school for….he has a school in Salem Center. Professor Charles Xavier.”

Once again there was silence as the operator checked for Charles Xavier.

“Sir,” she started a few seconds later. “There is a Charles Xavier, Professor.”

“Connect me to him.”


Connecting, there were a few rings before someone….a female voice answered from the other side.

“Yes. Emma Frost speaking. How may I help you?”
‘Emma Frost? Who the fuck is that?’ The frown on Logan’s face deepened ever further. ‘Xavier got someone new working for him now?’ “Where’s Chu…Xavier? Where’s Xavier?”

From the awkward pause that followed, Logan’s alarm jumped up even more. Where was Xavier? More…most importantly, where was Ororo? And who was this Emma Frost?

“Professor Xavier is not available at this number anymore,” the answer was voiced in a cool, detached yet oddly somewhat emotional tone. “Please do not call here…”
“What do you mean he ain’t available anymore?” Logan literally snarled at her. “Who are you? Get me Ororo. Where’s Cyke…Scott. Where’s Summers?”
“Excuse me sir,” Emma responded evenly. “But there is no one of that name here. I do not know how you know Professor Xavier or how you got this number, but as I told you he is not available at this number anymore….and before you ask, I do not know where he is. Nor do I care. Thank you and have a good day.”

Click!

“He….y,” even before he could get a word out, Logan found himself listening to the dial tone and starring at the digital readout on the base…..the digital readout that told him the time of the day…and the date.

“No!” Falling away from his hand, the hand piece struck the side of the booth again and again as it swung through the air.

“No. This can’t be….No…..”

----

Further down the line,

He was only three miles from the mansion when, he just lost it. It wasn’t like anything he had ever felt before…ever. Not even the torture he suffered at the hands of those fuckers in Weapon X affected him the same way….caused him to literally seize with fear, the raggedy motorcycle veering off the road, into the foliage and finally onto the slope leading to a ten feet deep ditch.

Something was wrong. Something was seriously wrong…..and it wasn’t with him, but with Ororo. He could feel it…feel her. She was in pain, intense pain and feeling her suffering the way she was both angered and chilled him with fear.

Stumbling up the ditch, his wounds already healed over, Logan once again fell to the ground, a cry of pain and want tearing from his lips.

“ORORO!!”

---

It would be three hours before he would be able to get up and on his way. It was the first place he was going to…barely holding to hope, the latest…whatever it was, practically ripping him into two. It was as if Ororo had been calling….coming to him, only to be interrupted by someone and torn away.

Whatever it was, he was going to get to the bottom of it. He had to. There was no other way….he just had to. Just as he had to find Ororo.

//End Flashback//

----

“You KNOW him!” Scott exclaimed at the way Xavier greeted the stranger….from the looks of it and by the name the Professor called him, the other Logan. Most probably the one from the same world…dimension as the other Ororo.

Looking over his shoulder, at the stupefied looks on everyone, including the Logan and Ororo of this (Ultimate) world, Xavier nodded in confirmation.

“I have met him…once…almost seven years ago.”

---

Note: It ain’t over yet. More (movie) Logan and (ultimate) Xavier coming up.

'Nowhere' is completely fictitious i.e. made up.

Please Review!!

“WHAT!” More than one of the X-Men present voiced their surprise…shock at Xavier’s revelation.

“You have met him?” Jean and Scott.

“What do you by mean seven years ago?” Ororo.

“Huh.” Rogue and Colossus.

“….” Logan. ‘Fuckin’ Cueball.’


“Relax everyone,” Xavier maneuvered his hover-chair to face his students. “I met Mr….”

“Logan,” the newly arrived Logan, who, just by his appearance was sending chills down the spines of most of the X-Men. Not because of the way he looked or some amazing powers of his, but because, even in the frigid weather, all he had on was use-worn denim jeans, a pair of equally worn work boots and a simple red-black flannel shirt. Other than that….nothing. And the way he was behaving, he might as well as have been on a tropical beach in the Bahamas. “Told you last time. Its just Logan,” he corrected Xavier, causing his twin to arch an eyebrow at the familiar mannerisms. More than anyone else, it was he who was feeling an inexplicable pull…an urge. To do what, he did not know, just that it was being caused by this other Wolverine.

“Very well,” Xavier nodded. “I met…Logan around seven years ago when he showed up at the mansion.”

“At the mansion?” Scott echoed again. If indeed this Logan has come to the mansion, why hadn’t the Professor asked him stay there….and maybe even join the X-Men. Just taking physically, this Logan was about a couple of inches taller than their Logan….about as much as the other Ororo was than the Ororo here. However, their (Ultimate) Logan was easily the bulkier, more buffed up of the two.

“Yes Scott. But not the same mansion as the present one,” the Professor sent a silencing look at him. “A different one…one that was known to others. It was a time before I became…it was a naive time.”

---

//Flashback//

“I heard you wanted to see me.” Snapping his head towards the familiar, but younger than what he was used to, cultured British accent, Logan’s eyes widened at the seeing the man walking towards him. This one thing, and it near about lit the goal lights as far as his suspicion was concerned. Wherever, whenever he was, he was not in the place he was from. Had it not been for the incessant and ever increasing pull from Ororo, he would have just given up and accepted it as a drea…nightmare. Even if it did turn out to be one, he still had to try, not for his, but for Ororo and their unborn children’s sake.

So engrossed did he get in his own thoughts that he forgot to answer Xavier’s query. It was only when Charles repeated himself, louder than the first time that he came to and spoke.

“Ye…yeah,” he nodded warily. “You Xavier?”

“Yes,” even as listened to the younger Xavier speak, Logan finally comprehended and placed the scent he had caught and had been wracking his brains about. That was another thing that had been troubling him for the last couple of days….his senses were going haywire, sometimes going way over their usual limit and sometimes, like now, almost disappearing…becoming normal i.e. normal as in that for an average human/mutant.

“Mystique.” He growled under his breath. What was the blue bitch doing here? And with his senses powering up again, he could not only smell her all over the room, but also on the Xavier standing in front of him.

Had he not had his complete attention on the stranger, Xavier might have missed him utter the name of his lover…well, one of his lovers. But catch he did.

“How do you know Raven?”

However, by now, THE Wolverine had showed up on the scene and closed onto himself, with all his walls up. Having come here for some sort of answers, maybe even an understanding of what was going on with him, now he wasn’t so sure about it. If this Xavier had Mystique working for…and on him, then how could he trust him? Moreover, with his senses powered again, he knew that Ororo was nowhere in or even near this place.

“What?” He frowned as once again the feeling of dread…of Ororo calling out to him, came over him. Whatever it was, this invisible force was telling him to get out of here…from everywhere…everyone.

“I was told that you wanted to see me,” trying to probe the stranger’s mind, Xavier found himself face to face with impenetrable walls. However, he still got something, something that made him stop and take a step back, both telepathically and physically. For inside the mind of this man…this mutant he confirmed, was a primal force unlike any he had ever come across before. It was so strong that even those walls couldn’t hold it in completely. What was even more disconcerting was that with each passing second it was growing wilder, angrier….and most importantly stronger.

“Nothing, nothing,” shaking his head in denial, Logan started to back towards the door, the buzzing in his head growing stronger by the second. ‘Out. Get OUT. Get AWAY. Run. Run. RUN.’

“Mr. Logan…” seeing his mysterious guest falter, Xavier reached forward to help him. Whoever this person was, he was clearly troubled. Maybe he had heard about his and Eric’s newly formed Brotherhood of Mutants and come for help in controlling his mutation. With the amount of power he felt inside him, if handled properly, he could make a powerful soldi….ally.

“Logan. My name is just Logan.” ‘Shouldn’ta come here.’ Logan hurried towards the door. It wasn’t him and Ororo that he was worried for now. It was also whoever this Xavier was. “Stay back.” He snarled, halting Xavier’s progress.
“Logan.” Keeping a safe distance Xavier tried to calm him. “If you came here, you surely must have heard about me. I can help y…”

“NO!” And that was final. “Not you. Yer not him….not him….not….”

//End Flashback//

---

“Not him.” Ending his recounting, Xavier turned his eyes towards Logan. “That was the last words I heard from Mr….from Logan. Even though he had only been a few feet in front of me when he left the room, by the time I reached the door of the study, he was already on his way towards the gate. Somehow I thought…” he added as an afterthought. “..that given your condition, and that of your transport, you wouldn’t even reach the gate.”

“Yeah,” the other Logan cracked a smirked at the mention of the bike. “Dumped it as soon as I got here. Its buried under a ton of snow and rocks over that hill,” he pointed to a peak about fifty kilometers away. “As for the other thing,” he continued as he got on his haunches and scratched the neck of the wolf nuzzling against him, with the rest of the pack also within arms reach. “It also worked out fine.”

“What other thing?” Hearing his own voice…one just like his, sound out to him, he tilted his head towards this world’s Wolverine. Arms at his side, hand balled, ready to let out the claws, shoulders squared, eyes narrowed. The body language was exactly the same as his.

However, it wasn’t this (ultimate) Wolverine that he was interested in. It was someone else….someone standing at the back, next to this earth’s Peter, Colossus. Straightening to his full height, he started towards the said person, he perceptive eyes immediately catching the most obvious difference.

-SNIKT-

His claws out, Wolverine leapt in front of his doppelganger. “Stay away from her.”

Acting rather un-Wolverine like, well, the Wolverine that they knew, the X-Men watched as not only did the other Wolverine stop, he also silenced his wolves. One look over his shoulder, and all of the wolves stopped and retreated to the bushes….keeping their distance but still close enough to act at their pack leader’s hail.

That taken care of, (movie) Logan turned back to the X-Men, his smirk turning to a smile as he looked past Wolverine. “Hey kid.” He called out, his usual growl sounding much softer than before.

---

More surprised than shocked, it took her a couple of seconds before Rogue realized that it was her that he was calling out to.

With questioning glances to her teammates, she smiled a hesitant smile and nodded in greeting. “Hey.”
“Come ‘ere,” Logan gestured for her to come near him.
“NO.” (Ultimate) Logan shook his head. “Stay there Rogue.”

Remembering what the other Ororo had told her about the other Rogue and Wolverine’s bond with her, the teenager started towards the two men facing off against each other.
“Rogue…” (Ultimate) Wolverine started.
“Its ahlright Wolverine,” she came alongside him. “Ah think….ah’ know, he won’t hurt me. Would ya?” Seeing her smile that impish smile, the one he knew so well…had not seen in years, Logan tried to commit all of it to memory. Even if this wasn’t his Marie, she was the closest thing he had to the scrawny kid who had not only snuck into his camper, but also into his life, becoming the first member of what would grow to become his only remembered family.

“What do you think?” It was easy to fall back into that familiar banter…so easy that it hurt.
“Ah think ya won’t,” following his gesture to come closer, Rogue stepped towards him, going still as he leaned down towards her.

“What’s yer name?” Logan whispered so that only the two of them and possibly the other Logan could hear them. “Her name is Marie.”
“Close,” Rogue whispered back at him. “Ah’m...ah used to be called Marian. Thaht was mah name…ah think.”
“Marian,” Logan let the name roll over his tongue. “It just wasn’t....remember, it IS yer name.”

As she stepped back to stand straight, Rogue found her eyes unexpectedly damp. The next instant, she stepped forward and threw her arms around the stranger….hugging him tightly, if only for a short time.

“Ah’m sorry. Ah’ thought you’d lahke thaht,” she apologized, not for her actions, but for the state that the other Logan was in….alone, separated from family, friends…the woman he loved. ‘The woman he loved!’
“Thanks ki…”

“We have her?” Rogue blurted out. “Ororo. We have Ororo.”
“I know kid,” Logan gestured towards the still as a sculpture Ororo. “Right there.”
“No Logan,” Xavier cut into the conversation. “We are talking about your Ororo….your teammate.”
“…Your fiancée,” the younger Ororo spoke for the first time. “We have her…I think.”

----

-SNIKT-

“What do you mean?” For the first time since they met him, the X-Men found themselves starring at six one-foot long claws, three on each hand. Moreover, just as the claws came out, so did the wolves.

“Get back Rogue,” (Ultimate) Wolverine once again stepped between his sister and his twin.
“Wolverine stop,” Xavier’s commanding voice had near to no affect on the two ferals.

Even as the others watched something very odd…very disconcerting happened.

“You don’t wanna do this bub.” The taller (movie) Logan snarled at his shorter, more muscular counterpart.
“Yeah,” (ultimate) Wolverine’s snarl was equally threatening. However, the very next instant, “yeah,” -snakt- all his rage seemed to vanish into thin air.
“Logan.” Ororo was the first to catch the sudden change. “What did you do you him?” She rushed towards their Wolverine, who even now, calmly stood in front of his doppelganger. Whatever had gone down between the two seemed to have hypnotized (ultimate) Wolverine into a hypnotic stupor.

“’Ro?” (ultimate) Wolverine shook his head and turned towards the Nubian beauty. “What the….” He noticed his hands, noticed his claws or rather that they were no longer out but had been retracted.

-SNIKT-

“What the fuck did you just do to me?” The claws out again, (ultimate) Wolverine once again adopted his offensive position.
“You want to know,” the other Wolverine got he brought his own hands in front of his face. “Why don’t you have a go at finding it. You know you want to. I know you want to.”

---

“ENOUGH!!” All but one head snapped around trying to locate the origin of the voice…which, as far as they could tell, seemed to come from all directions…including from the sky itself.

What they finally saw was even more shocking than seeing the other Wolverine for the first time.

Even as they, slack jawed with their eyes bugging out of their sockets, watched, an ethereal blue glow began to coalesce from the very sky itself, descending to ground level as it took human form until….

“Logan, please stop teasing our guests.”

....the shimmering, elemental form of Ororo Monroe stood before them.

“You don’t want to set a bad example for the children. Do you?”

….two smaller heads, one with snow colored hair and the other with midnight black, rose up over the shoulders of the glowing Ororo, staring intently at the dumbfounded X-Men.

“Its good to see you again my friends.”

---

Note: Hope everyone is happy with this one. The whole gang is here….including the kids.

However, I do have a couple of questions. Possible sex (mm, mf, ff) and names for both children.

Please review and let me know!!

//Flashback//

The first time it happened, she disregarded it as a dream. Given that it occurred her first night in/on his world, the night she spent outdoors in the crook of a strong branch of a tree, she wasn’t even sure whether it had been a dream or just wishful thinking…a hallucination, one that she concocted up to make up for being alone…for missing him…for having lost him.

--

She still remembered him leaping to shield her from the Sentinel’s cannon, their joined bodies flying through the air, directly in path of the erratic energy blasts from Magneto’s latest failed attempt at kick starting dormant mutations and inducing mutations in ‘flatliners’….humans. There was also a third thing…..a charged rock, courtesy of Gambit. It came between them and the blast from the machine. The next thing she realized, she and Logan were in sort of myriad colored tunnel, being pulled away from each other.

As hard as they tried, given her sudden tired but oddly non-wounded state, she found an almost unconscious and badly burnt Logan slowly slip away from her, until finally, she lost her hold on him. The last thing she remembered before she blacked out only to wake up here, was seeing Logan’s limp form *flowing* towards the bright white light at the far end of the tunnel.

--

Just as she attributed that memory to a made up one, so she did the dream from the first night. However, now, her fresh out of the shower skin, her right shoulder to be exact, was still warm from having been kissed…kissed by a man who not only wasn’t there with her, but who, unknown to her was at that very moment sleeping….almost seven years in the past.

“Logan…” the name escaping her lips, Ororo once again felt herself being engulfed in his embrace. ‘No. This can’t be true…’ she shook her head trying to clear her mind. Logan was not there with her. Just as her dream about him crying out into the empty wilderness, calling out to her and then running around, his senses on the alert, his wild eyes hoping…begging to see her. Just as that had been nothing but a dream, so was this. Then why was it feeling so real.

“’Ro,” his lips whispered to her ears, his soft lips nibbling along the curve of her neck, his growl reverberating along her back and through her entire body. It was so….


“Ororo,” a voice, a voice similar but younger than her own tore through the haze clouding her very being. “Its me…uh, Ororo. You done….I mean, are you ready for breakfast.”

“Ye…” Clearing her throat, she tried again, both thankful and cursing her younger twin for coming in when she did. “Yes. Just give me a minute to change.” More than anything else, it was her, the Ororo…Storm of this world that she was thankful for. Not only because of in her she found a sort of younger sister, but also because of something else…something that she didn’t even realize until the previous evening. That something were her weather control powers. Ever since she had come here, she had been feeling something to start to change with her…not just her body or her powers, but her very being itself.

The first time it happened, it was almost imperceptible. The first morning after her arrival, conjuring up a small rain shower, she noticed a lag of a few seconds before her powers kicked in. ‘Just tired.’ She told herself, forgetting about it until it happened again, this time en route to the mansion, when without any conscious effort or realization, dark ominous clouds appeared in the previously clear sky. Alarmed and trying to rein in her out of control powers, she found them powers vanish completely, causing her to plummet towards the ground, her winds giving way under her. Just as she was about to close her eyes, preparing herself for the life ending crash, her powers and the buoying winds came on by themselves. Taking a long break to try to analyze what had just happened, but unable to find any explanation, she made it a point to keep close to the ground and not try to overexert herself.

And that is where unknown to even her or her unassuming twin, the younger Ororo was helping her, for whenever she was near, the fluctuations and the ever present and steadily rising sense of dread…and an inexplicable pull, the one she felt during her last moments with Logan in the tunnel, seemed to ebb and sometimes even disappear.

“Ready.” Plastering a smile on, she opened the bathroom door to find her doppelganger peering intently out of the window. Even as she turned towards her, (movie) Ororo noticed the uneasy, almost pallid look on her twin’s face.

“Ororo? Are you feeling well?” She strode across the room.

This time it was the turn of the other Ororo to nod her head and put on her own false smile. Just as both of them did not know about the power sharing and stabilizing occurring between them, so as they did not realize the effect that this symbiosis it was having on the other thing they had in common…..Logan, their respective Logans.

“Yes,” nodding and gulping to clear her throat, the (ultimate) Storm started towards the door. The truth was just as her older twin was having her own Logan-moment, so was she, although unlike the former’s semi-erotic experience, hers’ was more towards the darker side of the emotional spectrum. Standing here, she almost fell to her knees at the wave of self-loathing…Logan’s hate for himself, washed over her.

‘Where is he?’ With that question on her mind, she had been looking out the window, almost as if hoping to catch sight of the feral Canadian. However, while the other Ororo’s Logan was asleep somewhere in Canada, hers’ was trying to drink his thoughts away not hundred miles from the mansion.

As both women walked out of the room, their subconscious bond seemingly healed each other, calming their restless minds and emotions.

---

Later,

This time was worst than before, for this time not only was she seeing and feeling Logan, it was as if she was there…out there in the wild, the cold mountain wind lashing against her.

None of that mattered to her, for her tear filled eyes were stuck at the beast…the man on the ground below her. It had nearly attacked her, causing her to take to the air. Seeing it…seeing him, his condition, was breaking her heart.

His clothing in tatters, his usually wild hair grown even longer, as had his facial hair, his claws out, a continuous growl sounding deep in his chest, Logan looked and was behaving more like an animal than anything else.

Was this happening now or was she seeing his past…his time after his escape from Weapon X, Ororo did not know. However, one look at his clawed, dirty, blood encased hand gave her all the answers she needed, for it was there that she saw the faint glint of a round band.

‘Goddess!’ Gasping at the realization that it was Logan, HER Logan and it was….could be him at this very moment, she rushed down towards him, her progress stopping as he leapt away and snarled up at her. With his face turned up to look at her, Ororo saw the blood….the fresh blood flowing out of his eyes, nose and ears. She had missed it earlier, taking his bloodied lips as a sign of him having eaten raw meat. But blood from the ears and nose? What was causing it? And why wasn't it stopping? His healing factor should have healed whatever wound he had attained?

Still snarling at her, his canines grown to fangs, Logan…the Wolverine started to draw away, only to stop and tilt his head further up, sniffing the air as if trying to catch her scent.

So distraught had she been over Logan’s current state that it took Ororo a few seconds to realize that not only had he seen her, he also seemed to be able to smell her. Even through his blood-haze, he caught and recognized her scent. This had never happened in any of her previous dreams. However, neither had he been like this. It had always been him alone or even when she had been there, it was his mental picture of her.

Tears staining her chocolate colored cheeks, pain, love and sorrow gripping her heart, the Windrider steeled herself and parting her lips called out to her seemingly lost, feral lover….the winds carrying her whisper of his name to him.

The reaction was instant, as both the retreat and the threatening growls stilled. With bated breath, Ororo watched as blood filled eyes seemed to focus on her. Was he even able to see her or was he just zeroing in her voice? Did he recognize her? Or was he so far gone that….

“’Rrrr…..” it was more of a growl than anything else as for the first time in months, the man even attempted a try to express himself through/over the beast. Fleeing from this world’s Xavier’s mansion, he had barely made it to this area before finally succumbing to the changes occurring within him. Since then, he had come out only twice, both times when he felt an odd calming sensation wash over him….just like how he used to feel on waking up next to Ororo. However, not finding any trace of her, he retreated back into the refuge of the beast, going back to safe place....a place where he wasn’t alone, where he and Ororo were still together and were looking forward to the birth of their children. Just as they had been before the mission that took her away from him.

“Logan,” hopeful at his recognition, Ororo called out again, louder this time as she landed and started towards the stupefied Wolverine, who sitting on his haunches, his hands pressed flat on the ground, looked more like an animal than human.

“’Rrro…?” This time his tone was clearer as he lifted one hand to wipe the blood from his eyes. This was another side effect of whatever was happening to him. His senses had grown so powerful, so sensitive, that even here, in the silence of the wilderness, the sounds were loud enough to burst his ear drums over and over again, and cause near continuous hemorrhaging.

“Yes my love,” moving slowly so as not to spook him, the Nubian beauty advanced towards and finally reached the semi-human Wolverine. “Its m…e…” her voice cracked as she reached down to touch him, only to find her hand pass right through him.

“’Ro…” that was the limitation of Wolverine’s vocabulary as he too tried to lean into her caress, his primal mind not noticing that they couldn’t touch each other.

Trying again, and again, and again, Ororo collapsed onto her knees, feeling more helpless and distraught that she had ever before. Why was this being done to her? Why couldn’t she touch him? Feel him? Help him….

As far as Logan/Wolverine was concerned, just her being there was enough for him. Just as did not or could not notice that they hadn’t touched physically, so he did not realize that lowering his head into her lap, he passed through it…going right down to the cold, snow covered ground.

Seconds later, he was asleep…finally at peace for the first time since coming to this world.

----

Even later,

This was just after the events of Xavier’s office. Even as her physical ‘future’ self was teleported to the infirmary, her essence was almost supernaturally around six and a half years in the past. These last few days, it had grown even stronger…with the time she was spending with Logan becoming more ‘stable’.

“Hey.” She looked up at the bloodied but grinning man walking towards their small but cozy cabin. Located not hundred feet from where they first met on this world, it was remote….almost a four hour walk to the nearest road, seven from the nearest town.
“Hey. You’re back and from the looks of it with a successful catch.”

“Yup. Got a young buck today.” With a thump, he unloaded the dead animal from his shoulder, also pulling off his hunting-shirt and tossing it into the empty wooden basket lying next to the front steps. “Should last us for some time. You sure you don’t wanna…eat….” He knew what her answer would be, yet he still asked…every time
“You know I don’t.” Ororo answered with a sad smile. Things hadn’t been easy for them. None of them could explain what or how this came to be, and it had taken quite some time for Logan to accept that she wasn’t just a figment of his imagination and that was real….well, as real as could be under the current conditions.

“Huhn. Thought so.” He flopped down onto the steps, his brow creased in a frown.
Drawing nearer, Ororo *sat* down next to him. “Don’t worry my love. Everything will be fine soon.” She did not know why she said that, except that these last few days, she had started feeling more and more…solid. As if she was truly there, no only in spirit but also in form.

“I…I…yeah.” Almost reaching out to her, Logan let his hand drop at the last moment. “But I miss you ‘Ro…”

A sad smile on her face, Ororo did the only thing she could do to alleviate their mutual longing…..she drew her arms around him.

Closing his eyes and letting his other senses span out, Logan felt the cool yet somehow heart warming breeze wash over him. This was the only way they could *touch* each other.

“I still feel you....but…really miss touchin’ you.”

//End Flashback//

----

Present,

“Its good to see you again my friends.”

For what seemed like the longest time none of the dumbfounded X-Men, with the exception of an oddly silent Xavier, spoke or moved a muscle.

“Who… (cough) Who are you?” The younger Ororo was the first one to break the silence. As if things hadn’t been confusing enough, now, not only was the (movie) Ororo here with her Logan, they had kids too…already. Grown up kids at that…from the looks of it around five or six years old.
‘How is this possible? Wasn’t she unconscious in the X-wing? But, if she was here, then how could she have been with them? And if she was with them then how….? And what’s with the way she looks?’ That last question, the one about the appearance of this Ororo. It was as if the (wind and water) elements themselves constituted her. However, even before could complete it, let alone voice it, one of the two children, the little white haired girl, spoke up. Having landed, (movie) Ororo had lowered the kids to the ground, using her winds as an elevator. However, as soon as their feet touched the ground, both children hurried to their father’s side while their mother stepped forward to welcome the guests.

“That one looks like mama,” the mocha skinned girl tugged at her father’s denim clad leg, getting several supportive nods from her brother. One look and there was no mistaking whose children they were, or that they weren’t brother and sister. Even their eyes were of the same color.

“I am Ororo…Storm,” (movie) Ororo smiled at her younger twin, her long cloud colored hair…if you could call them that, gently billowing behind her.

“If you are Ororo,” Jean stepped in. “Then who do we have in the x-wing? Not to mention staying with us all these days.”
“That too was me,” the smooth, warm, contented voice answered the redhead. “Also, if you check, you’ll find that there is no one in the jet anymore.”

Even as the words left her lips, Scott was already on his way towards the X-Men’s jet. One look inside and he confirmed it. “There is no one there….its empty.”

“But how?” Turning back towards her older twin, (ultimate) Ororo once again felt the fulfilling peace that she had experienced in the infirmary.

--

**Jean** Scott telepathically contacted his girlfriend.
**I know Scott** Having read his suspicions, Jean nodded in support.

**Can you read their minds?** He asked, hoping for some confirmation about these strangers.
**No** came the denial **Not even the children.**

--

“And she won’t be able to…” Both X-Men jumped at the threatening growl from the other Logan.

“Wha-What do you mean?” Jean tried to put on a brave front. This was even more disconcerting than with (ultimate) Wolverine. At least with him, she sometimes caught thought projections. But with these four…nothing. Not even a single thought.
“You know what I mean,” Logan drew the children behind him. “Try to do anything to them, and none of you gets out of here alive. I know what he said to you.” With his free hand he gestured towards Scott.

“I didn’t say anything,” Scott feigned ignorance. After all, it was the truth. He hadn’t even spoken a single word.

“You didn’t say it…you thought it. I heard you.”

---

Note: Hopefully this should have answered some questions….about both (movie) Ororo and Logan....including what happened to them...the changes.

Please Review!!

“Please come in.” Wide eyed and full of questions, the confused and more than a little wary, X-Men, glanced around as they followed their host up the beaten path and stepping into the wooden construct that was their cabin.

Stepping inside, they realized that the phrase, appearances can be deceiving, suited this place to a ‘T’. From outside, it looked like any other cabin, albeit a little larger and higher than the usual ones...almost in a semi-warehouse kind of way. However, once inside, it was an altogether different thing. Whoever….well, (movie) Ororo’s refined stamp was all over it, right from the exquisitely embroidered table covers and window curtains, to the soothing color scheme on the rest of the upholstery. The furniture, including the side tables, six seating dining table and its chairs, the twin sofas, all seemed home made. 'Probably by Logan,' they assumed correctly. Although from outside it did not look high enough to be double storeyed, once inside, they stepped down to the living area, which released the extra headroom for a couple of rooms above them.

However, none of them seemed to even spare a second look at the place, their eyes and attention still fixed at the people living there.

“Please, make yourselves at home,” gesturing towards the living area, Ororo started towards the kitchen. Following the oddly complaint Xavier’s lead, the X-Men settled down. On their way to the cabin, (movie) Logan had been pretty much silent, and even here, he seemed to be continuing observing their 'guests'.

----

“What about the children?” Jean questioned as she looked around for evidence of the two children she had seen with the couple. Although it was pretty clear that the children were their's, she still couldn't understand how from only a few days ago, a four and half month woman had gone to having six year old twins. Moreover, having led a sheltered, rather opulent childhood, with three servants just for her, she found it rather odd that the two parents were just letting the young children run free in the wilderness, without any adult supervision in a place full of animals…scary, wild animals, animals like the wolves that had been with Logan. Appearing before him, they only separated, leaving for wherever they left when the X-Men fell in step with their master.

“Its their play time,” (movie) Ororo answered as headed towards one of the three ‘inside’ doors leading out of the room. What she did not tell that just before the X-Men arrived both she and Logan had just finished with the children's daily 'school work', with both parents splitting the classes, with Ororo covering English and basic Math, and Logan taking over for 'Play' Training and 'Practical' Science, meaning teaching the children about the plant and animal life around them.

“Play time?” Echoed Jean. ‘How can these people even think about playing here?’ She stared at the now normal looking Ororo. This was something else that intrigued not only her, but also her teammates. How come she changed form? While earlier she had looked almost as if composed to the wind elements itself, now she looked just like any of them, flesh and blood. She hadn’t been able to do that earlier, during her stay at the mansion? Would their Ororo also become the same way as her powers progressed?

“They can take care of themselves,” (movie) Logan snapped at the redhead silencing both her words and her querying thoughts. 'Fuck, she talks a lot.' Slapping his hands against his denim covered thighs, he stood up and started in the direction (movie) Ororo had gone in, towards the kitchen. Glancing back towards his (ultimate) twin and towards Scott and Peter, he questioned. “Beer?”

“Uh, no….” Peter shook his head. “Thank you, but I don’t drink.”

“No.” Scott’s firm answer got an amusing smirk in response, along with a whispered response that only the other Wolverine caught, his own lips curving up at it.

“Scooter. Figures. Even this one’s got a bug up his ass.”

“Which one?” (Ultimate) Logan’s question about the brand of the beer got an arched eyebrow in return.

“What’dya think? Molson. What else?”

“Sounds good.”

---

Stepping out from view, he appeared seconds later, two beer bottles grasped in each hand. Holding them out to Xavier, Jean and (ultimate) Ororo, he completed the complementary questioning. It was just a formality one which his senses had already made redundant. Neither Jean or the younger Ororo seemed the boozer types. Heck, even his ‘Ro didn’t like the barley water’s taste, only taking once in a while, like on the anniversary of their coming here, the kids birthday and a couple of other days….including one other special one. As for Xavier, he too seemed the one to drink those foofoo drinks, the ones whose only purpose seemed to burn a hole in your wallet.

Flopping down back onto the couch, he pulled the cap off and took a full, deep swig, emptying almost three quarters of the bottle in one go.

“Wait till she comes back.” He answered even before Scott could voice his question.

---

Fifteen minutes later, with everyone settled and with the exception of the two Logans, a cup of Green (Indian) tea held in their hands, the X-Men wasted no time in plunging into the questioning, with Scott taking the lead. By seniority it should have been the Professor. However, oddly enough electing to stay silent, as if already having some inside information, he let his students/teammates ask their own questions.

“How can you be the same?” Scott's barrage started with a simple question, with quick follow ups. “I mean, we just saw you or whoever that was. She was in the flight we us. I saw her myself before we stepped out of the X-wing. And yet, here you are. Not only healed and well, but seemingly living here for what seems like years.”

“And ya say ya know us?” Rogue slipped in a small query of her own.

“What happened to your powers?” Was Jean’s contribution. “How can the children be there? The way you…”

“Jean. Scott….everyone.” Setting the cup and saucer down onto the center table, (movie) Ororo leaned back, her shoulder flush against (movie) Logan's...something that both (ultimate) Ororo and Logan noticed, only to turn their eyes away at the eerie sensation of almost watching themselves in front of them. When it had only been one of them, like (movie) Ororo at the mansion or that Logan outside, things had been bearable. And although (ultimate) Ororo had had a chance to get acclimated to seeing an older version of her, seeing as (ultimate) Logan had left the mansion soon after the older Ororo's arrival, it was completely new for him.

As for the Ororo before them, she knew that this day would come. In fact, she had spent quite some time getting the explanation ready and although, even after all this time, neither she nor Logan had all the answers themselves, they had comprehended enough of their situation to attempt making some heads and tails out of it. “Do you mind if I….if we tell out side and then you can….”

---

“MOMMIIIEEE….” Even as the shrill cry of a young child sounded from outside the cabin, the seemingly scared form of Ororo and Logan’s daughter tore through the front door, heading directly for her mother, the cause of her screeching, a young wolf, probably from the pack that had accompanied Logan, close at her heels.

-SNIKT-

Even before anyone could say anything, (ultimate) Wolverine had his claws out and lunged towards the animal.

“NO!!”

“Get away from him.”

The (movie) couple’s cry threw him for a loop, his eyes widening momentarily as he felt the air vanish from within his lungs. Suffocation setting in, his hands reached for his throat and missing the wolf, he harmlessly crashed into the wall, his ears catching his (ultimate) Ororo calling out to him.

“What the…” as quickly as that sensation started, it was over. Scrambling onto all fours, he watched as both the girl, now really scared, as well as the wolf, a low whine sounding from him, sidled behind the now standing up and clearly angry Ororo and Logan.

“Put them back,” a single growl from the other Logan and the claws retracted even without conscious effort on the part of their owner. “We told ya, didn' we. While you are here, I don’t want any of you using yer powers…”

“…and definitely not against our children,” (movie) Ororo completed his words.

“Children!!” Right before their eyes, the X-Men watched as the now subdued, and from the way his body was shaking, incredibly scared wolf began to transform....

.....into a young black haired, slightly dark skinned, blue eyed boy.

---

Elsewhere,

“Keep the change.”

Stepping out of the cab, the two figures stood silent for a few seconds, staring at the building across the road. However, it wasn't the imposing grandeur of the building that they had come to see....their reason for being here was totally their business and incredibly personal.

“You sure this is the right place? Should we be doing this? I mean, we could just try...”
“Well, duh. What do you think? I told you I got the address right from Big Blue's diary. Besides weren't you the one who hacked into his mailbox?”

“Hey! I didn't hack his mailbox.”
“Then what else did you do, huh?”

“I-I...it wasn't my fault that he doesn't clear his browser cache. I just wanted to log in to check my mail, and....”
“And you checked his.”

“Hmph.”
“Now keep quiet and get me up there. I'll handle the rest.”

“Jubes....”
“NOW.”

“Hmph. (grumbling) We could at least have got Bobby...”
“Yeah. Like your boyfriend wasn't going to rat us out to Scott and the Professor. Why didn't we just give a PSA on the TV.”

“....”
“Now get to it.”

-

A few minutes later,

“Sheesh, Kit-Kat. What d'ya do? Set off the alarm.”
“It wasn't my fault. I didn't....”

“Yeah. Well, who phased through....”

“Ahem. Ya girls got a permit to be out after cerfew.”

Both whirled around at the third sound from behind them, their eyes widening at the almost seven feet tall....Thing standing just a few feet from them, his baby blue eyes twinkling in direct contrast to his towering form.

“Kitty.”
“Uh-huh.”

“Its time.” (whispered)
“What!!”

“Its time.” (a little louder)
“What time?”

“Running time. Its runnin' time!!”

---

Note: This chapter was going to be longer, and was going to be, but I just got lazy. Then again, look at the bright side, I already have 20% of the next update done already....and that one will be long.

Please Review!!

Speechless, stupefied beyond comprehension, the X-Men watched as still shuddering, the wolf transformed to attain humanoid form until finally the still shaking form of a young boy child stood before them, only for a second before he leapt to safety, behind his father.

Reaching out to him, Logan drew him nearer, patting and caressing his head to calm him down.

---

“Oh, my GOD,” Jean and Scott gasped, both at what they had just seen and at what had been avoided.

‘Fuck. It’s the kid.’ (ultimate) Logan cursed at himself. Pushing himself off the wood floor, he recognized the boy’s scent. If the boy’s reaction and the tears in his eyes wasn’t shaming enough, his sister’s similar state surely were. Everything falling into place, Logan realized that they had probably been playing or fighting as siblings do. There was no threat to anyone….no one except him.

“Move and you die.” (movie) Logan snarled at their guests as he reached behind and picked up the scared of his wits child, who drawing himself into a fetal position nuzzled in his father’s embrace, facing away from the X-Men. Logan knew that it would be sometime before his son overcame his current situation and calmed down.

It seemed like hours before anyone said anything, with both parents calming their children. Attempting an apology, even Xavier was silenced by a threatening growl from Logan.

Finally,

“What was that you just did?” Ororo’s tone was one that she seldom used…not even when she had been a teacher on her own world. “We told…no, we requested you not to use your powers and yet…”

A deep set frown on his face, his head hung, (ultimate) Logan knew that although the words were being spoken to everyone present, they were meant for him. After all, while his twin had merely grunted, ‘No powers,’ the (other) Ororo had actually voiced it as a proper request.....one that all of them agreed to.

“Ororo…Ms. Monroe,” Xavier started again, his voice deliberating calm and non-combative. “We are…”

“Its my fault.” (ultimate) Logan cut into his apology, his eyes still not quite meeting their hosts.

“No shit.” His twin growled at him. “Do that again and you’ll eat yer own…” the children’s presence caused him to stop whatever he was going to say. “Sit down and don’t move.” With that he turned around and walked away to another door, (movie) Ororo following close behind him.

---

“Attacking a child Wolverine. What were you thinking?” The minute the two parents were out of the door, Scott turned to Wolverine.

“Fuck off Summers.” Instead of answering him properly and getting even more of his tight-ass and in the current situation, justified speech, Logan flopped down onto the couch, his face set in a deep frown. ‘Should’ve checked his scent,’ he berated himself. ‘Should’ve checked it better.’ He corrected seconds later. He had caught smelled the girl but when he first entered the house, there was no human/mutant scent on the boy. It was all animal. Heck, even now, even after his turning back, still the boy’s scent was mostly animal…as were his mannerisms. If he had not seen and smelled him before, Logan would have sworn that this was normal behavior for the kid, that he was mostly animal…but now, now he couldn’t make heads or tail of it.

Then there was what the other Logan and Ororo had done to him. The Logan had seemingly taken control of him, not once but twice. And the Ororo, what she had done was downright freaky. He had seen his…their Ororo use her powers, even letting them all out a few times, but even she hadn’t come even close to doing or looking like the way this other Ororo did. First there was how she had looked outside. It was as if, her entire body, her entire being was all winds, clouds, rain….the air and water elements themselves. Before that not only had she hidden herself, but also the kids. Or was it the kids power? If that, was it the girl’s. ‘Cause it sure as hell didn’t look like it was the boy’s. Although he did not know how long had she observed the X-Men and the other Logan’s meeting, but until she showed herself, there wasn’t any smell, sight or anything else to reveal her or the children being there. And now just when….

“Where are you going?” Jean’s exclamation drew his attention back to his teammates, his head lifting to see Rogue heading towards the kitchen door.

“Ahm thirsty,” Rogue looked over her shoulder. “Any of ya’ll want water?”

“I do.” Before anyone else could answer, (ultimate) Ororo, her own thoughts in chaos, rushed towards her younger teammate. Even though being near her elder twin had allowed her to feel the peace that she had felt a couple of nights ago, seeing her interaction with her Logan, and their family wasn’t easy for her. Hearing about it was one thing, but actually seeing it….seeing them only brought up her own hopes and wishes, both of them losing in the face of harsh reality. ‘Even though they have it….they love each other, doesn’t mean I’ll have the same.’ Her brow furrowed at the thought. ‘First Henry and Logan. Sure know how to pick ‘em, don’t you Ororo. One emotionally insecure while the other emotionally unavailable…at least to you.’

Feeling the same self-pity she had felt at Henry’s betrayal, and with Logan’s ‘stuck on Jeannie’ attitude, she shook herself mentally. She was behaving like a love sick teen and not at all like herself. She was the brash, tough as nails, not giving a rat’s ass about anyone or anything, Ororo Monroe. Since when did she become such a sappy pansy?
That question once again brought her back to her failure in love. While on the road, she had kept her heart and feelings close to her chest, not allowing herself to open to anyone, get close to anyone….allow anyone to get close to her. But then, how else was an orphan like her supposed to survive and exist for as long as she had? If being a black girl with freaky white hair and blue eyes wasn’t enough of a ‘neon sign’ for attracting trouble, both in Morocco and in Texas, being a mutant just placed the cherry on the proverbial sh#% cake.

‘Should have stayed that way.’ She lamented at allowing herself to open up after coming to Xavier’s….allowing herself to feel and follow her emotions, her heart. Now, along with the danger to her physical wellbeing, even her heart got kicked around like a ball…or in the current case, skewered with claws.

---

She was still lost in her thoughts when the other Logan appeared in the doorway, his demeanor grim and his gaze hard.

“Want somethin’ to eat?” The familiar voice, its graveled yet molasses smooth tone, although non-threatening sent hot spikes through Ororo’s heart.

Gulping down the water, Rogue shook her head. She had heard from the other Ororo about the relationship and bond between her counterpart and this Logan, but the actual experience still fresh in her mind, even if only a part of it…it was nothing like what she had imagined.

“You?” (movie) Logan glanced at the younger Ororo. He found it amusing how physically similar these people were to him and Ororo…and to their teammates. This Ororo, given her age, though not quite a twin of his Ororo was an easy pass for a younger sister. Heck, even her hairstyle was similar to the one Ororo used to have about seven-eight years back. Not that he minded the long hair….he even liked them better. They felt better he used to run his fingers through them, or while she was sleeping and they fell against his skin or when they were… However, no matter how similar this Ororo might to be his, she wasn’t as beautiful as her. Heck, no one was as beautiful as her. Yet, it did give him a glimpse of how (movie) Ororo might have been when she was at this age.

“No thanks.” Seeing her elder twin appear at (movie) Logan’s side, (ultimate) Ororo hurried out of the room, not wanting to inflict even more pain on her heart. Seeing these two together only made her feel….see, what she did not never have, not now, maybe not ever. She still did not know why she had asked Logan that question, the one he did not give an answer for…at least not verbally. ‘Talk about a glutton for punishment.’ Yet, it was a good thing that she did. Even if her twin had had her Logan come around and give up her Jean fixation, it wasn’t a given that it would be the same for her. She had made her move, bared her heart to him…if he did not want it, if he wanted to make a fool of himself and pine away after a woman who loved another, then let him. ‘Idiot.’

----

On the other side,

“I certainly hope that you young ladies have an explanation for your actions…” Seated in a side by side placed chairs, their eyes not quite meeting their captor’s, both Jubilation Lee and Kitty Pryde gulped at the next words. “…before we call the authorities and hand you over to them.”

“Don’t call the police…” Jubilee was the first one to blurt out.
“Please.” Kitty seconded her friend.
“…they don’t like our kind.” Jubilee carried on.

“Our kind?” His naturally long arms crossed on the table, Reed Richards, Mr. Fantastic of the superhero family/team, the Fantastic Four, leaned forward in his chair, his piercing gaze demanding an explanation.

“Mutants. We are mutants.”

“And?” The way that word was spoken caused both girls to jerk their heads to the other female in the room, Sue Storm a.k.a. the Invisible Woman.

“What do you mean ‘And’?” Jubilee tried to inject some anger into her faltering brave front. In truth even if Kitty had been the one who had chanced upon the mail correspondence between Hank and Reed, it had been her idea that they contact Dr. Richards for help and more importantly do it just by themselves. And now it was because of that that they were in trouble.

“We already know about that.” Sue informed with a gentle smile, hoping to garner some trust in the nearly panicking girls. Even if they had broken into the Baxter Building, being apprehended by Ben and Johnny, one a being of living rock and the other of fire would be enough to unnerve and scare anyone, whether human or mutant. Moreover, given their own condition, neither she nor anyone of her teammates could count themselves as human anymore. As with mutants, their own bodies were different from normal human….at a genetic level. “The sensors detect and analyze DNA.”

“Oh.” At a loss for words, Jubilee was quick to recover. “We did not come here to steal anything or to fight….” She passed a furtive glance at Ben, getting a grunt at for her words and for her actions from a short time before. During their effort to ‘escape’ from him and Johnny, Jubilee had fired an appreciable plasma blast at the ever lovin’ Thing. Although there was no harm done, it did blind him for a few seconds….the wall paying for his condition as he rammed and tore a Thing sized hole in it. “…we came here for help.”

“Help?” Reed arched an eyebrow at the teenagers, his manner relaxing a bit.
“Yes…” Jubilee elbowed Kitty to speak. It wasn’t that she couldn’t explain, just that between her, Kitty and Rogue, Kitty was the Uber-techno-geek.
“Uh, Dr. Richards,” Kitty began only to interrupted by a beep sounding from the building intercom.
“Reed, they are here.” Johnny Storm’s lively voice came in through the communication line to which Reed replied just as quickly. ‘Please bring them up.’

‘They.’ Both girls turned to one another and then to Reed and Sue. “You called the police didn’t you.”

“Ms. Lee….”

“We told you we didn’t come to attack or steal from you,” Jubilee was having none of it. “What we did is not exactly....conventional, and I was protecting us from Rocky-Orange-Beer-Gut-Show here.”

“Hey!” Ben leapt up at the name calling. What was with this girl. Not even two hours and she already had called him three different names, each one more corny than the previous one. This one was the worst. ‘Beer Gut?’ It was a good thing that he was thick skinned, otherwise he would have taken offense.

“Jubilee.” Kitty pulled her friend down, hoping to silence her. However, before she could say anything, a near silent whoosh of the elevator doors opening and a familiar spoke to them.

“Ah Ms. Lee.” Henry McCoy’s blue form came towards them, Piotr and Johnny Storm at his side. “I should have guessed.”

“Well. At least they didn’t get Scott.” Jubilee leaned towards Kitty, getting a frown for her quip. Flicking her hand, Jubilee thanked her stars that it was only Hank. Although a chewing out and most definitely a grounding awaited them once they got back to the school, at least it was better than what had been going through her mind just a few seconds ago.

“Henry.” Reed and Sue welcomed their visitors. “Its nice to see you again…even at this hour.”

“Reed. Sue. I apologize on behalf of my students. Although I must say I did not expect them to be so…resourceful, or catch on so fast.”

“So, you were hiding something.” Jubilee grabbed at a possible way out, raised eyebrow from the adults in the room, not to mention the pinch from Kitty instantly silencing her. However as Henry’s next words conveyed, the damage had been done.

“I assure you that they will be adequately disciplined,” both girls winced at the words, scowling at their Russian teammate’s amused smile. Now that he was here it was a given that Rogue would know about their impromptu trip and that they had left her behind. Already the poor girl was in the dumps and now this….well, they would have to corner Pete before he got a chance to talk to Rogue. Talk Jubilee style. “Although I can guess their reason for coming here.”

“Oh, this is about that,” Reed understood what Henry was talking about. It was something that the mutant Doctor had contacted him about a couple of days ago.

“Well, seeing that they are already here and so are you….why not take a look at the findings.”

---

Note: What’s up with (movie) Ororo and Logan. Coming up next. Also coming soon, their counterparts and their dysfunctional un-/non-couple.

Please Review!!

18. Their Story

Summary: Its all RoLo…the ‘older’ ones. Finally, their story.

---

“Hmm-Ummm. Hmph.”

Fishing, well, mostly lounging, his back against the trunk of tree, under whose shade he was sitting, Logan, the Wolverine was enjoying the cool weather, the fishing limited to the rod in his left hand and the line cast a few feet away.

It wasn’t like he needed it anymore…or before. Most of his fishing he did with his claws, after all, for a born and bred hunting animal, be it above water or below it, it was a simple question of the hunter and the hunted, predator and prey…him and his prey.

However, at that moment, it wasn’t the fish that had his attention. Nor the play fighting just a few hundred feet away, they too feeling frisky under the clear blue sky. What had his attention, his entire being tied into one single thing, was her…at Ororo. Or rather the humanoid ‘ghost’ that she now was. Sitting just a few feet from him, still in her ethereal form, her eyes closed, Ororo was lost deep in meditation.

It had been almost three months since the first time she and Logan has ‘met’ on the same slopes as where their were living now. He had been so lost that he had all but forgotten himself and everyone, everything else too….all except her.

His recovery had been painstaking slow…at first, until suddenly one morning, one after a particularly harrowing night, it was as if nothing had changed. He was just as he had been before he and Ororo were sent over to this world, to this time, before they lost each other, before both of them changed to the way they were now.

Just like Ororo, Logan too had undergone a lot of change, both internal and external. Although his physical changes weren’t as drastic as hers, they were clearly visible…at least with his shirt off. Faint stripes had appeared over his upper back and arms. These stripes, of the same color as the color of his eyes, were not set in their color and depending on his emotional state they varied from a deep brown to a bright red. As did his eyes.

---

Unfortunately, things hadn’t been as easy for Ororo. Not only was she not able to solidify herself, she wasn’t even able to physically touch anything….not even him, not even her Logan.

Hence her meditation to try to collect and center herself.

His gaze passing over her, Logan took the time to marvel at her beauty. Even now, even in this form, she was as breathtaking as ever…only different. Where there had been smooth expanses of mocha skin, there was now, a shimmer of a mixture of what looked like clouds, fog and suspended raindrops, her long silvery tresses replaced by soft, fresh snow, their rise and fall reminding him of a the waterfalls that were fed not pure glacier water. Still, among all this beauty, there was one thing that captivated Logan the most, and that was warmth that seemed to flow out of her. It was this same warmth that had drawn him when he was just an animal, its fresh flowers and rain damped earth fragrance, surrounding him, giving him an instant feeling of peace, of love…of her.

Continuing down the soft swells and falls, Logan stopped, lingering at her the prominent swell of her belly. At almost seven months pregnant, Ororo was clearly showing now, causing both parents much anticipation and worry about the fate of their children. Not only was she intangible, Ororo wasn’t even eating or drinking anything, neither for her own nourishment or for the children. And yet, even in her ethereal form she had the glow of an expectant mother. How this was happening, how any of it was happening was something that neither of them tried to think too much about. All that mattered to them was that they were with each other. Not knowing if and when they would get to go back to their world, they were trying to make the best of the loop that life had thrown at them.

---

Leveraging his hand, and turning around completely, Logan rose into a crouched position, moving slowly so as not to disturb Ororo’s concentration.

Such was the stealth of his movements, so strong had it become, that it was not ‘practically’ but absolutely, hundred percent undetectable.

With the grace of a large cat, his bare feet making not a single sound, Logan inched forward until he reached near and finally settled down next to Ororo’s still form. Sitting on his haunches and maintaining his silence he raised his hand to her, time standing still, as moving as slow as a snail, anticipatory fingers leaned in until there was barely a millimeter of space between her oddly ‘settled’ mist and his warm smooth skin.
This wasn’t the first time that he was doing this, although as with every other time, he wished that it were the last…that this would be the time that Ororo would be able to attain and hold her tangible form, that it would not lead to failure as with every single previous try.

Still holding the breath that he hadn’t realized about yet, the minutest of flex at the knuckle joint and suddenly, just like that, for the first time in seemingly forever, Logan achieved physical contact with Ororo.

Not wanting to startle her and cause her to loose her concentration but unable to let go, especially now, a second finger leaned in to rest beside the first, with a third and fourth ones following it, and then the thumb and palm, until finally Logan had his hand flat against warm, soft…skin.

A slightest of shimmer and Logan fought hard to contain the imploring growl he almost let out. Even though he had gained control of his faculties, there was a large part of him that still hungered for the wild. The way his inner Wolverine was now and the way it had been before the change, it was like comparing (that) Wolverine with Scooter. While before he used to have an understanding, a feeling of camaraderie with the animal kingdom, now he was downright at home in it, his abrupt power surge allowing him to literally communicate with the animals and to an extent….even make them do his bidding, not by telepathic control but by a sense of being the alpha, the leader of the pack. Only this pack included not only one kind, one species, but practically every animal in the surrounding areas…at least the ones living on and around these hills.

Another shimmer and that growl that was threatening earlier finally did escape, though from the lack of change in Ororo’s constitution, it wasn’t loud enough to disturb her….or so he thought, until his peripheral vision detected a movement, his eyes moving first in that direction, and then upwards, meeting the summer sky blue orbs of the weather goddess. Though not of the same blue as her usual sapphire, they were nevertheless beautiful, just because they were hers.

“Logan.” That single whispered word carried a world of emotion…of love, as did the hand that came up to caress his whiskered cheeks, this time…finally being able to make contact and not just have it pass and flow, over and around him.

“Ororo.” Sighed Logan, instinctively leaning into her touch, solid and warm once again.

Nothing else was said, no other move made.

Just him with his hand on her arm and she with hers on his cheek.

It would be a long time before Ororo would be able to maintain solid form for longer period of time, and even longer until she would able to transform to her blood, skin and hair state and not only hold it but make it her primary form…the one she could maintain in her sleep too.

Yet. Right then, neither of them thought anything about it. Neither did they care. What mattered to them at that moment was the joy of being able to touch each other once again.

The moment that lasted all of five minutes.

---

A few weeks down the line,

“Lo-GA….UHHhnn,” Ororo’s cry of trailed away, as did the pain shooting through her body, the moment of respite not lasting long as yet anther contraction hit her, affecting not only her but also the veritable storm outside. “Its hurts Logan…It hur-aaARRGGHH.”

Luckily for them, they had been just outside the small one room cabin that Logan had built for them. While at first he was content to live out in the cave that he had taken shelter in, the wolves there keeping his company, Ororo’s showing up and his recovery following it had spurred him to make some arrangements, both for her and for the babies.

All that did not matter right now, because with the way the weather was swirling out of control, the fate of the cabin did not look all that bright.

“’Ro.” Her name sounded up from the growl that had been rumbling in Logan’s chest for quite some time now. Feeling completely out of his depth, even with all the preparation that Ororo had made him do, he was wishing, not for the first time that they were back home, with Hank and Jean to help them through this. He was no Doctor, not by a long shot. Heck, he wasn’t even a midwife. In all his years on the road, the ones that he remembered, he might have seen and learned many things, but delivering a baby let alone two, learning that skill never caught his attention.

And the way Ororo was now, barely able to hold onto her physical form, he sure as hell couldn’t take her to a ‘normal’ hospital, not without putting both her and the children in danger.

“’Ro.” He growled again, grabbing at anything to help her. “Hang…hang on darlin’. Won’t be long now. Everythin’ will be…”
“You say ‘fine’ once more and I promise you I will strike…” Ororo snarled at him, somehow managing it through her pain, and even before the last words ‘you down’ left her lips, as if drawn by her words, lightening shot out from her hands, and Logan lit up like a Christmas tree….literally.


“LOGAN!!” Ororo cried out, shocked at her actions. “Logan are you….aahhh.” Her own body writhed in pain…something that hadn’t happened to her ‘healing’ mate.
“Yeah darlin’, am fine. Remember, healing factor?” Logan answered pushing himself off the ground to return to her side. “And with this new one, don’t even haveta wait no more.”

And that was yet another change brought upon him. As with his other powers, his healing factor, already formidable had seemingly been supercharged…multiple times over. Not only had the rate of healing been speeded up, the time lag reduced to practically non-existent, even the pain that came from being hurt was all but gone, the healing taking care of that too, but treating the pain as yet another wound and healing it too. In its current iteration, it had made the Wolverine all but indestructible, with even a lightening strike, one that should have knocked him out for good, doing nothing except launching him off his feet, and that just because of the force and not anything else.

“I’m sorry.” Ororo murmured, a weak tremulous smile on her lips.

“’s ok,” Logan lifted a damp cloth to her forehead, wiping away sweat shining there. “Don’t worry. Doesn’t hurt now,” he alluded to lightening strike. “Feels nice. Kinda tickles. Gave a good charge to these old bones.”

Knowing that he was trying to get her to relax, Ororo raised her own hand, reaching for his lips but grabbing at his chest at yet another spike of pain.

“Logan,” she gasped. “It. Something….some….”

One of the babies was coming and from the looks of it, rather quickly.

---

Five minutes and one slap to the butt later, Logan held up the tiny bawling form of his and Ororo’s first born. Their son.

The tan skinned child, pulled in gulps of air, letting out high pitched cries one after the other. However, as soon as he was laid along his mother’s side all of that vanished, her gentle fingers tentatively caressing him, her smell and feel being imprinted on his internal sensors.

“He…He’s so small,” her pain momentarily forgotten, Ororo looked up at a sweaty but beaming Logan. “So beautiful.”

“What else did ya expect? Just look at the kid’s Old man. Mamma’s not bad looking either.” Logan chuckled as he leaned against the bed, his proud eyes taking in the scene before him. He had thought Ororo to be beautiful before, but seeing this, seeing her like this, he was sure that he nothing else, no other sight would even come close enough to be even dare a comparison to this.

However the very next moment both her and Ororo were reminded that this picture wasn’t complete…yet. For Ororo, the pain that shot out this time, it was so intense that she all but faded away. Unlike the previous ones, it was almost as if a fire had been set ablaze inside her.

“ORORO!!” Logan cried out, yet another lightening charge shooting through him. It was different this time. While the earlier one was Ororo lashing out, this time it seemed that she was trying to latch onto him, as if needing him….begging him to relieve her pain.

“Its burning Logan. I-I…” she whimpered, her misted hand passing through Logan’s as he reached for her. “It burns.”

“’Ro. I…” Lifting a hand to the swell of her abdomen, Logan recoiled at the heat being radiating from it. Even the color of the skin there, previously warm coffee had turned to an angry red. Moving up, he had barely gathered the once again screeching boy when, all of sudden, Ororo’s physical form dissipated, but not without first depositing a very special and shocking gift….a baby girl.

A screaming miniaturized version of Ororo, this infant had something special that her brother did not have. And it wasn’t only the (currently) slimy mop of snow white hair on her head.

It was something entirely different.

At seven and half and slightly over six pounds respectively, both children were born with their mutations already active. But unlike her elder twin who was content at just crying, the Logans’ daughter put on an additional display of her displeasure of being taken away from the safe warmth of her mother’s room…much to her parents’ shock.

“Goddess!!”

“Oh Fuck. Jesus!”

Seconds after she separated from her mother, this special child, not only did her eyelids shoot open to reveal a pair of bright orange-red orbs, she also seemed to glow…

...and set not only herself but also the bed…on fire.

---

Note: I am near about done finalizing the names of the children. Had initially planned on letting it out in this chapter. Any last minute suggestions before I do it in the next one?

Please Review!!

19. The Planes

Summary: Ororo (the movie one), finally clears up the confusion her time and space ‘skipping’ has caused.

---

“I still can’t understand it,”

Sitting in the simple yet cabin, Jean Grey had a look of utter confusion on her face. “Or believe it. How can you be at two places at one time…well, not even at one time.” She corrected herself as she remembered that even as this (movie) Ororo had been at the mansion, she had also been here in this wilderness, years in the past. “How can it be that while you with us, you were here too. And now you are here again. How…”

“We would explain…if we could.” Admitted Ororo. “The truth is that even now, after such a long time, things are pretty confusing to us too. Like I said before, it seems that whatever sent us here, also sent Logan into the past….either that, or sent me into the future. As for my time at the mansion,” she had dropped the ‘your’ quite some time ago, “it is even more confusing. But I do remember it all, as do I remember talking to you, all of you and also at length, to the Professor. Showing him…telling him what was happening to me…here, and also the directions, the co-ordinates if you will. It’s all clear in my memory.”

“But what about you…your…” Scott pointed out, “your body, or the one of the you that was there with us. The one we brought. And where did that go?

“That…” Ororo stopped for a few seconds, as if collecting her words. “That I can explain, though it might be a bit confusing…as first.”

Sending a glance across the room, taking in all the four (Ultimate) X-Men present, the expectant looks she got told her that they were more than ready to give it a go.

A deep breath and she pushed on. “Do either of you know about something called the psychic plane.”

“Yes. I do,” Jean responded quickly. “Its what telepaths use to communicate with each other and move around at a non-physical but, in a way, tangible way.”
“Scott?”
“Jean showed it to me,” answered Cyclops. Of the other two people, Xavier did not need to answer and the last person, (ultimate) Logan just shook his head.
“Just as with the psychic plane is a plane of existence, there are other planes too,” continued Ororo. “And as people with advanced telepathic abilities make use of this plane, elemental, those who are able to wield and control the elements, they also have a plane, an Elemental Plane if you will.”

“An Elemental plane?” Echoed Scott.
“Huh?” Was Jean.
“I did tell you, it might be confusing.” Ororo reminded them of her previous disclaimer, a corner of her lips turning up at their reactions.

“What do you mean an Elemental plane?” Jean recovered and shot forth. “And how come none of us ever heard of it before. Not even Storm, our Storm told us anything or gave any indication…”
“She won’t be able to gain access to it.” Ororo’s words silenced her. “Her powers are not advanced enough.”
“And yours are?” The redhead blurted out, her tongue slipping even before she could stop herself.

From what they had seen earlier, it did seem as rather odd that any of the x-men would put up such a question.

Not only was this Ororo more powerful than their (ultimate) Ororo, she even seemed more powerful than the version of her that had been stayed with them a few days back. The way she just seemed to change and dissolve into air, she not only would be able to form a link and use the elements, she would actually become one with them. That alone was indication enough how advanced her control was and possibly her reach could be.

And although neither Jean nor Scott had actually ‘seen’ it, their attention captured entirely by the way (ultimate) Logan had lunged towards the wolf that turned out to be the young son of the couple before them, (ultimate) Logan had felt the extent of the other (movie) Ororo’s powers first hand….by the way she barely a move, she just sucked out the air from his lungs. It lasted all of a few seconds but he was pretty sure that if she wanted, she could have held it that way for longer….much longer, long enough for even his healing factor powered body to give up….for him to die.

Then there was her husband, and even though he was his dimensional counterpart, (ultimate) Logan could not bring himself to relax in front of him, not after the way he (movie Logan) with all but a word, took control of not only his (ultimate Logan’s) claws but also his mind….his rage, turning it off as if it were child’s play.

--

Lost in his thoughts, Logan almost missed out the explanation that (movie) Ororo was giving for her claims.

“…was able to get the Professor access to the Elemental plane and it was there that we had out conversation and where he was during the time we were unconscious in the mansion infirmary.”

“Professor?” Both Jean and Scott started at once, Jean stopping allowing Scott to carry on. “Its true then? I mean you saw it.”
“Yes Scott,” nodded the elder telepath. “It is true and I did see it, although it wasn’t so much of seeing as it was experiencing it. It was quite the revelation.”

“To put it mildly.” (movie) Ororo interjected.

“Yes,” Xavier agreed. “To put it mildly.”


“Can you show us?” Jean blurted out, even as (ultimate) Logan slipped out of the room, heading out into the pristine wilderness, his deep blue eyes shimmering as a lake in the setting sun.

“No.” Ororo’s blunt turn down was rather surprising, causing Jean to feel rather let down at being denied
“Oh,” she sighed.

What she did not know was the reason behind Ororo’s answer, and for that Ororo was thankful. On her world, she had seen the Phoenix’s power and its immense, seemingly insatiable hunger. She wasn’t sure if the same Phoenix existed on this world, but even if it did or did not, that was a chance that carried just too much risk to even dare a try. Taking such an entity the elemental plane would be like taking an alcoholic…no, a whole army of alcoholics, with an never ending thirst and placing them right at the source of the best alcohol in all of existence. The results would be disastrous.

“Can Wolver…” Jean started again, stopping midway to correct herself. “Can Logan do the same? Go the elemental plane.”

“No.” Once again the Nubian beauty shook her head. “To get an ‘independent’ entry one needs to be tied right into the elements themselves. Logan can go but with me, not by himself.”
“Oh.” Neither Jean nor Scott, or Xavier for that matter, could help but not notice how it was (movie) Ororo who was doing most of the talking, while Logan was content at keeping an eye on them, and from the brief but frequent blank flashes across his face, also on those just outside the door.

(movie) Ororo did not offer information about her Logan’s link to the earth but more importantly, to the animals.

--

“How is it?” Jean asked, from both Ororo and Xavier.

“Its…” Xavier started with what he had seen, after all, it was his news which were the new ones. “Its unlike anything else on earth and at the same time its as if it is nothing.”

‘Huh?’

“It all depends on what one him or herself visualizes.” Xavier simplified his explanation. “Starting with all four elements, earth, wind, fire and water, the surroundings change in a reflection of what is inside you.”

The Professor stopped as he recalled what his own reflection had been, a 50-50 split between a perfect peace and happiness and a living hell on earth. At first, not ready or wanting to look his inner demons displayed before himself, Xavier had turned away towards the ‘happy’ side, only to have the split move with him. No matter which direction he faced, no matter if he tried to close his eyes and not see anything, for as long as he remained on there, the split remained with him, a glaring reminder of the things he had done in his past, the choices he was making now and the possible futures.

Thankfully (movie) Ororo had most probably not seen it, getting her own vision. She had told Xavier that if she wanted to see Xavier’s sight, she could, or even make him see her or anything she wanted, but working on the same rules as telepaths, until he gave her his permission, she wasn’t going to intrude on his privacy.

“I’d really want to see it,” sighed Jean, her eyes flaringly at the (momentarily) subtle itch at the back of her mind.

As if detecting the reverberations through the air, Ororo softened her voice, “It is not for everyone…just like the psychic plane.”

“I guess so.” A couple of seconds and that itch subsided, burning red-green eyes returning to their normal emerald tone. “What about the children? Do they have such a connection?”

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Just outside,

“Readddie…..Steaddiiee….One. Two. Three…GO!”

BHUWHOOSH!!

THUMP!!

“I win. I win.” The high pitched exclamation sounded out aloud, with four pairs of eyes observing the young girl doing her little victory song and dance. “I win, I win, five to seven, I win….lala la, umm-hmmm…you lose, I win.”

“Uhmnnnn….” The loser, the male twin, let loud a whine as he gave up his current appearance, that of a frisky elephant cub, flashing back to his favorite, the wolf.

Hearing the whimper, his sister stopped mid-dance, turned around and giggled at him. “Oooh…widdle baby woofy. Lost, so cryin’ now.”

“Grrr…” that was a growl of ‘I am not cryin’.’

What the children had been playing was a truly ingenious yet entirely simple take on the game, rock, paper, scissors. The rules were very simple, with the only change being in the actual play. Instead of hands and fingers, the twins were using mouse, cat and elephant, or rather appearances of the said animals. While the boy actually shape-shifted into the animals, his sister use her elemental abilities to construct fiery versions of her choice. As for the rules, the cat eats the mouse, the elephant stomps the cat and in turn (the elephant) is afraid of the mouse.

This game was something that their mother had come up with, and even though it had been a means for them to practice their powers, neither child seemed to pay too much attention to it. For them, it was all a question of who was faster….and who won.

--

A few feet, away, the other three pairs of eyes keenly observed the odd sort of game play taking place before them. Of the three people, while one having just stepped out, was simply content at remaining in the shadows, two were smiling at the goofy antics of the children, both women gladly playing the part of impromptu and largely unneeded babysitters…still somewhat surprised at learning the children’s names.

Rose-Marie and David.

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Note: Hopefully this will answer more of the questions of the changes occurring in (movie) Ororo and Logan, and also how Xavier came to know all about this. Thanks to everyone who helped me select the names. Did not go with Kendall and/or James, primarily because of the difference in powers b/w Rose (the girl here) and Kendall (in Yesterdays & Tomorrows). As for David and James, am already using James in Y&T.

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