Ororo walked briskly up the mansion’s staircase, hoping to retreat to her room for some much needed quiet time. Rubbing her temples and becoming fully aware of the migraine that plagued the back of her head, she mulled over the past few months.

Hectic.

Her desk was on the brink of spilling over with paper work, which honestly, she would have been happy to forget about. Meals had to be prepared 24/7 since most the students ate snacks throughout the day. Marie, Kitty and Jubilee had been a great help in that area, but when you are caring for well over 75 children in a mansion that was gaining a few more students usually every month, the kitchen had become a war zone. Ororo had also been very short on staff. Not counting the eldest students, Ororo, Logan, and Warren were the only adults in the mansion.

Then there were long, exhausting arguments that had to be settled constantly.

Not only among the students, but between herself and Logan.

A couple weeks ago, Ororo had asked him if he could start teaching self-defense classes in the Danger Room. Although to Logan, teaching the students how to defend themselves and beat a few guys up wasn’t a problem at all, patience was. He had pretty much lost his temper when two of the children had been goofing off and making comments about his technique. His claws sprung out and he made a start towards the two. He wasn’t going to hurt the kid or anything, just put a little fear into him. Unfortunately for Logan, Ororo had been watching from the monitor room. She had excused the class, and when they were well out of earshot, she and Logan had been arguing for a good hour.

Of course, she and Logan got over their fights, since it seemed there was one every day.

Now, it was just an excuse to bug each other.

She came up to her door and quietly slipped in, hoping nobody would see her. Shrugging off her black jacket, revealing a creamy white tank top and giving out an exasperated sigh, she reclined onto her soft bed. Lost in the softness of her white sheets, Ororo let her mind wander. Her large balcony windows were open and she could hear her students playing out side.

Her students.

~Flashback~

We can’t be students forever.

Ororo, I haven’t thought of you as one of my students in years…In fact, I was hoping one day, you will take my place.

But Scott’s--

Scott’s a changed man…He took Jean’s death so hard, there are better things out there for him. You of all people know how fast the weather can change.

~End Flashback~

The memory of Charles willing over his responsibilities pricked at Ororo’s emotional reign. Now with him, Scott, and Jean dead, the heavy weight of the mansion bore on her shoulders.

There was a sudden knock on the door that made her heart skip a beat. She quickly rubbed away the small traces of tears that had been hiding along the rims of her eyes.

Logan's gruff voice came from the other side of the large, mahogany door. "Storm? Its me."

"What is it, Logan?" The door slowly opened, but Logan did not appear. "You decent?"

"Yeah. Come in." She sat up, propping her hands behind her so she could sit up straight.

Logan walked in, slightly stunned at the large interior of her room. There were a multitude of healthy plants hanging about and two large glass doors, leading to a balcony. Her bed was probably three times the size of his and there was a large skylight above, making everything in the room glow. Ororo waited patiently for Logan to gather his senses, a small grin sneaking into the corner of her lips.

When his thirty seconds of gaping were counted, she nudged Logan out of his trance. She cleared her throat loudly, trying to get his attention.

His head snapped in her direction.

"What?"

"You wanted something." she stated, becoming slightly irritated since she knew that would be the end of her peace.

"I need to head out." The simple statement stabbed her in the back and the migraine that was creeping in the corners of her head, came out full force.

"Logan...I need you here. You can't just go out every time you feel that--"

He cut her off. "Hey. It's not like that. The kids are having a movie night and we're all out of popcorn. I'm going to head out and buy some. I told you I was going to stay here and help ya out, I won't break that promise."

"Oh...I--I didn't know...I just thought..." She let her shaky statement drift away, visibly relaxing. A thought popped in her head. She got up from her bed and entered her walk-in closet.

"I'll go instead." She flicked the light on and started rummaging for some shoes and a coat. She chided herself for owning so many items and finally picked out a pair of black leather boots.

"You sure?" He asked hesitantly. Her head popped out from the closet door and nodded. She walked back over to her bed and started putting on her boots.

"Mmhm. I could really use the air." She grabbed the jacket she shrugged off earlier and put it on. Logan continued leaning in the doorway.

"What flavor do they want?" she asked, fluffing her choppy white hair a little bit in her mirror.

"Huh?"

"Popcorn." She grabbed her purse and made her way to the door.

"Oh. I dunno." He stepped out so she could exit.

"Okay. I'll be back around six." They both headed down the stairs. Logan paused for a second.

"It doesn't take that long to get popcorn."

"I know. I need to run a few other errands. You can keep the house standing until then, right?" She entered the garage and opened the door to a nearby Toyota.

"Hey, I'm not gonna baby-sit again, if that's what ya think." He spoke sternly as she got in the car. Ororo noticed the warning tone in his voice and quickly used the remote to open the garage.

"Don't kill anyone while I'm gone!" She said quickly while she zoomed out into the distance.

Logan ran a frustrated hand through his hair.

How’d she do that?

Ororo rolled up the window and drove her way to the supermarket.

I hope he took me seriously when I said don't kill anyone…

"You wanna do what?!" Marie, Kitty and Jubilee yelled simultaneously.

"Can ya get the kids together and rile 'em up for a movie or not?" Logan asked impatiently and desperately at the same time.

There goes my ego...

The sad truth was, the students never wanted a movie night. Logan just wanted to use "going out to get some popcorn" as an excuse to go to a bar. Now, he actually had to organize the damn event before Ororo got back.

And the trio of teenage girls was his only hope of getting that accomplished.

"Why can't Storm just do it?" Marie asked.

"She's gettin' the popcorn."

The three girls exchanged mischievous glances, bad news for Logan.

"We want payment." Jubilee stated.

He let out a frustrated sigh and pulled out his wallet.

"Fifteen." He said, pulling out three five dollar bills.

"Twenty-five."

"Twenty!"

"Thirty!"

"Fine!" What the hell?

"Each."

"No way!"

Marie shrugged, "Sorry, Can't help ya. Let's go..."

Shit!

"Dammit. Here.” And he kissed the precious ninety dollar bills goodbye, “Now help me out."

"Thanks, Logan! C'mon, I saw the boys playing video games down the hall! They'll help us." Kitty said as they put the money in their pockets. Marie waved back at Logan as she was being pulled by Jubilee.

"Bye, Logan! See ya later!"

---

Ororo looked up and down the snacks aisle for the popcorn. Since Logan wasn't sure what flavor to buy, she decided to get plain, caramel, and cheddar-cheese.

"Ha. There you are." She said triumphantly, picking out three family-sized bags of popcorn.

Now let's see what else did we need...Peter was saying we didn't have any milk and--huh?

She turned around swiftly, seeing a trace of a jacket fly around the corner of her aisle.

Hnh. Oh well.

Her street instincts kicked in automatically though, so she just decided to keep her guard up.

Heading into the dairy section to get some milk, Ororo made a mental count of how much she would actually need. She put the gallons of milk in her cart and headed towards the cash register.

This time she swore somebody was following her.

Becoming thoroughly suspicious, she tried playing along. She decided to go up and down several aisles randomly, hoping to confuse her follower.

It worked.

She saw a man wearing a brown leather jacket, non-transparent sunglasses and a hat tipped over his head, covering part of his face. She gave him a haughty 'I-caught-you-now' look. Suddenly, the man pulled out a walkie-talkie and ran out of the store. Alarmed, Ororo quickly made her way through the check out register and into the parking lot. Once she got to her car, she put the cart aside and grabbed her purse so she could get her keys. She glanced at her watch.

Five-thirty…I better get home soon…

She thought she heard footsteps behind her and quickly spun on her heel. It was the same man who had been following her in the store. He was walking towards her with a gun in his hand...pointed at her. Her purse fell to the ground. Before she had time to react, two sets of large hands grabbed her. One pair clamped over her mouth while the other effectively twisted her wrists behind her back.

Ororo tried let out a shriek of pain but was stopped by a blow to her stomach. She winced but was determined not to give up. The heel of her boot found its way to the stomach of the mysterious man who was keeping her mouth shut. He groaned in pain but didn't release her.

She tried a multitude of approaches, saving her powers for a large storm as her last attack. She was still fully aware of the man with the gun. He had not shot her, just simply watched her struggle as his teammates gradually extinguished her energy.

And, hell, was it working…

Ororo was beginning to tire quickly. Just as she was about to unleash her elemental fury, one of the men threw her to the ground and she hit her head on the edge of the curb.

The man with the gun stood over her. He delivered a sharp kick to her side.

"Take her to the alley, boys."

Her eyes drooped close as her subconscious mind took over her.

"Logan..." she whispered before she seeped into darkness.

---

Marie searched up and down through the hallways for Logan. With the combined forces of Kitty, Jubilee, Jimmy, and a very reluctant Bobby, she and her friends had finally got most of the children in the T.V. room ready, and waiting for a movie night. The only problem was that Storm had not returned yet. The older students were worried and Logan didn't even know she was still gone.

Marie searched Logan's room, unsuccessful. That only left one other place she knew Logan would be.

The Danger Room.

Or, more often referred to as: Logan's Hideout.

She anxiously entered the lower levels of the mansion, hoping that Logan had some sort of plan to find Ororo. Turning towards the Danger Room's entrance, Marie boldly entered his program.

The doors hissed open, revealing an exotic jungle. Trees towered over her like monsters, vines connected to each one in so many directions you could barely tell one vine from the other. A thin mist circled the entire area, leaving Marie blind in the technical illusion. She could hear monkeys chattering, birds squawking, snakes hissing and many other animals.

"Logan!" she called out, hoping he was somewhere near her.

"End sequence: 312-B, Wolverine." The Danger Room's metallic interior replaced the exotic illusion. Logan was a few yards ahead of Marie, wiping off beads of sweat with his discarded shirt. He walked up to her.

"What are ya doin' here, kid? Ya know it's dangerous to come in when I'm workin'."

He reached Marie. He noted the anxious look on her face and asked her straight forward.

"What's wrong?"

"It's Storm. What time did she tell ya she'd be back?" she said quickly.

"Six. Why?" He asked almost hesitantly.

"Logan, its seven-thirty! What if somethin' happened to her!" Marie cried out worriedly. She saw Logan's expression change from non-caring to full alert. He stomped out of the Danger Room, grabbed one of his own shirts from his locker and headed towards the elevator, Marie hot on his heels the whole time.

"I'll wait outside." Logan said flatly, "Just keep the kids calm. I'm sure she's fine."

Marie ran out of the elevator once its doors clicked open, obeying his orders. Logan headed outside, and waited in the driveway, hoping that nothing had happened to the school's headmistress.

---

Darkness. Noises. From where? Something cold beneath her. What was it? It felt like stone. Ororo slowly opened her eyes.

Everything was a blur.

She tried remembering what had happened to her, but her headache would allow no access to that particular area.

Damn it.

She shrugged it off as her vision cleared.

The first thing she felt was a stinging sensation in her right arm. She slowly, almost painfully, turned her head so she could find out why. Her eyes widened as she saw her arm covered in blood. A massive headache shot through her, as she remembered her encounter in the parking lot. Her wrists were bruised and she had a cut in the back of her head, accompanied by that headache.

Probably when I hit the curb. She concluded.

The only thing she was unsure of was her arm.

Was I cut? I don't remember…


Looking around, she noticed she was in a dark alley, lit only by moonlight. She steadied herself on her good arm and sat against the cold wall behind her. Dumpster's were well hidden by the darkness, and she could faintly make out figures huddled beside them...watching her.

"She's up!" one man said, startling her from her musings. Three men approached her, one with a flashlight shining too brightly in her face. She blocked the light with her left hand and managed to slowly get on her feet.

"Wh-What do you want?" She said slowly, still trying to recover from the whole incident.

A man roughly pushed her back to the ground.

"Damn mutie..." He muttered.

Ororo was still trying to gather the facts as another man kicked her in the ribs. She winced, but did not cry out. These men, whoever they were, would get no more satisfaction. The men surrounding her laughed and mocked her bitterly, throwing a series of punches across her body. She managed to shock one of the men when they touched her hand, and half-smiled when they drew back in pain.

"Mutant bitch!" He spat at her. Once he recovered, he slapped her across the face, his wedding ring caused a large cut on her left cheek.

The bright light that had been blinding her was put down. The man who had been stalking her emerged from the shadows and cupped her chin roughly with his hands so she would face him.

"We're not gonna kill ya this time. So watch out. We know who you are and we all hate ya." The words hissed out of his mouth slowly, engraving fear in Ororo.

"We'll drop ya off at your damn mutie home. But next time we see ya, we'll make sure your taken care of." With that he snapped his fingers and Ororo was knocked from the back of the head. Once again, falling into a dark abyss of unconsciousness.

---

Logan paced back and forth in the mansion's driveway, becoming worried that something actually happened to Storm. It was already 8:00 and he had no idea where she was. Did she get in a car crash? He dismissed the thought quickly, before the image even finished forming in his mind. No. She was a skilled driver. Hell, she was a skilled pilot. A crash was probably the last thing that would have happened to her.

But what? What's takin' her so damn long? Didn't she say she'd be--

SNIKT!

He heard an engine running from outside the gates. She was back.

SNAKT!

Logan's claws retracted as he heard a car door slam shut.

Why didn't she come through the gate? Logan thought as he heard something hit the road.

The vehicle quickly drove away. His enhanced hearing picked up a faint moan.

Storm.

Logan broke into a run for the entrance gate, the anticipation fueling his energy. He stopped dead in his tracks as he saw Ororo's bloodied form lying limp at the edge of the gate.

Holy shit!

"STORM!!" Logan ran break neck speed towards the woman. He forcefully pushed the gate open and knelt beside her. He looked off into the distance for the car he had heard.

Nothing...

Anger began to consume him as he looked over Ororo. Her whole right arm was covered in blood and her breathing was troubled.

Not good.

“Peter!” Logan called for the tall Russian mutant. A few seconds passed until he made himself visible. Peter ran down near the gate to where Logan was crouched over.

“Logan, what is it?” Peter asked, not yet aware of Ororo.

When Logan moved to the side to reveal the weather witch‘s form, Peter gulped, “Oh my God…”

Logan’s reply was full of worry and anger, “Call Hank! NOW!”

Peter nodded and ran back into the mansion. Some of the older students came to inquire him as he used Ororo’s office phone to contact Beast.

Kitty was the first to ask him, “Pete, what’s going on?” Marie, Bobby, and Jubilee all had copied expressions of fear.

Peter adjusted the phone so he could answer them, “It’s Storm. She’s hurt. Outside with Logan,” was all he could say before Hank’s voice came on the other end of the line.

The foursome raced out of the room, leaving Peter in a frantic conversation with Beast.

When they reached the garage, Logan was already jogging up the driveway with Ororo in his arms. Marie and Kitty gasped simultaneously.

“Holy crap…” Jubilee muttered, completely at a loss for other words.

Rogue clutched Bobby’s arm, tears springing from her eyes, “Logan…what happened to her?”

Bobby wrapped his arms around his girlfriend protectively. Kitty and Jubilee watched as Logan made his way closer to them, carrying their beloved headmistress.

They all followed him into the mansion where he began to break into a sprint to the elevator. The whole ride down into the lower levels was deadly silent, except for Ororo’s uneven breaths.

As soon as the elevator doors opened, everyone followed Logan closely into the infirmary.

The moment Ororo’s head touched the pillow, Colossus rushed in.

Logan looked at him with stubborn impatience, “Where the hell’s Beast?”

“On his way. He said to monitor her the whole time until he gets here.”

Logan nodded then turned his attention to the other teens in the room, “Rogue, Kitty, I need ya t’tell the others that the movie’s cancelled…don’t tell them why.” The two girls nodded solemnly and left the room.

“What about me?” Bobby asked, wanting to help any way he could.

“Make a security check ‘round the mansion. Whoever did this to her,” He motioned to Ororo, “might still be out there. I wanna make sure they don’t hurt any of the other kids,” He looked at Colossus, “Pete, go with him.”

“Right.” Bobby and Peter made their exit, leaving Jubilee the only teenager left with Logan.

Logan looked up at her, “What’re you still doin’ here?”

“Y’never gave me anything to do.” Jubilee said with a slight hint of the obvious.

It took him a few seconds to come up with something.

“Wait for Beast. Tell me when he gets here. Got it?”

Pop!

Jubilee’s bubblegum resounded throughout the metallic room.

“Got it.” And she was gone.

Logan waited to listen for her retreating footsteps until he returned his attention to the white-haired woman who lay before him. His first instinct was to check to see if there were any more cuts besides the visible one on her cheek. Her right arm sleeve was soaked in blood.

There’s a good start… Logan thought with slight humor, but he forcefully pushed it back down.

He walked over to the cabinets on the other side of the infirmary and searched for a small cloth to wipe the blood from her cuts. He found one and ran it under the warm water of the sink beneath the cabinets. Squeezing the excess water, so the cloth would not drip, Logan looked behind his shoulder to check on Ororo.

She lay there, occasionally moaning softly in her native tongue. The back of her head was now covered in the offensive red liquid, blotting out some of her snow colored hair.

He stopped the running water by a twist of the sink’s knob and quietly made his way to Ororo’s side. Sitting down on one of the small stools near the infirmary bed, Logan hastily began wiping her face. The smell of her blood was driving him over the edge. She moaned something incoherent as the warm cloth touched her skin, but Logan paid no attention, focusing only on the task at hand. Ororo quieted down when he repeated strokes across her neck and fell into a dreamless sleep.

He finished cleaning her cheek and inspected the clean cut across her usually immaculate cocoa flesh. It was neither deep, nor would leave a scar, Thank God… but it screamed willful abuse.

The pillow, now blood stained, was slightly adjusted so Logan could cup the back of her neck in his hand. He carefully brought his hand forward so she was sitting partially straight. There was some blood lingering about her hair, but not as much as Logan expected. He smoothed the material across the back of her head, but stopped when he felt a small bump.

I’ll make sure Hank’ll check that out… He thought absentmindedly, and as if she were a porcelain doll, he rested her head back down on the pillow.

Logan hesitantly got up so he could rinse out the cloth which had seen better days. He ran it under the warm water for the second time, wringed out Ororo’s blood, replaced the cloth under the sink, and took long strides back to the weather witch.

Logan feared how much of a beating her arm had taken, considering the amount of blood that pooled on her right side. He slowly unbuttoned her midnight jacket and worked it around her torso until it finally came off. He tossed it in a nearby trashcan, knowing that Ororo wouldn’t want a torn and semi-bloody jacket. He examined her arm.

“Shit,” he muttered quietly. From the base of her shoulders down to mid bicep, a red streaked gash was made present. He soaked the cloth around her injured limb then in the crimson puddle at her side.

Logan grazed his fingers lightly down her arm to her wrists, which were savagely bruised. His eyes trailed to Ororo’s tank top covered abdomen. The cream-colored material had remained its regular hue. No scarlet intrusion there, but it still wouldn’t hurt to look.

His hands trailed under Ororo’s top and he slowly pulled it up, stopping just before the lower curved outline of her breasts, revealing several large severe bruises across her ribs and stomach.

Seeing her dainty exposed abdomen treated so crudely, Logan made a silent promise to himself to rip the dick off whatever bastard had done this to her.

Who would have the fuckin’ nerve to piss her off? Logan thought to himself. There was the other thing that confused him, why hadn’t she used her powers for defense? Was she unable to?

Before Logan had the chance to answer the questions that rushed through his head, he heard Jubilee’s panting breath accompanied by the opening swish of the metallic infirmary door.

“Mr. McCoy just got here,” she said, then took a moment to rejuvenate her lungs, “He’s on his way down right now.”

Logan nodded, and before he could reply, the teen asked him quickly, “Can I do anything else?”

He admired the bright spirit and willingly helpful nature in Jubilee. He remembered one occasion, one of those rare moments when he and Ororo weren’t arguing, when she had told him of Jubilee’s personality.


“She really looks out for them,” Ororo said to him, watching Jubilee, “Last night, she volunteered to put the younger ones to bed while I finished grading some papers.”

Logan gave a half nod with no response while Ororo rolled her eyes at his lacking communication skills.

They were all standing in the Danger room, which had taken up the appearance of a mountainous range. Logan and Ororo were in the monitor room watching the younger X-men slowly climb a steep cliff. No powers were allowed, much to Bobby’s frustration, since he could easily elevate them to their objective with one of his ice pillars. Logan made sure there was no cheating involved in his created sessions. He modified every detail to make sure there would be a number of challenges they could face.

After a few moments of silence, Logan finally responded to Ororo’s comment, “You could trust her with a lot an’ she’d pull through.”

A small, throaty laugh escaped her lips, “Yeah, everything except her homework.” They continued watching the teens in complete silence after that.

Jubilee tapped her foot impatiently as she watched Logan stare into space, “It’s a simple question, Wolvie.”

She adopted Logan as “Wolvie” although he had no positive comment to give her when she had first addressed him as that. It took a month or two finally grow on him as his permanent and personal name for Jubilee and it was reserved for her and her only.

The use of his nickname roused him out of his memory, “Go help the others upstairs with the kids, then go t’bed.”

Jubilee nodded then looked at Ororo, “Is she gonna be alright?”

Logan thought for a moment, “Yeah, kid. She’ll be okay…now go.”

She rolled her eyes, adding sarcastically as she walked out of the room, “Yes, dad.”

Logan shook his head while a hint of a grin invaded his features. The girl was growing on him, no matter what he did, about as much as Rogue had when he first found her huddled in the back of his truck.

Henry soon entered, seconds after Jubilee had made her exit. Logan let out the small, figurative, breath he had been holding.

Soft cotton. Ororo’s eyes slowly fluttered opened and her mind arose from the dark of unconsciousness. Her fingers mildly explored the feel of the blanket lightly draped over her. At first, she panicked, thinking that the men who attacked her decided to pick her up from wherever they dropped her and stuff her in that blasted car. Her mind barely remembered thoughts of being beaten in the stuffy vehicle.

She had awoken while they were carrying her, but she decided to act as if she were still knocked out. It worked.

For awhile.

Through the haze of drowsiness, Ororo managed to observe a few things…

She had opened her eyes to get a small peek of her surroundings, and was undetected for a short amount of time. Carefully studying the men who held her captive, she only recognized a few of them. The one with the gun, that had the hat dipped over his face mysteriously. Then his two buddies who had ganged up on her. The other men, she was sure, were the ones that had continued beating her in the alley. Those men were sitting around her, talking nonsense about mutants. It gave her a sick sort of feeling.

Ororo had studied the one with the mysterious hat who was sitting in the front seat, next to the driver. She took the chance as he pulled off his hat and stared at it as if the brown material contained the very meaning of life itself. Eyes, as pale as blue ice, were unforgiving and cold. Gray hairs peeked around his full head of hair which was black as night and his brows were furrowed in deep thought. He wasn’t a thin man, but rather square shaped. Worry lines that ran over his forehead told tales of a man that had experience spanning over the years. He didn’t appear as a person that had a wife and kids, but more of a lonesome man that trusted nobody.

The men surrounding Ororo told a different story. They looked like your everyday thugs that worked for nothing but money and drinks. Every single one had muscles that could put most wrestlers to shame. Laying by their sides, heavy guns were intimidating, but not exactly threatening to the weather witch. So deep in conversation were the men that not one noticed Ororo observing them silently. Idiots…

Only when Ororo winced as one of the men’s boots kicked her side sharply did she become noticed. A blonde man yelled something that she couldn’t make out and her mind was trapped in darkness. She had been knocked out yet again.

Now, as she slowly awoke, that was all Ororo could remember…that and a gruff voice, carrying her somewhere, cold water wiping her face soothingly. Was she taken to her captor’s base? What would they do with her? An experiment on mutants? Would she soon join Scott, Jean and the Professor? Questions plagued the back of her mind as her vision became a tad bit clearer.

A small sigh escaped Ororo’s lips as she realized she was in the infirmary. She was home.

Her index finger lazily swirled around in the thin material that covered her body. Wiggling her toes, Ororo confirmed her body was in proper working order. She was safe. Wincing a bit, Ororo rubbed her injured arm, which she now noticed was wrapped in bandages, over her abdomen where her bruises reigned.

Damn, so it wasn’t all a dream.

She rested her arm back on her side and closed her brown eyes softly. Suddenly alarmed that she may have been given “The Cure” in her unconscious state, Ororo reached out to her powers.

Yes…

She could feel the currents of the wind and all the other things connected to the weather. Silently summoning a breeze outside, Ororo relaxed again. She still wielded the elements.

The swish of the infirmary door startled Ororo out of her near sleep state. Dark brown eyes snapping open, she managed to catch the faint sight of a leather brown jacket and jeans disappear out of the room. Only one person fit that description.

Logan.

A few seconds later, the infirmary door opened again. A big, burly man, who went by the name of Henry “Hank” McCoy, with blue fur covering every part of his body, walked in. Clipboard in hand, Beast greeted Ororo with glee.

“My, my, Ororo, I have seen you in better shape,” humor was always the medicine, in most cases. Right now, that was just what the white-haired woman needed.

Ororo managed a small smile and a raspy, “H’lo…”

Shocked by her own voice, Ororo attempted to clear her throat, but Hank put up his hand, silencing her.

“Your voice will come back to you as you awaken. Right now, you need to rest, my dear,” Hank said affectionately.

Ororo complied easily, but not before asking, “What about Logan?” This time, her voice sounded a bit more like her old self.

“Ah, yes. Our resident Wolverine has taken quite good care of things before I arrived. Had you all cleaned up and ready for bandaging the moment I walked in,” Even Hank sounded unsure of himself as he spoke of Logan.

“Logan?” Ororo asked with equal curiosity. Oh…so that was the gruff voice Ororo came to remember. Those were the strong arms and the soothing touch of cloth that wiped her face clean.

Hank only nodded while he began inspecting her bandages. Ororo rested her head back down and lay there patiently for Hank to finish. She felt a harsh tightening in her arm as he secured the bandages more securely.

“The cuts on your face will eventually heal and are not serious, but what concerns me most is your arm,” Hank began with his diagnosis, “I want you to keep it bandaged regularly, maybe have Marie or young Jubilee to help you with that. The large bruises you have are the result of two fractured ribs, which will heal over time, so don’t worry. Just stay away from any strenuous work,” Ororo opened her mouth to say something but Hank merely silenced her, “and that means no Danger Room sessions, Ororo. No missions and nothing that may potentially harm you.”

Ororo managed to ask, “Can I still use my powers?”

Henry thought for a moment, “Yes. But lightly. The concussion you have make using your powers a lot more difficult. You would tire quickly in a regular Danger Room training session with the children.”

Ororo nodded solemnly, heart sinking. Guess she would just have to wait until she heals up.

She wasn‘t sure she could take any more of this and would give anything to get out of the infirmary, back in her room where there was much more space, “Is that all? Can I leave?”

Hank laughed, “Yes, that’s it,” he sighed before answering her second question, “I guess you may…I’ll get Logan to accompany you to your room…I informed him of your injuries so he--”

Lo and behold, Logan walked in only seconds after the statement was made, “I’m here,” his eyes traveled to Ororo, who was having a hard time getting up. There was a definite improvement since he saw her last.

“Can ya walk?”

“Yes,” she answered Logan quietly.

Pushing herself up with her good arm, Ororo managed to sit up weakly. She was still in her clothes, thank God, so she slid the soft infirmary blanket off and swung her legs over the bed. The moment her feet touched the floor, she felt her legs give out underneath her and quickly grasped the edge of the bed, biting back any sort of wince that would cause the two men to come to her aid. Her arm was on fire from intensely gripping the bed’s edge.

Hank and Logan both made a start towards the struggling woman, but were held back when she snapped at them, “I got it!”

Finally feeling her legs stabilize somewhat, Ororo straightened up slowly. The two men regarded her with concern at seeing her troubled steps forward. Hearing the earlier conversation between Hank and Ororo, Logan even briefly considered carrying her back to her room.

On the other hand, Hank only expected him to simply see Ororo’s way, “Alright, it looks like my work is done here. Logan, make sure she gets some rest, you could ask one of the girls to help Ororo with changing her clothes. As I told you both earlier, no work whatsoever and also no classes for the next two weeks,” but Ororo’s eyes widened in shock.

“Two weeks! Hank, that’s way too long to be--”

“Two weeks, Ororo. No more, no less,” Hank said firmly, silencing a very stubborn weather witch.

Logan suppressed a smirk, not exactly wanting to anger Ororo any further. He would get his opportunity to do that anyways when he helped her get to her room.

“Fine…” Ororo sighed and walked slowly over to Logan, “Let’s go,” she turned to Hank, “Thanks, Henry.”

“It was my pleasure, Ororo. Rest up,” He replied cheerily. Next, he gathered his things and made his way out the door.

Before he was out of hearing range, Beast called after them, “You have my number if anything else goes wrong!”

“Got it!” Logan replied.

A few seconds ticked by before Ororo made the first move to escape out of the awkward silence that fell between the two.

She clasped her hands together, “So…Umm…thank you…about what Hank told me…” her eyes searched his for any reaction, but got nothing expect a grunt and a head turn.

“We should get ya up to yer room an’ get some rest…” He started gruffly.

Typical Logan… Ororo thought with a smile then nodded as they both walked silently out of the infirmary.

Little did Ororo know that Logan was worried shitless about her. His lack of conversing was a result of sheer worry…or over protectiveness. Unbeknownst to Ororo, Logan had gave himself the honor of being her “guardian angel”. If she was lost, the school was lost, which meant each and every mutant child would be forced either back to their old homes, or cast to live on the streets in fear for the rest of their lives. That was something Logan could not bear to see. As long as he drew breath, Ororo Munroe would be safe.

The tricky part was to guard her unseen.

As they were walking down the silver halls of the lower levels, Ororo slowed down, exhausted, yet surprised that she tired out so quickly. Logan quickly noticed and stopped as well.

“Y’alright?”

“I’m fine…just give me a moment,” Ororo said wearily. She would never in a million years admit that her arm was killing her or that her concussion was making her dizzy; she would not be babied by the Wolverine. Not now, not ever.

She leaned on the nearest wall for support and rubbed her arm, disgusted that she was being portrayed as weak in front of Logan.

The man leaned on the wall next to her, waiting patiently for her to catch her breath. It was s bit after midnight and they all needed sleep, Ororo especially after what she went through. That reminded him…

He began, “Storm…”

She shot him a look, “I have a name, you know,” Ororo paused as she watched him try to remember her real name. How long ago was it when the Professor had introduced the white-haired weather goddess to the feral brawler? What had he called her as she walked through the doors silently, a small smile on her delicate face…

Ah, Logan, I’d like you to meet Ororo Munroe, also called Storm…

Ororo! That was it…

Logan began again, this time, by her rightful name, “Ororo,” satisfied with her nod of approval, he continued, “what happened?”

She knew exactly what he was talking about. Too bad she only hand a spoonful of answers to give…

“I honestly don’t know,” Ororo motioned for them to begin walking.

“What do ya remember?”

Closing her eyes, Ororo tried to delve deep into her memory of that evening.

“I was at the store…and I got this feeling that I was being followed…When I got to my car I was attacked by three men, one of them had a gun. I bet he was the leader. Last thing I remember was being thrown on something hard…that’s how I blacked out…” Ororo shivered as she went on, “When I woke up, I was in an alley, that’s when the other men started beating me up--”

Logan cut her off, enraged, “--what the hell did they do to ya?”

“What thugs usually do: Beat the shit out of a person until they beg for mercy…”

Logan looked at her with a raised eyebrow. Who knew that the chick could cuss…

“Go on…”

“Alright. I was knocked out again and woke up in their car…That’s when I managed to get a good look at the guys…but one of them noticed me and I was--”

Logan interrupted, “--Lemme guess. You were knocked out again?”

She chuckled, “Mmhm…I don’t remember much after that…”

“Don’t worry. I’ll give Hank a call and tell ‘im about it later, kay?”

Ororo nodded as they reached the elevator, “Right.”

They both entered the elevator, much to Ororo’s distain. She would have taken the stairs, but in her sore and weary state, that wasn’t an option.

Keep your mind off the walls, keep your mind off the walls, keep your mind off the walls… Ororo chanted over and over again in her mind. She tapped her foot impatiently, wishing the elevator would go a tad bit faster. Logan got that impression that tight spaces and Ororo just didn’t mix very well.

“You okay?” asked Logan after seeing Ororo grip the rail.

“Just wish this thing would go faster…” Ororo said grudgingly. For what seemed like an eternity to Ororo in the enclosed space, the doors of the elevator finally opened to the top floor of the mansion, making it much easier for Ororo to walk to her room.

Once they both stepped out, Logan asked, “You got it from here?”

She nodded, walking down the short hall of the teacher’s rooms and into her own.

Logan added as he stood at the beginning at the flight of stairs, “I’ll go get Marie t’help ya with yer clothes.”

Ororo nodded, “Thanks, Logan…” she added quietly, watching Logan walk down the staircase.

Closing her door, Ororo rested her head against the frame and closed her eyes, “Thank you…”

“Miss Munroe? You awake yet?”

Ororo groaned quietly into her pillow as a voice called for her from the other side of the door. Her senses were beginning to become aware of her surroundings…soft sheets, fluffy pillow, the muffled sounds of children talking downstairs. The same sounds and feelings she always experienced when she woke up every day. It was all familiar to her.

But now, all she wanted to do was rest, before her body registered the usual tight feeling in her arm, or the sore, caved in feeling of her fractured ribs.

“Miss Munroe?” It was the Asian firecracker, Jubilee, at Ororo’s door. The young teenager had only gotten a small glimpse of the injuries her teacher had received two nights ago. Marie had helped her with changing her clothes and Logan had forbidden any other students to see Ororo, who was in her room for the past day and a half, resting.

But this time, Logan permitted Jubilee to wake her up for breakfast, since Hank had said it would be healthy for the headmistress to start moving again, but also a good remedy for the children who had been deprived of their ‘mother’ for so long.

Ororo opened her eyes, “Come in, Jubilee,” she said tiredly, forcing herself to sit up as the teenager walked in.

“You know, it’s past ten thirty,” Jubilee explained, “everyone’s waiting downstairs to see you again,” the soft, yet bubbly tone never left her voice.

Ororo nodded, “I’ll be down in a minute, just lemme get dressed.”

Yawning, the white haired woman slowly walked over to her closet and searched for some clothes while Jubilee was still quietly standing in her doorway.

Ororo took down a tight fitting V-neck black blouse from a hanger, “Everyone‘s in the kitchen?,” she studied the fancy white embroidering that ran along the rim of the hem of the black shirt. Her fingers traced over the patterns before she finally decided to shed her bed clothes. Her question was rather distant as she thought of all her students piling into the kitchen, forks in hand, mouths open, either waiting for food or busy chattering away. It all seemed rather odd to her, since almost every student had different eating habits. Was it her sudden attack that triggered the students’ sudden need to be one working unit? Ororo wasn’t sure of the answer.

“Yeah, literally everyone. On my way up here, all the rooms were empty. It’s weird, though,” Jubilee played with her pink shaded glasses as Ororo changed in her closet. Her arm had enough to the point where she could get small tasks done, like changing.

“How come?” Ororo asked her curiously.

“I dunno…it just seems freaky that everyone’s eating at the same time, in the same room, and no one‘s even fighting yet,” Jubilee glossed her thumb over the rim of her glasses, clearing away an unwanted smudge, “It’s so loud in the kitchen, it kinda reminds me of those T.V. shows with the dozens of kids in one big family.”

Ororo pondered over what her student said, “But that’s what we are. A really big family. Please don’t ever forget that, Jubilee.”

There was a natural maternal tone in her voice as she walked out of her closet and with Jubilee out of the room. The first thing that distracted Ororo was the sudden greeting of silence in the hallways as they walked through the teachers corridors and down the stairs.

Ororo smiled, “You weren’t kidding.”

“Told ya so. Isn’t it like, totally creepy?”

“You could say that…so everyone is in the kitchen?” Ororo was still perplexed. This was all so different.

“Yup. And waiting for us. C’mon,” Jubilee coaxed as she picked up the pace a little after hearing her stomach beg for food. Ororo chuckled lightly as she watched the young teen run down the hall to the kitchen.

Only a few steps, and Ororo was there herself, met with the sight of all the students seated at the large family dining table with empty bowls in front of each one. Several gallons of milk were separated evenly and different colored boxes of cereal were ready to be cracked open and poured out.

She caught sight of Logan, Warren, and Hank, who had decided that he could stay at the mansion for a few more days, sitting on the high stools that were placed by the island.

Ororo walked over to them, which didn’t go unnoticed by several of the students. Everything deepened into an eerie silence as Ororo awkwardly stood in the middle of the dining room, suddenly confused at the lack of conversation that was booming just seconds ago.

The men seated at the island motioned Ororo to sit down with them. Logan cleared his throat loudly.

Soon, a loud, “Good morning, Miss Munroe!” rang throughout the mansion cheerily.

Merely responding with a quick nod and a small wave, Ororo seated herself next to Logan, across from Warren and Hank.

---

Across from the teacher’s place, Jubilee plopped herself in between Marie and Kitty. Becoming weary of the unrelenting growls coming from her stomach, the spunky teen quickly poured some cereal into her bowl.

Bobby passed her the milk, “So, is she alright?”

Shrugging, Jubilee answered, “Looks fine to me. We just gotta give her some space, y’know?”

Her friends nodded, “She looks a lot betta since Ah saw her last,” added Rogue. She was the one who helped Ororo change her clothes, since the headmistress could barely lift her arm.

Kitty watched the older woman chat with Hank, Warren and Logan, “Did anyone talk to Mr. McCoy, yet?”

Jubilee nodded, “Yeah, he said that Miss Munroe won’t be teaching for about two weeks.”

“So that means…” Bobby began excitedly, “We practically get half our classes canceled for two weeks?”

The three girls nodded slowly, “Bobby,” Marie started, “If ya think that two weeks a’ no classes is a good thing, think again. Miss Munroe’s in lahke, pain.”

Kitty continued, “Yeah, Bobby, think of how stressed she’s gonna be when she starts teaching again. Plus we’re gonna have double the catch up homework.”

“And don’t forget, she’s not stupid. She’s probably gonna get Pete to sub or somethin’,” Jubilee stated sourly, “so its not like we’re on vacation.”

Bobby took a large spoonful of his breakfast, “Eh, nothin’ wrong with hoping.”

Jubilee laughed, “Keep dreaming, Popsicle.”

The boy looked at her, “What? Now I’m Popsicle? Its like you’re a mini Logan, Jubes.”

The teens laughed and went back to their cereal.

---

Ororo sighed, glancing at the three men, then back at her plate, “So how bad has it been?”

Warren looked at her confused, “How bad has what been?”

“The school! Something must’ve gone wrong! Injuries? Fights? Anything?”

Logan chuckled, “Don’t worry, ‘Ro,” he tried on the nickname, getting a positive response accompanied by her eyebrow slightly hiking up.

She repeated him, “’Ro?”

“Yeah…gotta a problem with that, ‘Ro?” Logan continued flippantly.

“Whatever, Logan,” ignoring his new nickname for her, Ororo rolled her eyes and took a mouthful of the omelet Hank had made earlier for the teachers. I might as well start calling him ‘Lo’…see how he likes it…

“So,” Hank started, “You would wish to know what has gone amiss in your absence?”

She nodded and he continued, “To tell you the truth, Ororo, everything has been rather quiet. There really is nothing to worry about.”

“What? Hard to believe?” Logan said once he saw her eyebrows furrow, lips purse, and head cock slightly to the right. Her fork was in her hand, just about ready to stab at her omelet.

“No,” she replied to Logan, “But, are you sure everything’s been fine? The children…they’re rather…”

“Rambunctious? Yes,” Hank continued for her.

What Ororo didn’t know was that the three men knew from experience of last night’s pizza dinner.

Oh, the children were much more than “rambunctious”.

One kid had complained that there was mushrooms on his pizza and had been mistaken for another slice. It had taken twenty-seven tries of asking the children one by one if they had his last slice of pepperoni. The same thing happened with six other students. Then there was the soda incident. Two of the younger children, around seven or eight, had found the hidden stash of soda in the back of the pantry. Logan had chased them around the mansion for who knows how long, only to be sprayed in the face with the sticky fluid.

And that had only been a small fraction of what had happened that night. They had bribed the kids with video games and candy not to tell Ororo.

“But we handled it fine,” Logan said proudly.

Logan, Hank, and Warren vowed to never again have a pizza night.

Ororo didn’t know what to say. She was sure the children at least gave them a little trouble, but from the way Hank, Warren, and Logan were carrying themselves this morning, everything must’ve been going fine. Giving them a final suspicious glare, the woman finally went back to her food.

For the rest of the breakfast, Ororo sat in silence, listening as they discussed the latest arrangements for an update on the Danger Room or the most recent political reports from Hank. She added a comment here and there, but that was about it.

It was only until a small crash was heard did the adults turn their heads to see a broken plate on the floor. Shattered pieces of the plate scattered everywhere.

Ororo sighed, expecting to have to clean it up herself, “I don’t care who’s fault it is, just clean it up.”

To her complete astonishment, several students got to work almost immediately.

“But…” Ororo began in shock, “…they listened?”

“Problem?” Warren asked.

She shook her head slowly, watching the children neatly dump the pieces of glass in the trashcan. It was as if a military officer had trained them while Ororo was healing. Logan watched how the amazed look on her face gradually subsided, then she took another bite of the omelet.

Ororo finally said something, “Wow.”

“What?”

“Logan,” she said in an annoyed tone.

He gave her a wolfish grin, “Not my fault the kids are finally straightening up.”

Hank looked at the gruff man, “But…Logan, you’re the one who--”

“--Hank!” Logan exclaimed, red-faced.

The weather witch pointed her fork back and forth from Hank, to Logan, then finally the children, the pieces of the puzzle finally setting in.

“Logan,” Ororo gasped, motioning to the students, “you did all this?”

He shot a look at Hank, then shrugged, “It’s not like its a big deal, ’Ro,” he began, “The kids wanted t’do this for you, I just went along--”

Impulsively, Ororo flung her arms around his neck, cutting off his sentence, “I can’t believe it, I mean really can’t believe it, Logan.”

Surprised at the sudden contact, he smiled and patted her on the back, “What’d I do?” Logan asked in mock innocence.

Ororo pulled back, her lips curving up in a big smile “Oh, shut up, you know what I mean.”

It was in that very moment that Logan noticed something different, something positive about Ororo. His eyes stayed on her longer than intended as she got up to put her plate in the sink. The way her smile was glowing, the way she tucked some hair behind an ear, and the way her stare followed out the window to gaze at the late morning sky, Logan couldn’t help but grin.

“Well,” she began as she leaned on the counter near the sink, “I’m going to go catch up on my paperwork.”

Hank quickly put in, “Ororo, I told you, for two weeks, no--”

“--Work. I know,” she caught him in the middle of his scolding, “It’s only going to be paperwork, Hank, nothing heavy.”

Hank sighed and shook his head, “Alright, but no more than that.”

“Besides, I need to catch up on grading homework,” Ororo stated and began walking out of the kitchen, “I’ll be in my office if anyone needs me.”

As Ororo sauntered out of the dining room, Henry and Warren couldn’t help but notice Logan’s lingering stare on her retreating back. The two had also caught the man watching their friend as she was putting away her plate.

Logan felt their eyes on him, “What?” he asked, finally breaking off his gaze after Ororo closed the door to her office.

“Nothing, my boy, nothing at all,” Hank chuckled and stood to stash his own dishes in the sink.

That was all the blue, fur-covered U.S. Ambassador said before exiting the room down to his lab. Warren remained in his seat, still finishing up his omelet.

Logan rested his chin in his hand as he examined his beer, “What’d Blue mean by that?” he asked no one in particular.

Angel guessed the question was directed at him, “How should I know?”

He knew exactly what Beast had been talking about, Logan could smell it. Choosing to just shrug it all off, Logan sighed and took a few gulps of his beer.

“See you ‘round, Warren,” he muttered as he got up to go into the Danger Room for a few hours.

“See ya,” Warren laughed and continued eating his breakfast.

---

“Did you see that?” Jubilee said after she closed her gaping mouth.

“See what?” Kitty asked. Bobby and Marie both held the same questionable look on their face. They, along with the rest of the students, were still seated at the long table.

“Miss Munroe…Logan…what happened…all that! God, you didn’t see it, did you?” the teen exclaimed enthusiastically.

“No…what are ya talkin’ ‘bout, Jubes?” Rogue said, not getting the picture.

Jubilee tried to contain her excitement, “You mean you didn’t see the look that Logan was giving Miss Munroe?”

“What look?” Kitty was confused. She looked at Bobby, who shrugged.

Jubilee sighed, “That look that a guy gives a woman when he’s totally…y’know…”

“What?” Bobby pressed.

But the firecracker sighed, “Never mind…you guys can’t see it, anyways,” Jubilee walked over to the sink and tossed her bowl in and began towards the door.

“Wait! Tell us!” Rogue yelled at her, suddenly intrigued.

Jubilee laughed and called back, “You’ll see it, eventually! Just keep your eyes open!”

Chapter 6 - Finally Aflame

----------

“’Ro?” Logan’s surprisingly soft voice echoed from the doorway of the small room that served as the television area.

Sprawled out on the couch, Ororo looked up from the thick book she was reading and graced him with a warm smile, “Hello, Logan.”

Stepping into the room, Logan moved to arrange the pillow that her arm was resting on to make her more comfortable.

“Feeling any better?”

His outward concern caused her cheeks to color just a tint and she nodded, hoping he didn’t notice. She moved her legs that were splayed on the sofa so he could sit next to her and placed the book she had been reading on the coffee table. It was not terribly late at night, from what Ororo could tell. In fact, she had lost track of time while reading her book and watching the news that was still flickering on the television.

“How’s your arm?” Logan asked, nodding his head to the bandaged arm that was propped on the pillow.

“Better…just a little sore,” Ororo answered tentatively. She wasn’t so used to all the attention she had been getting the past week. Although, the fact that no one so much had let her lift a finger, namely Hank and Logan, was comforting, Ororo had started to become restless from not doing work.

Shoulder-to-shoulder, Ororo and Logan sat there in comfortable silence, watching the news that was on, but not really paying any attention. She was next to him. He was next to her. Nothing special about that, right? Just two adults, enjoying a little moment of solitude, away from all the hustle-bustle that was the mansion. It was late. No one was up. That seemed to be the only time either Ororo and Logan had some good quality silence.

Nothing special, really.

Or was it?

Although neither one would dare to admit it, the two had come to revel in each others presence. Logan, upon dubbing himself Ororo’s secret guardian - a secret to everyone besides Ororo, that is - he had come to enjoy her presence. The way she moved around her office, pulling out necessary large books from the shelf for whatever reason, he was entranced by her movements. He loved to watch the way her facial expressions would change from disgusted to pure frustrated during a phone conversation with some stuck-up contractor for the new student’s dorm wing.

“The attitude with these people,” she would say when put on hold, and he would just shrug, smile, then go back to watching her. She was cute when she was pissed, Logan mused, not even bothering to chastise himself for the thought. It wasn’t as if--

-- Suddenly, he felt something soft, something warm, rest against the crook of his shoulder. Slowly, Logan looked down to see Ororo’s sleepy content smile adorned upon her lovely glowing features as her fingers wrapped around his muscular arm. If she wasn‘t asleep, he thought, he probably would have frozen up quicker than one of Bobby’s Danger Room victim drones. He glanced down at her again.

Well, maybe it wouldn’t have been so bad if she wasn’t asleep, eith--Logan shook his head quickly, not daring to finish his thought.

She sighed, unconsciously nuzzling her cheek into the cotton-y texture of his black shirt‘s sleeve. He continued his analysis of the woman.

Ororo’s smile is what secretly killed him inside. In a heartbeat, Logan would do anything to see the adorable upturn of her lips, anything to make her happy.

Anything.

The wayward thought of making her smile was too difficult to ignore. Using his other free arm, Logan reached around himself to brush Ororo’s white bangs from covering her eyes, skimming a calloused thumb over her nose and he got exactly what he had planned to invoke.

A smile.

Soon enough, the man, too, found himself surrendering to the dark and quiet of sleep, and his eyes gradually drooped closed. Burying his stubble adorned cheek into her snowy white tresses, Logan drifted off, but it was not the late hour that had dragged him into dreamland. Instead, it was the soft body leaning on his shoulder that had her hands curled around his arm, making staying awake seem damn near impossible.

----------

Head half-phased in the doorway of the television room, Kitty suppressed an excited squeal as she spied her two instructors sleeping on the couch. Together. Ororo stirred just barely in her sleep, but then nuzzled her face into Logan’s shoulder and sighed quietly, causing the young girl to keep back another yelp by pure force of will. Quickly “ghosting” from the room, the brunette teenager bounded down the hall in search of Jubilee.

She was right!

----------

I gotta prove it to them somehow… Jubilee thought as she tapped her pencil on what was supposed to be her Geometry homework. It had been a quick week since Ororo had finally come down from her room to join everyone for breakfast since her attack. None of the students really understood what had happened that fateful night, but Jubilee had been clued in one day after some gentle persuasion and a series of bribing of Beast, who had been informed by Logan. Mostly everyone, except Ororo of course, in the mansion by now noticed how the Wolverine stealthily hovered over their headmistress. Constantly.

I swear I saw him staring at her in the kitchen…Jubilee furrowed her eyebrows in thought as to how to prove her friends that there was just more to it than Logan’s sudden overprotective nature.

Of course, it was common knowledge that Rogue had a special place in Logan’s heart and always would. Jubilee’s prying of both the mutants led her to a story of Rogue hitch-hiking in the back of Logan’s pick-up, Storm and Cyclops rescuing them from a deadly mutant called Sabretooth, then something vaguely about saving upstate New York from the potential death of all humans…and Marie. That much everyone knew.

But, the way he looks at Rogue is totally different from the way he looked at Miss Munroe…

Rogue was more of a daughter, cousin and sometimes even a little sister to Logan. It depended on the occasion, really, but it was sweet to see the Wolverine tied down by such an innocent teenager. But, Ororo…

…Miss Munroe is something completely different to Logan in that sweet sort of confusing way that no one really understa--

“--Jubes!” Kitty squeaked as she suddenly phased through the door. Jubilee tumbled off her bed in shock, cussing under her breath when she landed hard on her backside.

“Geez! What’s going on?!” The young Asian fire-cracker sat back down on her bed with Kitty.

“You were right!”

“Aren’t I always?” Kitty rolled her eyes.

Jubilee grinned, “But seriously, what is it?”

The brunette took a moment to catch her breath before relaying what she saw in the television room to Jubilee, “…and it was an innocent enough of a position, but still!”

The yellow jacket clad mutant was grinning ear-to-ear, and the mischievous look in her eyes matched the phrase, “Told ya so.” She said in a sing-song voice.

“I know, I know! Don’t rub it in,” Kitty deadpanned before her friend could begin. “I still can’t believe it though…” She rambled, “I mean, Logan and Ororo? Who woulda thought, y’know?”

“But it’s cute, right?”

“Yes!”

“Did you tell Rogue or Bobby, yet?” Jubilee asked.

Kitty scoffed, “Yeah, like they would believe me.”

“True,” she sighed. Suddenly, the Asian’s face lit up in something that resembled a very, very mischievous idea.

“What are you thinking?” The other girl asked carefully, almost fearfully.

“Okay, so Rogue and Bobby don’t believe us, we agree on that much, right?” Jubilee began enthusiastically.

“Right…but how will that prove that Mr. Lo--”

“--What if we, and I’m just spit-ballin’ here, hook up Mr. Logan and Ororo?”

“Ha-ha, and then set up our death wish? You’re crazy! Imagine the trouble we’ll--”

“--But, they’ll thank us in the end.”

Kitty shook her head in complete protest, “Uh-uh. No way. Not in a million years…”

“Pleeease?” Jubilee puppy pouted.

Shadowcat chewed on her lower lip, “I don’t…think we should meddle in other people’s relationsh…” Her shoulder’s slumped, “Fine,” she sighed. Jubes’ idea does sound pretty fun.

Jubilee squealed, “Perfect! So this is what we‘re gonna do…”

----------

“So, I presume you’ve acquired the files?” The deadly sneer from the other side of the mahogany desk just held a twinge of venom, almost enough to make even her shiver.

Almost.

She rolled her eyes, “The first aim was to weaken the defenses. With the Institute’s Headmistress…detained…that should give me enough cover to slip in unnoticed.”

His nostrils flared. She took pride in that.

“When I called, I gave you specific orders to--”

“--Hm. Must’ve been busy, didn‘t get that call…”

“Dammit, Raven!”

Her eyes narrowed into slits, “Don’t ever call me that, you know who I go by.”

“Well, as far as the government is concer--”

“The government can kiss my ass, as far as I‘m concerned, Trask,” poison seeped from her lips.

Secretary Bolivar Trask expelled an angry breath, “Well, since you didn’t get my call, Mystique, I expect to see Cerebro’s files on every member of the X-men at my front desk by next week. Am I clear?”

She glared at him, “Crystal.”

For some odd reason, Mystique felt as though she were being chastised by a teacher. Why was she doing this again? She thought idly as she got up, transforming into her “human form” which consisted of black raven hair, pale skin, and piercing, icy blue eyes.