Eight weeks later
“Kick it into gear back there,” Scott called out to Ororo as she struggled to keep up with the rest of the team. She had hoped today wasn’t the day for the tunnel exercise and lo and behold, what does she see when she looks at the Danger Room schedule, Tunnel Exercise 265 “ Full Team.
She wanted to believe that she was over her claustrophobia but as it turns out, she wasn’t. Elevators traveling short heights, planes with seats by the window and cars with moonroofs were okay but tunnels, even brightly lit ones still gave her problems. Anything where she was underground (other than the subbasement levels for some reason) strongly reminded her of the time she spent buried under her mother and her emotions got the best of her.
She hadn’t told anyone of her phobia, except Anna, and Anna had promised to keep her secret under the threat of bodily harm. However, she knew there was no way she could keep it secret any longer.
She had given it her best and failed. She could feel the panic overwhelming her, making all coherent thought impossible. She struggled against the flood of emotion to utter one word.
“Logan,” she said, before she fell to her knees, unable to stand any longer. She had no doubt that he heard her and his response confirmed what she thought. She smiled despite her situation as she heard his voice before she blacked out.
Logan had sensed that she was struggling with the mission but he did as she had requested a month ago, to give her the opportunity to try before he assisted. Though it pained him to watch her struggle, he acquiesced to her request and was rewarded as he watched her grow in her abilities. However, today something was very different.
In the past, he had noticed small things like her reluctance to walk through the thick woody areas on the grounds or the strong grip on his hand when they drove through the short tunnels heading into the city.
He had come to trust her and her judgment. He knew that she trusted him as well and confided in him to an extent. He understood better than anyone else that there were some things you had to keep to yourself. He didn’t press her when she didn’t want to talk about something as she did with him but this may be the exception to that rule.
He felt the change in the atmosphere almost at the same time her heard her call his name.
“Ro,” he yelled when he turned and saw her on the ground, a storm raging above her head. Before he could take a step, he was hit with a strong gust of wind and was pushed, along with the rest of the team into the air and further down the tunnel. Thinking fast, Logan called out, “Computer, commence program 54863 Atlantic Ocean.” He chose this program, knowing if he ended the session altogether, some of them would be injured in the fall back to the ground. Water was their safest bet.
“Request confirmed,” the computer replied, changing the scenery to the Atlantic Ocean. The team fell in the holographic water as an unconscious Ororo slid under.
“Computer, end program,” Logan yelled, his heart beating fast as the seconds felt like hours for the computer to reply.
“Request confirmed. Program terminated,” the computer replied, changing the room back to its original silver setting.
Logan got to his feet and rushed to her side, ignoring the sounds around him, only focused on the girl lying on the ground.
“Ro. Ororo, wake up,” he said, reaching out to touch her but stopped short when his hair started to stand on end. Not getting a response, he focused on her breathing and heard her shallow breaths. Her pulse was faster than normal.
He felt the team close in on them and Remy knelt on the other side of her. “Don’t touch ‘er,” Logan said gruffly, reaching out and grabbing his hand, “She’s electrified herself.”
Remy nodded his thanks, knowing that Logan had saved his ass once again.
“Get Hank,” Logan said and heard hurried footsteps to the door. The door immediately opened again and Anna’s scent hit his nose as she rushed to her sister’s side.
“Ro,” she called out but her boyfriend Jibril was there, preventing her from throwing herself at her sister.
“You can’t touch her now. Logan said she electrified herself,” he whispered to her, holding her in his arms.
“Does anyone know what happened to her?” Kitty asked, a worried expression on her face.
“She doesn’t do well in tunnels,” Anna said, turning to face the team, “Or tight places. She’s claustrophobic.”
“And we didn’t know this before now because?” Scott asked, angry at Anna’s revelation.
“She wanted to keep it a secret because she didn’t want it to interfere with her ability to join the team,” Anna replied, stepping out of the circle of Jibril’s arms.
“Didn’t she realize that she was putting the entire team at risk by not disclosing that information?” Scott asked angrily.
“She had ‘er reasons, One Eye, so buzz off,” Logan snapped.
“I’m the leader of this Team, Logan, and I have a right to know why one of its members decided not to disclose crucial information that could ultimately put the Team at risk,” Scott snapped back, “Now, I don’t give a damn about her reasons but she best give me one as to why she didn’t say anything as soon as she’s awake.” Scott walked past the huddled group in a huff.
“I thought I could handle it,” Ororo replied huskily, her voice deeper than normal. Her eyes were still closed but she opened them, looking at Logan and giving him a small smile. She heard his sigh of relief and immediately his hands were out to assist her.
When she felt another pair of hands, she turned to see Remy. She gave him a small smile of thanks. She didn’t know when it happened but Remy had become the brother neither girl had but always wanted.
“Easy Ro,” Logan said, helping her to her feet, steadying her with an arm wrapped around her waist.
“Yeah, but you couldn’t. Someone could have gotten seriously injured because of your little secret,” Scott told her, retracing his steps to stand in front of her.
“Calm down, mon ami. It was a mistake and everyone be fine,” Remy said, trying to step in before the situation escalated.
“This time. What would have happened if we were on a mission?” Scott asked angrily.
“I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to hurt anyone,” Ororo replied, her voice quivering a bit, still recovering from the incident.
“We know you didn’t, my dear,” the Professor said, coming over to them, “Logan will you take Ororo to the Medlab. Hank has prepared a place for her.”
“Gladly,” Logan said, taking her in his arms and walking to the exit with the Omega Team and Anna in tow.
“I guess little Miss Perfect isn’t so perfect after all,” Emma said, as they all made their way out of the room. She was intrigued to sense that her sentiments were shared by two of her teammates.
Ororo had told him she needed some time alone and reluctantly he gave it to her. Feeling that three hours was enough time, Logan set out in search of his girlfriend. Girlfriend, he thought with a smile as he followed he made his way downstairs. They had started dating five weeks ago but it still felt like a foreign concept.
Since the night in the clearing, he and Ororo had spent all of their spare time together, either alone or with their friends. Those around them could see the blossoming love between the two that started the night they met at the club but neither wanted to jump into a relationship. He was still dealing with the Emma drama and she was focused on school and making sure she and her sister settled in at the mansion.
Unbeknownst to their friends, he and Ro had made it official a few weeks before sharing the news with the rest of the team. He remembered the day they decided to take the plunge. If it’s any indication on what their relationship would be like, he was in for a wild ride.
Thunder boomed and the lightning flashed, turning the dark night into day. The wind blew in strong gusts, making the trees groans in protest.
Logan, calm her before the storm worsens, Charles told him telepathically.
Roger that, he replied, fighting against the assaulting weather to reach her side.
Minutes before, Emma had tapped into one of Ororo’s painful memories as the training exercise required but they didn’t anticipate her response. She tried as much as she could to control her emotions, but she couldn’t and rushed from the room in an effort to protect the rest of the team from the weather tempest that Emma’s intrusion had caused.
Concerned, Logan ran after her. Once she reached the main door, she blew it open in her haste to get away. Though the pouring rain made it impossible to track her scent, he intuitively knew where she would go.
Seeing her that way affected him in a way he couldn’t explain. He knew he wouldn’t be okay until he found her. Rounding the corner, he found her just where he thought she would be, looking much like she did the day that the tour was interrupted by Emma.
He noticed the diminishing signs of the storm as the weather returned to its previous state. He made his way over, closing the distance between them. As he approached, he took in the sight of her arms wrapped tightly around herself, staring out over the lake as the wind created gentle waves on its surface.
“Ro?”
When she didn’t respond, he tried again. “Ro, look at me,” he requested softly, “Please.”
She took a deep breath and sighed, her annoyance with his interruption evident in her actions and smell. She turned and her blue eyes met his.
“Ya okay?” he asked, ignoring her annoyance.
“Yeah,” she replied, glancing at him and then taking a step back.
He saw the wall being lifted between them and couldn’t take that. Not with the way he felt about her. None of his feelings toward her made sense. It had taken him a long time to warm up to Emma but not with Ro. They had only met three weeks ago and now his heart seemed to be breaking at the thought of being shut out from her.
“Don’t shut me out,” he said.
“How can I shut you out of something when you were never in?” she said defensively, putting up a macho front.
“Really?” he said smelling through the bs.
“Really,” she replied, waving her hand to clear the skies again after the clouds rolled back in, responding to her angry statement.
“Look, Ro. Everyone has been there and had a moment where shit happened,” he told her, “But ya can’t let it get to ya. Yer stronger than that.”
“No, I’m not. It’s all a farce,” she replied, her shoulders slumping in defeat.
“Bullshit,” he replied gruffly, causing her to look at him with wide eyes, “Oh don’t give me that oh woe is me crap. Yer just having a moment and need to stop feeling sorry for yerself. Ain’t that what ya basically told me when I was freaked out about ya getting hurt by the Wolverine?”
“Yeah but this is different.”
“No, it’s the same damn thing and ya know it,” Logan said, losing his patience.
“It is not,” she replied getting angry herself, “And beyond that, why in the hell do you care?”
“Because I do, okay?” he replied angrily, feeling the stirring of the beast within. He looked away from her, knowing that he needed to calm down.
She waited until he got himself together, not wanting to have another Wolverine sighting so soon after her first one.
“What do you mean?” she asked, looking at him curiously.
Deciding to take a chance and just throw it out there, he said, “This is going to sound crazy, I know and believe me, I’m not the sappy type but ya bring out feelings in me that I didn’t know existed.”
He paused, gauging her reaction before continuing, “Before the night at the club, I had never danced, but you, basically a stranger, got me to dance. Not once, but three times,” he revealed.
When he saw her small smile, he continued, “There is something about ya Ororo that makes me do things I don’t normally do and that should scare the hell out of me but for some reason it doesn’t.”
“What are you saying, Logan?” she asked, knowing exactly what he meant, feeling the same way but not ready to admit it.
“I enjoy being with ya and I don’t want what happened tonight to cause a wall to come up between us.”
“I enjoy being with you too,” she admitted, turning to face him, “I’ve never felt like this about a guy before and it’s a bit scary.”
“I know what ya mean.”
“How? You were in a relationship.”
“Yeah but there’s a big difference between how that one started and how this one is starting,” he told her, shocking himself.
“This one?” she asked, wondering if she heard him correctly.
Sighing, Logan went all in. “Ro, I know we haven’t known each other but for a few weeks but whenever I’m around ya, I feel a peacefulness that I’ve never felt. Being with you makes me feel like I can be who I want to be, and not just the animal they tried to make me.”
“Is that the reason why everyone keeps looking at you like they don’t know who you are?” she asked, his words making the shocked looks of the other residents make sense. She had even heard some of the whispers of how he had changed and wondered what he was like before.
“Yeah. Imma hard ass and what they’ve seen these past few weeks has shocked the shit out of them,” he replied, taking her hand in his.
“So who is the real Logan? The kind, generous guy I’ve grown to know and like, the hard ass Logan that the mansion knows or the Wolverine?” she asked.
“All of them. I’m like a yogurt parfait. I have many layers.”
“No, more like an onion,” she said playfully, remembering the fearsome look of the beast.
“Oh so ya got jokes,” he replied.
“Of course, especially when you leave yourself open like that,” she replied.
A comfortable silence fell over them.
“So you said all that to say what?” she asked.
“I want ya to be my girlfriend,” he said simply.
“Just like that,” she said, teasing him, taking a step closer to him.
“Yeah, just like that,” he replied, stepping closer to her.
“Well, in that case...” She leaned in and kissed his lips gently. She pulled back and giggled at his shock expression. “How’s that for an answer?”
Her kiss had ignited something in him that he had felt in a long time and he wanted the fire to keep burning. “Perfect,” he said, his arms going around her waist and pulling her closer, “I’ve wanted to do this since I bumped into ya at the club.” He lowered his mouth to hers and kissed her. Ororo pulled away first, breathing heavily.
“Mmmm, me too,” she replied, wrapping her arms around his neck, “So now what?”
“Now I make it my business to make ya happy,” he said, kissing her again.
