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!!
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