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“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.





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