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Ororo's Room


She'd only planned on staying out for a few hours. By the time she reached her balcony it was late at night, closing in on a new day. As she walked the length of her room to her bathroom to take a much needed shower, she thought about about her hours alone. She smiled happily to herself thinking about how she'd captured that elusive feeling of peace. Walking in the forest that surrounded the mansion was always one of her favorite pasttimes. Her nakedness felt natural in the comforting environment of the woods. Ororo sunk her feet into the coolness of the earth. She danced alone there under the thick canopy of the trees. She summoned the winds that were hers alone to control and lifted herself above the trees where she knew no one could see her. She understood that not everyone was as secure in their skin as she was. This was Westchester after all. Not really famous for having its residents casually stroll down the streets as bare as the day they'd emerged from their mother's wombs.

While adjusting the knobs in the shower stall to the perfect temperature, she studied herself in the mirror. Ororo saw that her face was considerably more relaxed than what it had been that afternoon. Memories of her time in the forest came flooding back to her again. The light from the high afternoon sun sifted through the leaves above her. She'd traced her elegant fingers over the patterns the light cast on her flawless skin. She marveled at the complexity and simpleness of the nature surrounding her. At one point she'd become so overwhelmed by the beauty of it all, that she'd sunk to her knees and praised the Goddess. When was the last time she'd actually felt happy?

Months.

Ororo turned back to the shower stall and got in. The steam opened her pores and she let out a satisfying moan. Showers were the best when the water was one degree from scalding. Ororo stood under the shower head and allowed the water to cascade over her body. She braced her hands on the tiled wall and gradually felt each muscle in her tired form relax. She wanted to stay under the water forever, but her grumbling stomach alerted her to the fact that she had not eaten since breakfast. Ororo quickly finished her shower and exited the bathroom.

While rummaging through her dresser drawers to find something comfortable to wear, she went over in her mind what she'd like to eat. Just when she'd almost made her decision between a sandwich or a pint of ice cream, someone knocked on her door. Ororo froze. What could anyone possibly want at this late hour, she thought. She had the option of dressing quickly and sneaking back out from the balcony or answering the door. Never one to take the coward's way out, she grudgingly pulled her sweatshorts and tank top on. Maybe it was Ali or Kitty needing to borrow something. On second thought, maybe not Ali. Ali would have just barged in and taken what she needed; later informing Ororo, as an afterthought, that she'd taken the item.

Ororo padded across the floor to reach the solid oak of the door. Sighing, she opened the door to see a beautiful sentry standing on the other side. Warren stood with his back to her. His vibrantly white feathered wings fluttered a little from the breeze coming in from her balcony. The light from the hall reflected off his golden locks creating a false halo from the glow. He turned around when he heard the gentle creak of the opened door. Blue eyes met blue eyes. Ororo was not really as surprised as she should have been to see Warren there. He'd taken it upon himself to check in on her. Making sure a certain event wasn't repeated. Ororo enjoyed looking at Warren. Who wouldn't? She thought that he was beautiful and had told him as much, but beauty only went so far. She knew that his intentions were good, but his constant hovering was wearing thin.

"Did you need something Warren?" Ororo asked in a not so welcoming voice.

Warren hesitated before speaking. He was distracted by Ororo's fresh scent. He thought she was stunningly beautiful at that very moment. Even in a tank top and sweatshorts, he thought she was the most beautiful woman he'd ever seen. Warren never thought he could be jealous of an inanimate object, but those sweatshorts were threatening to wake the green-eyed monster.

"Well? I don't have all night, War. I'm starving." Ororo brought Warren's attention back from his musings.

"Yes. I was just coming by to see if you needed anything. That's all." He offered with a sheepish smile. He ran a strong hand through his thick layers of hair.

"I think it's obvious that I don't need anything you can offer. Sorry to disappoint, but I really need to eat." Ororo attempted to push past him. Warren stilled her movements with a gentle hand on her forearm. "What Warren? What?!?"

"You can talk to me, 'Ro. Don't hide your feelings. We're all here for you. Me especially." Warren's concern almost made Ororo feel guilty for her impatient outburst. Almost. She knew they all were concerned for her mental health, but Warren's concern went deeper than everyone else's. He was interested in her. Ororo felt he was partially to blame for the rift between her and Hank before he'd left the mansion. Ororo resented Warren a little for that. If only he had not been attracted to her, maybe Blue would still be with them. With her.

"I'm fine. If I really needed to vent, I would've done it already." She looked him directly in his eyes to make her statement more believable. Inside she was warring with herself. She knew she needed to talk, but no one here seemed to be the right person.

"Okay." Warren relented. "I could eat again, if you'd like to have company."

"You know what, I'm suddenly not hungry anymore. I'm just gonna turn in. 'Night War." Before she could see Warren's crestfallen face, he nodded and walked away. Ororo closed the door and once again made that all too familar trip to her balcony. Her salvation. Deciding against a midnight wind-ride, she chose to find a comfortable perch on the roof. Settling herself on the brown shingled roof, Ororo faced east and prepared herself to wait out the six hours until sunrise. Maybe seeing a new day would bring her one step closer to healing.


***

10 Miles Outside Westchester


Bugs. They always seemed to find their way to Logan's face. Wasn't it too cold for those damn things to still be a nuisance while riding along the highway? If he wasn't such a badass, Logan would wear a helmet to prevent getting an insect facial.

Somewhere between that bar in Pennsylvania and New Jersey, he'd made his choice. A person can only run from their problems for so long before the haunting becomes unbearable. Logan's ghosts from the Savage Land were riding him like a cocaine monkey. He didn't know what he was going to say to that group of misfits that had allowed him to fight side by side with them. He supposed they deserved some sort of explanation though. Somehow 'I wanted to fuck Red senseless' didn't seem appropriate even to him.

The truth was, Logan didn't have an explanation. He'd killed countless men in the past, but he'd never done something like that for a woman. Especially for a woman that wasn't as good a lay as he thought she'd be. He just needed to have her. He had been driven by pure animalistic lust. That fire red hair drove him crazy the first time he'd seen her. He'd needed to piss Scott off too. Scott. Logan's grip on the bike's handles tightened. He hated that Scott had chosen to be the bigger man. Logan could feel the smugness oozing from Scott through his cellphone. He hated himself even more for coming back. But Logan knew that if he didn't address what happened in the Savage Land, he could never look at his own face in the mirror again.

Logan expertly maneuvered the motorcycle along the winding road leading to Xavier Institute. The lone headlight illuminated the road and the edge of the woods on either side of him as he rode closer and closer to his destination. He slowed down as he neared the intimidating gates that guarded the grounds from intruders. Logan growled a little out of frustration remembering that he'd have to wake someone up to let him in. Just as he was about to stash his bike along the road and find another way into the grounds, he looked up toward the mansion.

Logan had sensed someone staring in his direction. He saw a white haired warrior sitting on the gabled roof. Great. Just great. He didn't want anyone to see him this soon. Logan closed his eyes for a second to rein in his rising anger. When he looked again, she was gone. Probably gone to warn Chuck, Logan thought.

When Logan was preparing to turn the bike around to find another way in, the gates slowly began to open for him. He hesitated for only a moment before he passed through the gates. He made his way to the garage and parked the bike in its reserved space. He sat for a while wiping the bugs off of his face with an old bandana. He grabbed his leather satchel and slung it over his shoulder. Walking to the door that would lead him to the kitchen, he was greeted by an overwhelming fresh scent. He stopped dead in his tracks and watched as Ororo's form filled the doorway. Her impossibly long legs distracted him from the frown marring her exotic face. Her softly spoken words jarred him back to the present.

"Hello, Wolverine. Back for another attempted murder?"





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