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If my hair wasn’t already white, it would turn gray right now…

It was Ororo’s favorite “worry” phrase that leapt onto her lips when things felt uncertain. “Uncertain” was the gentlest term she could use to describe the past few weeks since her return from Japan. Absently, she rubbed the faded scar beneath her collarbone as she leaned back from the open refrigerator, cup of yogurt in hand. So much to do. So many people to be accountable for…

“The hardest choice I used to have to make on any given day was how much rain to send over the crops to end the drought. I miss that,” she mused out loud. She nearly dropped the bowl that she fished out of the cabinet at the sound of a familiar rasp with a Canadian burr.

“Talkin’ ta yerself again, darlin’?” Logan peered over her shoulder at her breakfast of choice and gave a slight roll of his eyes.

“At least I’m my own captive audience.” Ororo stood by the coffee maker, watching the lazy stream of Folger’s steam the well-used carafe.

“Lay it on me; what’s on yer mind, darlin’?” Ororo spooned her yogurt into the bowl and sprinkled it with a generous amount of almond and granola cereal, shaking it from the tubular Tupperware container stored on the counter.

“Too much to even describe.” Ororo’s lips quirked up into an incredulous smile as she glanced at the box of Cap’n Crunch with Crunch Berries that he pulled from the pantry. “Breakfast of champions?”

“Works fer me.” Ororo reached for both of their favorite coffee mugs; hers with a scene of Renoir’s water lilies screened on the side, his showing Bullwinkle announcing, “Hey Rocky, watch me pull a rabbit outta my hat!” She poured them each a cup of the potent brew, thoughtfully leaving his black. She emptied a packet of Sugar in the Raw into her cup and drizzled in some nonfat coffee creamer, enjoying the swirls of white that rose from the bottom of her cup.

It felt like the calm before the storm.

“Half-Pint still givin’ ya a hard time?” Logan seated himself on the barstool by the little butcher block table in the center of the kitchen, looking good enough to eat in snug Levi’s and a light gray and white plaid flannel shirt, sleeves rolled up to his elbows. Ororo silently enjoyed the faint scent of pine and his woodsy aftershave, as well as the smell of Tide detergent that lingered in the folds of his clothes.

“Do cows moo?” Logan chuckled as he spooned up some cereal. “It’s just the little things. Whenever she and Illyana are chatting away, they suddenly clam up whenever I enter a room. And that’s provided that they even opt to stay in the room; more often than not, she just makes a speedy exit.” Ororo dawdled with her yogurt, tracking her spoon through the granola in figure-eights. “I caught them in my loft last week.”

“Them?”

“Kitten and Piotr.” Cold prickles washed over Logan’s scalp.

“I’ll kill him,” he growled.

“No need. Not yet.” Ororo sipped her coffee. “Doesn’t mean I wasn’t tempted myself…”

“Boy’s old enough ta know better,” Logan grunted.

“We all forget how young Kitten is sometimes, when she’s so precocious and mature for her age.”

“Maturity don’t mean a damn thing when ya don’t have age an’ experience ta back it up. Kid ain’t even old enough ta drive or vote yet.”

“I know.” Ororo took a bite of her breakfast, but it felt leaden on her tongue. “By the time I was Kitten’s age, I was living hand to mouth.” She stared into her coffee cup. “I found that men could sometimes be cruel about taking what they wanted. Piotr’s not like that…”

“But he’s still a man,” Logan finished. “With all of the normal needs ya expect from someone young and healthy.” Logan considered how he felt when he was “young and healthy,” once upon a time…

“We need to talk to them,” they pronounced in unison.

“I have a full docket today.”

“How full?”

“I’ve scheduled a Danger Room workout for all of us. Charles wants to monitor our progress and make ‘constructive’ suggestions.”

“Constructive, eh?”

“Mmmm.” Ororo went back to dawdling with her yogurt.

“That’s already dead, don’t kill it again,” Logan murmured. Ororo snorted into her coffee.

“He wants to see how we work as a team, and perhaps see how we could be stronger, function more as a unit.”

“We already do that.”

“Mmmm.”

“Did he explain why he’s so friggin’ concerned all o’ the sudden?”

“Not in so many words, no.” Logan almost laughed aloud as Ororo drew a frowning face in her yogurt.

“So, darlin’, why do YOU think he’s so interested in how we fight?”

“Because he hasn’t had much of an opportunity to see me as leader since Scott left for Anchorage.”

“Sez who?”

“It’s nothing that he’s actually said.” Ororo stared at his scowling brows. “No one thing, at any rate.” She downed her coffee. “I’m not Scott.”

“Thank God fer small favors. Ya ain’t gotta be Scott ta prove that ya’ve paid yer dues. Scott’s pretty dedicated to the team and the school, darlin’, but he’s only ever seen Charley’s vision of it. You, on the other hand, ya’ve always seen the bigger picture, not only about teaching kids how ta control their powers, but how ta live and function in the real world, among their peers. You think about other things outside this school’s walls. Nice thing ‘bout you, darlin’, is you’re willing to accept accountability, instead of just the typical ‘role of leadership.’ Whoop-de-doo.” Logan made quotation marks with his fingers around the word “leadership.” “More than anything else, darlin’, you lead by example.”

“Tell that to the Morlocks. They despise me.” Still, she felt a pleasant, warm and fuzzy glow creeping into her cheeks at his praise.

“Not much I can help ya with there. Ya put a damper on their unlimited license ta kidnap, steal from and hurt people on the surface. Can’t just expect ‘em ta come quietly.”

“I hate the look in their eyes when I try to show them the way.” Ororo dumped the rest of her breakfast into the bin and rinsed out the bowl and cup. “Logan?”

“Yeah?”

“I need to kick something.”

“Now that,” he drawled, “I can help ya with.” He slurped the pinkish milk from the remainder of his cereal before chucking it into the trash. “Lead on. Suit up.” Then he added, to her retreating back, “I’m starting ta like that black leather on ya, darlin’.”


A short while later:

CRACK!

Chrome and glass splinters flew as Logan’s claws connected with the spinning blades of his robotic attacker. His heightened reflexes sent his fists swinging at impossible speed, economizing his movements on the back swing to save time. His hackles went up as he heard another one sneaking up behind him. Logan ducked and skidded in a home-run slide, hugging the floor as he ducked out of the reach of the rear-attacking ‘bot, knocking yet another off-balance. He kicked the legs out from under it smoothly, hissing out a breath of triumph.

“Shit, yeah!” he crowed over the buzzing, crashing cacophony.

To his surprise, and delight, Ororo took a more aggressive approach. Ball lightning was deftly flung from her gloved fingertips, and the automatons emitted showers of yellow sparks as they each bit the dust beneath the impact. Then she showed him a few new tricks. Instead of taking immediately to the air, her favorite evasive maneuver, particularly when it came to leading projectiles away from occupied or weakened members of the team, Ororo stood her ground, and met one of the smaller flying ‘bots head-on. Her fist glowed with crackling energy, and she slammed it into the oncoming assailant “ KRAKA-THOOOOOMMM! Logan felt the floor beneath him shudder momentarily.

“Whoolfffh!” He wouldn’t have believed it if he hadn’t seen it with his own two eyes: Ororo used her thunder the same way as her ball lightning, as a focused punch! She packed almost as much of a wallop as Rogue or Colossus!

The rest of her moves were familiar, and to Logan, comforting. She’d come a long way in her hand-to-hand combat skills, and she pushed them to the extreme, disarming and deactivating robots as quickly as new ones were released from the queue. They fought back to back, out of long habit watching each other’s weak side. Ororo buoyed airborne ‘bots up with her winds, knocking them off-course, allowing Logan to nab them with his claws. They narrowly avoided being sprayed by shrapnel; Logan almost laughed at the stinging tingle of his healing factor taking care of tiny scrapes along the part of his jaw still exposed by his cowl.

It felt good to be alive, spending quality time with a friend. A special friend that enjoyed kicking ass as much as he did. Even if she didn’t always admit it out loud…

“Goddess, I’m almost enjoying this,” he thought he heard her mutter under her breath, amidst the clamor. Well, there ya go, Patch, ya weren’t off-base in that assumption…attagirl.

“Let’s wrap it up!” CLANG! CRAAAASSSSHHH! ZZZZZZT! KRAK-OWWWWWWWW!

(*END PROGRAM*)

“Nice,” Logan chuckled, assessing the damage. The room began to right itself as small trap doors in the floor shifted the wreckage into disposal and recycling units and warm air vents evaporated Ororo’s hailstones wherever they appeared. He retracted his claws with a sharp SNAKT and lowered his cowl, running his fingers roughly through his thick, tousled hair. He stretched, letting his joints pop in satisfaction as he caught his breath. “How long til that workout session with the Prof, ‘Ro?”

“We have a spare hour,” she murmured, letting her eyes wander around the room for a moment. Her tone was thoughtful. “I really should head to the tunnels to drop off more supplies.”

“Not without me,” he growled, staring at the proud, straight line of her back, taking in her ramrod posture that didn’t falter even a little after the vigorous workout.

“It’s my responsibility. THEY are my responsibility.”

“Who’s gonna watch yer back, darlin’?”

“I can manage just fine,” she huffed, her breath coming in slightly quicker bursts. Logan caught the faint flare of her nostrils and that cute little squint of her eyes that she usually made before blistering his butt with a well-placed lecture. He loved that look. He loved that whiff of passion that accompanied it, making her heart race and strengthening that bottom note of arousal in her scent.

“Ya don’t have to constantly run off on yer own ta prove yerself, darlin’, that’s why we’re a team.”

“Funny, Logan, I’ve often been tempted to point out the same thing to you.” The corner of her mouth quirked up, just before her tone dropped, sounding almost silky. “Surely I’m keeping you from a vendetta right about now.” Logan bared his teeth.

“Cute. And no, ya ain’t keepin’ me from shit, Boss.” Ororo lifted her arms over her head and pulled against her bent elbow, taking the stress off her triceps. She rolled her neck to one side, a look of relief washing over her features.

“Language, Logan.”

“Pardon my fuckin’ French.” Ororo sighed, throwing up her hands in defeat.

“You’re maddening, you know that, don’t you?” Her hands returned to her hips, ready to wage verbal battle.

“Uh-uh. Show me.” Logan, on the other hand, decided to take a different tactic. His arm snaked out, brawny and quick, looping around her waist and yanking her firmly against him. Ororo’s eyes widened incredulously as she studied the odd look of determination, mixed with something else playing across his face. It was a very rugged face, she decided. “I ain’t got any missions or vendettas or any asses ta kick at the moment, ‘Roro. I just wanted ta take a moment ta talk more about this little ‘wild side’ ya’ve been showing us lately.” His broad hands skimmed her waist and moved back down, cupping the exquisite flare of her hips through her leather pants. The leather was becoming buttery soft from repeated wearings. Broken in. Inviting. Begging to be touched and enjoyed.

Logan wanted to wrap himself in Ororo’s softness. Touching her, enjoying that tiny sound she made in her throat, feeling her body invite him, all of those prospects were making it nearly impossible to muster speech.

“Go ahead,” Ororo whispered, feeling herself drawn closer by degrees, taking in his long, spiky lashes, the sexy way that his eyebrows arched into bushy peaks, and the sharp notch of his upper lip. She licked her lips, wondering if he tasted as good now as he had a few weeks ago in her loft. “Talk to me, Logan.” Her hands betrayed her, flexing and unflexing before they began to drift up of their own accord. They traced the bulging sinew of his upper arms, exploring the contours of his broad shoulders, testing how solid and hard they were. A voice of reason screamed in her head “What in the Goddess’ name are you doing, foolish woman!” She hushed it with an equally abrupt I’m occupied right now. Go away. Her eyes were locked on his gaze, nearly drowning in the shadowy depths, loving the mischievous twinkle that lived there. “Tell me how…wild I’ve become.” She trailed her fingertips along his neck, tickling his earlobe. “Tell me how I’m…not acting like myself.”

“Roro…” His hands tightened around her waist, exploring the slopes of her ribcage, scrabbling up her back with heat and urgency. Heat churned in his gut. The unstable molecules of his uniform hugged him like a glove and hid nothing, particularly the tell-tale bulge pulsing between his thighs. Through the fabric, he could still feel Ororo’s leather-encased flesh pressing against him, driving him more than a little mad.

“Tell me how bad I’ve been, wild man,” she murmured, her words steaming his lips as her palm cupped his cheek, fingers spreading to comb through his hair.

“Ro…shit. I’m through talkin’!” His hands were viselike as they gripped her arms and pulled her into his waiting kiss, ravaging and devouring her lips with alarming hunger. “Discussion’s over,” he mumbled between kisses, sucking her bottom lip between his teeth. Protests died premature deaths on her lips as she gave herself to the heat building between them, pent up these past few weeks. Reason be damned, she wanted him. Wanted his touch that was making her skin tingle and the air around her sizzle.

“Bright Lady, preserve me,” she whispered against the crown of his cheek. Her hands clutched his wonderfully thick hair and clawed at his back.

“Jesus,” he gasped into the pulse of her slender throat. His tongue found every sensitive place, followed by the rasp of his short stubble. It was like liquid velvet and sandpaper, enflaming her nerve endings.

“This…this is wrong,” she insisted, pulling back from him long enough to search his face for any signs of agreement. She found none. Her chest heaved with the effort that it took not to tear off his shirt.

“Doesn’t hafta be, babe.” He wrested her hand from his shoulder where she was attempting to hold him “ unsuccessfully “ at arm’s length. “Feels pretty right t’me.” He peeled off her thin leather glove and nuzzled her inner wrist with his lips, nipping her, waking up her skin with that ticklish, rasping stubble.

“I don’t think…” She couldn’t think. His eyes drifted shut as he tasted her.

“Don’t think,” he huffed, suckling her fingertip, drawing it into the heat of his mouth, and she was lost. Watching the working of his lips suckling and teasing her was too much, and her own lips missed the feel of them. She freed her captive finger and cupped the nape of his neck, covering his mouth with hers in a kiss that could only be called possessive. Possessive, and even undeniable.

“Mmmph…damn, woman, you taste good! Computer, security override protocol, engage all entrances. Shut down all programs,” he grated out, his voice almost muffled by Ororo yanking his shirt over his head. He returned the favor, jerking off her black vest, exposing the nicely healing scar on her collarbone. His lips traveled down her jaw, nipping her chin hard enough to make her moan and squirm against him. She showed him her throat and he laid claim to it, drinking her sweetness and sucking a bruise to the surface.

“Annggh!” Her gurgling cry mixed pleasure and pain before he lapped it with his tongue, soothing her ache. He explored the sensitive junction of her shoulder and neck before arriving at the scar. He feathered his fingertips over it, touching it almost reverently. She got that mark defending him. That fact wasn’t lost on him, nor was the importance of her sacrifice, her loyalty. He anointed the scar with his lips, and she held him close, letting her hands roam through the fine mat of hair, his taut and rippling abdomen hot beneath her touch. His muscles tightened reflexively at her caress.

“It’s…ugly,” she rasped.

“No it ain’t. There ain’t one damned thing ugly about ya, darlin’, so don’t talk like that. Thought we were done talkin’, anyhow.” His hands searched her ribcage, feeling her through the leather, skimming over the swell of her breast. To his delight, her nipple peaked and rose beneath his questing thumb. “Yer so beautiful ya make me ache,” he finished. “So hush up, now, and let me get back ta work.”

Work? Was that what this was, work? Did he still think he was taking care of her? Was he just passing the time? Worse, was this just an interlude before he went haring off to Tokyo or back up into the mountains? Her traitorous thoughts were swimming along in the tide of emotions he was making her feel; she caught a faint draft of air hitting her lower back and the hiss of her zipper being undone. Her own fingers fumbled blindly with his belt and ripped it free with impatience. She put all that out of her mind when his fingers found her, cupping her sex over the thin, slick black satin of her bikini briefs.

“Want all o’ you, baby,” he growled, his need stark in his eyes. “I want ya so damned much.” He kissed her again before she could form speech, and she still couldn’t decide whether to be grateful. She didn’t know what her foolish mind and restless lips would allow to escape. Her breasts tingled for more of his touch, her belly quivered, and there was slick, damp heat pooling where his fingers had touched. Ororo couldn’t recall how they ended up on the floor, somehow they just tumbled to the cool metallic surface and she found herself stifling a giggle as Logan peeled her boots off, chucking them ruthlessly over his shoulder before she was freed from her pants.

Damn, I envy those pants. Logan’s eyes swept over the endless, slender columns of her thighs and the perfect little triangle of her mound wrapped in those tiny panties. Logan bit the fingertip of his glove and pulled his hand free of it, then did the same with the other, never taking his eyes off the vision before him. “Just…look at you.” Ororo swallowed, overwhelmed by his hungry gaze and the absolutely wicked look in his eyes. Her nipples picked the moment to stiffen even further beneath her leather bustier. “All of you, ‘Ro.”

“Take it all. Every inch,” she beckoned, running her hand down her stomach, feathering a teasing finger over her mound.

Bright Lady, please; tell me this means something to him. That I mean something to him. He shucked his boots and overbriefs before he couldn’t stand it anymore, and he covered her body with his in a lunge that took her breath. Logan thoughtfully snagged her discarded pants and bunched them beneath her head, cradling it as he kissed her. He didn’t miss anything, from the tender sweetness of her eyelids shut in rapture to the crests and hollows of her ears. She felt so supple and pliant and right beneath him, every slope of her body fitting into every hollow of his, like puzzle pieces. He rolled onto his back, surprising her as she found her world tossed upside down, but it all made sense as his hands reached behind her for the thick metal snaps holding together her bodice. Honey hush…perfect. They were perfect. He lowered her bustier and gently laid it on the floor.

“Jesus, Mary and Joseph,” he swore. Even the second scar on her ribcage didn’t mar the perfection of her rounded, full breasts crowned with mocha brown nipples that were already slightly rosy from the abrasion of her leather bodice and the frequent skim of his fingers.

“Logan…are they all right?”

“Beautiful,” he nodded, cupping her cheek as he kissed her soundly. Then his hands grasped her buttocks, which thrilled him with their firmness and inviting curves, and he hauled her higher against his chest to better taste her treasures. His mouth moved with renewed heat and urgency and velvety wetness, circling the sweet mound, and he was aroused to the point of pain when he zeroed in on her nipple, groaning into it as he latched on and suckled her. Her hips bucked against him as she rode out the sensations. Her bare foot stroked his leg, still clad in his snug leggings, and she arched into it as he loved her with his mouth.

“We’re ‘bout t’make real good use of those sexy long legs of yours, darlin’,” he growled, breaking away and rearing back, rolling to a sitting position and helping her to her feet. He yanked her after him, stalking to the rear wall of the complex.

“LOGAN!” she yelped.

“Can’t help it, I want ya too damned much, and there ain’t time t’go upstairs.” He spun her around until she was backed flush against the wall, the cool chrome making her shiver. “I like these little panties!” His fingers skimmed over her heated flesh one more time before he looped them under the elastic and tugged, letting them drop silently to her feet. She hastily stepped out of them and watched him, searching his eyes and finding only a predator licking its chops. Ororo couldn’t tell how he managed to lift her up and wrap her legs around his waist and how he pinned her between him and the wall, seemingly one-handed as he wrestled his leggings down around his thighs, freeing his throbbing erection, but it wasn’t worth contemplating right now… The voluptuous, plump head of his manhood bobbed free, rubbing against her and with a careful jerk and a faint grunt of completion hissed through his teeth, he entered her. Ororo shuddered and clenched around him as he stretched her, almost making her ache.

“Logan…” It was done. There was no turning back. Logan nearly collapsed at the snug, hot sheath wrapped around him, squeezing him, and he never wanted it to end.

“’Roro!” Just when Ororo thought it couldn’t get any better, he began to move. His hips backed away and thrust forward, impaling her, filling her, and Ororo released a full-bodied moan into his ear. Her teeth grazed his lobe, which only fed his desperate need to possess her.

He wanted to be gentle with her, damn it. It wasn’t supposed to be like this. It wasn’t supposed to be this savage mating, this rough and abrupt claiming of their bodies slapping together, harsh sounds clawing their way out of her throat. Then again, he reasoned, she wasn’t supposed to be digging her fingernails into his back, biting her lip with her head flung back like a prom date in the back of daddy’s car. No, he argued. This was Ororo.

Yes, argued that part of him that didn’t give a damn about control. It’s ‘Ro, all right. And she tastes sooooo goooooood. Feels like silk. Kitten’s got claws…

Shut up. A little friggin’ respect…

We’re in yer head, Patch. It’s yer body pinnin’ her to the wall. Don’t blame me.

No. He could only blame himself. He knew it would pain him to disengage himself when he was getting so close, and when she felt so good, so tight, hugging him like she couldn’t let go…

“Easy, darlin’, this…this wasn’t the way I wanted to do this. Not how I wanted ta make it for ya.” He plunged inside her one more time, noting the desperate haze of longing and lust on her face, softening her features. Her lips were rosy and slightly swollen.

“I’m…I’m sorry, is it…me, or is it…?”

“It ain’t you. Believe me, it ain’t you.” Gently, painstakingly, he unwrapped her legs from his waist and let her feet drift to the floor, and with supreme effort, he released himself from her depths, hating the cool blast of air against his moist skin. He still smelled like her, damn it! He kissed her again, this time slowly, tenderly, and she rewarded him with a rumble of appreciation. “I kinda wanted this to be…not so…crazy. I wanted ya t’enjoy it. I should have taken my time with ya.”

“I wanted you just as much,” she reassured him. She stroked his cheek and feathered a kiss against his forehead. “I still do.”

“Then let me try ta set this right.” He backed away from her and peeled off his tights, leaving himself as naked as she. “Don’t want ya ta feel lonely in the altogether.”

“Very thoughtful of you,” she agreed. “And I like you like this, my friend.” She wrapped her arms around his neck and kissed him with languor, rubbing against all of him, unfettered, with no more barriers. Her nipples brushed against the fine hair on his chest, and his hands were filled with her rounded buttocks again, which he cupped almost lovingly.

“Turn around, ‘Ro. And spread yer legs.” The sapphire blue of her eyes deepened as she studied him a moment, then nodded, sensing what he wanted. She leaned her palms against the wall that was still slightly warm from the contact of her back and placed her feet a ways apart, and she felt Logan close in on her, kneeling and steadying himself against the backs of her thighs as he nuzzled her, parting her folds and taking a deep taste. She gasped and writhed as he probed and caressed her, making her slippery, making her cry his name. “That wall couldn’t have been too comfy,” he muttered. Electricity shot through her belly, and he dawdled and took his sweet time, stroking her and moving her with his attentions. His penis still jutted between his legs, stiff and aching more than ever listening to her cries. She convulsed and fragmented, and he drank the flood of her nectar, feeling triumphant at the effect he’d had on her.

“LOGAN!” She bucked and shuddered against his mouth, spent. She collapsed against the wall, leaning up against her forearms as her knees buckled, until Logan stood and hoisted her hips against him.

“Just wanted t’take the edge off,” he whispered, kissing her nape as he leaned into her, and thrust home once more, this time leaving her room to move and his hands more space to roam. Ororo arched back against him, raising her ass up to meet him, and this time his rhythm was more steady, taking more care to ensure her pleasure. His hands were everywhere, groping her breasts to contain their jiggling, occasionally reaching down to pluck her sweet spot to enhance her experience and spur her on. He plunged into her again and again, and the pressure built within her, tightening her around him, pushing them both over the edge…

“RO!” She felt the tightening and stiffening of his flesh within her as he gave himself up to his climax, bringing her along for the ride. “Oh, God, eeeeEEEEAAAARRRRGGGGGHHHHH!!! AAAAAAAAGGGHHHH!” His hips bucked and pistoned with a few final spasms before he shuddered to a complete rest. Ororo did crumple against the wall this time, the metal cool against her feverish, sweat-slicked flesh. Logan’s member retracted itself from her sweet nest and he leaned his forehead against her shoulder.

“Damn,” he panted, heaving for breath.

“Uuuunnnngggh…Bright Lady!” she moaned. He tugged her away from the wall and held her flush against him, drinking in her scent. His arms were clamped around her waist as though he wasn’t going to relinquish her soon. Her fingertips stroked his forearms and the backs of his knuckles.

“So…we’ve got a workout session t’attend to, right?”

“And a trip to the Morlock tunnels. You were going to come with me.” He nodded, kissing her shoulder. The skin was still sensitive, and all of her nerve endings were still screaming for his touch, even though they should have been replete.

“Sure was. Still am.”

“Good.”

“Good.” Mutely Logan wondered, how the hell were they going to make it to the locker rooms for a shower and to change back into those tight uniforms with less than five minutes to spare?


About a half hour prior:

“Peter?” Kitty peered around the corner of the den, smiling slightly as she spied Peter lounging on the couch, watching a painting show on PBS. His brow was furrowed and he looked deep in thought. “Got a minute to talk?”

He released a heavy sigh from his barrel chest. “I suppose, Katya. What’s on your mind?” He patted the space next to him, and she gratefully curled up against his side. He winced slightly as she jarred his shoulder, which was still sore from a recovering injury.

“Sorry, big guy,” she murmured. “Forgot you were still…”

“What’s on your mind?” he interrupted, sounding almost terse. Kitty quirked her brow before relaxing back onto the couch, content to just lay her hand on his leg. She felt equally rebuffed as he gently removed it, turning his attention back to the screen.

What the heck?

“I…I just wanted to see what you were up to. We don’t…get a lot of free time together anymore. I wanted to know if you wanted to go with me to the art museum after practice.”

“I don’t think so, Katya.”

“Oh.” Kitty never expected a rejection. Peter loved the museum. If she had her own preference, she would have asked him to the library, but she wanted to entice him with something that he enjoyed.

Anything to avoid the creepy silences and the way he seemed to be avoiding her lately.

“Is there anything you want to talk about?” Her scalp felt tight. Belatedly she realized she made a rookie error of the worst kind. Guys never just wanted to talk.

“Not particularly. I was just enjoying my show.”

“I didn’t know you liked this show.”

“You never asked.”

“Er…sure. Right.” Kitty pulled a lock of her shining brown hair over her upper lip in contemplation. “Silly me.”

“He uses a nice method of making trees,” Peter explained blandly. “Happy little trees, he calls them.”

“Sounds exciting.” And all of a sudden, a session in the Danger Room sounded more appealing than she would have admitted an hour ago. Jumpy, restless energy filled her legs, and she vaulted off the couch, disregarding Peter’s sore shoulder in her haste.

“OOF!”

“Gotta go, Petey, see ya later, gotta bail! Byeeeee!” She skipped using the door and phased through the wall. The last Peter saw of her were her favorite purple socks and her waves of hair rippling out of sight.

“Boszhe moi,” Peter muttered, rubbing the back of his neck. It was hard. He knew he should be grateful, but it was so hard. If only she weren’t so…devoted to him. If only she weren’t so sweet.

…if only she weren’t so young.


Currently:

“I’d like all of you to hear me out as I go over some notable points of your performance. You’ve performed admirably, but there are a few things,” Xavier’s voice rang out as he tapped his monitor,” that I think you could all learn from.”

“Colossus, you have developed a habit of just…for lack of a better phrase, smashing your way through everything, without much thought to whether an attacker may be able to pierce your metallic form.”

“Hardly anything can,” he countered dryly, but he silently reverted to his human form and met the Professor’s gaze squarely. Defiance whitened the corners of his mouth, and Xavier sensed the tension in his emotions without probing them too deeply.

“Certain things have. It took several years off of my life when Deathbird nearly killed you last year, son.” Peter sighed, knowing he was right, and felt ashamed at his earlier indignance. Of course something could hurt him. He wasn’t invulnerable, despite what he liked to tell himself. “A carefully thrown javelin can do a lot of damage, it isn’t the same as having a building topple on top of you, or stopping a runaway tractor. Everything, and everyone has a point of vulnerability where they can be broken. Shattered. Remember that, son.”

“Geez…” Kitty muttered.

“Ariel,” Xavier shifted his chair in her direction, and she realized she should have just shut her mouth, and her thoughts. “You have gained many new combat skills over time, but I feel that you, too sometimes rely too much on your powers to protect you. At times, you may encounter mutants or weapons capable of disrupting or muting your phasing ability, and you may end up turning solid at an inopportune time, leaving you vulnerable to an attack. I would hate to call your mother with unfortunate news if anything ever happened to you, and I would never forgive myself.”

“I can take care of myself; I thought we agreed that,” she murmured. Her eyes shot daggers from behind her mask.

“Listen to the man, kid,” Logan growled. “No one’s sayin’ ya can’t pull yer own weight.”

“Well, I can! And I have!” She looked accusingly around the room at all of them. “I’ve hauled everyone’s fat out of the fire in this room at least once.” She stared at her boots. “Some of you, even twice.” Peter winced, remembering back to his painful return to his organic form, drenched in his own blood in the middle of the kitchen, and the guilty realization that she had been ready to give up her life at the school to help him.

I feel…very small, he realized.

“Katharine! Refrain from making such accusations if you wish to avoid demerits. No one is denying the value that you bring to this team, or even to this school. But like everyone else, if you wish to work with adults, you must act like one, and that means taking constructive criticism and suggestions for improvement. I would like to see you work more frequently with Logan on your hand-to-hand combat skills, and with Ororo on picking locks and escaping from different kinds of bonds.” Kitty sighed, shooting Ororo a resentful look that spoke volumes.

Great. More time with the escapee from the Mary Jane Girls. Ororo bristled slightly but held her chin high.

“Kurt, you need to make sure you are considering your location each time you teleport, and take care not to rematerialize in a ‘hot zone’ by not planning ahead. I went over some notes from Cyclops’ log, back when Jason Wyngarde infiltrated the mansion. He documented that he managed to take you out of commission by aiming his optic blast through you as you materialized. He’s not the only one who can manage this, if your combat habits were observed by someone savvy enough, Mr. Wagner.”

“I understand, Professor.”

“Just to clarify, however, Kurt, that you are very adept at hand-to-hand, you have excellent agility, and you use good teamwork, particularly with Logan and Kitty.” Kurt beamed.

“Howzabout me, Chuck?” Rogue drawled, lounging against the edge of the control panel.

“Still a work in progress, Rogue, but it’s very good progress. I could tell you the same thing that I told Peter: Don’t naturally assume you are invulnerable. Mr. Wagner spent some time nursing you back to health not long ago after your encounter with Viper in Japan. An overloaded blaster at its highest setting is nothing to sneeze at.”

“Gotcha,” she muttered, study a speck of dirt on her green gloves. Xavier smiled.

“Logan?”

“Yeah, bub?”

“More finesse. Less breaking things. Think before you just throw yourself in front of a hail of bullets, or goodness knows what else.” He nodded to Kitty. “You should set a good example for the up and coming generation when you can.”

“Eh.” Logan popped the tab on his beer. “Sure. Why not.” He winked at Kitty. She giggled.

“Storm?” Ororo steeled herself and folded her arms protectively against her chest. Logan’s eyes met hers from across the room. Easy, babe. He ain’t gonna rake ya over the coals. She allowed him to see the hint of a smile flitting across her lips. The Professor panned through a few screens on his monitor and reached Ororo’s profile, then hit ‘Enter.’

“You perform admirably both in combat and as field leader, Ororo. You seem to have the respect of your peers,” he nodded to those assembled,” and their strong regard. You have a good handle on evasive maneuvers and the more subtle, passive attacks, although…in recent weeks, I have seen a more aggressive use of your lightning. Mustn’t be careless about that, not everyone can withstand a full-voltage barrage of electricity running through their bodies.”

“I know the risks.”

“You know them; but I want you to remember them in the heat of battle. Don’t let your emotions get the best of you…”

“I know how my powers work, Charles.” His eyebrows shot up quizzically at her tone. “I still work hard at maintaining control of my emotions. But I refuse to be afraid of them. I refuse to bottle them up. And I won’t just sit in a corner waiting for Cyclops to lead the team the way you’ve grown to expect. There are different ways to lead the team. And mine is not necessarily the wrong way.”

Kurt coughed. Peter stared at his boots as though they were suddenly very interesting. Logan smiled over the rim of his beer can. Rogue looked at Ororo as if she had grown another head while Kitty simply glared.

“No. Don’t ever be afraid of them, Ororo. Just don’t let them blind you.”

After a few more short notes, the team was dismissed, and Charles was left to review his notes in relative silence, bathed in the faint glow and clicks of the console in the Danger Room suite.


Almost an hour later:

SNIKT!

“OOGA BOOGA BOOGA!” Shrill screams scattered and echoed throughout the cavernous tunnels and tiny feet splashed through the muck.

“Don’t let him get me, don’t let him get meeeeeeee!” Logan chuckled and retracted is claws, taking a casual puff of his cigar. Ororo sighed, letting her hand drift to her hip.

“You really shouldn’t encourage that,” she chastised.

“You kidding? Kids love ta be scared til they pee their pants. Besides, how many opportunities do ya think they get ta play tag?” Sure enough, Logan felt a tiny, familiar presence sneaking up behind him, and he let himself go completely still to allow the dainty fingers to poke him with some hesitation. A quick sniff told him it was Sara.

“YOU’RE IT!” she shrieked, then turned tail and ran as if her life depended on it. Her giggles were breathy and whimpered out through pants and gasps as she ran from the Bright One’s scary friend who looked so much like the Boogey Man, even in the light of day.

“Gonna getcha, Punkin’!” he bellowed.

“If we’d know ya were on yer way down, we woulda made tea,” Plague spat.

“So nice to see you again, too.” Ororo set down her duffle, then backed away from it to allow the old harridan to riffle through the items without making any false moves.

“Ya still don’t belong down here, dearie,” she reminded her, then made a sound of surprised delight as she retrieved a can of Gold Bond powder and a tube of Aspercreme. She mumbled her way back into the catacombs, leaving Ororo staring after her with a combination of amusement and frustration. Would they ever come around?

“Don’t get yerself into a lather, thinkin’ bout her, Roro,” Logan suggested. “Ya do what ya can.”

“It’s not enough,” she frowned. “It’s never enough.” Her smile returned as she noticed that Logan was carrying two of Analee’s kids over his shoulders like sacks of potatoes. They kicked and screeched their approval.

Later, back at the mansion, Ororo made her way back up to her loft. A nagging worry had dogged her footsteps the entire way back home. She made her excuses to Logan and left him staring after her as she left the kitchen.

Downstairs, Kitty loaded her suitcase into a cab and grinned at the cheerful face of Douglas Ramsey. He leaned over and opened her door. “Thought you’d never show, Pryde.”

“Wouldn’t miss it, Dougie. Someone’s gotta make sure you don’t make a fool of yourself at that prissy school!”

“Oho! Like you’re suddenly an expert on prissy schools, huh? And look who’s talking, with you being cooped up in this fancy castle! At least I get to spring you loose for a few days!”

Kitty sighed. Spring her loose, indeed. She just hoped it wasn’t going to be the other way around. It had taken some effort for Ororo to “spring her” from the Massachusetts Academy the last time she strode across its manicured grounds.

“Did you get to tell everyone goodbye?” Doug’s blue eyes were warm and waiting for her reply. She reached out and gripped his hand, smiling to hide any trace of her misgivings.

“:Anyone who mattered, Doug. Let’s go,” she urged the driver, and they wove their way out of the circular driveway and past the iron gates.

Peter watched the cab depart and let the edge of the curtain drop back into place with a heavy sigh. Katya…

Upstairs, Ororo felt Logan enter her loft before she heard the faint thud of his boots on the floorboards. “Don’t run off. We need ta talk.”

“I know,” she admitted, drinking him in. In the cozy glow of her floor lamp, Logan looked dangerous peering out from beneath his Stetson that he still hadn’t removed. Like a moth to a flame, she drew closer, reaching out to brush the soft flannel of his shirt. He caught her hand and held it against him firmly, stroking her fingers idly. She smelled the way he remembered, but with just a hint of that arousal that she’d worn like a heady perfume in the stark emptiness of the Danger Room. He raised her fingertips to his lips and nibbled them. Ororo sighed, her lids lowering in contentment.

“It ain’t often that we get any time alone to, well, y’know,” he swallowed. “Talk.”

“Among other things.”

“Yeah.”

“I don’t want you to think that what happened between us today was a mistake,” she rambled, letting the words out in a mad rush. Logan’s eyes widened.

“What…?”

His voice was cut off as they were both engulfed in a bright flash. The mansion fell silent.

Every room was suddenly, echoingly empty.





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