Ororo sighed, digging through the freezer for the pint of Ben and Jerry’s she had hidden way in the back. Spotting the brown and green label of her Dublin Mudslide, she smiled, leaning forward a bit more, wrapping her fingers around the icy cardboard package. She remembered when Jean took her out for her first taste of Ben and Jerry’s with a sad smile, closing the freezer door.
“Jean, it’s just ice cream,” Ororo said not understanding the red head’s excitement. She was used to her friend dragging her off to the mall for a sale, but a special trip for ice cream was pushing it.
“You did not just say that! ‘Ro, it’s Ben and Jerry’s!”
“So it’s ice cream with some guys’ names across the label.”
“Tsk, tsk,” Jean shook her head, “You have been deprived my friend.”
“Sometimes I wonder how you fit into your uniform with all the junk food you stuff into your mouth.”
“Scott keeps me in shape,” Jean replied with a snicker.
Ororo stopped, staring at the back of her friend’s head, “Keep you and Scott’s sexploits to yourself please. Ew.”
Jean shrugged, reaching back to grab Ororo’s arm, dragging her along, “Not like you’re a virgin, ‘Ro. I didn’t even tell you any of the fun stuff.”
“And again, ew, Jean, ew.”
The red head giggled, “You’re such a prude sometimes ‘Ro.” Jean turned into a brightly decorated shop with giant cartoon cows plastered over the walls. Jean steered Ororo towards a table near the front counter. “I’ll be right there.” Ororo took a seat, shaking her head as Jean bounced over to the counter not bothering to look at the choices inside the ice cream cooler. She listened as Jean ordered two double scoops of something called Dublin Mudslide and paid.
Ororo still thought all this fuss over ice cream was absurd. There was no way this ice cream could be worth it.
Soon Jean was headed over to Ororo, with the teenage boy running the register staring longingly after her. Jean didn’t seem to notice.
“Here it is ‘Ro,” Jean said taking her seat across from her friend and placing the cups of ice cream in front of them, “The ice cream you’ve been missing out on. Really, what would you do without me?”
“Have way less pairs of shoes in my closet and more money in my bank account?” Ororo suggested eyeing the ice cream that was placed in front of her. All the fudge and chocolate swirls were making her think this would be much too sweet for her.
“Ha ha, very funny,” Jean said with a roll of her green eyes. “What are waiting for? Go on try it!”
With a small sigh, Ororo lifted the bright red spoon to her mouth having scooped out a tiny taste of the ice cream. Instead of the overpowering sweetness she was expecting, the ice cream was rather mild but very, very rich. What she thought was just plain vanilla ice cream with too much chocolate was something else entirely.
“Wow,” Ororo mumbled, staring down at the ice cream in front of her.
Jean giggled as Ororo took a bigger spoonful “Told ya so.”
“What is in this stuff?” Ororo asked, digging through the mounds of chocolate to break them apart.
“Irish cream liqueur ice cream with a lot of fudge,” Jean replied, digging out a spoonful from her cup. “Scott prefers Krispy Kremes to this. Crazy man.”
“Krispy Kreme?”
Normally, Ororo would just scoop some out into a bowl, but it was much too late to go through the hassle. So instead she grabbed a spoon out of the drawer and hopped up on the counter, wrapping her cream colored silk robe around her. As she took her first spoonful of ice cream she was sure Jean would laugh if she could see her now sitting up on the kitchen counter at one in the morning sneaking ice cream.
With another sad smile, Ororo focused on her ice cream. She missed her friend. As far as she was concerned, her friend Jean died in Alkali Lake saving them from the rushing water. She didn’t know the woman that had caused so much destruction and death a few months ago. Ororo couldn’t think about her; she had a school to run and a team to lead now.
She almost couldn’t believe that it would be a year soon. With a slight shake of her head, Ororo slid down from the counter, heading towards the sliding glass doors, pint of ice cream in hand. Even though she was having trouble believing a year had nearly passed since the events leading up to Alcatraz and that battle itself, she believed she had done well running the school. Of course at first it took a few calls and calling in a few favors from old friends but the teaching staff was full, offering all the classes that were available before Charles’ death. Marie had returned and was offered a teaching position with the younger students, which she accepted after her initial shock. Henry also accepted a teaching position, lecturing his English Literature and Biology students through webcam when he was away on government business. Even Logan volunteered to teach a few classes, though few students were willing to take his wilderness survival class.
Logan. He was the reason she was up so early. That dream of hers was back and had been for weeks now. She thought keeping busy would keep it away as it had been before, but chaos is a different kind of busy. Things had been quiet for months compared to the problems created with the cure and the Phoenix. A few minor anti-mutant groups sprang up every now and again, but it had become pretty stable around the mansion. And once that stability was firmly in place the dream came back even more graphic as if it had been slowly building itself up piece by piece until it seemed to be something ripped from one of those supermarket romance novels.
Ororo took another bite of her ice cream, heading outside. Spring was coming; she could feel it even with the light snow that seemingly blew in from nowhere. She took a few steps out into the lawn, the melting snow tickling her bare feet. Twirling her spoon in the half empty container, Ororo looked around at the grounds. Everything was covered in a light layer of snow, even as the warmer breezes that occasionally came through threatened to send it away.
“Snow and ice cream. Interestin’ combination there ‘Ro.”
Ororo glanced over her shoulder, looking back towards the patio. She could barely make out a darker shadow in one corner.
“What are you doing up so late, Logan?”
“Could ask you the same question, darlin’.”
“I believe I asked first,” Ororo replied, turning her attention back on her ice cream.
“It ain’t really that late fer me. I’m usually still in the danger room at this hour,” She thought heard the faint click of his lighter as he paused for a few moments. “Yer the mornin’ person out of the bunch.”
“I was just having a little trouble getting back to sleep is all,” Ororo replied, turning back towards the mansion, keeping her eyes glued to the carton. “I thought maybe some ice cream and fresh air would help clear my head a bit.”
“An’ did it?”
“Nor as much as I had hoped it would,” She reached the patio, but refused to look in Logan’s direction, “but perhaps enough. Good night Logan.”
“’Ro, why are you avoidin’ me?”
Ororo put her hand on the open glass dorr, “I’m not avoiding you, Logan.”
“Yeah ya are. You have been fer weeks now.”
“I’m not avoiding you,” She repeated, her grip on her ice cream container tightening slightly. She knew she had been avoiding him, but not on purpose. .She had just been keeping herself busy so she wouldn’t have to see him or any other staff member any more than necessary. Ororo had done it this way on purpose so it would not appear as if she was avoiding anyone in particular. And it had been working well, or at least she thought it had been.
“Then way are you in such a rush ta get away from me?” He asked, leaning against the door near her. She jumped, moving away slightly in surprise. “See?”
“Goddess, don’t do that!” She scolded, glaring up at him. “Are you trying to get me to avoid you by sneaking up on me like that?”
He shrugged, “You knew I was here and yer already avoidin’ me.”
“I am not,” Ororo said walking into the kitchen and heading over to the refrigerator to put her ice cream away. Before she could open the freezer door, Logan snatched the container out of her hand. “Hey!”
“Tell me why you’re avoidin’ me an’ you can have it back,” He said holding the carton out of her reach.
“Logan.”
“Why?”
“I’m not avoiding you.” She reached for her ice cream, “Now give that back.”
“Liar.”
“I’m not!” Ororo crossed her arms, waiting for him to lower the container.
“Ya are.”
“I am not.” She frowned as he grunted, obviously not believing her and took a bite of her ice cream. “Hey!”
“Hmph, this stuff isn’t half bad,” Logan said ignoring her protest and eating another spoonful. Ororo raised a snowy eyebrow. “What? Never said I didn’t eat ice cream,” He pointed out around another mouthful.
Ororo rolled her eyes, pushing past him on her way out of the kitchen, muttering to herself about the purchase of a mini-freezer for her room.
