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Chap 6: The Workout

“I hope I’m not out of line for saying this, but Ororo, you dance beautifully. I would love to share a dance floor with you again,” Forge said, as they stood at Ororo’s bedroom door. With hopes of prolonging the night, Forge had walked Ororo to her room, engaging in idle chit chat.

“Forge, you wouldn’t be asking me out, now would you?” Ororo asked playfully.

“Yes, my dear,” he said, taking her hand and kissing the back gently, “I most certainly am. Would you do me the honors?”

Ororo thought about Forge’s offer, sparking an internal debate. Part of her wanted to say no because of her feelings for Logan. The other part of her wanted to live again, tried of being sad because of someone else’s decision. Since she was she was letting her hair down tonight, figuratively and literally “ she had removed the hair pins and clips from her hair as they walked to her room, she choose to do something she wouldn’t normally do. She decided that she would follow the advice she read somewhere given by someone which was ‘to forget a man, you have to replace him with someone else.’ In her case, she wanted to replace him with someone who would give her back the love she gave them.

“I would love too,” she replied, a soft smile on her face.

“Excuse me,” he stammered, hearing but not hearing her answer, “Did I hear what I thought I heard?”

“If what you heard was I would love to, then yes, you did,” she said, teasing him. Enjoying the moment, Ororo gave into an impulse and kissed him tenderly on the cheek. Pulling away, Ororo could see the surprise in his eyes. “Good night, Forge,” she said, opening her door and stepping inside. With a smile in her eyes, Ororo gently closed the door.

Forge, still in shock at what had just happened touched the place where Ororo kissed him. Mentally recalling the feeling of her soft lips against his skin, Forge turned and headed to his room, memories of the night flashing in his mind. Opening the door, Forge knew he had found someone special and at that moment, he decided that he would do whatever it took to win the love and affection of the lovely Goddess.

Back in her room, Ororo had just finished her nightly ritual. I’m so glad I decided to go out tonight, she thought, silently thanking the Goddess for her intervention. Taking off her dress, Ororo pulled on her robe. Sitting down at her writing table, she pulled out her journal and began to record her thoughts. As the pen moved across the paper, a smile crossed her beautiful face as the memories poured out on the blank pages.

Journal Entry #16

As I write this, the sky is clear, not a cloud in sight. The stars are shining brightly and the moon is like a smile against the dark backdrop of the sky. It seems that the Goddess is making her feelings known about what has happened tonight. It was a fun outing. Everyone was fabulously dressed and all were shock when they saw me. I have never received so many compliments in my life. Although that was great, the highlight of the evening was dancing the night away with the new recruit, Forge. He’s a handsome man with an intelligence that rivals that of Hank McCoy. You wouldn’t know it by looking at him but the man has the grace of an experienced ballet dancer. When we came together on the dance floor, it was like he was an extension of me and I, an extension of him. Where I moved he followed, where he moved I followed, like we had been dancing partners for many years, instead of just a few minutes. Our eyes never left the other’s until I sensed something was wrong and Logan was involved in it. I don’t know what it is about that man but it seems that we are somehow connected like Jean and Scott but I’m not sure where it comes from. So in going to help him handle the situation, I left my dance partner confused on the dance floor. On our way back to the mansion, we found out that we had a lot in common and shared many laughs. My heart feels lighter than it has in weeks and I have Jean and Forge to thank for that. Forge has asked me out again and I can’t wait. I hope that whatever it is that Forge and I will have, be it friendship or something more, that we will enjoy our time together. I’m looking forward to it. Until next time, peace & blessings.

Ororo

Tucking away her journal, she went to the balcony doors and opened them, allowing the moonlight to enter. Going over to her bed, Ororo slipped out of her robe and snuggled down between the sheets. Sighing, she closed her eyes and enjoyed the feel of the cool, soft cotton sheets and the gentle, night breeze that came in and caressed her exposed skin. Looking out at the starry night sky, Ororo hoped that her dreams would be as lovely as her evening had been.

*~*~*~*~*~*~*

It was six in the morning, a time which found most the mansion’s residents trying to hold on to their last few minutes of sleep before having to wake up to face another day of training - physical for some and mental for the others. But for Storm and Wolverine, the morning was a welcomed time when they could savor the peace and serenity that nature provided. Usually the morning found them meditating or simply taking pleasure in an early morning walk or run, but not today.

Today, Storm will begin her work with Wolverine in developing the curriculum for the hand-to- hand combat training sessions that the Professor decided would become a part of the X-Men’s training. Cyclops, being the Team’s leader, would have been the responsibility of working with Wolverine on the project but because of mutual dislike between the two men, the job fell on Storm’s shoulders. Working on this project would be a test for her as well because of the personal situation she and Wolverine have found themselves in. But, being a person driven by duty and loyalty to the team, Storm knew that the only way for the combat training to be a success was to check her personal feelings at the door. This, she knew would not be an easy thing to do, but like with other things in her life, she was up for the challenge.

While they were dating, Logan spent some of their time training Ororo in the basics of hand-to-hand combat. Always a willing learner, Ororo endured many days of landing on her butt or her back after being thrown or taken down by her teacher. Today would be no exception.

Armed with a general knowledge of the other’s fighting style, the pair bowed and began the match. Circling, Storm waited for Wolverine to make the first move. Storm had learned long ago that Wolverine, the aggressive one, liked to be on the offensive and strike his opponent first, whereas she was a more defensive fighter, preferring to wait until the first punch was thrown.

Moving swiftly, Wolverine charged Storm, testing her reflexes. Dodging him easily, Storm caught him on the back of the neck with a quick hand chop. Smiling inwardly as he turned back to face her, Wolverine was proud that she had remembered the counter move he taught her. Rubbing his hands together as he took his place across from her, Wolverine got ready for the real thing. Feeling that she had passed his initial test, he decided to take it up a notch and show her something new.

Taking her position opposite of him, they bowed again, and took their fighting stance. Again, Storm waited for Wolverine to make the first move. Charging her yet again, Wolverine knew that she would not move in the same direction twice so when he got close, he shifted and grabbed her just as she moved to avoid him and took her down to the ground in a strong hold move. Caught off guard, Storm fell with her teacher, landing roughly on the mat, with him on top of her.

Breathing hard, Storm looked up into Wolverine’s face, framed by the bright sunlight. Caught up in the moment, Wolverine fell prey to his desires. Whispering her name, Wolverine leaned down and kissed the Goddess on the lips. Unconsciously returning his kiss, Storm’s eyes opened and stared at peaceful look on his face as he pulled away from her. In that split second, time froze and Ororo’s internal debate was sparked to life. As Logan savored the moment “ the feel of the kiss, the softness of her lips and her returned affection, the wind picked up speed and lifted his body into the air.

Suddenly aware of his body being lifted, Logan opened his eyes and saw that he was flying through the air. Landing hard on his back, Wolverine looked up, momentarily blinded by the bright sun. Seconds later, it was blocked as Storm landed on him, straddling him. Looking up into her face, Wolverine saw her eyes flashing, a sign he knew meant trouble.

“Wolverine, in the field, I am your co-captain and teammate, nothing more. The next time you pull a stunt like that, you will not get off so easily,” she told him, standing and holding out her hand to help him up, “If we are to work together on this project, then we will have to stay focus on the job at hand and not let our personal feelings get in the way.”

“Yeah, sure, whatever ya say,” Wolverine replied, a mean look on his face, “It won’t happen again.”

Not intimidated by his scowl, Storm walked over to her bag and got out her water bottle, taking a long swig, her eyes following Wolverine’s every move. Although she enjoyed the kiss, Storm felt that nothing had changed, including Wolverine’s love for Jean. Feeling the anger and hurt all over again, Storm put down her water bottle and walked back over to the training mat.

Taking her place, Storm waited until Logan took his place, ready for wanted he had in store. Let’s see what you are really made off, Storm thought, charging him this time, taking him off guard. An evil smile creased his face as he stood from the take down move Storm had performed on him. So it’s a fight she wants, he thought, taking his place again.

Let’s do this then, he thought, as he ducked low, flipping her over his shoulder. Straddling her, he pinned her arms above her head. Understanding the lesson he was trying to teach her, Storm used her legs to lift her lower body and moved from side to side, causing Wolverine to lose his center of balance. The pair continued their grueling workout, each making mental notes of the moves and their level of experience. After three hours, both were ready to call it quits for the day.

“That was one hell of ah workout,” Wolverine said, sitting heavily next to Storm under a shady oak tree.

Leaning back against the tree, Storm nodded in agreement. “It’s been a long time since I have had a workout like that. I’m going to be very sore tomorrow,” she replied, her eyes closed, enjoying the feel of the cool grass against her hot skin.

“Ro, can ah ask ya ah question?” Logan asked, leaning back against the tree, watching Ororo as she relaxed under nature’s spell.

“Sure, Logan. You know you can ask me anything,” she replied sleepily, her eyes still closed.

“Why didn’t ya ask me what happened at the club?”

Ororo had been waiting for this question. The thought had occurred to her after everything had happened but she didn’t want to spoil the rest of the night by dwelling on it. “I thought about it but I figured when you were ready to talk about it, you would. So if you’re ready to talk, I’m ready to listen,” she said, finally opening her eyes and looking at his profile.

“It was nuthin’. Ah knocked over the guy’s drink and when ah tried to apologize, the woman got upset because she felt ah had punked her guy,” he told her, deliberately leaving out the part about the fight he and the guy had at the other bar.

“So why were you walking away from them when I walked up and stopped the woman?” she asked.

“Well, they got to arguing and ah figured it ain’t worth it tonight since the team was there to have a good time so ah decided to walk away but the woman had other ideas.”

“So I came up at the right time, huh?” she asked, smiling at him.

“That’s the part I wanted to ask ya about. How did ya find out about it?”

“Well,” Ororo said, shifting to a more comfortable position, “You could actually hear the woman over the music and something told me that you were in trouble so I looked around for you and didn’t see you. So, heeding my little voice, I headed in the direction of the noise and there you were, about to be pummeled from behind by the woman so I did what needed to be done.”

“Wow. It was that simple, huh.”

“Yes. It was. Either you are there for your teammates, whether their right or wrong, or you’re not. There is no middle ground.”

“Ro, I know I said thanks before but thanks,” he said, taking her hand in his and kissing it softly, “I don’t know many people who would jump into a fight, no questions asked. Especially a fight I’m in.”

Turning to face her, he continued, “It takes a true friend to do something like that and I feel that you are one of a few I can call my true friend.”

Touching his face with her free hand, Ororo hoped that her touch expressed her love for him that she couldn’t bring herself to say out loud. Knowing that it was time to go, she extracted her hand from his grip and gathered her things.

“A true friend is what I will always be,” she said, standing, pulling the strap of her bag on her shoulder, “and it seems that’s all we will be. See you later.” By speaking those words to Logan, Ororo felt that she had finally accepted Logan’s decision and now she was ready to face whatever was in store for her and Forge with a clear head and clear conscious.

Getting up off the ground a few minutes later, Logan looked toward the place where Ororo had stood before she disappeared into the house. Although he knew he was wrong for his behavior, his desire to kiss her overshadowed all rational thought as he looked down into her beautiful face and into the eyes that haunt him in his dreams. It’s as if the Gods were tormenting him for the choice he made. Not being a spiritual man but knowing a sign when he saw it, Logan wondered what he would have to do to make right the wrong he had committed. The only logical choice, he thought as he gathered his stuff, is to make that woman his again.





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