“I have already told you that I cannot stay and I cannot be with…you,” She replied as she finished her task and then pulled on the strap of the duffel bag.
“I know that you hate me…” Forge said somberly.
“No, I could never hate you,” Ororo replied taking a softer tone than she had their entire flight. “I am still hurt and angered by what you did, but I do not hate you.”
“Were you ever in love with me.” Forge asked bluntly as he bowed his head a bit and stared at her.
“I use to think I was, but now I know that it was more a school girl’s crush. You were the only boy to ever show any interest in me. I wanted that and I appreciated it. I do not wish to hurt you I never wanted that. But I…”
“You’re in love with Logan.” He said what she would not seem to voice. Ororo simply nodded her bowed head as a single tear slipped down her face.
“I only just started to realize it, and to express it, and now…it seems I have lost it. Fate can be very cruel sometimes.” She said.
“Yes it can be,” Forge agreed thinking of the lost love standing before him. “But I think that you and Logan could still work things out.” Ororo looked up at him in surprise.
“You want Logan and I to work out?”
“God no,” He replied with a chuckle, one Ororo found she couldn’t resist mimicking. “But I do want ‘you’ to be happy, and for whatever reason Logan makes you happy.”
“Once maybe…”
“No, still. I can see it even now when you speak of him. You should call him.”
“No,” She said as she shook her head at the idea.
“Look Rory, I understand your anger over what Logan tried to do to Scott, but tell me honestly, is that why you’re really so mad? Or is it because Logan had such an obsession with Jean?” Ororo shot him a look that told him he had hit a little too close, but it was no deterrence. “Do you think that Logan doesn’t love you as much…enough to kill for you, because let me assure you I know he does. I can vouch to that fact.”
“Logan is just possessive, and he thinks of me as his. In case you had not notice Logan does not play well with others, and he does not share his ‘toys’ with anyone.”
“You told me once that Logan was a good and honorable man, do you no longer think that that is true?” She stood silently contemplating the answer for several moments before sniffing back her tears and wiping at her wet eyes.
“I must go,” Ororo said as she grasped the duffel bag more firmly and flung it over her shoulder. “Thank you for the lift, and again I am truly sorry for all that has happened between us.”
“You’re sorry and I’m sorry,” He said with a gentle smile, and Ororo also smiled as she nodded her head slightly.
“Also thank you for the cash, it will definitely help me to hide without Logan tracking me so easily.”
“Don’t mention it, there’s plenty more where that came from if you need it. And don’t worry about paying me back.”
“I had absolutely no intention of paying you back, the way I see it you owe me.” Ororo declared as she turned and headed to the opened hatch of the jet. Forge followed her and stood just in the doorway, watching her walk down the stairway.
“Really Rory, I offered to take you anywhere in the world and you pick ‘New Orleans’?” Forge said with a look of disgust on his face as he let his eyes took in the landscape.
“This is my old stomping ground and I have plenty of connections here to help me,” Ororo replied and on cue a motorcycle pulled up, its drive’s face covered with a helmet. Ororo hurried to the bike and took the helmet the driver held out to her. “Goodbye Forge,” With that said, Ororo put on the helmet, mounted the bike and then was taken off. Forge watched for several moments, until the bike turned a corner and was out of his view, he then re-entered the jet and sat down to make a call. He used the phone that he designed which could connect to any of the X-Men’s phones, from anywhere once he inputted their code name. After a few seconds the phone line connected.
“Don’t growl, just listen.” Forge said calmly. “Meet me in the city, Tom’s Restaurant on the corner of 112th st.” Forge then hung up knowing that he didn’t need to say anything further. He also knew that his invited guest would meet him as he had request.
“Where to sir?” The pilot who had been standing by the now closed door asked.
“Back to New York…this time Manhattan.”
He had just arrived at the restaurant and instantly felt eyes on him. As soon as he took a seat he finally noticed the burly man stalking towards him and by the look on the man’s face Forge was glad he had decided to wear his jacket with the build in force field.
“Where tha fuck is my wife, ya piece of shit?” Logan barked out, as he neared the table, not caring that his question had caused people to stare.
“I had hope that by meeting in a public place you’d be more civilized.” Forge stated.
SNITK!
“Guess I was wrong. Look Logan,” Forge spoke out to the Logan who stood over him in a threatening manner. “I called you to help you get Ororo back. I can assure you she is not with me.”
“Yeah, so I guess that wasn’t ‘Ro I saw on that fancy plane of yours either, huh bub?”
“Yes, Ororo did board my plane but…will you please have a seat. I promise you I will tell you exactly where Rory is. I’ll even take you there in my jet.”
“And why would you do that?”
“Because, I love her,” Forge declared and earned an instant growl from Logan. “But she loves you and I think you love her too.” After a moment’s pause with the two men, one seated and one standing, having a stare down, Logan finally relented. He detracted his claws and sat in the booth opposite Forge. But the scowl and look of distrust remained on Logan’s face.
“Rory’s hurt…not physically,” Forge hurried to add on seeing that Logan was getting riled up thinking that Ororo at been harmed in some way. “She’s heartbroken. She’s convinced herself that you don’t care for her as much as you do Jean, that she’ll never be the one you truly want.”
“Look motherfucker, I didn’t come here for no marriage counseling. I just want ta know where my wife is.”
“And once you know what are you going do? You going to snatch her up, throw her over your shoulder like a caveman, and force her to go with you?”
“That thought had crossed my mind, yeah.”
“Well let me enlighten you my friend, that will only piss her off. I hear your skeleton is a great conductor for electricity, do you really want to see how conductive it is?” In reply Logan simply flashed his canines in what looked to me a sinister smile. “I didn’t think so. So you will need to seduce her, show her she’s the only woman for you.”
“You have got ta be fucking kiddin me, you’re givin me dating advice now? Look bub all I need you to do is tell me where you took ‘Ro, and after that ‘Ro and I will work it out in our own way. So are you gonna tell me willingly or am I gonna have to do what intended do when I got here…beat the shit out of you?” Forge sighed heavily as he looked at the man seated before him. He could not help thinking what it was about this man that Rory preferred over him. He thought Logan was an uncivilized, bullish, madman, and the opposite of himself. He would have never ever guessed that Ororo was into ‘bad boys’ or ‘maniacs’.
“Fine, my jet is waiting for you at the airport, and my pilots will take you to where we dropped off Rory.”
“Yer not comin?” Logan asked as he eyed Forge suspiciously.
“Ride for several hours in a small, enclosed space with you, no thank you. Don’t worry Logan it’s completely safe, I haven’t rigged it to explode,” Forge said and then mentally thought that wouldn’t have been a bad idea, but then shook off the thought. “Think of this as my way of saying I’m sorry for what happened in the Danger Room.”
“But ya aint sorry fer what ya did to me in the danger room.” Logan tossed out with a smirk.
“No, but I am very sorry that my actions hurt Rory, both mentally and emotionally. So I do this now for her, because whether she’s willing to admit it or not, she is in love with you. You make her happy Logan, happier than I…” Forge ended his words and released a deep sigh. He held out a small card to Logan. “Go get your wife Logan, here’s the address of the gate where my plane is waiting for you.” Logan snatched the card and the left. Forge remained seat and sipped at the fresh hot coffee that waitress brought him.
