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Xavier Institute
Westchester, New York
Danger Room


Ororo chewed her lower lip pensively from the Danger Room control turret. She had been in the small room for a little over an hour, designing a new training program for her team. She looked at Beast and asked, “Can we have the lasers on a rotation?”
Hank McCoy smiled. “Storm, anything you want this room can provide.”
Storm sighed. If only that were true. Her mind wandered back to Wolverine and their conversation from the night before. She hadn’t seen him all day and wondered if he had in fact left. She would know soon enough, as the Black team was scheduled for a DR session in thirty minutes.
“Good.” Storm said, returning her mind to the present. “I also need rapid fire rounds from here.” She pointed to a roughly sketched diagram laid on the console. “And here.”
“Pushing them a little hard, aren’t you?” Hank asked, submitting her request into the computer mainframe.
Storm shook her head causing her white pony tail to sway. “We had our collective asses handed to us the other day Beast, I’d rather push them here than have them taken unprepared in the field again.”
“Understandable,” he murmured. He gave her an appraising glance, noticing that his stomach still fluttered when she was near, but since he knew his heart belonged to Cecilia he was comfortable looking at Storm. She was very pleasing to look at, after all. “And if you would be so kind as to address me as Hank, I would be most appreciative.”
Ororo smiled. “Hank it is, then.”
Hank was momentarily blinded by her smile. Damn, but she was pretty.
“Thank you.” Ororo was looking at her diagram again but one corner of her mouth was quirked.
“I am to assume I said that out loud?” Hank asked embarrassed.
Ororo nodded, but didn’t say anything else, instead focused on her plans and Hank got the distinct impression Storm was uncomfortable being admired.
“How are you feeling?” He asked, changing topics and adjusting some of the settings on the console to Storm’s specifications.
“Well enough.” she said. “Warren worked a little of his Angel magic and I’m nearly as good as new. Thanks for asking.”
The Danger Room doors slid open, cutting off further conversation and Ororo lifted her head watching silently as her team entered the lower portion of the Danger Room. Alison with Gambit, talking expressively, followed by Kurt and Kitty. Storm watched the sealed doors for another moment and felt her chest tighten. One of her core team was not there. Had he really left?
After another minute of watching the closed doors she sighed softly. She had hoped to get through to him the other night, but apparently her words had fallen on deaf ears. With a few clicks and a button push Ororo gave Hank the instructions to set up a training sequence to begin on her command, and went to join her team.
“Dere you be, chere.” Gambit greeted warmly as she stepped through the sliding metallic doors.
“Good afternoon,” she returned. “I hope you all had a restful morning because we’ve got a lot of ground to cover today and I want to get started.”
“Sure you should be training with us?” Alison asked, a concerned frown on her face.
“I assure you, I’m fine.” Storm stretched her arms over her head. “I suggest you warm up, we begin in ten so stretch and be ready to work.” She bent touching the floor.
“Slave driver,” Gambit muttered, and began a series of Yoga stretches.
A low hiss indicated another arrival and Ororo straightened from her bowed position and looked over her shoulder to find Wolverine giving her backside a thorough once over. She blushed profusely. “You are late,” she said in her best leader voice.
“I’m here ain’t I?”
Storm nodded, accepting that for what it was. He wasn’t leaving. Why then was her heart pounding so damn hard? “Okay, team, let’s go over the basics of today’s exercise.”
Each member of the Black team looked at her intensely, each of them feeling the sting of humiliation and defeat from the other day. Storm knew that look because she had seen it only that morning as she had stared at her face in the mirror after her shower.
Storm paced in front of her team. “The exercise is simple. Get from here,” she tapped her toe on the ground. “To there.” She pointed to the far wall.
“Are you serious?” Kitty asked a bit surprised.
*BAMF* From the far wall. “Done.”
“Ha. Ha. Kurt, get back here and let me finish,” Storm said. “For this exercise, I want you to refrain from using your abilities.”
“Excuse me?” Alison said, her pierced eyebrows raised. “But isn’t the point of the Danger Room to exercise our powers?”
Storm nodded. “And we will be using them, but for now I want to see how well you -- we--perform without the cushion of our powers.”
Her team nodded and she was pleased with their easy acceptance of her idea. A few minutes later, Wolverine touched the far wall, having barely broken a sweat. He watched as the other members of the Black team struggled with a number of cyber-droids. The team’s hand to hand could use vast improvement he noted. He also noticed that Gambit and Storm worked remarkably well together. As if to punctuate that observation a droid swung a spinning saw arm at Storm, who placed her hands behind her head, allowing Gambit to grab her upper arms and flip her over his back, her booted feet connecting with a solid thwack with the droids head. However, the victory was short lived as a metal hand clubbed her upside the head, sending her down. She was up a moment later and Wolverine felt a stirring inside. She was a fighter.
He turned his attention to the rest of the team. Kitty was having a hell of a time, Wolverine saw, and as he watched one of the droids pinned her down with a laser, stunning her. Kurt was maintaining a decent defense. There was no aggression in the other man, however, and defense was not moving him any closer to the goal. Alison was tough cookie, he knew, and was proving it as she forged ahead, elbowing her way through several robotic enemies, but as she made her way to the center of the room, the rapid fire paint balls took her out, splattering her uniform bright red.
After a few more minutes of fighting Gambit reached the wall. He glanced at Wolverine almost nonchalantly, then without warning slammed a charged card into the other mans chest. It exploded on contact sending Wolverine soaring through the air.
“End program!” Storm cried, watching in horror as Wolverine fell back, body smoldering. “Gambit! What did you do?!?” She raced towards them, shoving him aside.
“Gumbo!” Wolverine snarled, immediately back on his feet, his uniform blown open, the flesh underneath blackened, but healing. -SNIKT-
“Wolverine, stand down!” Storm said.
Wolverine stalked forward towards Gambit, who looked only too eager to fight. “He started it, Storm, I’m just gonna finish it fer him.”
Storm stood between them. “I said stand down!”
Wolverine growled.
Storms eyes flashed, snips of lightening escaping the white orbs, the ends of her ponytail raising. “Stand down.”
Gambit smirked. “S’okay, Stormy. Gambit wanna play wit’ da Wolverine.”
Storm turned on him, sending him an icy glare. “Gambit, shut up.” She turned back to Wolverine saying, “I know he deserves it, but I won’t have my team act like a bunch of lunatic children. Stop.”
Wolverine retracted. “Yer the boss.”
Storm blinked, surprised by how easy that was. “Uh, thanks.”
Wolverine gave her a cock-sure smile. “I figure the least I can do fer ya is leave ya yer pet.”
Storm frowned. “Well, I do appreciate you not carving your initials into Gambit’s backside.” She smiled at him, then turned to Gambit. “Gambit, what on earth were you thinking?”
“Dat no one ‘urts my Stormy and gets away wit’ it.” He answered bluntly. His answer didn’t anger Wolverine and despite the still stinging wounds on his chest he felt a grudging respect for the other man.
“Wolverine didn’t hurt me, Gambit. I threw myself in front of him.”
“Why?” This came from Kitty, who was warily watching the confrontation. “I mean, no offense or nothing, but he was a raging loon.”
Storm shrugged, unnerved by how still Wolverine had gotten, his dark eyes watching her closely. “Because he’s my friend, and I don’t have many to spare.”
Alison smirked at that. “You have us.”
Storm nodded. “And I would fight for each and every one of you. We are a team, and in my book that makes us family.” She looked at Gambit. “And family is forever.”
Each person nodded solemnly, moved to have their leader so obviously devoted to them.
“Now, back to the session. Seeing as to how we ended up I’d say we obviously need work. All of us.”
“Hey, I reached the wall just fine,” Wolverine stated removing his tattered top. For a minute Ororo’s breath stayed trapped in her chest. Goddess than man was a magnificent creature to behold. Sinew an muscles flexed and contracted along his back and arms as he moved and her mouth went dry. He looked over at her, his eyes darkening and she got the marked impression he could sense her desire. She quickly stomped on it, immediately packing it away where she tucked all of her emotions.
“I know, Wolverine, that you are an outstanding fighter, but your team was struggling, and you should have helped those that you could. I won’t have loners on my squad. It’s all or its none.”
Wolverine’s eyes narrowed. “I ain’t much fer teams.”
“I know, and I appreciate what a sacrifice you are making gracing us newbies with your cheery presence, but teamwork will always be an important factor for us. The decision is yours, Wolverine. Stay on Black or go solo, I won’t force you. I do believe this team needs you and would benefit from your experience. I just so happen to think a dangerously unpredictable Canadian mutant with claws, complete with a vast array of fighting styles and Japanese influence is just what this team needs to round us off.”
“Wolverine’s French?” Gambit cursed.
“Canadian, Bub.”
Alison laughed. “We’ve got a Cajun, a German, an African, a Canadian and two Yanks. What a team!”
“I think we have a hell of a team,” Kitty added.
“I agree,” said Kurt, his arm draped over Kitty’s shoulder.
Storm nodded. “We do.” She looked at Wolverine. “In or out?”
Wolverine gave her a feral grin. “Most definitely in.”
Ororo’s heart stuttered and she knew he was referring to far more than being on X-Men Black. “Good.” She said. She looked at Gambit. “I’ll not have my team fighting each other.”
Gambit frowned, but knew she was serious. This meant a lot to Storm and if it mattered to her, then it mattered to him. “Sorry, chere.” He held his hand out to Wolverine. “No ‘ard feelings, henh?”
Wolverine clasped the other man’s hand in a firm grip. “Not at all, Gumbo.”
“Okay, now what?” Alison asked when the men broke apart.
“Now, we take some time to relax.” Storm smiled. “I want my team to work hard, but for the effort we play hard too.”
That received several smiles. “Who’s up for Harry’s?” Kitty asked happily.
“Count me in!” Alison said with a hearty laugh. “I could use a beer.”
“And me,” Gambit added with a wink.
“Definitely,” Ororo nodded.
Wolverine smirked. “Babes and beer, my two favorite things. I’m in.”
*Sorry to interrupt your session Storm, but could I see you in my office please.*
*On my way.* She looked at her team. “Let’s get cleaned up and meet in the lobby around seven.”
“All right.” Kitty smiled. She pulled away from Kurt and hugged Ororo unexpectedly. “Thank you,” she said.
“Um, sure.” Ororo looked baffled and Kitty’s smile broadened. Her and Kurt disappeared with a *BAMF*.
“Whatchya gonna wear tonight, chere?” Gambit was asking Ali as they left the room, his tone flirtatious and Storm smiled. She liked Alison, and apparently so did Gambit.
“Where you off to?” Wolverine asked her after a minute.
Storm shrugged, looking anywhere but at him, doing her best not to acknowledge that they were alone in the Danger Room. “Xavier wants to meet with me.”
“Hnh.”
“I assume it’s about the mission, but I don’t really know,” she continued. If she kept talking maybe he wouldn’t notice how her heart had sped up, or how her breathing was shallow. “It could be any-” she turned, walking straight into his broad chest. Damn, the man was sneaky.
Wolverine’s mouth claimed hers heatedly before another word could pass her sultry lips. He pressed her back against the gray wall, his hands cupping her face, his lips tender and demanding at the same time.
Once again Ororo felt her fingers twitch with the urge to caress his bare flesh. Bright Lady, but he tasted so good, she thought as his warm tongue crept past her lips, drinking from her, capturing her breathless cry of pleasure. Unwittingly her hips arched off the wall, pressing into him.
Logan groaned, a deep rumbling sound that made her toes curl. His arms closed around her, pulling her against him, his hot mouth trailing a wake of destruction across her cheek to her ear, where he whispered in that devil voice of his, “I want ya so much.” He rubbed himself against her, moving in slow undulations, letting her feel his arousal.
“Logan,” she sighed, head tilted back, eyes closed, clutching his shoulders.
“Aw, hell, I love the way you say my name.” His mouth took hers once again, this time much more demanding, his teeth capturing her full bottom lip, sucking it into his mouth.
Ororo moaned, loving the way he made her feel, the way she wanted to spread her legs, and pull him closer to her. An unfamiliar ache throbbed in her center and Ororo tensed. Oh, Goddess, she couldn’t…His tongue teased her lip, and Ororo lost the will to fight him, instead pressing herself closer, wrapping her arms around his neck, kissing him back.
Wolverine noticed the change and he growled in pleasure. She wanted him. He ran one large hand along her spine, cupping her ass, lifting her into his surging hips. Ororo cried out in surprise when he pressed his hand to her hot center through her uniform, his blunt fingers rubbing her through the material. “Spread yer legs, darlin’.” he said huskily.
Mindlessly Ororo obeyed, gasping when he cupped her in his hand, his thumb teasing her making her entire body throb.
*Storm!*
Ororo’s head jerked up, catching Wolverine in the nose. “Ughn.” He pulled back, blood splattering his bare chest.
“Sorry,” she said, panting slightly. She moved away from him. “I’m late for my meeting.”
Logan caught her arm. “This ain’t over,” he promised, his eyes glinting like hard steel.
Ororo looked away, swallowing hard. “It will never be.” She shook his hand off, stepping through the sliding doors, then despite her calm façade, ran through the corridors at breakneck speed, needing to get away from him before she turned around and threw herself back into his arms. She hated him for making her feel these things, and loved him for the same.
Outside Xavier’s office she took a deep breath and cleared her mind. Time to see what the Professor needed of her. She opened the door and her jaw nearly hit the floor.
“Good afternoon, Storm. I believe you know our guest.”
“Hello again, Mystery.”





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