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Her feet pounded against the ground, her breath coming in even pants. She raced across the uneven terrain behind the estate surefooted, enjoying the burn of her muscles., the feel of the wind in her hair, the smell of the forest all around her. Not nearly as exhilarating as flying, but exciting none the less. She jumped over a fallen tree branch, not losing her stride.
Wolverine watched her silently from the shadows. He watched her muscles bunch and flex, gleaming with a fine sheen of perspiration, watched her bare feet maneuver along the ground flawlessly, watched her hair jostle loose from the pony tail high on her head, several sweat dampened strands clinging to her face, watched her push herself past the point of normal human endurance and then keep pushing. She’d done this every day for the past month, running through the woods. He knew she was unaware of him or she would have stopped long ago, but she hadn’t, she kept running. Running like her life depended on it, and he had the feeling more than likely at some point it had.
She stopped now, hands on her thighs, sweat dripping from her chin. She must be exhausted, he knew. She had been running since dawn and the sun was now directly overhead. He growled when he noticed her take a deep breath and start again. Was she trying to kill herself?
“’Ro.” he growled, dropping from the tree he had been sitting in.
Storm faltered, whipping her head around, eyes narrowing. “Wolverine.”
“Ya gotta stop, darlin’.” He walked towards her slowly.
“How long have you been spying on me?” She crossed her arms, her chest rising and falling with her staggered breathing.
“Long enough ta know yer gonna drop if ya don’t stop.”
Ororo raised one eyebrow. “This,” she indicated the forest, “is relaxing for me, Wolverine. It is nice to be able to run without a swarm of demons breathing down my neck.”
Wolverine leaned against the tree. “That bad?” He had wanted to ask her about it a hundred times, but she had managed to avoid him completely most days and when she couldn’t Gumbo was always with her. Except when she ran.
Ororo gave an indelicate snort. “It was Hell, Wolverine. It does not get much worse than that.”
“No, I suppose not.”
Storm looked over her shoulder towards the lake, her destination. “If you are finished with me, Wolverine, I would like to complete my run.”
“I’m a long way from finished with ya, ‘Ro.”
Storm turned and ran. No demons chasing her this time, just the haunted gaze of the man she loved. She reached the lakes edge in no time, leaping from the grass and flipping high in the air, diving into the cool water.
Ororo dove deep, her hands skimming the bottom before shooting to the surface. She threw her head back, spraying a silver arc of water as she did. She flipped onto her back, eyes closed, floating in the crystalline water, humming.
From the shadows of the forest Wolverine watched her, unwilling to let her out of his sight now that she had spoken to him. Briefly, yes, but she had spoken to him. It was a start.
He could hear her melodic humming and felt his heart hitch. He recognized the tune as an old lullaby her mother had taught her, and one that she had occasionally hummed to him when his nightmares would wake him in the middle of the night. She would wrap her arms around him, cradling him close, saying “Come here, my love, I will keep the nightmares away. Sleep now.” And she would stroke his hair and hum to him until his eyelids drooped and he slept, the nightmares banished by her love.
He knew what that song meant to her, and he knew that she was finally beginning to heal, her heart mending. Without him. Wolverine gave the swimming figure one last lingering look before walking away.

“Why how lovely of you to join us, Storm. I was just telling Viper here how much I wanted to speak with you, and officially welcome you back to the team.”
“I can just imagine, Emma.” Ororo said opening the refrigerator and pulling out a jar of apple juice. She popped the cap off with a vicious twist sending Emma a look that said she wished it was the blonde’s head.
Since her return Storm had noticed how invasive the former White Queen was, putting moves on Scott when Jean wasn’t around, manipulating the students. Under Emma’s guidance the dream had changed. No longer was it about mutant acceptance and living in peace with the humans, it was about mutant preference, protecting mutants, including, at times, those that did not deserve the protection of the X-Men.
“Now, Ororo, I know we’ve had our differences, but I am as much an X-Man as you now. Let’s be friends.”
Ororo turned away from the two former Hellfire Club members. “I would sooner gargle glass than have any type of conversation with you two snakes. And you are no X-Man.”
Viper flicked open a switchblade, chucking it at Storm. As nonchalantly as if she were swatting a fly Ororo turned, and snatched the flipping blade from the air. “Callisto tried that once. I would be happy to demonstrate the fate of such an action, Viper.”
“Ororo. Viper. Play nice,” Emma drawled. She crossed her bare legs, her white skirt riding dangerously high.
Storm tossed the blade with a careless flick of her wrist, the point sinking into the wood of Viper’s chair between her knees. “My name is Storm, Emma. You will address me as such.”
“Is everything all right?” Gambit asked, walking through the kitchen’s swinging doors. His gaze immediately rested on Storm.
“Absolutely, darling. Storm was simply reminding me of her name, lest I forget.” Emma smiled sickeningly sweet.
Gambit glanced over at Storm who was glaring at Emma.
“I could use some air. I think I will go find Jean and see if she will walk with me. You remember her, Emma?” Ororo asked. “Scott’s wife.”
“Not that she deserves him,” Emma said nastily. “No more than you deserve--”
“Enough, Emma,” Gambit snapped.
“Oh, pooh. What is it with you men always having to play white knight to damsels in distress.”
Storm finished her juice, tossing the bottle into the recycling bin. She smiled at Emma. “I can handle myself just fine, Frost. Come play with me any time you like.” With that she strode out of the kitchen, snarling at Viper as she went. It would be a cold day in hell before either of these women got the better of her. Ororo smirked, because she knew how unlikely a cold day in hell actually was.
“Jean!!” Storm voice rang through the halls. “Jean Grey, get your skinny butt down here!”
Jean poked her head around the corner of the hallway wall. “Huh?”
Ororo walked up the steps, saying, “I do not believe this. What has happened to this place? Emma Frost and Viper are X-Men!”
“No. Yes. Sort of.“ Jean shook her head laughing softly. “The team split awhile ago. Charles making Emma Co-leader of the school, if you can believe that, before he left.”
“How horrible for you.” Ororo hugged her friend.
Jean smiled. “Well, not all that horrible.”
Ororo raised an eyebrow. “What’s going on?”
“Promise not to go all Momma ‘Ro on me?”
Storm shook her head. “No promises.”
“Pregnant.” She patted her still flat belly.
Ororo sat down. “Oh my!”
Jean nodded. “Weird, I know. Scott’s so different now. He makes me laugh. There was a long period of time when I didn’t laugh, and he helped me through it.” She sat beside Ororo on the step. “I’m actually really happy now... I don’t need to be engrossed in all things X. Scott hates having to work with that little tramp.” Jean smiled, but there was bitterness there.
“What happened,” Ororo asked.
“Scott is and always will be the greatest love of my life. But we went through a phase where we wanted too many different things, and sometimes people just drift apart, not able to find their way back to each other. Love just isn’t enough. Sad but true. It was during a particularly bad rift that Scott and Emma had an affair.”
“Scott slept with Emma?” Ororo was incredulous.
“More of a mind-fuck, but yeah.” Jean shrugged.
Ororo swore her jaw hit the floor.
“I know.” Jean said shaking her head. “But we worked through it and are stronger for it.”
“I can not believe this is the first I have heard of this.”
“You have had other things on your mind, Ororo.” Jean said.
Ororo looked away guiltily.
“Oh, hey, don’t do that. You are not responsible for everyone else’s problems, Storm. You and Logan have your own situation to deal with.”
“Not much to deal with. He is married. Married. Married. Married.”
Jean smiled. “That helping?“
“No.” Ororo laughed a bit.
“Well, if it is any consolation he can’t stand Viper. Not to mention he is still hopelessly in love with you.”
Ororo closed her eyes. “I still can not believe he married her.”
“Storm, he honestly believed you were dead.”
“How could he not feel me?” Storm sat forward her elbows on her knees, head cradled in her hands, staring at her feet. “I felt him, every day.”
Jean grimaced. “You can blame the Professor and me for that.”
Ororo looked at Jean confused. “Why?”
“Logan became unwell about three weeks after you die-left. It got to the point we feared for his life. The only way we could help him was to subtly nudge him into accepting you were gone.”
Storm inhaled sharply. She was not angry at her friend or Xavier, certain they had done what they felt was necessary to save Logan. What bothered her was that she had refused to see his pain until now, solely absorbed in her own. He had told her his reasons for marrying Viper, he had proclaimed her as his one true love, why was she wasting time on old hurt when they could be finding their way back to each other?
Jean smiled encouragingly, having sensed Ororo’s thoughts. “Go. He’s in the garage.”


“Busy?”
Logan jerked upright, his head cracking against the hood of the Mustang he was tinkering with.
“Sorry.” Ororo smiled slightly walking over to him.
Logan wiped his hands on a rag in his pocket, his chest muscles flexing beneath the white cotton of his shirt. “Uh, no. I always got time fer ya, Storm.”
She took a step closer. “’Ro.” She placed her hand over his thundering heart. “My name is ‘Ro.”
Logan’s throat worked reflexively, his breathing labored. “Ro.” He said, voice husky.
“Better.” she smiled.
Logan didn’t dare move. He closed his eyes whispering, “Don’t wake up, Don’t wake up…”
Ororo’s warm laughter tickled his ear as she leaned into him. “You are not sleeping, my love.”
Logan’s eyes flew open. Without a word he pulled her to him, one arm wrapped around her back, his other hand cradling her face. “’Ro.” He lowered his head, waiting for her to pull away, but instead her arms wrapped around his neck, her body pressing closer to his.
“I love you, Logan.” Ororo breathed against his warm lips.
There it goes again, he thought as his heart stopped. “I love ya, darlin’. So much.”
Sapphire eyes sparkled up at him. “Show me.”

Down in the boat house Rogue lay across a newly returned Gambits lap, watching an old home movie of the X-Men early days, eating freshly microwaved popcorn, when a clap of thunder shook the ground. She sat up, looking out the window, worry on her face. “Should we go check?”
Remy watched the rain begin to fall and smiled. “Naw. Stormy be just fine, chere. Trust me.” He had seen Logan carrying Ororo from the garage on his walk back to the boathouse.

The Loft

Logan lowered Ororo to the bed gently, his eyes never leaving hers. She smiled up at him with tenderness and love. “Logan, my night sky.”
He settled himself next to her, not wanting to rush, holding her to him like she was the most fragile thing in the world. “Not that I’m one ta look a gift horse in the mouth, but why the change of heart?”
Ororo smiled tenderly. “That, my love, has never changed.” Was all she answered, pulling his head down to hers for a lingering kiss.
He parted her lips with his tongue, tasting her sweet essence. He rolled towards her, smearing grease along the white fabric of her bed. “Damn.”

She open lazy eyes. “What?”
“I’m making a mess of yer bed.”
Ororo shrugged. “That does not matter.”
Logan groaned. Yes it did matter. He wanted it to be perfect for her. “Wait right here,” he said, getting up. “Don’t move!” He backed out of her room, watching her carefully, his head peeking back around the corner a fraction of a second later, double checking.
Ororo laughed. “Go. Hurry.” When he was out of sight she sighed happily. This was right, to hell with -- “Viper!” Ororo sat up, the other woman on her balcony.
“Goodnight, Storm.”
Ororo barely registered the feeling of the dart as it entered her flesh, her eyes drifting shut. “Log…”
“Got her.” Viper said into her vest.





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