Disclaimer: I do not own the X-Men, or anything from their plane of existence. I do love playing with them, though.
Italics- flashback
'Blahblah'-thought
Blahblah-telepathic communication
"Storm, give us some cover."Cyclops nodded in approval as mist rolled in, thick enough to obscure the rest of his team from view. Cyclops knew they were there, though. He had the utmost faith in them. Even Wolverine. Still, he tapped his comm open, and began role call.
"Rogue."
"Here," a light southern accent returned.
"Iceman."
"At your service, fearless leader."
"Nightcrawler."
"Ja," the German mutant was the newest member of the team. He had agreed to join up shortly after the Alkali Lake incident. With a pang, Cyclops pushed his emotions to the side. Every time he thought about that place, anger and a deep sadness swelled inside him. He couldn't risk losing himself in those emotions, especially now.
"Storm."
"I am here," came the smooth, steady voice of his second in command.
"Wolverine."
"Here."
"Alright people, we need to be quick. We get in there, get the kid, and get out. Do not engage the enemy unless it is absolutely necessary. You got that Wolverine?" Wolverine's response was mumbled, but he was sure he heard the word 'prick' in there somewhere.
"Okay. Storm, you take Rogue. The building's security system is housed on the top floor. Take it out. By any means necessary. Radio when you're done." There was a brief increase in the wind, signaling Storm's ascent to the roof. Next he addressed Wolverine, "Wolverine you and Iceman are to stay out here. You two are our backup. Once again, Wolverine, do NOT engage unless I give the go-ahead."
"I heard ya the first time, boy. Just get on with it," Logan growled.
The hairs on the back of Cyclops' neck rose. He could have sworn the other man was a lot closer than he had been when last they spoke. Shaking his head, he called to Nightcrawler.
"I am here, mein freund," the blue mutant responded almost immediately.
"You're with me. We're going in to retrieve the kid. As soon as Storm gives the okay, we'll go in. Do you remember what to do from there?"
"Ja."
With a brief nod to himself, Cyclops turned his attention to the building that loomed just ahead. After a moment, his earpiece crackled to life and Storm's voice came through, giving him the all clear.
The building was quiet, almost too quiet. A tiny voice at the back of his mind screamed to Cyclops that something wasn't right. Not being one to ignore that voice, he remained mindful of his surroundings, watching for even the slightest movement.
As he and Nightcrawler moved carefully through the building, Cyclops let his mind once again go over the mission. The team was to sneak into a top-secret government building and retrieve 14 year old Josiah McCall. Josiah had just recently come into his powers- telepathy, a few days prior. It had taken the government two days to find and apprehend the boy, calling him a danger to society. When his parents had tried to intervene, they had been executed, shot in the head.
Footsteps sounded, echoing in the wide, empty hallway. Someone was moving in their direction- fast. Cyclops held up a hand to stall Nightcrawler, then turned to confront whoever was coming. Nightcrawler moved out of his line of sight, melting into the shadows. The footsteps were closer now, though slower than before. With his hand just grazing the side of his visor, Cyclops waited in the darkness, ready to fire should the need arise.
A young guard rounded the corner, pistol raised. "S-stop where you are," his voice held a tremor, and his hand was shaking.
Cyclops dropped his hand from his visor, and took a small step forward. The young man- boy really, took a hurried step back, nearly tripping over his feet with the effort. Stopping his approach, the X-Men team leader raised his hands, palms out, to indicate that he intended no harm. "Look, I don't want any trouble," he spoke softly, calmly. "I just-"
He was interrupted by Wolverine's gruff voice in his ear, "Wolverine to Cyclops. Come in."
'Dammit!' He ignored Wolverine's call for the moment and turned his attention back to the little boy with the big gun cowering in front of him. The boy kept looking off down the hall, as if he was expecting backup to arrive at any moment. 'Dammit! Dammit!' "Look, kid, we really don't have time for this. Drop your gun, or my friend and I are going to have to take it from you."
"F-friend! W-what f-fri-"
Just then Nightcrawler stepped out of the shadows, "Me."
The boy opened and closed his mouth several times, but no sound came out. Then, with a soft, feminine scream, he fainted dead away.
"Well, I guess that's one way to do it," Cyclops sighed. "Let's get moving. There's no telling how long it will be before more guards come."
"Wolverine to Cyclops. Are you there?" Wolverine called again, sounding highly perturbed. "Look, asshole, if I have ta call ya again-"
"Cyclops here. What do you need, Wolverine?" He really wasn't in the mood to go another round with the older man.
"It's about damn time," Wolverine muttered. Then in a fuller voice he added, "Me an the popsicle ran inta a bit of trouble."
Cyclops stopped dead, Nightcrawler almost colliding with him. "What kind of trouble?"
"Ran inta a coupla guards comin' back from dinner or somethin'. We handled it, though. Just thought I should let ya know, seein' as you're the leader an' all." With that, the connection went dead.
'Everything is going straight to hell,' he thought, a grim set to his jaw. Without so much as a glance at Nightcrawler, he continued forward almost at a run. After a few moments, the two mutants came across a long hallway with what looked like cells on either side. Cyclops motioned with four fingers toward the left side of the hallway. With a nod, Nightcrawler hurried to the fourth cell on the left side. With a puff of smoke he disappeared, only to reappear a moment later with Josiah.
Cyclops barely spared the boy a glance before turning on his heel and quickly retracing his steps. The soldier he and Nightcrawler had encountered on the way in was stilled sprawled on the floor, looking more like a sleeping child than a gun-toting man. For a fleeting moment, Cyclops actually felt sympathy for him, but he didn't allow the feeling to linger. They still had to make it out of the building alive.
The sound of gunfire caused Cyclops, Nightcrawler, and Josiah to break into a dead run. Cyclops tapped open his comm, "X-Men, this is Cyclops. What's going on out there?" There was no response, so he tried again, this time calling to each person in turn. Finally he got a curt response from Wolverine. "Wolverine, what the hell is going on out there?"
"We're under attack. There are about thirty fuckers out here, came outta nowhere."
Scott could hear the sounds of a battle in the background. Heart hammering in his chest, he doubled his speed and yelled to Nightcrawler, "Can you teleport to the Blackbird from here?"
"Ja," the blue mutant sounded winded, but showed no sign of slowing down.
"Good. Go. Stay with Josiah; do not leave under any circumstances." There was no response, only the rotten-egg smell of Nightcrawler following orders.
Reaching the door, Cyclops slammed into it, forcing it open, only to have the damn thing pushed shut from the other side. With a curse he tried again. There was some resistance, but he was finally able to open it. The unconscious form of a guard lay in front of the door. He took a moment to seek out his comrades. Wolverine stood over one guard who sat sniveling on the ground, no doubt begging for his life. Rogue and Iceman fought side by side, the seemingly ineffective young woman proving she was anything but as she landed a jaw shattering punch. Storm floated in the air, using her winds to pummel anyone foolish enough to come after her.
Satisfied that his team was holding their own, Cyclops joined the fight in earnest. He opened his comm, shouting to the others, "The extraction was successful. The target is aboard the Blackbird, as soon as you're able, make your way there."
After a few moments, the battle was won. Each X-Man was on his way back to the jet, when out of nowhere a gunshot sounded. Cyclops whirled, hand at his visor. His eyes locked on a lone gunman trying, in vain, to hide amidst the chaos. With a low concussion blast, Cyclops fired, effectively removing the threat. "Everybody alright?" he asked, looking at each member of his team.
Rogue was on the ground, Iceman covering her. He jumped up, pulling his girlfriend with him, and proceeded to check her over for any injuries. She smacked his hands away, and turned to face Cyclops, "Ah'm fahne. We both are."
"Fuck," Wolverine whispered. He pushed past Cyclops, dropping to his knees beside a still form. He lifted his teammate into his arms and ran for the Blackbird.
"No," Rogue choked, turning her face into Bobby's shoulder.
Scott couldn't speak. His heart had stopped cold. This couldn't be happening again.
'Ro?'
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"'Ro!"
Scott awoke with a gasp. It took him a moment to realize where he was. The Med-Lab was disturbingly quiet; the only sound coming from the machines that were currently keeping his best friend alive. He studied her peaceful face for a moment before letting his eyes travel down to her stomach. She was covered in an ordinary white blanket, but beneath it he knew there was a white bandage keeping her insides where they belonged.
Hank had told him that, had she been hit just a half an inch to the left, she wouldn've been gone on the spot. Like Jean. With a grunt, he pushed thoughts of his fiancée from his mind, and devoted his thoughts to his best friend. Sighing, he took her hand
"Everyone around here seems to think that you're in a coma. I keep telling them that you aren't, that this is just your way of getting out of your Danger Room sessions. It's just like you, ya know. Laying here looking like a sleeping angel, while the rest of us fuss over you. You're probably really enjoying this, aren't you- laughing at us idiots. So, come on 'Ro, prove me right. Open those beautiful baby-blues." He fell into silence, eyes trained on her face, looking for the slightest sign that she was coming around.
"C'mon, gorgeous, don't make me face the others and have to tell them that I was wrong. You know how much I hate looking like an idiot."
Silence filled the room once again as he tore his eyes away from her face. He had read someplace that when a person was in a coma, they could hear what those around them were saying. That was the reason he had come down to the Med-Lab in the first place- so that Ororo would know that she wasn't alone, that there was someone in the room that loved her. At the moment, however, he was at a loss as to what to say.
"I know I haven't been much of a friend lately – not since J… since Alkali Lake. There is no excuse for that. I'm sorry." With a chuckle he added, "I can hear you now, yelling at me for apologizing. Telling me that Jean was the love of my life, that I had every right to mourn her. I wasn't the only one that loved her, though. You did. She was your best friend – your sister. I should have been there for you, the way you were for me. I just…" With a shake of his head, Scott took a deep breath. "I won't make any excuses. I'll just say I'm sorry and leave it at that."
He fell into silence once again, his mind travelling back to the first day he met her. She had been the most beautiful creature he had ever come across. It was love at first sight for him. A love that never went away, despite his relationship with Jean. Ororo Munroe had been Scott's first love, his first…everything. One doesn't just get over that, especially not when you see that person everyday.
Over time though, the love he felt for her changed from romantic love to something deeper, more profound. She was the only person he could talk to about anything, even things he couldn't discuss with Jean, or even the professor. Jean had possessed his heart, but his soul belonged to Ororo.
A/N: Recently I became very interested in the friendship between Scott and Ororo. I think this is one of the most under-rated relationships in fandom, and I wanted to give it my own spin. I wrote this as a movieverse fic mainly because the pasts of the X-Men weren't really expounded upon in either of the movies, meaning I can take the characters and do with them as I please. Hey, if Movie Storm can have brown eyes, then it is possible that Scott is a pre-op transsexual (Just kidding!) Please R/R. Feel free to flame me, I can handle it. FYI- Storm has blue eyes in this one. I just can't picture her any other way.