disclaimer: The characters belong to Marvel. No money is made by my portrayal of them.

Comfort
by Dizi

They had been friends for years, and lovers for almost as long. They weren't in love, neither deluded themselves. They took comfort with each other when either needed it. Usually it was her and she knew it. He was not a handsome man nor a gentle one in many ways, but he did not have problems finding companionship when he wanted it. Not that he really looked for more than sex usually, but if he wanted it he could find it.

She on the other hand was more discriminating. Even if you could trust someone with your life daily, you did not always feel you could trust them with the most intimate of acts. He was differnt though. No matter how gruff - okay, bitchy at times - he could get, you knew you could trust him.

They didn't share a bed nightly. They both liked their own space, but since that first night after Thunderbird died and they comforted each other, both knew they could go to each other when there was need. Again, usually her need but there were the rare times when he came to her.

They had always used his room. Somehow it had always been that way. She could always just knock on his door and he would know. He wasn't always gentle, but he never hurt her and always seemed to know when she needed the soft touches or the wildness that was part of him.

They weren't in love. He had almost married someone else and had serious relationships. She had also, and had what she thought would be more... No, best to leave that alone.

When she had been raped, he had taken her to his room and shown her that she could still be strong and whole. When he had grieved for Jean, she had tried to show him life could move on... both times... When Kitty went away, they - who both loved her - comforted each other. So much between them...

But now, he was different somehow. He had Jubilee, and the child shown him something that she had always known was there, but he was just realizing. He truly cared about the child.

He had always liked his privacy, but allowed her to run in and out of his room like it was her own. His santuary had become her playground. It was so sweet... so cute... so frustrating. She couldn't get him alone. The child always seemed to be there.

Granted, it was wonderful that they had bonded. But she herself could not really see why. The girl was loud, both in style and volume. She was rude. She never sat still. She was always in the way. Kitten had known her place, and her boundaries, and respected them. This girl did not acknowledge what boundaries were, and seemed to respect nothing. She tried to like her, but found it very difficult.

And now he wanted to talk to her about the child. 'Goddess, how will I keep from telling him what I really think about her?'

She didn't have to.

"Storm, I need yer help. I know ya don't like the kid, but I need ya to promise if anything happens to me ya'll look after her."

"Logan, I am sure Jean would..."

"Yeah, yeah, Jeannie and the others would keep an eye out, and would take care a 'er, I know. But I want ya ta keep a special eye out if I'm gone. I think ya would give her more freedom ta be herself while still teachin 'er what it means to be X-men... and a woman. I can't do that 'un, and I think Jean would be too smotherin'. She don't want a mother but needs a woman she can look up to."

"Logan, I am flattered you think I would be good for the child, but I don't see how we could identify with each other. We are nothing alike..."

Wolverine laughed. "'Ro, yer more alike than ya think. Maybe more than ya wanna be. Ya both lost yer parents and were on yer own. Ya both hadda steal and scrape ta get by. Ya just dealt with it different. Ya both more powerful than ya wanna be, ya both got yer own ways. But iffin ya look beyond the big mouth she's got, ya'll see that ya both got big and strong hearts, an' neither a ya'll give up, not on a person or nothing."

She was quiet for a long moment. "I don't know what to say. When you say it that way she sounds wonderful. But I just have doubts about us getting along."

"Jist pay attention ta the kid fer a while and see if ya don't start warmin' up ta her. I ain't saying she should be the kid ya always wanted, but that ya look after her iffin I ain't around. Ya know what it's like bein us, and I wanna know she'll have someone to look out for her. Even if ya don't exactly take to each other, you'd still do right by 'er."

"I... I'll keep an open eye and mind for a few days and we'll see. But that is all I will promise at this time."

"It's a deal, darlin'. Just remember, somethin else ya got in common is that neither of ya would give up on me. So now I got faith in ya both ta see in each other what I do."

She did look. She saw the child go running to get Logan a beer when he came in in the evening. She saw her bored out of mind by Beast, but still listening. She saw the way she took to Bobby and found a friend, which they both needed. She saw the way she left the living room to Rogue and Gambit so they could be alone, and Scott and Jean in the kitchen.

Jubilee did all these things with a smart remark, but she did them with a good heart. She mouthed off about helping with the chores, but did a good job and didn't sneak off to do whatever she wanted. She went rollerblading, but always made sure someone knew where she was going. When, while again roller blading, she fell and knocked over one of the planters on the patio, instead of getting cleaned up and bandaging up her skinned legs (the child did put safety first and wore knee and elbow pads but with those shorts still got her left leg scraped up) she brought the plant to her to be tended, since she didn't know how to care for it.

Orroro saw all these things and her heart warmed to the girl, but she still did not feel a connection to her that she felt she needed to make a commitment. Or did she? He only wanted to have the girl looked after, not become a commitment. Which she did not feel she could give. Kitty would always have that special place in her heart. But maybe they could become friends of a sort. Jubilee got along well with everyone else. Rogue, Gambit, Beast, Bobby, Bishop, Betsy... well, not so much with Scott, Warren and Charles. But that was somewhat understandable. She would feel disloyal to Wolverine if she did. It was not as though they did not get along. They just were not as close as the others.

She also saw the way the child pulled away from Jean when she was maternal towards her. The girl had made a comment about how she'd had a mother and she'd looked nothing like Jean. Well, she would not have looked like her mother either.

But Logan did not want a mother for the girl but an adult woman in her life. Perhaps...

She went looking for Logan.

It was late and at the last minute, she decided to look in on Jubilee on her way to Logan's room. She drew a deep breathe when she saw the room was empty.

Quickly, she went on to Logan's room. After softly knocking and getting no answer, she opened the door. Logan had awakened and lifted his head putting a finger to his lips. As she walked in she saw the rug which was new to the room. She had almost missed it, as there was a pile of blankets on it. She took a closer look and saw it was Jubilee laying on the floor beside Logan's bed.

Wolverine carefully got out of bed without stepping on her and took Orroro's hand, as he pulled her into the hallway. "Let's go outside darlin', so's I can have me a smoke."

She did not say anything until they were settled on a bench outside, the cigar in his mouth. "Logan, should she not be in her own room? I know you are close, but she is sleeping on your floor."

"Yeah, hadda get the damn rug so she wouldn't sleep on the bare floor. She don't do it every night but sometimes she gets scared and comes to my room. Jist lays herself on the floor. Started keepin' a spare blanket for 'er, so her teeth don't start chatterin an' wake me up. She puts up a good front, but she's still a kid, 'Ro, and this place's still pretty new. And ya gotta admit, everyone here can be overwhelmin'."

She laid a gentle hand on his arm and touched his face. "Is that why you have not let me in since we have been back?"

"Well, that and it's damn embarrassin'. Most time, I don't even realize when she comes in no more. Just drop the blanket on the floor an' role on over an' continue on sleepin'." He said gruffly.

"She seems like she takes everything in stride. Its hard to believe that she would be scared."

"Maybe, scared is the wrong word. Doesn't do it as much anymore. Been a whole week 'fore tonight."

"So, she is starting to feel more secure here."

"Guess so."

"Logan... I still am unsure but... I will try. That is all I can promise."

"Thanks, 'Ro, means alot ta me."

The next week she recieved a letter from Kitty, and though it was friendly and cheerful, it made her heart sad. She missed her. She felt very much alone, and over the next two days it built to a depression, and she needed to simply not feel alone anymore.

So she went to him, as she always had. When she knocked on his door, he let her in, and they did not make love, but he held her in his arms and took the bad feelings away. Eventually, she feel asleep that way, in his arms. She woke briefly when the door opened and he shifted to drop the blanket on the floor.

The next morning the blanket was neatly folded at the foot of the bed and she was alone. She went to her own room, and took care of her plants as she usually did every morning.

There was a knock on her door, and without looking she said "Come in."

It was Jubilee. "Uh... hi."

Still without looking up, "Good morning, Jubilation."

"Uhm... Okay, I gotta know. I'm sorry if it embarrasses you but... Are you, like, in love with him?"

She stopped and looked at the girl, who looked quite embarrassed herself. "No, I am not in love with him. But I do care deeply for him."

"So... you sleep with him because you... care deeply for him?"

"Not exactly. He allows me to be with him when I need... comforting. Somewhat the same way he allows you to sleep on his floor."

"Oh." she paused "So... uh, you know about that..."

"I won't tell anyone if you don't want me to."

"Umm... thanks, its not that I am ashamed or anything, ya know, but I, like, don't want anyone feelin' sorry for me. Ya know?"

"Perfectly." She went back to her plants.

"So, um... would you like to go to the mall? Wolvie won't go with me, cause he said he's tired of chasin' me round the place. We don't have to buy anything, can just, like, windowshop and stuff."

Storm smiled at her. She had thought it would be harder than this, with this child-woman with the loud mouth and wild independent ways. But maybe things didn't have to be...

"I would love to go with you. After breakfast. And perhaps we will find something to buy."

"Great! There's this shop with this electric blue and pink striped shirt that would look great on you. And what is the mall without chilli-cheese fries, right? ..."

'Bright Goddess, what have I gotten myself into?'

end

note:
Okay, this my first story on this site, is now FIXED. This is the way it pretty much should have looked the first time, but I did not understand how the download manager worked. Please tell me what you think of it, be honest.
(Previously I had a note explaining the mentioned rape. Let mejust say Ido not believe the sort of people the X-men deal regularly basis would NOT have done more to a woman as beautiful as Storm. And how many times has Jean died now?)

Thanks for reading,
Dizi