Chapter Two

An: Sorry for the delay, and for some overlooked grammatical and spelling mistakes. Any whoo...enjoy =)

"Happy Birthday, Ororo!"

The wind rider blushed happily as she sat in a comfortable plush black and red leather booth surrounded by her closest friends. On her immediate right was Logan, Anna and Remy, and sitting to her left was her best friend Jean and her husband Scott. They were sitting inside an Italian restaurant called "Antonio's" where they were enjoying a celebratory birthday dinner in her honor.

After thanking her friends for their kind birthday wishes, the waitress came over and took their order. Once she had disappeared, small yet comfortable conversation was being made between Scott, Jean and Anna. As she sat quietly enjoying the company of her friends, she shifted anxiously in her seat keeping an eye on her hem line. She was wearing a midnight blue mini dress that was strapless and hugged her body tighter then a snug glove. The heels on her feet were brand new and breaking them in were starting to become more trouble then they were worth. Diverting her attention away from her regrettable fashion choices, Ororo noticed that Logan was looking slightly uncomfortable as he stared down at the menu with a tense expression on his face. While he was her unofficial date for the night, she suspected that he rather be back at the mansion working on his newly acquired motorcycle or having a cold beer while watching a hockey game rather then any the present social setting.

As she took a long sip of her strawberry Cosmo, Ororo couldn't help but feel mix feelings at turning thirty. While everyone kindly assured her that she didn't look a day older then twenty five, she could feel the weight of her age wearing heavily on her mind. She felt that she had a satisfying career of being a teacher and headmistress at Xavier's School for the Gifted, she couldn't ignore the feeling that something deeper and more meaningful was missing in her life. It wasn't bad enough that she had to witness Jean and Scott who were engaged exchanged love sick smiles the entire night, Remy and Anna had been on the dance floor bumping and grinding so intensely that it made Ororo feel the need to rush home and take an ice cold shower. While a big part of her was happy and pleased that her best friend Jean and her surrogate like brother Remy were both engaged in pretty healthy relationships, she couldn't help the overwhelming sense of loneliness she felt whenever she would watch them with their significant lovers.

After dinner and desert was finished, Remy suddenly pulled out a small midnight blue box wrapped with a white bow and slid it across the table towards her.

"Happy Birthday, Stormy," he grinned warmly.

Ororo blushed and smiled at the beaming Cajun warmly. If there was something that she could count on every year, it was Remy lavishing her with some expensive and beautiful gift. Despite her constant protests, he would ignore her and continue to do it anyway. Last year he had given her a very rare plant that grew in Japan that he somehow managed to obtain in a shroud of secrecy.

"You did not have to get me anything, Remy," she murmured as she delicately unwrapped the small box.

They were beautiful diamond studded Florida leaf earrings that were absolutely stunning.

"These earrings are gorgeous. I love them," Ororo gushed happily as she examined them closely.

"Happy Birthday, cherie," he murmured leaning over and placing a chaste kiss on her cheek.

After returning the kiss she pulled away, and she couldn't help but notice the deep scowl on Logan's face. Earlier that day he had given her a bouquet of beautiful flowers, and while she had loved them, she had been expecting something more from him. Something more personal which she hoped would come in the form of a commitment, but so far he hadn't been showing that was a gift he was willing to give.

After paying the tab, they walked out of the restaurant and headed towards the parking lot, Ororo was surprised when Remy took her by the hand and led her off to the side away from the others. Once they were out of hearing range from the others, he turned to her with a gentle smile. As the Cajun took a brief moment to silently observe her, he noted that despite the blatant sad look in her aquatic blue eyes, that she still looked beautiful.

"Listen, Remy knows dat it ain't none of his business, is everything okay?" he asked concerned while taking a cigarette out of his black slack pants along with his lighter.

Before the cancer stick could make its way between his lips, Ororo grabbed it away and gave him a dirty look.

Forcing a smile she nodded before looking away quickly. Her efforts were in vain due to the fact that Remy didn't have to concentrate very hard to tell that she wasn't being very honest with him. Her evasiveness over the personal question came as no surprise to the Cajun. In all the years he had known the beautiful reserved Wind rider, he had always known how private and reserved she was, and he respected that. Tonight, he couldn't help but worry about his close friend. She seemed as if everything was ok, but he knew her better then that. He could tell when something was wrong.

"I am fine. You should go. Anna is looking a bit impatient," she said amused as she noticed the constant glances the brunette was casting their way despite being engaged in a conversation with Scott.

Ororo's smile faded when she noticed Jean and Logan engaged in a conversation as well only Logan was smiling flirtatiously while Jean lightly brushed his advances aside. The way he was talking and interacting with Jean made Ororo feel slightly jealous. She wanted a man to look at her in the way Remy gazed at Anna, and the way Scott and Logan looked at Jean. Realizing that she may never get to experienced that made a lump swell in her throat, and before she could get emotional, she looked away and turned her attention back towards the Cajun.

As he brushed his lips against her cheek, she smiled as she caught the scent of French cologne and after shave radiating of his silk black dress shirt.

"Don't worry about Logan, mon ami. He's a blind jackass. If dat fool can't see what an rare and wonderful femme' like y' has t' offer him, den he doesn't deserve you," he said seriously.

Ororo blushed beneath her friends compliment. Remy had always been the one man to make her feel as if she was absolutely beautiful. If his heart wasn't already spoken for, Ororo often wondered how good they could have been together. There was a special bond that connected them, and on some level there was the hint of love, but she knew that the loved shared between them came from a place of deep friendship that had developed between them over the years.

"It's fine, Remy. Logan and I are not anything more then good friends. I did not expect anything more from him tonight. That would have been foolish," she smiled softly.

He could tell that she was lying, and the fact that Logan's uncaring action was hurting his Stormy didn't sit too well with him. He knew that Ororo would be furious if he decided to get involved, but Remy was determined to protect her one way or another. If that meant warning Logan to stay away from the weather witch all together, then he was s prepared to do that.

"Are you sure dat y' are ok?" he pressed frowning.

Ororo smiled sweetly.

"I will be fine, my friend. Thank you for the earrings. I really love them," she murmured embracing him.

You know that I feel that you deserve nothin' but the best," he murmured kissing her lightly on the top of her head and giving her one last kiss on the cheek before they made their way together making his way back over to where Anna was waiting.

Ororo had rode over in the towns car with Jean, Scott, Anna and Remy and had been prepared to leave the same way she came when Logan approached her.

"Did you want to go for a ride? There was somewhere I wanted to take you before heading straight back to the mansion," he said casually.

"Just the two of us?" she asked surprised.

"You ain't afraid to be alone with me, are you Ro?" he teased wickedly.

She couldn't help but be frustrated at his sudden mild flirtation. One minute he was hot, and the next he was cold. She was beginning to feel that the emotion roller coaster that they both were riding was never going to come to a stop. Shaking her head, her heart told her to decline his offer and head back to the school where a carton of Strawberry cheesecake ice cream was waiting for in the freezer, but she hesitated. Her gut wanted her to get on the back of his bike and ride away with him to wherever he wanted to take her.

"Are you in?" he asked patiently, his voice snapping her back to reality.

Smiling faintly, she made her choice and reluctantly took the helmet that he was holding out to her before hoping on the back of his motorcycle. Securing the black helmet on her head , she wrapped her arms around his midsection tightly preparing for the ride. Moments later they were roaring down the street with the wind blowing in her hair leaving the city behind them in the rearview mirror.

The ride from the city into the remote country side was beautiful and peaceful, and for the first time all evening, Ororo felt a genuine sense of happiness. The night sky was clear and filled with stars and a full moon, and the wind was warm and soothing against her skin. An half an hour later, the bike finally came to a stop on top of a very high hill over looking the city filled with bright lights. As he cut off the engine, Ororo un mounted the motorcycle with a serene smile on her lips as the wind blew through her long white hair as she walked towards the edge of the hill. Looking over the edge, Logan watched as her momentary joy was replaced by a hint of sadness.

"We have not been here in quite sometime," she murmured wistfully as turned and faced him feeling slightly apprehensively.

Ororo's body language showed a slight hostility towards him. Logan didn't have to use his powerful sense of smell to know that she was angry and disappointed in him. He couldn't really blame her. Deep down he knew that there was an unspoken tension between them, and if he was honest with himself he knew that he only had himself to blame. In the past months that they had been spending time together, he used to take her up there where they would spend time talking, or just enjoy each other's company in a comfortable silence. Lately their trips to their special place had been less frequent due to the fact that he had been inadvertently pushing her away. From the emotions radiating from her, he could sense that she felt as if he could care less about her, but that wasn't the case.

In fact, it was the complete opposite. He had undeniable strong feelings for the wind rider, but he didn't know how to show her or tell her. The one thing that they both had in common was the fact that they weren't two people prone to showing their emotions and expressing their feelings aloud. Ororo had been able to let down her walls and show him her more intimate and vulnerable side, and before he hadn't been able to show the same in return.

A part of the reason was because of Jean Gray, the woman he had once been deeply in love with. Once the telepath had married Scott, it had ended all hopes Logan ever had of him and the beautiful red head ever being together. The only feelings he had left for Jean were strictly platonic. While it had hurt him that the red head chose to be with the boy scout rather them him, he eventually grew to respect her decision.

Shortly after the wedding had taken place, Ororo had began expressing interest in him, and that's how their new found relationship started. It had all began innocently enough. Logan would see her every so often when she was alone in her green house where he would silently watch her while she tended to her beloved plants. Some days they would talk about casual things and the conversation would be comfortable and easy, but other days the atmosphere would be filled with so much sexual tension and desire, that it became uncomfortable and slightly painful to be around her. Eventually, they had shared a passionate kiss, and naturally Ororo believed that things would progress further after that, but they hadn't. Instead, he had treated her coldly and began pushing her away.

Inhaling deeply, he realized that was all about to change as he reached into his pocket and clutched the small black velvet box that he had been keeping secretly hidden all night. Despite Ororo's obvious anger towards him, he was determined to make her see just how much she really meant to him. He was done with pretending and the games. He knew that he was taking a big risk, but staring into her dark beautiful face, he knew that she was worth it. As he cradled the box in his fingers, he began to ponder how he would express his intentions without sounding silly.

He wasn't planning on proposing to her, for that was too big of a commitment for him to take at that moment. Instead he was preparing to offer her a promise. A promise of a deeper commitment in the future. Gazing into her beautiful face filled with tension, he realized that she was the only woman he could see himself being with, and he wanted to take their relation to a more intimate and higher level.

Ororo forced a smile and shook her head. Remy was right. Logan didn't care about her, so why should she continue to bother wasting her time? A part of her felt more then a little hurt and insulted that after six months of believing that there was a chance that her and Logan could be more then just friends, she realized that she was wrong and she wasn't willing to waste any more time wondering if she could ever be right.

"I just wanted to thank you, Logan. I appreciate you showing me an amazing time on my birthday. It was very sweet of you to take time out and bring me here. This place always held a special place in my heart, and I think it always will. If you do not mind, I think I rather just fly back to the school. After such a hectic and exciting day, I could use some quiet time to myself," she said softly as she turned towards him and headed closer to the edge of the hill.

"Ro, wait," he said gruffly, "There's something I need to tell you."

"Yes?" she asked quietly as she slowly faced him.

As she stared him down, Ororo could tell that he wanted to tell her something, but each time he opened his mouth, words never came out. Suddenly she became angry. Just who did Logan think he was anyways? Did he honestly think that he could just toy with her heart and get away with it. She wasn't planning on letting him get off the hook without giving him a piece of her mind.

"What is that you would like for me to know, Logan? You made it perfectly clear that there is not anything between us that is worth while. You already shown that you do not care for me, so what else possibly could there be left to say?" she asked coldly.

Logan swallowed deeply. He had known that Ororo was irritated with him, but he had no idea it had been this intense. He was starting to realize that he had hurt her deeply, and the guilt quickly began to overcome him. He had never intended to cause her any pain, and he had a feeling that no matter what he said, the chance of them being together may have come and gone.

"It's not like that, Ro," he tried.

She scoffed rudely.

"So you are telling me that the way you have been acting lately is all in my head? When we kissed I thought that was a mutual agreement that our relationship, or whatever we is that we were would go further, but I was wrong. You already proved that to me, so why continue wasting your time and mine?" she asked angrily.

Suddenly there was a loud crack of lightning causing Ororo to flinch startled. Staring up into the sky she was puzzled to find a big dark ominous cloud swirling around in the heavens indicating an upcoming storm, but in

"Listen, Ro. I know that I was a huge jerk from the way I've been treating you, but I don't think you should take your anger out on the city," he started.

Ororo shook her head feeling frightened.

"This is not me," she whispered as she felt the slow drops of rain cascade across her skin and face.

Logan frowned as he stared up at the sky warily.

"Yeah, no kidding. You usually don't let your emotions get the best of you," he started.

She stared at him desperately.

"Logan, you are not understanding what I am trying to tell you. I cannot and have not been the one in control of this storm. This is the work of something else," she cried softly as the rain began to fall harder.

He opened his mouth to respond, but before Ororo could hear what the feral man had to say, a blinding light flashed across the sky, cutting their conversation short. The weather witch's blue eyes widened with amazement as she watched a turquoise tinted tornado swirled dramatically from the dark heavens making its way towards the ground. Before she could wonder what was happening, she felt a violent wind sweep off her feet slamming her roughly into the ground several feet away from Logan. Ororo felt the air knocked out of her lungs as she slammed face first into the dirt. Frustrated, her eyes began to glow a bright white as the storm continued to rage around her helplessly out of her control. As she struggled to her feet, she could hear Logan screaming her name over the loud storm, but she was mesmerized by the swirling funnel that was slowly closing down on them. She had never seen anything like it in her entire life. In all of her time having her abilities, she had never experienced such a disconnect with a storm, and while this frightened her, it intrigued her more.

Logan tried rushing to her side, but he was instantly swept off his feet and flung several feet away from her. As Ororo struggled to her feet, she gasped breathlessly as she felt the violent wind sweep her into the air swirling with tree branches and heavy rocks. She knew that if this storm didn't calm down soon, that it would cause great harm to the people in the city, and she couldn't let that happen.

She was jerked back to reality by Logan snatching her to her feet with deep concern in his steely eyes.

"Are you hurt?" he asked gruffly as he looked her over cautiously, "Are you alright?"

Ororo shook her head despite the screaming pain in her left wrist.

"I am fine," she assured weakly.

"What the hell is that thing?" Logan demanded as she clung to him to keep from being swept away by the brutal winds.

Before she could respond they were once again separated as the funnel swirled down and landed between them.

Why can't I control this? she wondered terrified as she was thrown back against the ground.

Forcing herself to remain on her feet, she prayed desperately to her goddess to give her the strength to get a handle on the storm. She didn't understand why she couldn't get in tuned with the tornado, but she was determined to make the force of nature become subordinate to her command. As her long thick white hair whipped around her small frame, she began to slowly walk towards the powerful furious tornado with a look of determination in her piercing blue eyes.

"Ororo don't! It's too dangerous," he yelled, but it was too late.

Before she could hit the ground, she felt herself slip inside of the violent tunnel disappearing from Logan's view.

"Ro," he yelled in horror as he watched helplessly as several bolts of purple lighting dance around the funnel like an electric force field.

She closed her eyes and was bracing herself to hit the ground violently, when she felt a pair of strong muscular arms wrap around her slender frame preventing her from spiraling into the ground. The moment she fell into the mysterious man's embrace, the tunnel stopped abruptly disappearing into thin air leaving them surrounded by a cloud of dust and dirt. As she waited for her vision to clear, she coughed violently struggling to breathe as the debris became more thick and intense. Suddenly, she released a startled cry as she felt the arms releasing her causing her to land unsteadily on her feet. She looked behind her to see who or what had caught her when she felt her breath catch in her throat at the incredible sight before her. The man had to be at least six feet or taller, and his head was filled with thick blonde hair that fell down to his bare shoulders. His blue eyes were barely visible beneath his heavy eyelids, and his shallow breathing indicated that he was hurt.

Before she could speak, his eyes rolled into the back of his head and he collapsed weakly face first in the dirt. He was unconscious.