Chapter 3: Ororo, Ro, or Rory?

Oh my goodness, Ororo thought as she walked through the halls of the school toward her office. She had to keep calm, lest the weather betray her emotional state. Of all the places for that man to be, he had to be the new teacher here, she thought as she sat behind her desk. Sighing, she wondered if he would spill the beans to Remy.

Turning to look out the ceiling to floor windows, she took in the view of the grounds. Partial to sunsets, she requested to take over the office space that faced the rear of the school where the landscaped, rolling lawn ended and the woods began. The trees had begun their autumn tradition and Ororo was an appreciative audience of the abundance of red, green, yellow, orange, and purple leaves the trees presented. A lover of nature, normally a sight like this would calm and relax her but not today.

Today, she got a surprise that threatened her extracurricular activities. The students and the staff at the school knew her as Professor Munroe – the stoic, firm yet caring teacher, who gave unquestioningly of herself to the school and its students. Or as Ororo or Ro, a fun-loving, easy going, caring friend who would be there whenever they needed her. They could count on her to be there to help them study for a hard test, share words of wisdom to help avoid a conflict, and whisper soothing words to ease a broken heart.

They didn't know her other persona, Rory, the tall, lithe, motorcycle riding, speed demon who played a mean game of pool, knew her way around motorcycles and could out race anything on two, three or four wheels. The one who hung out in bars, drunk beer and was like one of the guys.

And she wanted to keep it that way.

Ororo knew that she gave more than she was asked to the school and did so freely because she loved what she did. The only time she requested anything was time to herself on Friday evenings.

Everyone on campus knew that Professor Munroe was unavailable from 5pm on Friday until Saturday morning. At the designated time, they could hear the growl of the hemi engine as she drove her silver Dodge Challenger down the driveway. They would be pulled from their slumber by the sound normally around 8am the following morning when she returned. They would arrive at the breakfast table where a rested Ororo would greet them.

Now someone who could disrupt that special time for her was her new staff member. Hopefully he could keep her other persona a secret. Though she wasn't ashamed of her love of motorcycles and bars, she knew that as the assistant headmistress of a respected private school that certain things were expected and a certain image had to be maintained.

She had considered what would happen if she was ever found out and wondered if she was willing to give up that part of her life? In the beginning, the thought made her nervous but now, a year later, she was more comfortable with the idea and felt that as long as she wasn't breaking the law or doing anything heinous, that what she did with the few hours she took for herself was no one's business but her own.

Now that someone who could expose her had shown up on her doorstep, those previous thoughts resurfaced and she wasn't so sure she was ready. Could there be a melding of her two worlds? Considering that she was the assistant headmistress of a school with teens with special gifts, she guessed anything was possible.

But if the melding happened, she hoped that she would be able to reveal that side of herself on her own terms. But what if it didn't? Sighing, she decided that it was best to not worry about it and to address it if it ever came up.

Noticing movement out the corner of her eye, Ororo looked down and spotted Remy and Logan as they continued the tour. Remy was pointing out the woods in the distance, probably mentioning the lake that was hidden from view.

She watched as they turned back to face the building. They both glanced up and noticed her at the window. She waved to them and caught the slight smile on Logan's face, reminding her of the look that he gave her when they were at the bar. Smiling back, she turned away from the window, thinking about the last thing she'd said to him.

Good night handsome.

She had developed a rapport with most of the regulars at the bar and had gotten past the awkwardness of them trying to hit on her since she hadn't been interested in a love connection. All she wanted, they quickly learned, was a couple of beers, a few games of competitive pool, to dance to whatever music was playing when the mood struck her, with or without a partner, and conversation. Nothing more, nothing less.

If a guy was new and got out of line with her, her friends left the defense of her honor in her capable hands. And she preferred it that way. She was independent by nature and wasn't a woman who felt that her worth was determined by a man. If she had a man, that was a plus but she was content being single.

Now, if a guy came around who caught her interest, then that was a different story and unfortunately for her, the first person to catch her attention since her last relationship happened to be the person strolling around their campus.

Shame on it all, she thought, sitting at her desk. Oh well, she thought, as she organized the lesson plan books on her desk, this should prove to be an interesting school year.

Thirty minutes later, Remy and Logan made their way up to the floor where the classrooms and offices were. Being Saturday, all of the classrooms were closed up tight as were most of the teacher's offices. Remy unlocked his door to show Logan his space and later showed him where his office was, situated right next to Ororo's.

After taking a peek in the empty office, he pulled the door closed and joined Remy in Ororo's office.

"Knock knock," he called out before stepping over the threshold.

"Come in and join the party," she replied with a smile, leaning against her desk. She looked like a totally different person with her hair pulled back in a loose ponytail, wearing a red and black running suit. He noticed she had taken off the jacket and thrown on the couch to the right of the door.

He did a quick once over in her office, appreciating the earth tone colors used in the decorating. Calming beige walls with a medium brown accent wall, brown leather couch and chairs, and an oak desk, high backed, brown leather desk chair and a 5 shelf bookcase. The furniture spoke authority and proof of good taste in quality pieces of furniture. The walls were covered with pictures of students and kids art work while the bookcase and some of the surfaces were covered with authentic African art pieces. The office was warm and inviting and he immediately felt at home.

"So Logan, Remy tells me you and him have been friends a long time?" she remarked.

"Yeah, about 15 years. He saved my ass and then I saved his. That seems ta be the theme of our friendship. He's there when I need him and I'm there when he needs me," he replied.

"Reciprocity. Something that's needed in all relationships," she said, indicating the seats in front of her as she stepped behind her desk, "Do you mind if we go ahead and get our initial meeting out the way so you can jump right in on Monday?"

"No, not at all. We through wit de tour, Rem?"

"Yeah. There's more ya need ta see but nothin' that can't wait 'til later," Remy replied standing, "Besides, it's best ta catch 'chere when she 'vailable. Ro's a very busy woman. Tink ya can make yo way back ta de house by dinnah?"

Ororo glance at the clock on her desk, while Logan looked at his watch, seeing that it was a little after 12pm.

"Absolutely. Rogue cooking something special?" Ororo asked, smiling at her friend.

"Non, Remy be de cook tonite," Remy replied, smiling when Logan groaned.

"Well, in that case, Ororo, may I call you that?" Logan asked and she nodded, "Does the school have a cafeteria? The last time I had this man's cooking, I lived the bathroom for a week." Ororo laughed, her eyes crinkling at the corners. I'm loving that laugh, Logan thought as they joined her.

"Remy has gotten better in de kitchen, mon ami. Ask Stormy," he replied, leaning against the doorframe, waiting for Ororo to confirm his statement.

Stormy, Logan looked at her quizzically.

"My codename is Storm. Remy has a bad habit of calling me Stormy, knowing how much I despise it," she replied holding out her hand and creating a mini raincloud over the plant on her desk.

"Wow," Logan said, thoroughly impressed, "So is my stomach safe with his cooking?"

"Yes. I can vouch for him. His culinary skills have greatly improved," she replied, "In fact, would you have room for one more?"

"For my Stormy, oui petite," Remy replied, winking at her, "See ya 5 sharp!" Remy turned to head the door but Ororo's voice stopped him.

"Remy, did you show Logan the subbasements?"

"Non."

"Mind if I do so?"

"Non, 'chere, not at all," Remy replied, "Anything else, madame?"

Ororo smiled at his statement. Smartass, she thought.

"Nor monsieur, that will be all."

He bowed and turned to leave, closing the door behind him.

Ororo took a deep breath before turning her eyes to Logan's, his eyebrow raised in a question.

"You are the last person I thought I would see when Remy said he had a friend who could teach for us," she told him, leaning back in her chair.

"And yer de last person I expected to see while touring the place. So yer de assistant head huncho?" Logan replied, relaxing against the back of the chair, following her lead.

"In a manner of speaking, yes."

"So what should I call you? Ro, Rory, Ororo, Stormy, or Miss Munroe?"

Ororo looked at him, intrigued by his use of all of her names. Leaning forward again, she gave him a slight smile.

"Ororo or Ro is fine when we're not working and Miss or Professor Munroe when we are. We try to maintain our professionalism as much as possible while school is in session," she told him, "Stormy is completely out of the question and as for Rory, she only exists on Friday evenings."

"Okay. Just so I got everything straight, the tall bike riding black chick I met at the bar only comes out on Friday evenings?"

"Yes."

"And yer Ororo or Miss Munroe the rest of the time?"

"For the most part, yes," she replied, "Will that be a problem?"

"No ma'am. I understand completely. A woman of yer position can't be seen hanging out in a bar and riding a bike because there's an image and reputation to uphold," he said.

"Exactly. I'm happy you understand," she replied, looking down at her desk and pulling out a folder with his name on the tab, "Now that that's settled…"

"One more question before we get down to business," Logan replied, sitting up in his chair and leaning forward, "Ever considered consolidating all of yer personas to just be who ya are at all times?"

"As much as I would love to do so, Mr. Howlett," Ororo replied, "There are certain aspects of my life that I prefer to keep private. Now if you do not have any more questions..."

"No," he replied, the sting of her use of his last name made him feel like a chastised child, being put in his place. He didn't like it but thought better of remarking on it. It wouldn't be a good idea to upset your boss during your first meeting.

With a silent sigh, he listened as she talked to him about policy, procedures, curriculum and lesson plans. When she stood, he glanced up and watched as she came around her desk and went to the couch to retrieve her jacket.

"Shall we finish your tour of the school and see your other work area?" she asked, putting on her jacket and grabbing her keys.

"Sure. Lead the way," he replied, still processing much of the information she shared during their meeting. As they walked through the hall, she told him that the school was founded by billionaire Charles Xavier who wanted to create a safe place for mutants to come and learn how to control their special gifts and use them in a productive manner.

The school had five satellite locations in addition to the main campus that provided safe havens for a total of nearly 400 students ranging from ages of 3 to 18. Some of the students had gone on become teachers in the school like herself. She explained how she and some of the other teachers also made up the elite team aptly named the X-Men. She went on to detail some of the requirements for the team, including the daily training sessions and gave him a few examples of previous missions.

She piqued his interest as she described the missions that the Team had completed.

"So how does one join this Team?"

"As instructors at the main location, we are automatically added to the Team's roster and are assigned missions on an as needed basis," she replied, taking in his surprised look, "I'm guessing from your facial expression that Remy failed to mention that aspect of the position."

"No, he never mentioned it," Logan responded, slightly distracted by the thoughts of being a part of the Team. It would be a good opportunity for him to keep up his training regime and use some the skills he picked up over the years.

"I would understand if you would like to take some time to reconsider your decision to accept the position in light of this information," Ororo said, watching him closely.

"No, I won't need time," he replied, meeting her eyes and smirking, "My decision stays the same."

She smiled, releasing the breath she didn't know she was holding. "Good, I was hoping you wouldn't change your mind," she replied, beginning to walk again.

"Why? I'm growing on ya or something?" he teased as he fell in step with her.

"Or something," she replied coyly, surprising herself again. What was it about this guy that brought this out of her, she thought, as she continued on her spiel about the school while ignoring his smug smile.