Chapter Six

End Of The Road

'Will you love me again
Like you loved me before
This time I want you to love me much more
This time instead, just come to my bed
And baby just don't let me go' - Boyz To Men

~(*)~(*)~

"I killed Severus Snape three hours ago-"

The words had barely left Voldemort's non-existent lips when Ororo remembered Sybil's warning from earlier.

Not waiting to hear anymore of Potter's declaration of Severus' love for Lily Evans, she raced out of Hogwarts.

"Storm, what-"

Ignoring Wolverine keeping pace beside her, she shot into the air and sped on the wind directly toward the Shrieking Shack, leaving her friend behind.

At the shack, with the force of her magick and the elements, she ripped away a boarded up window and part of the wall with it. The debris was crumbled to dust and swept away on a whirlwind.

All this she did unconsciously, thinking only of the man within, unaware of the unnatural change in the weather behind her.

She saw him immediately, slumped against the wall and on the dusty floor, his blood pooled and congealed around him, his eyes stared, unseeing.

"No..." she whispered.

Slowly, she walked over to him. Lightheaded, she knelt beside him half aware of his blood staining her uniform.

Lifting a shaky hand, Ororo touched jaw. His skin was cold and her body temperature began to match his, even as she shifted her fingers to check for a pulse.

~~~(*)~~~(*)~~~

Logan didn't understand what Ororo saw in the pasty, vampire-looking chump he'd seen once before, but if the guy was dead all those people in that castle and the surrounding village, were going to have more than dark wizards to worry about.

He was in sight of the only building Storm could have gone to - as she'd been flying straight toward it - when the Professor's voice sounded in his head.

~Hurry Logan, I sense great turmoil just ahead of your position~

Logan knew that it was impossible for Xavier to connect with Ororo's mind unless she gave him access, so he knew if anything was to go down, it would be up to him to take care of it.

Silently, he slipped through to the opening Storm had made and found her kneeling next to the vamp's dead body.

Storm was rocking back and forth, her arms around her midriff and tears streamed from her eyes. She took loud gasping breaths like a drowning victim fighting to survive before there was silence.

"Oh shit..." Logan thought as his claws extended at the silent treat.

~Wolverine, you have to incapacitate her, now!~

Everything happened at once.

Storm - still rocking - gripped her hair and screamed. It was unlike anything Wolverine had ever heard. If banshees were real, this is what they'd sound like; unnerving, wailing screams.

Thunder clapped overhead and lightning touched down. A howling wind outside didn't help diminish the creepy wailing coming from his usually emotionless friend.

Even though she'd requested this of him long ago, Logan didn't want to do this; he didn't want to hurt her, but as the shack began to vibrate violently - a tiny preview of what was to come - he gnashed his teeth and silently begged her forgiveness.

Logan moved, his arms out and claws angled to take off her head.

~No Logan! KNOCK her out!~

It took him a second to retract his claws and change the trajectory of his swing. He thought to himself that she probably didn't even feel the blow to the side of her head as she fell unconscious.

~Jean and Rogue should be at your location momentarily, Logan. Bring her home.~

He lifted her into his arms to take her outside to wait for the Blackbird. She moaned but didn't wake.

"Easy, Ororo. I've got ya darlin'." He shushed her as he exited the shack.

He didn't have to wait long, and inside the jet he placed Ororo on an empty cot, strapping her down. Just in case.

~There's just one more thing I need you to do before you leave Logan.~

Logan grumbled but did as the Professor asked.

~~~(*)~~~(*)~~~

"She's going to be okay."

Logan didn't bother looking up at Jean as she sat next to him at the monitoring station. His gaze remained on the room separated by a strong transparent sheet of alloy, built to withstand the destructive force of any Alpha or Omega-Level mutant.

The room contained only one occupant, currently unseen because of the hurricane, the fog and maybe a tornado and a blizzard that surrounded her… emanated from her. The magnitude of the meteorological phenomena was off the scale until Hank found a way to compensate.

The room seemed quiet, but only because the howling wind was making the Wolverine jumpy so he'd muted all sounds from the room.

"What's that blue tint in there?"

"The paint from the walls." He said with a huff. "At least we don't have to repaint for the next time."

There was a moment of silence, which he preferred. He knew Jean well enough to know she wanted to have The Talk with him again.

"He's awake."

Now, Logan turned to look at Jean, whose gaze was internal for a moment before she blinked rapidly.

"Hmmm, I can't access his thoughts anymore, but he'd been there for a split second. The patterns of his mind are similar to Ororo's."

"Keep an eye on her for me."

He said nothing else as he left to have a chat with their guest.

Jean looked to the area of the room she knew Storm would be.

"Ororo, my… old friend, believe it or not, you hold the heart of a good man. Logan is a good man, but he gives up too easily. Can I tell you a secret?" Not really expecting her friend to answer, she continued in a whisper. "You two are going to have a wonderful future together but not yet… now is the time for your dark wizard."

~~~(*)~~~(*)~~~

A bright light directly over his head made his eyes squeeze shut before they became accustomed to the brilliance. He looked around; the room had a hospital wing feel to it except for the fact that everything ran on electricity. He huffed in frustration, he'd get the blame when everything started exploding around him.

~It's okay Mr Snape. We've adapted the school to accept magickal energy because of Ororo.~

Severus immediately Occluded. Was that his imagination, or had someone just been in his head? He was unsure, as it was different from any Legilimency he'd ever felt.

He waited a moment, and sighed in relief when he heard nothing else.

He should be dead; why wasn't he dead?

This was the thought now running through his mind.

Aurora… no, Ororo's her real name, he thought. She'd been lying to him all these years.

Guilt assailed him. She'd had every right.

When he'd seen her reaction in the Shrieking Shack, when she'd thought he was already dead, it broke something in him.

Or… released.

After the Golden Trio had left, he'd choked down the antivenin and a Blood Replenishing potion he'd carried around with him, ever since the Dark Lord began using Nagini to kill his enemies and followers.

With no one around to help, he'd lain there paralysed, and losing any hope of survival, his thoughts ran on one woman.

After seeing her eyes one final time, any lingering feelings he'd had for Lily Evans had faded to nothing.

His life flashed before his eyes, and in every scene Aurora Sinistra was the star. Even when he'd seen her as Storm - that was what the wild man had called her - for those brief moments.

The woman was amazing, he thought as he shifted in the bed to lean against the headboard.

Why had he let the memory of a dead woman - who'd never forgiven him for his one and only offence against her - cloud his feelings for someone who loved him - for years - forgiving him over and over, no matter what?

He swallowed thickly, and only then registered that he felt no pain at his throat.

Aurora, he thought absently rubbing his throat, can you ever forgive me?

Someone slammed into the room. He looked on from his bed, to see the man who'd had knives coming from his hands, used to slash through the Death Eaters and giants during the battle.

This is a killer. Severus scoffed to himself.

So am I, he thought.

He lay calmly, looking completely bored, as the man strode to the side of his bed.

"Listen here vamp, let's get one thing straight -"

"I am not a vampire." Severus smirked inwardly, his voice was still a silky baritone. He arched an elegant brow when the man growled menacingly and leaned toward him.

Severus stilled, but his eyes slitted at the insult when three knives hissed from the sheath of the mutant's knuckles and hovered near his recently healed neck.

"Then listen here bub. For reasons I don't wanna know, Ororo loves you. Are you plannin' on makin' her happy?"

The tips of his claws rested gently on Severus' throat, but a line of blood trailed down his neck. His glare promised retribution, but he remained frozen as he listened to the wild man.

"Cuz I have three reasons why I think it's a bad idea for you to do otherwise."