Seven

Visiting her father always left her trapped in a state of melancholia. It wasn't any different today, especially with everything else weighing so heavily on her. Nathan wasn't with her for this visit, as he was still at his friend's house and her decision to see her father was a spur of the moment type of decision. She didn't know what had propelled her to make the visit, but all she knew was that she had awaken with an incessant and indescribable need to see him. With all that was going on, the relentless need to visit him that had gripped her when she had awaken after making her decision to begin sorting out the messes her life had been caught up in since Logan's turbulent return to her life, was unexplainable to say the least.

So, now here she was, doing her best to school her emotions, but even that wasn't good enough once her father picked up on her mood and asked her if she was doing alright.

"I am fine, Dad," Ororo answered automatically, glancing over to where he was parked in his wheelchair besides his bed.

Even though his health was failing, his eyes still remained perceptive. He narrowed those perceptive eyes on her now. "Are you sure?"

"Yes," she replied with a small, tight smile.

"I worry about you, Ororo." His speech was low, but she heard him perfectly clear.

She heaved a sigh. "I know you do, Dad. But there is no need for you too. You need to focus on getting better."

"I cannot help worrying about you," Charles said anxiously. "And I worry about your sister."

Here we go again, Ororo thought, grimacing. He always found a way to interject Jean into their visits.

"Have you spoken with your sister?" He continued, well aware of the change in her at the mention of her sister. "You both need to mend the rift between you."

"Look, Dad…"

"No, Ororo," Charles stated forcefully, which caused Ororo's eyes to widened in shock. "I do not have long left on Earth and I would like to know that the both of you have settled your differences." When he saw her hesitancy, he implored, "Please, Ororo. It is one of the important things I wish for before I die."

Ororo closed her eyes at his heartfelt words. Goddess, how did she begin to tell him that his wish was damn near impossible? "I will try, Dad. But I cannot promise you anything else beyond that."

Charles smiled tremulously, seemingly reassured. "That is all I ask of you, dear daughter." He peered at her through half hooded eyes and decided that she wasn't prepared to hear about the plans he had already put into motion. She would find out soon enough and he hoped that she would be able to see his reasoning behind the decisions he had made and the events that were sure to arise from those decisions. He also prayed that she would be able to forgive him.

When he said nothing else, Ororo glanced over to him. "Are you tired, Dad?"

"A bit. But I do not want you to leave just yet," Charles said softly. "How is Nathan?"

Ororo smiled. "He is doing well. He aced his last exam. He is a good kid."

"That is good to hear. He will be in college soon."

"Yes," Ororo sighed. Another thing to worry about, she mused.

"I love the both of you so much."

"We love you too, Dad," Ororo replied. "Would you like for me to help you get ready for bed?"

As soon as the question was out of her mouth, a nurse came to help him get ready and with his medication. Ororo observed the nurse preparing her father for bed over the next fifteen minutes. Once that task was done, the nurse handed him his medication. It took another five minutes for the medication to take effect and Charles began to snore softly, a small smile on his aged face.

Ororo bade the nurse goodnight before going around the room, picking up little knick knacks. She silently crept to her father's desk to replace some items. Opening the left side bottom drawer, she saw a stack of cream colored paper with silver foil borders, a few pens and a book of stamps. She frowned, wondering who her father could be corresponding with. She didn't even know he was writing since the strokes took that ability away from him. She glanced back at Charles snoring, his chest rising and falling evenly, then back to the mysterious stationery.

Who could he possibly be writing too? Then the unspeakable thought struck her. He wasn't the one that…? She shook her head. There was no way that he could be the one writing those letters to Logan. Was he? "Impossible," she breathed.

With those thoughts swirling around in her mind, she left the room and rushed directly down to the receptionists' station. "Pardon me," Ororo called out to the receptionist typing away on one of three computers at the station.

"How can I help you, Ma'am?" The lady inquired politely.

"My father, in room 258, Charles Xavier…has he been sending out letters or anything else to anyone?"

After a few seconds, the lady smiled in recognition. "Oh yes! We're so happy that he's been enthusiastic about writing, knowing that it's difficult for him. He's already sent out a few letters over the past several weeks."

Ororo's face showed her distress, causing the receptionist to inquire about her wellbeing.

"I am fine. Did you happen to notice whom the letters were addressed too?"

"Oh no. I'm sorry."

Ororo waved her hand in dismissal. "Thank you." She turned and thoughtfully made her way outside the nursing facility.

The gears in her head were turning a mile a minute as she slid into the driver's seat of her ancient Jeep Liberty, turned the ignition and cautiously made her way to the expressway that would take her home.

Once at home, she attempted to concentrate on mundane tasks like laundry, vacuuming and cooking dinner, but her mind was too busy to allow anything as simple as concentration. She couldn't be certain, but all her instincts screamed at her that her father was the one to send Logan the letters. Goddess! What was her father thinking to open this Pandora's Box?

She didn't think that this situation could have gotten much worse, but Goddess, was she wrong. She had thought along the lines of Logan in that the person who was sending the letters was a random nut who was just doing this for kicks. It never dawned on her in a million years that the letters were being sent from her father. How in the Goddess' name did he even know that Logan was Nathan's father? Jean never once mentioned that fact to him and she had never revealed that information at any time either. As far as Ororo knew, before Logan came back into the picture, she and Jean were the only two in the world that were aware of Nathan's true parentage. That all came crashing down upon discovering that Charles was the one threatening to disrupt the lives of all players involved. This was getting messy and she had to take steps to nip it in the bud. It was high time that she took control of this situation and settle it once and for all.

As reluctant as she was, she knew she had no choice but to enlist Logan's help and sort this mess out before it escalated into a full fledge disaster and she ended up losing more than she bargained for. As much as she dreaded the thought of meeting up with Logan again, she knew that she had no other recourse but to let him know of her discovery. She was reluctant to call him as she didn't want to hear that gravelly voice of his that did funny things to her on the inside. She sighed knowing that she would just have to wait until he showed up again for them to have what was sure to be an explosive confrontation. She hoped to the Goddess, that he would stay away for much longer this time. But even she wasn't that naïve to believe that would happen.

Ororo didn't have to wait long for him to show up. She noticed the out of place sports car parked at the curb outside of her house as she maneuvered her Jeep into the driveway. Through her rearview mirror, she saw him as he emerged from his car and briskly made his way to meet her in the driveway as she got out of the vehicle.

Behind his sunglasses, her face was unsmiling and her stare was downright hostile. For one quick moment, he felt an insane compulsion to embrace her vulnerable frame to his burly chest. Every time he saw her, she strummed his protective nature alive.

"What do you want, Logan?" Her tone was utterly unfriendly.

"No hello?"

Her response was stony silence.

"I've been waiting fer ya ta get home fer a while now. Doesn't that warrant a hello?" Damn, he thought. So much for going the friendly route. Next route…sincerity. "Can we be friends, 'Ro?"

She glared at him. "Why?"

Her question annoyed him. He steeled himself against losing his temper and starting an argument with her, which would totally defeat the purpose of his visit.

"Ya need some helping carrying yer things inside?" He asked indicating with a jerk of his head the bags of groceries sitting in the back seats of her Jeep.

Ororo nodded reluctantly. It appeared he was being friendly, so the best she can do was meet him somewhere along the line. "Fine," she said as she gestured for him to open the backdoor of the vehicle.

With both of them clutching bags of groceries, they took the path leading to the kitchen's side entrance. She opened the door and carefully placed her bags on the kitchen counter and he followed suit. "Thank you. Leave the bags on the counter. I will put away the groceries later."

"We should do them now, else yer chocolate mint will melt," he said, taking out the carton of ice cream.

She snatched the ice cream out of his hands and stuffed the carton into the freezer.

"Ya don't look like a chocolate kind of girl," he said absentmindedly, taking out the remaining contents of the bag and placing them on the counter.

"I am not. It is Nathan's favorite," she answered.

Logan smiled. "Mine too."

I know, Ororo said silently.

Logan had quickly unloaded a few bags of groceries. Ororo glanced at the contents stacked on the countertop and frowned. "I will do that later, Logan."

He was determined not to let her get under his skin to distract him from the main purpose of his visit. He had decided to give her a few days to stew after their last argument, before he bombarded her with the reasons why he wanted them to raise Nathan together. He too had had time to think about the future and the one thing he kept circling back to was that he had never needed anyone in the way he needed her now. He needed her to show him the ropes, seeing that she had firsthand knowledge of what it was to be the parent of this wonderful kid. He needed her to help him navigate these unchartered waters he was about to travel. Cripes! How did one begin to be the parent of a sixteen year old, especially knowing that you've already missed such a huge part of his life? Logan had no answers and he was hoping, praying even, that Ororo was willing to help him. But deep down, he knew he needed her for much more. He needed her for himself, to help drive away the loneliness that had been a huge part of his life for as long as he could remember. After seeing Ororo after all this time, he knew that she was the one, and more than likely the only one to fill that gaping emptiness.

Calmly, he raised a bushy eyebrow. "Just direct me ta where ya put these," he said making a sweeping gesture of his hand over the stacked groceries.

"Fine."

He continued to unload the bags, as she packed the items away in their appropriate places. They worked in silence. His was necessary, so he didn't lose his temper. Hers was hostile because she felt as if his visit had pushed her back against the wall, thus giving her no choice but to reveal her discovery to him.

Watching her move around the kitchen was a treat for him. The grace of her movements was casting a spell on him, hypnotizing him to no end. He knew he was aroused when she stood on her toes to reach a shelf and the baby blue shirt she was wearing inched up, revealing to him the smooth mahogany skin of her well toned stomach.

Logan shifted to ease the tightness in his jeans. Knowing he was pressing his luck, he nodded to the sodas she was packing away in the refrigerator. "May I have a soda please?" It was no Molson, but it would have to do.

Ororo scowled at him before practically tossing him the can of Pepsi, then handing him a glass with a few ice cubes in it.

"Thanks," he mumbled, going over to the sink to open the can in case it frothed over.

Folding her arms across her chest, she glared at him. "I am glad you are here. There are some things we need to discuss."

The glass froze on its way to his mouth when he heard her words. Did he hear her correctly? He thought he was persona non grata due to the attitude she had tossed his way since they met up outside. Watching her closely, he said, "Good. That's what I came here fer." He tipped the glass to his lips and took a mouthful of his drink. "So, what's on yer mind, darlin'?"

Ororo was momentarily distracted at the bobbing action of his throat as he drank the soda. She cleared her throat of the sudden lump there. "The letters."

He frowned momentarily before realization dawned. "What about the letters?"

"Can you describe them to me? The envelopes they came in? The stationery they were written on? Anything?"

"Why? Ya don't believe me?"

"Can you just do as I ask please?" She bit back.

"Why?" He repeated.

"Because I think I know who the sender is."

"What? Who?"

"Just answer my questions before I reveal anything else."

His nostrils flared in annoyance. "The envelopes were plain white ones, with this address as the return address. The stationery was cream colored paper with silver foil type borders. Nothing eye catching about it."

Ororo's heart sank. The stationery he described matched the description of the ones she found in her father's desk. She rubbed the space between her eyes.

"Who sent me the letters?" He asked around a mouthful of the remainder of his drink.

"I believe that it was my father who sent them."

Logan almost choked on the drink. He swallowed the mouthful almost painfully and then gaped at her. "Come again. Yer father?"

She nodded and explained to him about the stationery she had found in his desk and how it was identical to the description he had just provided to her. She spread her hands wide. "If I could see the letters, then I would be able to know for sure if it was indeed him who sent them. I could compare the handwritings and make a determination."

He nodded. "I'll bring the letters with me next time."

Depleted of energy, Ororo lowered herself into one of the chairs at the breakfast table. "I do not know what to say, Logan," she said meekly. "I cannot believe that my father would do something so devious. It is so unlike him."

"Well, if it's him," Logan said, trying to alleviate her seeming embarrassment.

She gave him a look that pretty much asked him if he had any doubts that it was indeed her father. His lowered head told her all she needed to know.

He sank his huge frame into the chair opposite her. "I thought that ya said that no one other than ya and yer sister knew that Nathan was my kid."

"That is what I thought too…until I made my discovery. As far as I knew, he had no idea."

"Well, it's obvious now that he did."

"Apparently," she voiced glumly. "He must have known it for a long time. Maybe he suspected that it was you since everything went downhill after that summer, then as Nathan grew up and he started to look like you…" her voice trailed off, unable to finish her thoughts.

She was extremely ashamed at her father's actions, that she found it downright hard to look at Logan directly. However, she garnered her courage and did so. "I am sorry, Logan." Her voice was gruff with emotion.

He leaned back in the chair and regarded her dejected posture. "It's not yer fault, 'Ro," he told her. "I'm not blaming ya."

Ororo quirked a snowy eyebrow at him. That was news to her. Since he had came storming back in her life, he hadn't stop insinuating that the fault was hers.

"Well…not anymore," he mumbled sheepishly.

"I shall confront him about it immediately."

"Don't," Logan told her. "Please don't do that. He's a sick man and I don't think he could harm me. I'm relieved ta know that it's not a professional doing the blackmailing."

She sighed, rubbing her temples to relieve some of the undue stress she was under.

"Ya know, I believe that he wanted ta be caught." At Ororo's raised brows, he continued, "He must have if he put yer address on the envelopes."

"But why did he do it in the first place?" Ororo asked, bewildered. "He changed after Moira died and even more so after the accident and after Jean left. I did not know that he had changed to become so vindictive."

"Eh…He probably thought that it was time fer me ta step up ta the plate and raise my son and give ya a chance ta live yer life."

Ororo glanced at him bemusedly. "What?"

"Come on, 'Ro. Ya had ta put yer life on hold and the things that I'm positive ya wanted ta do ta look after an ailing father and raise yer sister's kid, while I was away living and achieving my dreams. It couldn't have been all happy times fer ya."

"You have no idea what you are talking about," she defended weakly.

Logan speared her with intense eyes. Eyes that said I know what I'm talking about. "How old were ya when ya took over care fer Nathan while his mother…his real mother gallivanted all over the place? How old were ya when ya took over caring fer yer dad? 'Ro, ya gave up a lot ta do what ya did."

She expelled a deep breath. "And I would gladly do it again!"

"I have no doubts that ya will. It says a lot about the kind of person ya are. But didn't ya once resent giving up on yer dreams and the things ya wanted ta do fer yerself? Didn't ya once wonder what it would be like ta backpack through Europe, walk on the Great Wall of China or experience a Safari?"

She lowered her head, knowing he spoke the truth. However, her life was what it was now and she had did the best with the hand life had dealt her. "The life I have had is the life I was meant to have. So, I do not have any regrets."

Logan nodded as if to say 'if you say so'. They were both quiet and reflective for several moments. Finally, Logan said, "I'm glad he did it though."

"Huh? What? Why?"

"Because of Nathan."

Ororo's mouth went dry. "What about him?"

"It's disconcerting knowing that I could have gone the rest of my life not knowing him."

As his eyes studied her intently, Ororo had a serious hunch that she wasn't going to like what he was about to say next.

"I think that he and I should spend time together."

Goddess! She hated being right. She licked her dry lips. "What do you mean?"

"I mean that he and I should get ta know each other, see each other on a regular basis, and spend time away from here together. In essence, spend quality time with each other."

She jumped up from the chair, refusing to believe what he was saying. "Quality time?" She repeated, her voice dripping with sarcasm. "Did you catch a talk show and picked that up? I am certain that you have no idea what quality time is all about."

"Hold on a damn minute. Ya…"

"What the hell do you know about quality time?! What is your idea of it?! Scurrying around a different woman every day of the week? Continuing your philandering where you will be able to have Nathan and his friends learn for free?!"

"Oh fer cripes' sake! Come off yer high horse, 'Ro. Yer damn strict moral code makes it sound like I live a sick lifestyle!" He shouted back at her.

"A moral code is something you do not have Mr. Howlett! I doubt you even know the meaning of the word!" Ororo railed frantically. "I do not want Nathan around your kind of lifestyle."

"Damn you!" He flew out of his chair so fast, that Ororo had no choice but to back away a bit. "Ya're being totally unfair."

"I do not have time to be fair," she retorted hotly. "You are trying to take my child away from me and I am not going to roll over and simply let you do that."

"What does the way I live my life have ta do with me wanting ta spend time with my son?" He asked calmly.

"I do not want Nathan to fall in love with you and then be heartbroken when you get bored with being a father and want a taste of the lifestyle you are accustomed too. I do not want him to lose you like…" She caught herself in time.

"Like what?"

Like I did! Ororo drew in a shuddering breath and quickly changed what she was about to reveal in the heat of the moment. "I just do not want Nathan getting hurt. He has a promising future ahead of him. Fatherhood is a new world for you and you will no doubt get bored with it."

"Ya couldn't be more wrong," he said stiffly.

She leveled him with a look that clearly said yeah right. "I am sure that after the novelty of having a child wears off, you will be back to your old ways and where would that leave Nathan? Huh? I would not give you an opportunity to hurt my son."

She angrily turned on her heels to leave the kitchen, but his next words froze her solid in her tracks.

"I spoke to my attorney this morning."

Chapter 8 Sneak Peek – A few life changing decisions are made.