Chapter 7
Ororo hung up the phone and joined T'Challa in the sitting area, taking a seat in the chair across from him.
T'Challa sighed and slid his hand down his face, his brown eyes coming to rest on her.
"This has been a tough day," he said simply, getting to his feet and walking toward the balcony door.
"Losing a parent is never easy," Ororo said softly.
"That's not what I was referring to. Mother was very ill. It was only a matter of time before she passed. We did all we could to make her as comfortable as possible," he replied, turning to face her and taking in the confused look on her face, "I was talking about having you here again."
"T'Challa."
"Please, Ororo let me finish," he began, "I have not been myself since I made that call and you told me you would come. I did not expect that you would. So when you agreed to come, I immediately thought about the last day I saw you."
"T'Challa, don't," she said.
"I owe you an explanation and this is my opportunity to do so," he said, "I hurt the one person in the world other than my parents and Takari who I knew no matter what, would be there for me."
"If I meant that much to you, then why did you do what you did?" she whispered.
"I was missing you so very much that day," he said, thinking back to that first time, "Z'nyara was missing you as well and we talked and comforted each other. Then one thing led to another."
Ororo shook her head, unable to stomach what he was telling her.
"It is the truth and we both felt bad afterwards," he said, "We told each other that we wouldn't speak of it again but we continued to seek other out. A week before you returned, she came to me and told me she was with child."
"Why didn't you tell me after it happened the first time?"
"I loved you too much and didn't want to hurt you."
"Well, we both know how that turned out," she told him, bitterly.
"I know and I am sorry. Not a day goes by without me thinking of you," he replied, going back over to the loveseat.
"Mother was furious. She told me you should have vaporized both of us," he said, chuckling at the memory, "She told me that I needed to do the honorable thing and make the mother of my child my wife. Even my confidants were angry with me. Takari didn't speak to me for nearly a month."
"Why are you telling me this?" Ororo asked, looking over at him, a pained look in her eyes.
"To apologize to you for what I did," he told her, getting to his feet and sitting on the table in front of her.
"T'Challa…" she began.
"I know, leave the past in the past but how can I when whenever I look at you, I think about what could have been, would have been if I had recognized the gem that I had," he replied, taking her hand in his hand and kissing it gently, "Ororo, I love you and probably will forever and I will never forgive myself for losing the best thing that ever happened to me."
"T'Challa, please do not do this," Ororo replied, her voice cracking with emotion.
"I made a promise to myself that when you returned to Wakanda that I would apologize for what I did and try to make it up in some way."
"You can't. What's done is done," she said simply, "T'Challa, I'm not here to rekindle anything. I'm here as a friend, helping a friend deal with the death of a loved one."
"Your mouth is saying one thing but your body and actions are saying another," he replied, looking up at her, his eyes slightly bloodshot.
She sighed, wondering when this T'Challa was going to make an appearance. She did not know why she didn't see this side of him before but she truly loathed it, especially whenever he tried to turn everything around to make himself the victim.
"You are confusing my comforting you with something else," she replied, "You may want to go to your wife if you need more than that because I am not the one."
"And why not?" he demanded, suddenly angry, "It didn't take much convincing to get you here. You came so easily that I thought for sure you were coming to try to win me back."
"Win you back? Came easily?" she said in disbelief, "You can not be serious."
"Then explain why you are here."
"As I have stated numerous times, I'm here only as a friend. Nothing more. You are the one who is hoping for a different answer whenever you ask the same question," she replied slipping her hand from his.
There was an uncomfortable pause, with him gazing at her intently.
"Are you happy?" he asked out of the blue.
"I am," she replied taking a deep breath, trying to control her anger. She looked out at the sky and noticed the dark clouds.
"I know you are happy at the Institute," he replied, struggling to find the correct words, "What I meant was, are you seeing someone?"
"Yes, I am," she told him, her face softening and a smile lifting the corners of her mouth as she thought about Logan.
"So he makes you happy?"
"He does but why that any of your concern?"
"Because I just want to make sure you were happy."
"And if I wasn't?"
"I would do all within my power to make sure you were."
"T'Challa, my happiness is no longer your concern," she replied, tiring of the conversation and walking to the balcony.
"Why did you come alone if you are in a relationship?" he asked, joining her, "Surely he wasn't happy about you coming here."
"He wasn't but he understood that it was something I needed to do."
"And he trusted you to come here to be in a palace with your ex, comforting him during his time of grief?" T'Challa asked incredulously.
"You make it sound like he should not have."
"I would not have been so willing to let you go back to visit your ex under any circumstances."
"Well, luckily for you, he doesn't feel that way."
"Oh I'm sure he does, he just didn't tell you that. If you don't mind me asking, what's his name?"
"Logan."
"Logan? As in James Logan Howlett AKA the Wolverine?" T'Challa asked, getting to his feet and joining her in the balcony doorway.
"The one and the same. Is there a problem?"
"Yes," he said, taking her hand in his. "Ororo, baby, you can do so much better than that uncouth, savage animal. Does he even know he's human?" T'Challa asked, his eyes flashing angrily.
"How dare you sit here and disrespect the man I love?" Ororo responded angrily, snatching her hand from his, and taking a step back from him, "That "animal" as you called him was the only person preventing me from removing you and this palace from the face of the earth. That "savage" has shown me more love and care in the short time we have been dating than you ever did in the 2 plus years we were together. That "uncouth" man allows me to be me, never forcing me to suppress who I am just so he can feel good about himself."
"At one time, you were the one that made me happy and I loved you enough to give up what I consider my life's purpose to be with you, but that was not enough for you," she replied, taking his arm and walking over to the door, "So to answer your question, your majesty, he is more human than those who call him an animal. Now if you don't mind, I need to sleep because I have a long day tomorrow."
"We are not done talking about this," he said angrily, opening the door.
"Yes, we are," she replied, closing the door and leaning up against it, so angry that she was trembling.
She looked up when she heard the peal of the thunder and the flash of lightning that lit up the night sky. Going over to the balcony, she gazed out at the storm, allowing the anger to flow from her. She allowed the thunder and lightning to continue unfettered for a few minutes more and with the wave of a hand, returned the weather to what it was before, the clouds moving away, revealing the dark starry sky.
As she knew it would, her phone started ringing, the Born to be Wild song comforting her. Just as she picked it up, there was an urgent knock at her door. Deciding to call Logan later, she went to the door and opened it, allowing a worried Takari to enter.
"Ororo, are you okay?"
"I am now," she replied honestly.
"What happened?"
"Your King and his arrogance happened," she said angrily.
"I'm sorry for his actions, dearest Ororo. Though, I think he has learned his lesson," Takari replied, looking relieved.
"Why do you say that, Takari?" Ororo asked, suddenly tired.
"Because it seemed that lightning followed the King wherever he went. He now has to replace his large screen television as well as both his and his wife's laptop computers."
"That's truly unfortunate," Ororo said unfazed by what Takari told her. She yawned loudly into her hand. "Excuse me."
"My dear, did you not get any rest."
"No and my body is screaming for it. Will you see that I am not disturbed any more this evening?"
"As you wish. Sweet dreams princess," Takari said, kissing her softly before she walked into the bedroom, forgetting to return Logan's call.
