Still In Storm's Mind, A While Later

Still In Storm's Mind, A While Later...

"Whew! I guess this wasn't supposed to be easy." Jean groaned as they finally reached the top. She turned around and leaned into the shaft and pulled the Professor up.

"Thank you, Jean. So, where are we now?" He dusted off his pants and looked around. They were closer to the Shadow King; Xavier could feel his malice.

The room was bright blue, with large portraits on the walls. The only thing in the room was a small locket on a pillow.

Jean walked around to each of the pictures on the walls. There were four in all, and they were portraits of Forge, Logan, Rogue, and Jean. Jean was looking at the portrait of herself when another large tremor went through the room. She fell against her picture, and was flashed into another memory.

"Ororo, I just hate it."

"What's wrong, Jean?"

"I hate my appearance. My hair just lies there limp. And let's not get started with my skin. It's so blotchy! I don't know why I bother."

"Jean, you are one of the most beautiful people I know. And I'm not only talking about you physical body, which is perfect. Scott loves you, and he's loved you for a long time. Please don't hate your appearance."

"Ororo, you're right. I'm going to surprise Scott with a romantic evening. He'll like that. Thanks so much. You know you're like a sister to me." She hugged Ororo, and ran out of her room, going to get ready for Scott's return.

Ororo smiled faintly as she sat on her bed. It made her happy to make her friends happy. Then she realized she had no one special to spend Christmas with.

"It will be all right. I'll just get presents for everyone at the mansion. It can be a good holiday after all." She smiled to herself, and picked up her pocketbook and flew out of the skylight, towards the Salem Center Mall.

At the exact same instant, Xavier was thrown against the portrait of Forge.

"Why don't you wake up, Ororo? You're no longer needed here. I see no reason for you to stay here."

"Forge, this is my home. I believe in Xavier's cause, and I love my family here."

"They aren't your family. Families give and take, and all they do is take. I wanted you to be my wife, but someone came along who loved me, and was as I was. As I am. But you can't break the brainwashing Xavier's done to you."

"I am not brainwashed, Forge! I love my family, and we support everyone! Including me. Why can't you see that?"

"I'm sorry, Ororo. It's over. I'm in love with Raven now. I'm sorry."

Ororo walked over to Forge. "Was your love for me so fleeting? To actually join with my enemy?"

"Ororo, I don't care anymore. You're not my problem."

The tremor stopped, and both came out of their memories.

"Jean, we're running out of time. We've got to get to the Shadow King, and quickly, before our Ororo no longer exists." As they moved past a picture of Logan, Jean became curious. Touching the portrait, she was thrown into another memory.

"Logan?"

"Yes, 'Ro?"

"I was wondering if you wanted to go and do something in town." Ororo blushed slightly, a little nervous.

"Well..." he said, chuckling softly," I didn't know you could have fun."

"Well, Logan, I can, and I wanted to know if you wanted to come along. It's no pressure, either you do, or you don't." She smiled reassuringly.

"Well, 'Ro..." His sentence trailed off as Jean passed by a couple of yards away. Ororo saw Logan visibly stiffen as she embraced Scott. "I'm going to have to get back with you." he said gruffly before stalking away.

Ororo smiled to herself, and took to the air. "Perhaps later." she thought as she sailed through the afternoon sky.

The tremors were becoming fiercer... it was readily apparent that they didn't have much time. Both were thrown from the portrait to the middle of the room, where the small locket rested. Xavier landed on it, and because he was holding onto Jean, she was transported into the memory as well.

Ororo sat at her desk. It was a wonderfully bright summer afternoon, and the X-Men were enjoying a much-needed vacation. She could occasionally hear splashing and sputtering, and Bobby's raucous laughter.

Smiling to herself, she changed into a light blue sundress and sandals, and decided to join the fun.

Walking down the large main stairs, she heard someone sobbing. Looking into the kitchen, she noticed Betsy doing dishes and crying.

"Betsy, what's wrong?"

Betsy was startled, and dropped the dish she was drying.

"Betsy, are you all right?" Ororo asked as she rushed over to help her with the broken dish.

"Ororo! I thought everyone was outside enjoying themselves."

"Well, I have decided to join them...why aren't you outside having fun with Warren?"

"That's the problem. We've had a big fight, and I can't seem to find him... I think I might have pushed a little too hard. It might...it might be over between us!" Betsy frowned, trying to hold back tears.

"Oh, Betsy, you and Warren love each other dearly. It can't be over."

"Then why can't I find him?"

"He's probably just blowing off steam. He'll come back when he's ready."

"Perhaps. But I've always found him before..."

"Because he wanted to be found...?"

Betsy smiled. "That makes sense. Thank you, Ororo. I feel much better."

"Think nothing of it. I am your friend, and I will always try to help you." Ororo hugged the purple haired mutant and patted her shoulder.

Suddenly, the sky let lose a tremendous clap of thunder, and Betsy looked at Ororo questioningly. "That was not me. It must be nature taking her own course." Before Betsy could reply, the rest of the X-Men came tumbling in, a mass of good cheer and soaked clothing.

"Well Sugah, don't you think that might be a bit much?" Rogue asked, as she winked at Ororo and shook the water out of her long mane of hair. "What's wrong?"

"It wasn't me, Rogue. I was coming to join you." Ororo said as she started to laugh slowly, all the while thinking, "Perfect. Now they are going to crowd into the recreation room, and I won't be able to join them."

At that moment Warren Worthington flew onto the patio, landing hard on the stones. "Warren!" Betsy cried as she threw down the dishrag and rushed out the kitchen doors. She ran to him, and without another thought, they both threw their arms around each other.

Ororo smiled, and walked through the melee of bodies fighting for food and yelling pizza orders to a flustered Scott, who was trying to hear the person on the other end repeat their order.

Up in her room, she slowly disrobed and turned off all of her lights. Lighting a couple of candles, she slid into bed, thinking, "There is always tomorrow." A slight smile played on her lips as the thought of Betsy hugging Warren as if holding on for dear life. She had helped another of her friends...

The shaking stopped, throwing them again against a wall. Shaken, Xavier helped Jean up. "I had no idea. Because of Ororo's claustrophobia, it limits the time she can spend with everyone." he said thoughtfully.

"And you know how we love to cram into the recreation room to watch a movie. It just never occurred to me why she hardly ever joined us." Jean winced slightly, feeling embarrassed. She finally realized how isolated Ororo was, and that it wasn't all voluntary.

"We must get going." Xavier's voice cut through her thoughts. She watched him look around the room, medallion in hand. "Look for a vase."

"There's no vase in this room, Professor. There's only the locket and the pictures." She looked at him quizzically.

"Perhaps it isn't an actual object...perhaps it's a painting as well." he said as he scanned the walls. None of the pictures were of vases, but in the portrait of Rogue there was a small silver vase in the background. "Jean, I've found it. Let's go."

He held on to her hand, and waved the medallion over Rogue's picture. The painting moved to the right, and there was an elevator behind it. Xavier and Jean stepped into it, and discovered that it only went in one direction. Up.

When it stopped, the doors opened, revealing a pale yellow room. Stepping out, Jean noted that the only objects in the room were a blue crystal flower inside a crystal box floating in a corner, a purple umbrella standing against a wall, and a china music box sitting on a plain end table.

"We need to start looking for a way out of here." Xavier said as he looked down at the medallion he held. It started to fade away. "Well, I guess that's the end of that." he said as it completely disappeared.

"I can't seem to find any exits." called Jean. "There is nothing against the walls that could hide an exit, and I am at a loss as to how to get out of here."

"Well I know there is some way to get out of this room. Ororo would have warned us if there weren't." Xavier said thoughtfully as he walked around the room. "A rather unusual theory has formed." he mused as he stopped in front of the china music box.

"And what's that, Professor?"

"I think we might have to touch the objects to leave this room."

"Are you sure? Isn't that like prying?"

"Not quite. We're trying to save her, and get Shadow King out of her mind... We're not just touching for fun. Unlike when you touched Logan's painting for curiosity?" She blushed, and nodded assent.

She walked over to the music box, and touched it with Xavier.

Ororo was walking through the mansion, a hot cup of tea in hand. She couldn't sleep, and she didn't know why.

"Perhaps I can get relaxed enough to fall back asleep." she thought as she walked down the east wing of the mansion. She walked past Xavier's room, and heard restless noises. "Perhaps he's as badly off as I am." she thought as she knocked softly.

"Come in, Ororo." Xavier said smilingly as she pushed open the heavy oak door.

"Is there something wrong, Professor? It seems like you can't sleep either."

"Yes, it is hard for me to sleep. I am kept awake at night by nightmares of something happening to my precious X-Men. I don't just mean that the world of mutants would lose a much-needed fighter for freedom... I mean that I would lose one of my children. You and the others have made me as proud as any real father could be. I'm thankful, but I worry about you all."

Ororo walked over to his bed and sat beside him. "Professor, we knew the risks when we signed on. We believe dearly in what we fight for. Because of you the world is a lot better for mutants. Just imagine the cruelty and discrimination that could run rampant if you hadn't intervened - mutant terrorists would try to wipe out the human race, and everyone would be fighting, the world safe for no one. You and the X-teams have done well. One day the world will realize that." She gave him a big hug.

"Thank you so much, Ororo. I celebrate the day I met you. You have made me realize yet again that I cannot give up. The price would be too high." He smiled sadly as his eyes started to droop. "Stay with me, Ororo?" he asked, sleep overcoming him.

"Of course, Professor." she smiled, and tucked him in. She sat in a large chair, watching her mentor and father-figure sleep soundly. When sleep started to overcome her, she tiptoed out of the room, closing the door, and fell into the most contented sleep she'd had in a long time.

When the memory was over, Xavier had tears in his eyes. " I didn't think she would even remember that. She's helped me so much, never asking for much in return. Jean smiled, wiping a tear from her eye. "That's always been her way. Selfless to the core. But we must keep going." They walked over to the crystal flower.

_____________________________________________________

Meanwhile, In The Real World...

Shadow King finally had enough control of Storm's mind to escape. He opened Storm's eyes slowly, looking around the almost deserted medlab.

Hank sat at the lab counter, asleep among beakers and centrifuges. A soft snore was the only sound in the room. The Shadow King, in Storm's body, slowly stood up and walked over to Hank, tapping him on the shoulder.

Jerking conscious, Hank's disoriented mind encountered an awake Ororo. "Ororo? You're awake? The Professor and Jean were successful?" he asked as he glanced over at their prone forms. Before he could reply, the Shadow King delivered a jaw-crushing jab to Hank's head, dropping him like a sack of potatoes.

Making his way out of the mansion without encountering anyone, Shadow King ran out the back door and took to the air. Two seconds later a siren sounded, alerting the X-Men to his escape. He got two hundred feet before Rogue cut him off.

"Where are you going, Sugah?" she asked, trying to take Shadow King back without hurting Storm's body.

"Where are you going?" the Shadow King asks her, getting closer.

"What are you talking abou-" Rogue's question was cut short by a midair flip, Shadow King connecting both feet with her jaw. It didn't hurt, but it surprised the hell out of her, making her reel backwards a couple of feet. Shadow King wasted no time grabbing onto the stunned woman's gloved shoulders.

"What are you doing to me?" Rogue shrieked as Storm's body grinned evilly and let lose a lightning bolt that shook the air itself. The bolt was fed directly into Rogue's body, short circuiting it momentarily and causing the girl to plummet to the ground, hitting like a large meteor.

"Perhaps the air isn't the smartest way to go." Shadow King thought as he landed softly a few hundred yards from Rogue's smoking body. Then a rustle in the bushes caught his attention.

Psylocke exploded out of the foliage, brandishing her physic sword, as she tackling the Shadow King. "This ends now, Shadow King." she said, smirking from her vantage point, pressing the sword close to Ororo's head.

"You are no match for me, ninja. I am more powerful than you are." Shadow King said as he struggled.

"No, you aren't. I've seen what Ororo can do, and I can take you down." she said confidently, moving in for the blow.

"You've seen nothing." He twisted Storm's beautiful features into a cruel mask of evil and power. Pushing Psylocke away with a wind, Shadow King called down lightning, shaping it into a sword of crackling energy strong enough to rival Psylocke's strongest physic blade.

"Have at thee, fair maiden." he said mockingly. Psylocke thrust at him, an expert at sword fighting, but the Shadow King was as much an expert. He swung at her undefended side, and when she went to block, he shifted and brought the flat of the lightning sword down upon her head. When it came into contact with Betsy's skin, it electrified her, her body dropping to the ground, slightly burnt. She staggered back up, still able to fight, but the Shadow King, disgusted, slammed her against a large tree with a whirlwind.

"This might just be too easy." he said, though keeping on guard. A small glowing object cleared some bushes, landing near the Shadow King's feet. Looking down, he saw it was a rock. Realization hit, and he raised a lightning shield, an instant before the rock exploded. Gambit...

Gambit leapt out of the trees, twirling a bo staff. "You will not try to take the petite, mon ami. Or you'll have to go through me." He twirled the stick threateningly.

"Thief, you don't scare me." the Shadow King taunted Gambit as Warren Worthington, a.k.a. Angel, dropped out of the sky to kick him in the back.

Screaming, Shadow King threw Gambit aside, and tossed a lightning bolt at Angel, directly at his back, where his two wings met. He dropped like a weight, unconscious.

"What have you done to him, devil?" Gambit cried, dodging lightning bolts as he threw cards, small rocks, and branches, anything he could get his hands on. Nothing penetrated the Shadow King's lightning shield, and he couldn't dodge lightning bolts forever.

Then, for some reason, the Shadow King stopped firing. Gambit took the opportunity to throw a small charged boulder at his energy shield, hoping to break through it. The rock exploded harmlessly, showering Gambit with debris.

The Shadow King looked up at the sky, hands raised. Gambit got a bad feeling, and tried to run out of the line of fire, but Shadow King called down sheet lightning, and it hit the ground in a sweeping arc, catching Gambit's retreating form right in the back. It took him down, his breathing ragged and uneven. Shadow King walked over to him.

"The only reason you're alive is because I want to you to see your friend commit unspeakable horror, and I want to see your futile efforts to bring her down. This is so amusing!" the Shadow King said as he kicked Remy in the face, knocking him unconscious.

Hearing no noise, natural or otherwise, the Shadow King proceeded with caution. He heard a twig crack, and ducked as a large red beam of light lanced above his head, ramming into a couple of trees and splintering them until they are only useful as toothpicks.

Jumping to his feet, the Shadow King tried to take flight. Scott, a.k.a. Cyclops, ran over and caught his leg before he could get much further. Slamming him down on the ground, Wolverine leapt from the bushes, just in time for the Shadow King to whip around and rip off Cyclops?visor. The concussive force hit Wolverine dead in the chest, catapulting him through an acre of trees, howling.

With three blows connecting to his head, Cyclops was down for the count, groaning, eyes shut tightly. "Don't come after me. I might not be so gentle next time." Shadow King said to him, walking away.

_____________________________________________________________________________

Meanwhile, Inside Storm's Mind...

Xavier and Jean touched the crystal box, and were thrust into another memory.

"Keep alert, everyone. We don't know where he's located." Ororo said as they walked through one of the rooms in a seemingly deserted lab of Mr. Sinister's. Leading the team on this mission, Storm was first, scouting to make sure it was safe. Walking over a pressure-activated tile in the floor, a shaft opened up beneath her. Before she could fly upwards, the tile slid shut.

"Oh no. Oh no. Ohnoohnoohnoohnoohnoohnoohnoohnoohno!" Ororo screamed as she pounded against the small stone prison. Immediately she flashed back to a time where she was too small to pry herself out of the debris. Her dying mother... so close, yet too far away to help. Seeing her never move again. Never again. NEVER AGAIN!

Storm screamed, letting loose a huge bolt of lightning, frying every circuit in a one mile radius and making herself pass out in the process. Cyclops broke through the shielding, and pulled Ororo out. Because of the lightning strike, the mission was successful, shorting out the mechanical eyes that had been tracking the X-team.

Xavier drew back, the feeling of oppression washing over him almost overwhelming his mind. "My goodness...that was a little strong." Jean rubbed the back of her neck. "I don't think I can stand much more of this. My mind is strained." "As is mine. So let's hurry. We've got one last object, and I think it will get us out of this room. I know we are very close to him. I can feel him much more strongly now... can't you?"

"Yes, Professor. He's feeling quite proud of something he's done... I wonder what." she said thoughtfully, and they both touched the purple umbrella.

Ororo was outside enjoying the afternoon sunset. She felt a light drop on her bare shoulder, but thought nothing of it. A couple of drops later, it was a full-fledged thunderstorm. Before she knew it, she was up in the air.

Forked lightning slid through the sky, every once in a while hitting her, causing her to laugh in delight. She loved it when nature decided to pamper her in this way.

She never felt more alive than when she was in the middle of a storm. The primal power, the raw beauty and downright sexiness of a severe thunderstorm left her feeling content and happy, so happy she could dance.

Which she did, darting between rain-heavy storm clouds, laughing like a child. She twisted and turned in the air, not caring as her dress was torn from her body. She was in her element, the beauty of the storm.

When the storm left to go shower some other area with much needed rain, she whimpered slightly. She'd just have to wait until the next one. But for right now, she couldn't be happier.

When Jean and Xavier pulled their hands away from the umbrella, they realized they were no longer in the yellow room. This room was bright gold, with sculpted molding and ornate walls. In the center of the room was a pedestal made of marble, and on it was an emerald pear.

"What is this, Professor?" Jean asked, entranced by the sight.

"I have no idea, Jean. Let's just get this over with." Xavier took Jean's hand, and touched the emerald pear.

Apparently, this wasn't a memory, but something else.

"Where are we, Professor?" Jean asked quizzically, looking around. They were in a stone room, with a long hallway.

"The Shadow King is at the end of the hall!" the Professor said, and he and Jean ran down the corridor, seeming never to get anywhere.

"Did you really think I didn't sense you coming? I wanted you to come! Now is the time that I defeat the two of you and claim my rightful place as the most powerful telepath in the world." The Shadow King's voice echoed down the corridor, washing Xavier and Jean's forms in cold evil.

"Jean, take my hand!" cried Xavier. Jean grabbed it, and together they projected themselves to the end of the tunnel. Landing hard, they picked themselves up, and prepared to fight.

The Shadow King turned around slowly, already prepared to fight. He swung a large double-edged sword, nearly hacking Xavier in half. Xavier jumped backwards and a sword of his own appeared, long and thick, along with body armor.

Xavier lunged and thrust, parrying Shadow King's sword, blocking and trading blows with the evil entity. Jean kept slightly in the background, forgotten for now. She instead concentrated on forcing Shadow King back into the astral plane. Straining her mental muscles, she created a small rift to suck him back in.

The Shadow King felt the severe tug on his mind as he blocked Xavier's fluid swipe at his midsection. "Argh, you will not get me to release my Windrider! She is mine!" He screamed again as the pull became unbearable. He was phasing in and out, and it was becoming harder and harder to block Xavier's attack.

Jean put her entire mind into it, opening the rift even larger, and nudged Shadow King into range.

"AAaaaaaaarrrrrrrggggggggghhhhhhhhhh!!!!!" he cried as he was sucked into the astral plane. A deep rumbling was heard within Ororo's mind as the castle shook.

"What's going on, Professor?" Jean asked, helping him off of the ground. "The repercussions of the Shadow King inhabiting Ororo's mind. Now that she's back in charge, she is hurt. He did a lot of damage, and we're going to have to help her with it when we get out... Speaking of which, let's go." Xavier and Jean phased out, just in time to see the sky darken inside of Ororo's mind.