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## - represents thoughts
** - speaking telepathically
CHAPTER 12: Denial
Ororo had awakened quite early the following morning, and embarked on her daily pilgrimage to the greenhouse. She didn't notice Hank at first, sitting in a far corner among some ferns and roses. She had just picked up a tray of orchid seedlings when...
"Hello, Ororo."
"My orchids!" she exclaimed as they hit the floor. She turned to Hank. "What are you doing here?" she asked.
He sighed. "Ororo, I have reached a quandary to which no level of intellectual analysis has proven sufficient to..."
Ororo raised a hand to halt him. Smiling, she said, "Henry, quit babbling. You are confused."
"Yes, if laconically put," Hank reluctantly agreed.
"Talk to me," she said, and sat down next to him.
Hank took a deep breath, and his shoulders settled as if they were carrying a great burden. Ororo could see that the strain of whatever was bothering him was affecting him severely. Given the recent gossip, she had little doubt as to what it was about.
"It's HER," he said, his tone almost repugnant.
"Oh? And what 'her' are you talking about?" Ororo replied slyly. "Have you and Jubilee been at it again?"
"No!"
"Rogue? She hasn't been beating on you again, has she?"
"No, she hasn't," he replied, now sounding indignant.
"Well, Jean has been in a teasing mood as of late. Has SHE been bothering you?"
"No, she hasn't!" he declared loudly, squirming visibly.
Ororo put a thoughtful finger to her lips, and continued. "Let's see, who is left? Hmmm...it's not Jubilee, Rogue hasn't touched you, and Jean has been behaving herself. Now who am I missing?" she mused.
Hank pushed himself up onto his feet and started pacing. "You know perfectly well who is missing!" he said crossly. "That striped, whiskered, tailed..."
Ororo piped up. "You forgot 'attractively furred'."
"Yes. Attractively fur...NO! Wait a minute!"
She successfully feigned a look of innocence. "So Henry, what has your poor Tyger done to you now?"
"It's not what she's done...hey!...she is not MY anything!"
"Oh!" said Ororo, suddenly enlightened. "So you're upset about what she DIDN'T do."
"That's not what I meant!!" he exclaimed, turning lavender.
"Then what are you so upset about that she didn't do to you?" Ororo asked, grinning inwardly.
"She didn't do anything to me!" he cried.
"And this bothers you? Were you expecting her to...?"
"NO!!! I do not want her to do anything to me!"
"Then why are you so upset that she didn't?"
Hank stopped and took a deep breath. Then another. "You are NOT helping," he stated, trying to sound calm.
"I AM helping," Storm retorted. "I am trying to help you face what you yourself are denying."
"I am NOT denying ANYTHING!!!" Hank roared back.
"Ah," said Ororo, undaunted, "the first sign of denial."
"AAAARRRGGH!" he cried, completely exasperated. "You are as infuriating as SHE is!"
Ororo remained as calm as ever. "Henry, you must get over this obsession of yours."
"I am NOT obsessed!"
"You seem to be obsessed. You cannot seem to get her out of your mind. After all, you did collar her. And Henry, do you not realize that in some cultures, that is as good as an engagement?"
He suddenly turned a paler shade of blue. "WHAT?!"
"Of course. A woman is usually given a silver or gold necklace to show that she has been claimed. I thought that this was your intention."
Hank just stood there, jaw wide open.
"Henry, please close your mouth. You are liable to swallow one of the bees, and I need them for my flowers."
He closed his mouth.
"So," she pressed. "You're having second thoughts?"
"Second thoughts!" cried Hank. "What happened to the first thoughts?"
"Henry, it is as obvious as the blue in your fur what your first thoughts were."
Hank's mouth opened and closed, trying to force out some coherent sentences. "Thoughts?...No...not going to...
What?!"
Ororo shook her head. "Henry, calm yourself! Think clearly. Close your eyes, relax. Until you can re-engage your brain, you're not going to be able to work through this."
He complied, and calmed visibly.
"After all," she continued, "until you can rationalize this, you are not going to be able to consummate...er...culminate the relationship."
"But I haven't touched her!!" he began, then caught himself. Taking another deep breath, he said, "Ororo, you are most certainly not helping me in ANY sense of that word."
"There, you see? That was MUCH calmer. So..ahem..Henry, what brought you out to lurk among the rose bushes?"
"SHE did."
"Oh, and what 'she' might that be?"
"You bloody well know what SHE it is! TYGER! That's who!!!"
"And what has your poor Tyger done to leave you in this kind of a state?"
"I AM NOT in a STATE!"
"You are aggravated, short-tempered, prone to pacing, and incoherent. Does that not qualify as a state?" she asked matter-of-factly. "I saw what happened at the party. It was quite a dive, in fact. Although, it would have been quite painful if you had missed."
"You mean there was no reason for me to take a long dive?" he asked tentatively, cautious of where this new direction in the conversation was taking him.
"Jean could have plucked her from the water as easily as you did."
"I just reacted," he replied, squirming again.
"Oh, the brave blue knight rescuing his damsel in distress!"
"It wasn't like that!" Hank protested. "She was in trouble! I just reacted to save her, just like any other team-mate!"
"Really?" Ororo replied, raising an eyebrow. "I don't recall her ever being inducted into the X-men. Nor do I remember ever seeing her in the training room. How is she a team-mate? A houseguest, maybe. So you jumped in to rescue a houseguest? Yes, jumped as if someone had pulled your chain. Hmmmm...are you collared as she is? Linked by a chain stronger than steel?"
"Ororo..." he said slowly, a warning tone in his voice.
"Come on Henry, admit it! If Bobby was in the water, you wouldn't have dived in like that, nor for Jubilee. You would have reacted instinctively, of course, but you would have called for Jean, or grabbed a life preserver. But no. It was Tyger, so you dived in to save her. Think rationally, Henry! What does that action say to you?"
"Well, when you put it like that, it does sound rather incriminating," he said rather sheepishly.
"So why did you do it?"
"I feared for her."
"It was a pool party with the X-men, Henry. At no point was anybody in any danger. What if Bobby had saved her instead?"
"Bobby?...That...!" he couldn't finish the sentence.
"Jealously now? Has a green monster bitten the blue beast?"
"Ororo," he said angrily, "are you trying to get my goat?"
"Not as much as you're avoiding trying to get a cat," she retorted.
"I am NOT avoiding anything!"
"Oh? Then your behaviour of barricading yourself in your lab is normal?"
"Of course it is!"
"Henry, you've missed eight scheduled training sessions. You've ignored our polite reminders. I do not believe I've seen you in the west wing at all since you returned, and you haven't slept in your own bed the whole time you've been here!"
"But I have work to do," he replied, nearly whining.
"Is that really true, Henry? Or have you simply been avoiding Tyger?"
"Ororo, there is NOTHING between us!"
"Henry," said Ororo, finally sounding exasperated. "Just go talk to her."
"We have NOTHING to talk about!" he replied adamantly.
"Then just hold her instead. Actions speak louder than words...Oh ho! THAT got a reaction! So you HAVE held her, haven't you?" she accused him, grinning wickedly. "And how did it affect you, Henry? Did it leave you breathless and tingly? Wanting to run away, yet refusing to?"
"Ororo, you are NOT helping me ANY!" he exclaimed once again.
She replied with a gentler voice. "Accept how you feel and work past it, Henry."
"Ororo, you DO NOT know what you are talking about," he growled as he stormed off.
Ororo just smiled.
* * *
Several hours later, Ororo and Jean met on the terrace.
"Well?" said Ororo.
"She's a sweet kid," Jean replied. "She's just scared, uncertain and...completely inexperienced. You?"
"He is pig-headed, stuck-up, arrogant and about as thick as Juggernaut's skull. I swear by the four winds that your two-footed feline has more self confidence than Henry does."
"And?" Jean said hopefully.
"I think I finally goaded him into actually doing something about it. This sulking around is getting difficult for everyone, whether they choose to be involved or not."
"Time will tell," Jean said slyly. "Ready for our match?"
"Of course," Ororo replied, grabbing her tennis racket. "And this time, no using your powers."
* * *
## - represents thoughts
** - speaking telepathically
CHAPTER 12: Denial
Ororo had awakened quite early the following morning, and embarked on her daily pilgrimage to the greenhouse. She didn't notice Hank at first, sitting in a far corner among some ferns and roses. She had just picked up a tray of orchid seedlings when...
"Hello, Ororo."
"My orchids!" she exclaimed as they hit the floor. She turned to Hank. "What are you doing here?" she asked.
He sighed. "Ororo, I have reached a quandary to which no level of intellectual analysis has proven sufficient to..."
Ororo raised a hand to halt him. Smiling, she said, "Henry, quit babbling. You are confused."
"Yes, if laconically put," Hank reluctantly agreed.
"Talk to me," she said, and sat down next to him.
Hank took a deep breath, and his shoulders settled as if they were carrying a great burden. Ororo could see that the strain of whatever was bothering him was affecting him severely. Given the recent gossip, she had little doubt as to what it was about.
"It's HER," he said, his tone almost repugnant.
"Oh? And what 'her' are you talking about?" Ororo replied slyly. "Have you and Jubilee been at it again?"
"No!"
"Rogue? She hasn't been beating on you again, has she?"
"No, she hasn't," he replied, now sounding indignant.
"Well, Jean has been in a teasing mood as of late. Has SHE been bothering you?"
"No, she hasn't!" he declared loudly, squirming visibly.
Ororo put a thoughtful finger to her lips, and continued. "Let's see, who is left? Hmmm...it's not Jubilee, Rogue hasn't touched you, and Jean has been behaving herself. Now who am I missing?" she mused.
Hank pushed himself up onto his feet and started pacing. "You know perfectly well who is missing!" he said crossly. "That striped, whiskered, tailed..."
Ororo piped up. "You forgot 'attractively furred'."
"Yes. Attractively fur...NO! Wait a minute!"
She successfully feigned a look of innocence. "So Henry, what has your poor Tyger done to you now?"
"It's not what she's done...hey!...she is not MY anything!"
"Oh!" said Ororo, suddenly enlightened. "So you're upset about what she DIDN'T do."
"That's not what I meant!!" he exclaimed, turning lavender.
"Then what are you so upset about that she didn't do to you?" Ororo asked, grinning inwardly.
"She didn't do anything to me!" he cried.
"And this bothers you? Were you expecting her to...?"
"NO!!! I do not want her to do anything to me!"
"Then why are you so upset that she didn't?"
Hank stopped and took a deep breath. Then another. "You are NOT helping," he stated, trying to sound calm.
"I AM helping," Storm retorted. "I am trying to help you face what you yourself are denying."
"I am NOT denying ANYTHING!!!" Hank roared back.
"Ah," said Ororo, undaunted, "the first sign of denial."
"AAAARRRGGH!" he cried, completely exasperated. "You are as infuriating as SHE is!"
Ororo remained as calm as ever. "Henry, you must get over this obsession of yours."
"I am NOT obsessed!"
"You seem to be obsessed. You cannot seem to get her out of your mind. After all, you did collar her. And Henry, do you not realize that in some cultures, that is as good as an engagement?"
He suddenly turned a paler shade of blue. "WHAT?!"
"Of course. A woman is usually given a silver or gold necklace to show that she has been claimed. I thought that this was your intention."
Hank just stood there, jaw wide open.
"Henry, please close your mouth. You are liable to swallow one of the bees, and I need them for my flowers."
He closed his mouth.
"So," she pressed. "You're having second thoughts?"
"Second thoughts!" cried Hank. "What happened to the first thoughts?"
"Henry, it is as obvious as the blue in your fur what your first thoughts were."
Hank's mouth opened and closed, trying to force out some coherent sentences. "Thoughts?...No...not going to...
What?!"
Ororo shook her head. "Henry, calm yourself! Think clearly. Close your eyes, relax. Until you can re-engage your brain, you're not going to be able to work through this."
He complied, and calmed visibly.
"After all," she continued, "until you can rationalize this, you are not going to be able to consummate...er...culminate the relationship."
"But I haven't touched her!!" he began, then caught himself. Taking another deep breath, he said, "Ororo, you are most certainly not helping me in ANY sense of that word."
"There, you see? That was MUCH calmer. So..ahem..Henry, what brought you out to lurk among the rose bushes?"
"SHE did."
"Oh, and what 'she' might that be?"
"You bloody well know what SHE it is! TYGER! That's who!!!"
"And what has your poor Tyger done to leave you in this kind of a state?"
"I AM NOT in a STATE!"
"You are aggravated, short-tempered, prone to pacing, and incoherent. Does that not qualify as a state?" she asked matter-of-factly. "I saw what happened at the party. It was quite a dive, in fact. Although, it would have been quite painful if you had missed."
"You mean there was no reason for me to take a long dive?" he asked tentatively, cautious of where this new direction in the conversation was taking him.
"Jean could have plucked her from the water as easily as you did."
"I just reacted," he replied, squirming again.
"Oh, the brave blue knight rescuing his damsel in distress!"
"It wasn't like that!" Hank protested. "She was in trouble! I just reacted to save her, just like any other team-mate!"
"Really?" Ororo replied, raising an eyebrow. "I don't recall her ever being inducted into the X-men. Nor do I remember ever seeing her in the training room. How is she a team-mate? A houseguest, maybe. So you jumped in to rescue a houseguest? Yes, jumped as if someone had pulled your chain. Hmmmm...are you collared as she is? Linked by a chain stronger than steel?"
"Ororo..." he said slowly, a warning tone in his voice.
"Come on Henry, admit it! If Bobby was in the water, you wouldn't have dived in like that, nor for Jubilee. You would have reacted instinctively, of course, but you would have called for Jean, or grabbed a life preserver. But no. It was Tyger, so you dived in to save her. Think rationally, Henry! What does that action say to you?"
"Well, when you put it like that, it does sound rather incriminating," he said rather sheepishly.
"So why did you do it?"
"I feared for her."
"It was a pool party with the X-men, Henry. At no point was anybody in any danger. What if Bobby had saved her instead?"
"Bobby?...That...!" he couldn't finish the sentence.
"Jealously now? Has a green monster bitten the blue beast?"
"Ororo," he said angrily, "are you trying to get my goat?"
"Not as much as you're avoiding trying to get a cat," she retorted.
"I am NOT avoiding anything!"
"Oh? Then your behaviour of barricading yourself in your lab is normal?"
"Of course it is!"
"Henry, you've missed eight scheduled training sessions. You've ignored our polite reminders. I do not believe I've seen you in the west wing at all since you returned, and you haven't slept in your own bed the whole time you've been here!"
"But I have work to do," he replied, nearly whining.
"Is that really true, Henry? Or have you simply been avoiding Tyger?"
"Ororo, there is NOTHING between us!"
"Henry," said Ororo, finally sounding exasperated. "Just go talk to her."
"We have NOTHING to talk about!" he replied adamantly.
"Then just hold her instead. Actions speak louder than words...Oh ho! THAT got a reaction! So you HAVE held her, haven't you?" she accused him, grinning wickedly. "And how did it affect you, Henry? Did it leave you breathless and tingly? Wanting to run away, yet refusing to?"
"Ororo, you are NOT helping me ANY!" he exclaimed once again.
She replied with a gentler voice. "Accept how you feel and work past it, Henry."
"Ororo, you DO NOT know what you are talking about," he growled as he stormed off.
Ororo just smiled.
* * *
Several hours later, Ororo and Jean met on the terrace.
"Well?" said Ororo.
"She's a sweet kid," Jean replied. "She's just scared, uncertain and...completely inexperienced. You?"
"He is pig-headed, stuck-up, arrogant and about as thick as Juggernaut's skull. I swear by the four winds that your two-footed feline has more self confidence than Henry does."
"And?" Jean said hopefully.
"I think I finally goaded him into actually doing something about it. This sulking around is getting difficult for everyone, whether they choose to be involved or not."
"Time will tell," Jean said slyly. "Ready for our match?"
"Of course," Ororo replied, grabbing her tennis racket. "And this time, no using your powers."
* * *