Disclaimer: I don't own the X-Men, I just borrow them, do naughty things to them, and then put them back more or less where I found them. I do own all the original characters (yay me!)
Kurt smiled to himself, a brief glint of fangs. He was meant to be paying attention to the discussion going on before him, but he was admittedly preoccupied with the feel of Rogue's hand in his; for the hundredth time in the past hour he said a quick mental prayer – Danke, Mein Gott – and hoped she wasn't planning on letting go any time soon.
Silver – or perhaps he should call her Ororo now, as that is what her real name apparently was – was curled up on Remy's lap – much to the obvious annoyance of the one who'd been introduced only as 'Wolverine'. He could see that Sword and Rogue were both in fighting mode, a little tensed up, a little more aware than usual. He wasn't too worried though; if Shadow and the twins said these people were friends, then they were friends. The only problem would be if Remy and Wolverine got into a fight over Silver; and he could bamf Remy away if that happened – from what he'd seen, Ororo would be more than capable of putting her feral admirer in his place.
There was a great deal of talk going on between the telepaths; Jean Gray and Professor Xavier brought the total up to five, six if you counted Violet, who seemed to be counting herself out, saying she'd be more of a hindrance than a help.
Ororo rested her head on Remy's shoulder; he met the eyes of his opponent with a grin, then placed a gentle kiss on the top of her head. It would have been sweet, if he hadn't been doing it mostly to piss the other man off. From the low growl filling the room, it had worked.
Kurt tensed a little more, feeling Rogue squeeze his hand. Did the Cajun have a death wish? Wolverine was looking at Ororo with an expression he recognized; it was one he'd had on his own face often enough – that desperate longing for something he'd once had, far too briefly, and now had lost.
"Behave, Thief." Sword looked and sounded amused, until you looked right into his eyes. Then he just looked tense. "I don't want Violet to have to wear herself out patching you up."
It was probably for the best that at that point, that the telepaths decided to adjourn to Shadows 'meditation' room, taking Silver with them.
"Don't let them kill each other." was Shadows parting remark.
The other fellow, the one who wasn't a telepath or lusting after Ororo – what was his name? – was left behind as well.
Kurt did a mental accounting of the occupants of the room. Sword, Violet, himself, Rogue and – oh – Scott – to hold back Remy and Wolverine. Pretty good odds, so he wasn't lacking in duty if he moved his chair right next to Rogues.
Violet was watching them, grinning like a fool; Sword gave him a nod and a smirk.
But none of that really mattered, because Rogues left hand had disengaged from his and was wandering around his waist, her eyes bright and smiling.
Glory and Hallelujah.
Ororo. Her name was Ororo. It had to be, because it was right there on what was apparently her drivers license. Ororo N'Dare Monroe. Or 'Ro for short, which was what Wolverine had called her. She felt her stomach tighten at the thought of him. At first he'd scared her, but something deeper down was stirring up other feelings.
Why did life have to be so complicated?
She let the smooth voice of Shadow guide her into their usual mediation – they'd done this several times, and every time there had been a wall in her mind – a wall she couldn't get around. This time, however, there was the power of five minds behind hers; slowly, a crack appeared. They'd try to do it slowly, came the thought from one of the others – they didn't want to rush her.
But the light flowed out through the crack and suddenly she was bombarded with images. The wall crumbled, the light growing more intense. The other minds were cast away, helpless, and she was left alone with a flood of memories.
Later, they'd tell her she screamed for a good five minutes continuously; that both Logan and Remy had to be held back; that Violet had rushed in to check on her and that the too-fast separation from her mind had given the twins head-aches for weeks.
All she remembered at the time was a few brief seconds of light; so bright she couldn't look at it, but neither could she look away or close her eyes – nothing helped. Pain ripped through her, and then suddenly she was lying on the floor, looking up at this weird little stain on the ceiling, and she was Ororo Monroe again.
Remy and Logan both rushed to her side as she entered the room; at the sight of them, her head spun all over again. Logan, Remy. Remy, Logan. What on earth was she going to do with the two of them?
Memories swum through her mind. Being part of the X-Men. Being part of the Way. A heart to heart in the woods with Logan, finally seeing his guard all the way down; a chase across fields after Remy. Girls nights out with Jean. Girls nights in with Violet. She belonged to two worlds now; how was she supposed to choose?
She pushed her two admirers away, found her voice.
"I… I have to go. I have to get away. I have some things to think about, some decisions to make, and I have to make them alone."
Her friends from both sides accepted that; half of them were telepaths, so she supposed they understood. One by one, they embraced her, saying their goodbyes – for now, at least, as Rogue put it.
When it came to Logan and Remy though, she couldn't do it. She couldn't hug them, put her arms around them. Who would she go to first? What could she say to either of them?
Jean pushed a bag into her hands.
"Money, credit cards, ID." Then she embraced her for a second time. "Good luck, 'Ro."
Her two loves were still standing there, waiting; but she just backed out of the door, tears running down her face.
She wasn't sure where she was going, but when she got to the end of the driveway, there was a big rig waiting there, the driver vaguely familiar. Then she remembered the old photo that sat up on the mantelpiece in the farmhouse.
"You need a lift?" Carver asked her.
"Where are you headed?"
He grinned. "Away from here. Suitable?"
"Sounds perfect."
She spent the next few hours pretending to doze; Carver was refusing to tell her how he knew to be waiting there, although she suspected it had something to do with Shadow, or maybe the twins. So she was giving him the silent treatment; mainly, her mind was going round in circles. Her two men; both of them she loved. Both of them loved her. But she had to pick a side; anything else wasn't fair.
Ororo sighed, looking out at the now setting sun. How long had they been driving? Did it matter? She was a little hungry, but there was a deeper ache. Two pieces of her heart were missing; and she knew she'd never be whole again.
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