AN: My HUGE apologies for the lack of time I've spent on this piece. School kind of caught up with me and I wasn't able to continue like I wanted to. So, yeah. Here's the next part. I'll try to be better from now on!
Warren't Loft penthouse reflected his more decadent side; the side that he showed to the public. Not only his vast wealth, but his elegant tastes and desire to be...well, normal. Plush white couches decorated the entry room, along with some deep navy rugs and several impressionist paintings on the wall- all originals. The three aurvivors gazed at the room with unreadable expressions on their faces. It wasn't like they had never been there before it was just that it was so... STERILE. So perfect. And it felt wrong to their shattered psyches.
Warren coughed behind them, and said "Welcome to my humble abode"
"Humble eh?" muttered Logan as he stepped in, feeling rather dingy in comparison to the bright room. Carol stuck close behind him even as Jean strode across the room towards the kitchen. Logan stared after her and shrugged inwardly. Everyone had their ways of coping, and Jean was a notoriously nervous cooker. If the team was ever on a particularily strenuous mission they were bound to be met by the smells of a dozen baked goods and various other meals the following morning.
Warren shifted uncomfortably from one foot to another as he looked over at Logan, "Make yourself at home" he mumbled and then followed the tracks Jean had made into the kitchen.
"Holy cow" whispered Carol as Warren left and Logan turned his head at the brush of air past his neck
"You say something darlin?"
"I said, 'Holy Cow'" she replied more clearly, looking him straight in the face. Logan chuckled and nodded his consent, but didn't respond. Sighing Carol stepped away from Logan and walked to the ceiling high windows over at the edge of the room and gazed down at the world below.
"So this is the world of the living. I had almost forgotten" she murmured. Leaning her forehead on the pane glass she watched the people running about below and the the cars that drove back and forth along the street. They had "died" and the world had gone on turning. It almost broke her heart.
A noise to her left alerted her to Warren's reentry into the room.
"Jean's gone to shower and get some rest. If you two would like to do the same, I can show you to your rooms" he said somberly. Carol glanced over at Logan who nodded at her reassuringly
"All I'd really like is to get some sleep" she said softly.
"Of course" responded Warren automatically and then turned to Logan, "And you Wolverine?"
"I'm fine. We need to talk" was his only reply. Warren nodded gravely and then turned back to Carol
"But first things first"
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
"Wow" was all Angel could manage to get out as Wolverine finished relating their tale, "I mean really...Charles? I..wow"
Logan nodded gravely from his seat in the armchair across from Warren, his body aching despite its comfortable position.
"Well...What do you think is the next move?" asked Warren uncertainly. Logan ran a hand down his face haggardly
"I don't know" he admitted honestly. The last few days had mentally stripped him down to his bare essentials and now he wasn't sure what to do. Everything he knew for certain a few days ago was completely null and void, "I mean, I don't know what Chuck wants. I don't know what the motivation is. I don't know how to warn anyone. But I don't think anyone should know we're here" At that Warren paled slightly under his blue skin
"I..." he stuttered. Logan narrowed his eyes at the blue man.
"Who did you call?" he pressed.
"Noone...I mean, someone. But I think someone trustworthy" Logan growled
"Dammit Warren, do you know what you've done?"
"I was just trying to help! I swear! I couldn't keep it to myself!"
"Who was it?" growled Logan once more, even as if on cue a knock sounded on the door. Warren leapt out of his seat and looked frantically at the door. Logan rose half out of his chair, a moment of unexpected panic taking him even as the berserker rage in him started to build up. There was no way anyone would hurt his girls again.
"It was..." There was a knock on the door again, only a little louder this time. Warren looked at the door nervously, "I have to get that" Logan let his claws out and nodded curtly. Warren dashed to the door and opened it a crack, "Who's there?"
"Don't be stupid Warren, it's me!" came the responding voice and he sighed in relief to see his fellow teammate standing out there. Opening the door wider he beckoned her in and she pulled the hat that covered her head off as she stepped over the threshhold. A gasp caught her attention and she looked across the room to a rather disheveled looking Wolverine, claws bared and all standing at attention betweent he furniture.
"'Ro?" he croaked. Ororo's heart flew into her throat as her hand pressed against her mouth, her eyes taking in the friend she never thought she would see again.
"Logan..." the name left her lips in a breath and then she was across the room and in his arms, wrapped in his strong embrace. Logan clung to Storm as if she was the only thing keeping him alive, and in truth she was the only thing keeping him together at that moment.
"Storm" he whispered into her hair and pressed her to him.
After several long moments the two parted and Logan wiped a tear that was traveling down her cheek, "Good to see you 'Ro" he said softly and she sniffled and chuckled before saying "Good to see you too Logan"
A shriek from the back of the room caught Storm's attention and her eyes came to rest on a petite, slightly sleepy blonde figure. "Storm?" she exclaimed and Ororo's eyes widened at the voice
"Jean?" she asked, shocked at the altered appearence of her best friend
"Oh my god!" was all that got out before Jean pelted across the room and into the arms of her awaiting friend. Storm just held on for dear life, not wanting to let go of everything she'd thought she'd lost only days ago.
~~~~~~~~~~
Charles Xavier sat, brooding behind the large, mahogany desk in his office, his usually friendly blue eyes glazed as he watched a conversation inside his head. He should have known better. He trained his students after all, he should have known they would survive. Well, he'd tried the best he could. 3 Alpha class mutants were easier to deal with than 9. And with two of them out of commission for a while he could make do. This was HIS game, and the rules...Well, he could just make them up as he went along.
Warren't Loft penthouse reflected his more decadent side; the side that he showed to the public. Not only his vast wealth, but his elegant tastes and desire to be...well, normal. Plush white couches decorated the entry room, along with some deep navy rugs and several impressionist paintings on the wall- all originals. The three aurvivors gazed at the room with unreadable expressions on their faces. It wasn't like they had never been there before it was just that it was so... STERILE. So perfect. And it felt wrong to their shattered psyches.
Warren coughed behind them, and said "Welcome to my humble abode"
"Humble eh?" muttered Logan as he stepped in, feeling rather dingy in comparison to the bright room. Carol stuck close behind him even as Jean strode across the room towards the kitchen. Logan stared after her and shrugged inwardly. Everyone had their ways of coping, and Jean was a notoriously nervous cooker. If the team was ever on a particularily strenuous mission they were bound to be met by the smells of a dozen baked goods and various other meals the following morning.
Warren shifted uncomfortably from one foot to another as he looked over at Logan, "Make yourself at home" he mumbled and then followed the tracks Jean had made into the kitchen.
"Holy cow" whispered Carol as Warren left and Logan turned his head at the brush of air past his neck
"You say something darlin?"
"I said, 'Holy Cow'" she replied more clearly, looking him straight in the face. Logan chuckled and nodded his consent, but didn't respond. Sighing Carol stepped away from Logan and walked to the ceiling high windows over at the edge of the room and gazed down at the world below.
"So this is the world of the living. I had almost forgotten" she murmured. Leaning her forehead on the pane glass she watched the people running about below and the the cars that drove back and forth along the street. They had "died" and the world had gone on turning. It almost broke her heart.
A noise to her left alerted her to Warren's reentry into the room.
"Jean's gone to shower and get some rest. If you two would like to do the same, I can show you to your rooms" he said somberly. Carol glanced over at Logan who nodded at her reassuringly
"All I'd really like is to get some sleep" she said softly.
"Of course" responded Warren automatically and then turned to Logan, "And you Wolverine?"
"I'm fine. We need to talk" was his only reply. Warren nodded gravely and then turned back to Carol
"But first things first"
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
"Wow" was all Angel could manage to get out as Wolverine finished relating their tale, "I mean really...Charles? I..wow"
Logan nodded gravely from his seat in the armchair across from Warren, his body aching despite its comfortable position.
"Well...What do you think is the next move?" asked Warren uncertainly. Logan ran a hand down his face haggardly
"I don't know" he admitted honestly. The last few days had mentally stripped him down to his bare essentials and now he wasn't sure what to do. Everything he knew for certain a few days ago was completely null and void, "I mean, I don't know what Chuck wants. I don't know what the motivation is. I don't know how to warn anyone. But I don't think anyone should know we're here" At that Warren paled slightly under his blue skin
"I..." he stuttered. Logan narrowed his eyes at the blue man.
"Who did you call?" he pressed.
"Noone...I mean, someone. But I think someone trustworthy" Logan growled
"Dammit Warren, do you know what you've done?"
"I was just trying to help! I swear! I couldn't keep it to myself!"
"Who was it?" growled Logan once more, even as if on cue a knock sounded on the door. Warren leapt out of his seat and looked frantically at the door. Logan rose half out of his chair, a moment of unexpected panic taking him even as the berserker rage in him started to build up. There was no way anyone would hurt his girls again.
"It was..." There was a knock on the door again, only a little louder this time. Warren looked at the door nervously, "I have to get that" Logan let his claws out and nodded curtly. Warren dashed to the door and opened it a crack, "Who's there?"
"Don't be stupid Warren, it's me!" came the responding voice and he sighed in relief to see his fellow teammate standing out there. Opening the door wider he beckoned her in and she pulled the hat that covered her head off as she stepped over the threshhold. A gasp caught her attention and she looked across the room to a rather disheveled looking Wolverine, claws bared and all standing at attention betweent he furniture.
"'Ro?" he croaked. Ororo's heart flew into her throat as her hand pressed against her mouth, her eyes taking in the friend she never thought she would see again.
"Logan..." the name left her lips in a breath and then she was across the room and in his arms, wrapped in his strong embrace. Logan clung to Storm as if she was the only thing keeping him alive, and in truth she was the only thing keeping him together at that moment.
"Storm" he whispered into her hair and pressed her to him.
After several long moments the two parted and Logan wiped a tear that was traveling down her cheek, "Good to see you 'Ro" he said softly and she sniffled and chuckled before saying "Good to see you too Logan"
A shriek from the back of the room caught Storm's attention and her eyes came to rest on a petite, slightly sleepy blonde figure. "Storm?" she exclaimed and Ororo's eyes widened at the voice
"Jean?" she asked, shocked at the altered appearence of her best friend
"Oh my god!" was all that got out before Jean pelted across the room and into the arms of her awaiting friend. Storm just held on for dear life, not wanting to let go of everything she'd thought she'd lost only days ago.
~~~~~~~~~~
Charles Xavier sat, brooding behind the large, mahogany desk in his office, his usually friendly blue eyes glazed as he watched a conversation inside his head. He should have known better. He trained his students after all, he should have known they would survive. Well, he'd tried the best he could. 3 Alpha class mutants were easier to deal with than 9. And with two of them out of commission for a while he could make do. This was HIS game, and the rules...Well, he could just make them up as he went along.