A/N - Thanks to everyone who was kind enough to review. I hope I answered
all your questions. This chapter's longer. Hope you enjoy it.
At the crack of dawn only one soul was up to enjoy the beautiful sunrise. The sky was streaked with colors of gold, mauve and cream. Ororo, her silvery white hair mussed, hanging loosely around her shoulders, made her way down the stairs. Declining to use the stairs, she soared on a light breeze. She had been without her powers for so long that she delighted in the use of them for even little things. Clad only in a short silk chemise, the rush of wind felt like a gentle caress. Famished, she stopped in the kitchen.
"Perhaps some jam and toast with Jasmine tea," she said, her voice low with sleep. With a mere thought she caused a small rain shower to appear above a bowl she held over the sink. As fresh rainwater poured into the bowl Ororo stretched languidly and sighed. It was good to feel the tingling sensation she always felt within her soul as the rain poured gently down. She laughed with pure happiness and the rain cloud disappeared.
She poured the water and put the kettle on to boil then glided to the refrigerator. When she opened it the light within cast a golden glow over her but as she reached for the jam something caused her to stop.
"Not gonna blow yer jam out with a little twister or somethin' eh, darlin'?"
Ororo turned to find Logan staring at her from the breakfast nook. She turned the light on and they both blinked adjusting to the brightness. Logan was black and blue from bruises and he was smiling from ear to ear. He lifted his head from the table and turned it from side to side as if working the kinks out. She realized he had fallen asleep there. His eyes traveled down Ororo's slim, shapely figure noting the sheerness of the white silk.
She laughed. "I should have brought a robe."
"No need," he said as he stood and stretched.
"A first aid kit as well, my friend."
"No need."
"I know. I am making tea. You could use some."
"Somethin' stronger maybe."
"Tea," she said firmly.
Logan nodded. Ororo brooked no nonsense from him or any one and he liked that. He liked Ororo. Always had---well, he suppose she had grown on him. He thought briefly of how much she had changed from when he first met her, the young weather goddess from Africa, haughty yet vulnerable. She'd been as unsure of Charlie Xavier's new X-Men as he had been. Thinking about Ororo's changes reminded him too much of his own and he thought of Mariko, his Japanese fiancée of so long ago. He missed her. Always would.
"Thoughts a million miles away."
"Yup."
"Bad night?"
"Long night."
"Long flight?"
He looked at her as she placed delicate china teacups and saucers on the table. She knew him better than any of the others.
"My business."
"Logan, I will be frank. Your outside interests elsewhere are a threat to the X-Men. You always come back but you often come back to us in bad shape."
Did she mean the booze? Two nights now. Drunk out of his mind. Never lasted long. Flamin' healing factor fought it every time. Or did she mean being nearly crippled like now, hardly able to stand?
"It may sound foolish but I worry, Logan. I care for you as I do Peter and I do not like seeing you wear yourself out with these side trips."
"Side trips?"
There was a long silence then the tea kettle began to whistle. He watched her make the tea. She looked good. She was sharp too. How had she known? He thought he'd been more careful.
She joined him at the table and poured out the tea. "I can sense your mood, Logan. I know you are restless and need to get away. We are alike in that. Our life here is difficult at best. Our loved ones believe us dead. I miss Kitty and Kurt and Yukio--all of our friends. Perhaps it is more difficult for you most of all . . . ."
"How ya figger that?"
"Logan, I too remember your lovely bride. I know that the anniversary of your wedding to Mariko just passed. When I lost my powers I felt almost desolate--akin to how I sometimes feel here. I worry if I made the right decision or did I condemn us all to a life of lies and solitude. "If I could fly through the night skies in search of danger and the wild fun it brings as I did so long ago with Yukio I would but I have an obligation to our friends here and even to the world. We must maintain the legend that we've become. We fight the good fight on our own terms now."
"'Roro, it ain't fun an' games I go lookin' for. You sound too much like Yu. . . . ."
"Perhaps. Perhaps not."
Logan's thoughts were angry. What's that s'posed ta mean? Perhaps--- Perhaps not? Lady reads me like the mornin' paper sometimes."
"Where were you this time, Logan?"
"Searchin' fer somethin'."
"Obviously they found you first."
"Perceptive. Worked me over like it was Juggernaut himself, darlin'."
"We are here to help you, Logan. You need only ask---no," she held her hand out as if to stop him from saying anything further and then her smooth brown hand covered his rough hand. "I know you, Logan and I know you would rather not ask for help."
"Just like you darlin'."
She laughed, "Perhaps your side trips are not fun and games but needed adventure to refresh the soul and mind. I would like that."
Logan grinned, the bruises had already faded away and he did indeed look refreshed. He reached for a small humidor that was on the table and retrieved a cigar. Ororo wished he would take up a pipe. She enjoyed the smell of a pipe much more than smelly cigars.
"Darlin', ya just gotta ask an' you'll receive."
She looked startled for a moment then realized what he was talking about.
"Let go, 'Ro, see what you're missin' an' come out with me. I'll give ya an adventure that'll refresh you real good."
"You are serious?"
"As serious as I get, darlin'."
"I would like that---I think."
"I don't know if you can do it though. I know you as well as you know me, 'Roro an' you can't jump into my second life fer fear of leavin' the kids empty handed.
"Well, darlin' I always make it back an' 'sides, Peter 'n Rogue can handle anything s'long as Betsy can reason with Rogue."
"You are right and yet wrong," Ororo got up from the table and shook her hair from her face as she thought over what Logan had just purposed. "Very well, when do we leave?" she asked and Logan laughed.
At the crack of dawn only one soul was up to enjoy the beautiful sunrise. The sky was streaked with colors of gold, mauve and cream. Ororo, her silvery white hair mussed, hanging loosely around her shoulders, made her way down the stairs. Declining to use the stairs, she soared on a light breeze. She had been without her powers for so long that she delighted in the use of them for even little things. Clad only in a short silk chemise, the rush of wind felt like a gentle caress. Famished, she stopped in the kitchen.
"Perhaps some jam and toast with Jasmine tea," she said, her voice low with sleep. With a mere thought she caused a small rain shower to appear above a bowl she held over the sink. As fresh rainwater poured into the bowl Ororo stretched languidly and sighed. It was good to feel the tingling sensation she always felt within her soul as the rain poured gently down. She laughed with pure happiness and the rain cloud disappeared.
She poured the water and put the kettle on to boil then glided to the refrigerator. When she opened it the light within cast a golden glow over her but as she reached for the jam something caused her to stop.
"Not gonna blow yer jam out with a little twister or somethin' eh, darlin'?"
Ororo turned to find Logan staring at her from the breakfast nook. She turned the light on and they both blinked adjusting to the brightness. Logan was black and blue from bruises and he was smiling from ear to ear. He lifted his head from the table and turned it from side to side as if working the kinks out. She realized he had fallen asleep there. His eyes traveled down Ororo's slim, shapely figure noting the sheerness of the white silk.
She laughed. "I should have brought a robe."
"No need," he said as he stood and stretched.
"A first aid kit as well, my friend."
"No need."
"I know. I am making tea. You could use some."
"Somethin' stronger maybe."
"Tea," she said firmly.
Logan nodded. Ororo brooked no nonsense from him or any one and he liked that. He liked Ororo. Always had---well, he suppose she had grown on him. He thought briefly of how much she had changed from when he first met her, the young weather goddess from Africa, haughty yet vulnerable. She'd been as unsure of Charlie Xavier's new X-Men as he had been. Thinking about Ororo's changes reminded him too much of his own and he thought of Mariko, his Japanese fiancée of so long ago. He missed her. Always would.
"Thoughts a million miles away."
"Yup."
"Bad night?"
"Long night."
"Long flight?"
He looked at her as she placed delicate china teacups and saucers on the table. She knew him better than any of the others.
"My business."
"Logan, I will be frank. Your outside interests elsewhere are a threat to the X-Men. You always come back but you often come back to us in bad shape."
Did she mean the booze? Two nights now. Drunk out of his mind. Never lasted long. Flamin' healing factor fought it every time. Or did she mean being nearly crippled like now, hardly able to stand?
"It may sound foolish but I worry, Logan. I care for you as I do Peter and I do not like seeing you wear yourself out with these side trips."
"Side trips?"
There was a long silence then the tea kettle began to whistle. He watched her make the tea. She looked good. She was sharp too. How had she known? He thought he'd been more careful.
She joined him at the table and poured out the tea. "I can sense your mood, Logan. I know you are restless and need to get away. We are alike in that. Our life here is difficult at best. Our loved ones believe us dead. I miss Kitty and Kurt and Yukio--all of our friends. Perhaps it is more difficult for you most of all . . . ."
"How ya figger that?"
"Logan, I too remember your lovely bride. I know that the anniversary of your wedding to Mariko just passed. When I lost my powers I felt almost desolate--akin to how I sometimes feel here. I worry if I made the right decision or did I condemn us all to a life of lies and solitude. "If I could fly through the night skies in search of danger and the wild fun it brings as I did so long ago with Yukio I would but I have an obligation to our friends here and even to the world. We must maintain the legend that we've become. We fight the good fight on our own terms now."
"'Roro, it ain't fun an' games I go lookin' for. You sound too much like Yu. . . . ."
"Perhaps. Perhaps not."
Logan's thoughts were angry. What's that s'posed ta mean? Perhaps--- Perhaps not? Lady reads me like the mornin' paper sometimes."
"Where were you this time, Logan?"
"Searchin' fer somethin'."
"Obviously they found you first."
"Perceptive. Worked me over like it was Juggernaut himself, darlin'."
"We are here to help you, Logan. You need only ask---no," she held her hand out as if to stop him from saying anything further and then her smooth brown hand covered his rough hand. "I know you, Logan and I know you would rather not ask for help."
"Just like you darlin'."
She laughed, "Perhaps your side trips are not fun and games but needed adventure to refresh the soul and mind. I would like that."
Logan grinned, the bruises had already faded away and he did indeed look refreshed. He reached for a small humidor that was on the table and retrieved a cigar. Ororo wished he would take up a pipe. She enjoyed the smell of a pipe much more than smelly cigars.
"Darlin', ya just gotta ask an' you'll receive."
She looked startled for a moment then realized what he was talking about.
"Let go, 'Ro, see what you're missin' an' come out with me. I'll give ya an adventure that'll refresh you real good."
"You are serious?"
"As serious as I get, darlin'."
"I would like that---I think."
"I don't know if you can do it though. I know you as well as you know me, 'Roro an' you can't jump into my second life fer fear of leavin' the kids empty handed.
"Well, darlin' I always make it back an' 'sides, Peter 'n Rogue can handle anything s'long as Betsy can reason with Rogue."
"You are right and yet wrong," Ororo got up from the table and shook her hair from her face as she thought over what Logan had just purposed. "Very well, when do we leave?" she asked and Logan laughed.