A/N - Sorry for the long wait but real life always interferes. Thanks
again for your kind reviews. And thanks to my kinda sorta beta, a fellow
fanfiction writer, Skyz! I hope you enjoy.
A storm seemed to be brewing in the near distance as a mist blew in from the waterfront and the sound of thunder rolled across the sky. A fog so thick you could barely see a foot ahead of you enabled Ororo and Logan to remain unseen from the alley just across from the Princess bar. Without warning the wind whipped into a small tornado directly in front of the bar. Logan nodded at Ororo and with a mere thought from the supreme mistress of weather every window in the Princess bar burst instantaneously. Lightning followed---a burning, flashing streak struck the door of the bar which immediately burst into flames.
Inside, screaming and curses were heard then Abraham came rushing through the flames. With only his beard scorched he immediately rushed to a window and soon he was helping people climb through to safety. Logan & Ororo saw others escaping from the rear door into the alley. The two X-Men raced to the back of the building and Ororo raised them with her winds to the roof safely out of sight of the fleeing people. Then causing a thick fog she lifted Logan and herself ever so gently till they had landed across the street on the roof of the Princess bar.
They found the door on the roof locked. Logan growled and popped his claws but Ororo's hand touched his and she shook her head, smiled and dropped to her knees. She pulled a lock pick out and within seconds they were inside the bar. Above the shouts and screams they could hear Sera still within the bar ordering everyone to calm down. On the stairs Logan stopped and Ororo almost ran into him. She could see the little woman putting out the last of the flames with a fire extinguisher.
"Hate ta do this to her but 'Ro, I need you to let go with another bolt. Hit the table closest to her good an' hard. We need a good diversion."
Ororo nodded and a white hot lightning bolt came crashing down. The table, solid mahogany, burst into flames and Sera screamed. A second bolt struck the table next to the first table and Abraham grabbed Sera, despite her protests and carried her out of the bar.
"I'll keep watch, you do yer thing, darlin'," Logan went to stand by a window.
"Yes sir!" Ororo quickly went to the safe. The fire gave off just enough light to see. Concentrating on breaking into the safe she thought to herself that picking locks and starting fires was a lot more fun than having to fight villains and save the world. Speaking of fires, she realized it was about time to douse this one. She turned from the safe and started a small rain to fall on the flames.
When Logan heard sirens in the distance he headed over to Ororo, "You finished yet?"
"Almost."
"You better hur . . . ."
A deafening crash caused Ororo to jump as the ceiling caved in right where Logan had been. She found herself shaking uncontrollably as she realized he was buried alive. Fear engulfed her as unbearable memories of herself being buried alive as a child so very long ago flooded her consciousness. Sweat beaded her forehead as she fought with her inner demons. With some effort she remembered Logan and roused herself to act.
"No! I will not let any one else that I love die!" she vowed.
Taking a deep breath she concentrated on using her winds to start moving the rubble away slowly. She did not falter and soon she saw the heap shift noticeably. Momentarily she could see Logan's claws moving through the debris. She fell to her knees pulling at the wood and plaster with her hands.
"I'm alright, darlin'," Logan grinned as he knocked the last pieces of wood away and sat up.
"Logan!" Ororo threw her arms around him and just clung to him.
"Whoa, darlin', it's gonna take more than a ceiling fallin' on me to take me out." He tried to laugh but coughed instead. He tried to get up but Ororo wouldn't let him go. He put his arms around her feeling her body shaking and held her. After a moment he pulled away from her just a little and gently wiped at her tears, surprised at the depth of her emotion.
"We better get outta here an' quick, 'Ro. Did ya get into the safe, darlin'?"
She nodded but still didn't let him go.
"Ok, darlin' let's get whatever's in that safe and split."
Again she nodded but Logan had to pry her arms from around him. She quickly got up, turned and hurried to the safe.
"Wait! It ain't booby trapped is it?"
She shook her head and reached into the safe.
"We gotta get out of here now!" Logan came up besides her as he heard the sirens directly outside now. "Forget the safe! Come on, we'll go out the back way!" Logan pulled her towards the rear door.
When they stepped into the alley they saw Gateway's portal and they quickly stepped into it.
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ * ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
Once again they were on top of Gateway's rock. He was as still as ever. His eyes open but seemingly seeing nothing.
"Thanks, bub, we owe ya," Logan coughed slightly.
"Are you alright, Logan?" Ororo asked with concern.
He coughed again but nodded. "You?"
"Yes, I am fine."
"Darlin' if anything woulda happened to you back there I woulda never forgiven myself."
She smiled, "I felt the same when I thought you were . . . ."
He laughed. "Some fun an' games eh?"
Ororo breathed in the fresh night air and sighed. "Here . . ." she put something into his hand.
"This what was in the safe?" He looked at the long old fashioned key.
"Perhaps a key to the secret room?" she asked.
"Guess we'll find out tomorrow night, eh?"
"Tomorrow?" she asked with a smile.
"Well, I don't think anyone'll be messin' with Sera t'night. Of course, you don't have ta come with me if . . . ."
"Logan, tonight was an adventure I will never forget," she took a deep breath then continued, "Perhaps I am stronger for it. Thank you for sharing it with me and for trusting me. Now if you will, I shall take us home."
"Sure. Saves on Gateway's fee."
She laughed and his rough laughter joined hers as she took his hand. She felt his hand grasp hers hard for a brief moment and then they were airborne. How many times had they fought battles and risked their lives together she wondered. Too many to count she thought. Yet she could recall none quite so exhilarating or as frightening as this one. She had thought she had lost Logan tonight and she had found herself bereft beyond belief. Perhaps it would be best to analyze her feelings later she thought as she felt how tired she was.
She put them down just outside the compound. Their landing was somewhat rough and Ororo stumbled just a little at the entrance to the compound but Logan caught her and held her firmly.
""Ro . . . ."
"I am tired, nothing more," she smiled at him.
"Long night."
"It was a good night."
"Productive."
"I could use a cool shower."
"I could use a days worth of sleep an' a nice cold . . . ."
Just then Betsy, their resident telepath, opened the door.
"Storm! Wolverine!" Betsy cried out with relief.
"Psylocke! What is wrong?"
Betsy looked from Ororo to Logan. They were covered with blood and dirt or was that soot?
"What's all this then?" she asked. "You two are a mess!"
"I gave Logan a lift home, Betsy."
"I've been searching everywhere for the two of you!"
"Everything is fine." Storm assured her.
Betsy found Wolverine's mind was empty but she could sense that he was laughing inside. Storm's mind was always hard to read with only a light scan and she didn't like to probe further but she could tell Storm was telling the truth. She just wasn't sure if it was the entire truth.
"Have the others missed us?" Ororo asked.
"No. Everyone's still asleep I believe. I didn't want to tell them that you weren't about. I thought it best to wait a bit. Are you sure you're quite alright?"
"We are both fine, Betsy."
"Why're you up so late, Betts?" Logan asked.
"I say, I don't know why but I woke up and thought to check on everyone. I'm certainly glad you're alright."
"Never better," Ororo said with a smile.
"'Night 'Roro, Betts."
"Goodnight, Logan."
"Right." Betsy watched Logan saunter off.
"Goodnight, Betsy," Ororo said then quickly headed to her room.
"Goodnight, Storm." Betsy watched Ororo leave. She knew they were hiding something but just what it was she had no idea. After securing the door she stood there for a long moment wondering what they could have been up to. She would have to pay more attention to Storm and Wolverine from now on she decided and with that thought she too headed for bed.
A storm seemed to be brewing in the near distance as a mist blew in from the waterfront and the sound of thunder rolled across the sky. A fog so thick you could barely see a foot ahead of you enabled Ororo and Logan to remain unseen from the alley just across from the Princess bar. Without warning the wind whipped into a small tornado directly in front of the bar. Logan nodded at Ororo and with a mere thought from the supreme mistress of weather every window in the Princess bar burst instantaneously. Lightning followed---a burning, flashing streak struck the door of the bar which immediately burst into flames.
Inside, screaming and curses were heard then Abraham came rushing through the flames. With only his beard scorched he immediately rushed to a window and soon he was helping people climb through to safety. Logan & Ororo saw others escaping from the rear door into the alley. The two X-Men raced to the back of the building and Ororo raised them with her winds to the roof safely out of sight of the fleeing people. Then causing a thick fog she lifted Logan and herself ever so gently till they had landed across the street on the roof of the Princess bar.
They found the door on the roof locked. Logan growled and popped his claws but Ororo's hand touched his and she shook her head, smiled and dropped to her knees. She pulled a lock pick out and within seconds they were inside the bar. Above the shouts and screams they could hear Sera still within the bar ordering everyone to calm down. On the stairs Logan stopped and Ororo almost ran into him. She could see the little woman putting out the last of the flames with a fire extinguisher.
"Hate ta do this to her but 'Ro, I need you to let go with another bolt. Hit the table closest to her good an' hard. We need a good diversion."
Ororo nodded and a white hot lightning bolt came crashing down. The table, solid mahogany, burst into flames and Sera screamed. A second bolt struck the table next to the first table and Abraham grabbed Sera, despite her protests and carried her out of the bar.
"I'll keep watch, you do yer thing, darlin'," Logan went to stand by a window.
"Yes sir!" Ororo quickly went to the safe. The fire gave off just enough light to see. Concentrating on breaking into the safe she thought to herself that picking locks and starting fires was a lot more fun than having to fight villains and save the world. Speaking of fires, she realized it was about time to douse this one. She turned from the safe and started a small rain to fall on the flames.
When Logan heard sirens in the distance he headed over to Ororo, "You finished yet?"
"Almost."
"You better hur . . . ."
A deafening crash caused Ororo to jump as the ceiling caved in right where Logan had been. She found herself shaking uncontrollably as she realized he was buried alive. Fear engulfed her as unbearable memories of herself being buried alive as a child so very long ago flooded her consciousness. Sweat beaded her forehead as she fought with her inner demons. With some effort she remembered Logan and roused herself to act.
"No! I will not let any one else that I love die!" she vowed.
Taking a deep breath she concentrated on using her winds to start moving the rubble away slowly. She did not falter and soon she saw the heap shift noticeably. Momentarily she could see Logan's claws moving through the debris. She fell to her knees pulling at the wood and plaster with her hands.
"I'm alright, darlin'," Logan grinned as he knocked the last pieces of wood away and sat up.
"Logan!" Ororo threw her arms around him and just clung to him.
"Whoa, darlin', it's gonna take more than a ceiling fallin' on me to take me out." He tried to laugh but coughed instead. He tried to get up but Ororo wouldn't let him go. He put his arms around her feeling her body shaking and held her. After a moment he pulled away from her just a little and gently wiped at her tears, surprised at the depth of her emotion.
"We better get outta here an' quick, 'Ro. Did ya get into the safe, darlin'?"
She nodded but still didn't let him go.
"Ok, darlin' let's get whatever's in that safe and split."
Again she nodded but Logan had to pry her arms from around him. She quickly got up, turned and hurried to the safe.
"Wait! It ain't booby trapped is it?"
She shook her head and reached into the safe.
"We gotta get out of here now!" Logan came up besides her as he heard the sirens directly outside now. "Forget the safe! Come on, we'll go out the back way!" Logan pulled her towards the rear door.
When they stepped into the alley they saw Gateway's portal and they quickly stepped into it.
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ * ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
Once again they were on top of Gateway's rock. He was as still as ever. His eyes open but seemingly seeing nothing.
"Thanks, bub, we owe ya," Logan coughed slightly.
"Are you alright, Logan?" Ororo asked with concern.
He coughed again but nodded. "You?"
"Yes, I am fine."
"Darlin' if anything woulda happened to you back there I woulda never forgiven myself."
She smiled, "I felt the same when I thought you were . . . ."
He laughed. "Some fun an' games eh?"
Ororo breathed in the fresh night air and sighed. "Here . . ." she put something into his hand.
"This what was in the safe?" He looked at the long old fashioned key.
"Perhaps a key to the secret room?" she asked.
"Guess we'll find out tomorrow night, eh?"
"Tomorrow?" she asked with a smile.
"Well, I don't think anyone'll be messin' with Sera t'night. Of course, you don't have ta come with me if . . . ."
"Logan, tonight was an adventure I will never forget," she took a deep breath then continued, "Perhaps I am stronger for it. Thank you for sharing it with me and for trusting me. Now if you will, I shall take us home."
"Sure. Saves on Gateway's fee."
She laughed and his rough laughter joined hers as she took his hand. She felt his hand grasp hers hard for a brief moment and then they were airborne. How many times had they fought battles and risked their lives together she wondered. Too many to count she thought. Yet she could recall none quite so exhilarating or as frightening as this one. She had thought she had lost Logan tonight and she had found herself bereft beyond belief. Perhaps it would be best to analyze her feelings later she thought as she felt how tired she was.
She put them down just outside the compound. Their landing was somewhat rough and Ororo stumbled just a little at the entrance to the compound but Logan caught her and held her firmly.
""Ro . . . ."
"I am tired, nothing more," she smiled at him.
"Long night."
"It was a good night."
"Productive."
"I could use a cool shower."
"I could use a days worth of sleep an' a nice cold . . . ."
Just then Betsy, their resident telepath, opened the door.
"Storm! Wolverine!" Betsy cried out with relief.
"Psylocke! What is wrong?"
Betsy looked from Ororo to Logan. They were covered with blood and dirt or was that soot?
"What's all this then?" she asked. "You two are a mess!"
"I gave Logan a lift home, Betsy."
"I've been searching everywhere for the two of you!"
"Everything is fine." Storm assured her.
Betsy found Wolverine's mind was empty but she could sense that he was laughing inside. Storm's mind was always hard to read with only a light scan and she didn't like to probe further but she could tell Storm was telling the truth. She just wasn't sure if it was the entire truth.
"Have the others missed us?" Ororo asked.
"No. Everyone's still asleep I believe. I didn't want to tell them that you weren't about. I thought it best to wait a bit. Are you sure you're quite alright?"
"We are both fine, Betsy."
"Why're you up so late, Betts?" Logan asked.
"I say, I don't know why but I woke up and thought to check on everyone. I'm certainly glad you're alright."
"Never better," Ororo said with a smile.
"'Night 'Roro, Betts."
"Goodnight, Logan."
"Right." Betsy watched Logan saunter off.
"Goodnight, Betsy," Ororo said then quickly headed to her room.
"Goodnight, Storm." Betsy watched Ororo leave. She knew they were hiding something but just what it was she had no idea. After securing the door she stood there for a long moment wondering what they could have been up to. She would have to pay more attention to Storm and Wolverine from now on she decided and with that thought she too headed for bed.