Midnight Crossover

((A short story that takes place shortly after the end events of Childhood Pt1.

Note that the X-Men do not belong to me, I make no money from this and all characters belong to Marvel Comics))

            He had been stalking her now for at the very least ten minutes.  His chosen route was via the trees, climbing through the branches as naturally as it was to walk the ground.

She knew he had been stalking her but she instinctively ignored him.  Carrying on she hugged her slim body, cutting through the darkness of the wooded grounds for no reason other than to take a walk, alone.

He was not a psychic, not by a long shot, but he could read people, and he knew her well.  For her to be brooding was unnatural.  It upset him.  So he played the stalking game for a good while longer as she continued to tread over the mansion grounds silently, insisting in rooting out her unspoken problems before the dawn arose.

            Finally after what was around half an hour there was a flash of blue and a ball of lightning circled her right hand.  A clear sign that he was not welcome. For her to approach with such aggression upset him more.

There was a flash of red in his eerie dark eyes as he landed down in front of her.

She narrowed her own cloudy white eyes.

"What?" Her voice was sharp, demanding and also void of patience.

He shrugged.  "Nice night?"

There was a crack of thunder.

He sighed.  Pulling his gloved hand to brush a strand of white hair from her face she jerked back.  A common movement in her recent tense body.  His hand rushed back to his side. "Sorry."

On the word the lightening dismissed itself from her hand, the white in her eyes returning back to blue.  A tired look rushed to cross her dark face and shimmering eyes.  He laid a gentle hand on her shoulder.

"Lets keep walking, non?"

They did, through the thick darkness of the midnight hour.

            Silence fell upon the two, but an easy quietness, despite the tension that had played not seconds before.

            Old allies, older still friends, Ororo was one of the few people Remy could trust enough to call a friend.  That was the simple reason for why it hurt so much when she would not talk to him.  It was a sensitive topic, he was aware of that, but he remembered years ago, before he had ever known the X-Men and she was his only friend, the sad but nonetheless true tale she had told him of why she kept a dagger under her pillow at night.

            Now thought, she would not talk.  She had cried in his arms and slept at his side on the sofa on nights when she could not bring herself to be alone in her attic, but she had not actually talked to him directly about the matter.

            She was the one to break the silence.

            "Do you sometimes miss the days when it was just me and you Remy? In New Orleans living in the 'big ease'?"

            "All de time chere."

She smiled.  Stopping at one of the mansion's old oak trees she began to climb.  He followed suit.  The two came to sit on a long, sturdy branch.  Bark cracked and protested under them as they settled.

            After a few quiet minutes Remy reached for her hand and she allowed him to take it.  They sat peacefully.

            No one in the mansion would be up, except perhaps Logan.  Remy had left Rogue sleeping in bed after he had heard a noise coming from his friend's attic room.  Sweeping the dark shadowy corridors he had come to her room to find the skylight open.  Then he watched her tall figure begin to cross the mansion's vast grounds, alone.

            That had led him to where he sat now and he had intended to take the opportunity to talk.  So he did.

            "Wit' all due respect to Jean and Logan 'Roro, why you never talk to me 'bout your troubles, eh chere?"

            She sighed, her smile becoming a sad one, knowing the question would have come at some point during the night.  Her fingers wrapped around his tightly and she answered with her own question.

            "Does a friendship count for more when you talk about everything together, Remy, or when you can share moments like this, comfortably, and contently?"

He smiled, almost laughed.  Trust her to dismiss all of his upset and worry over her silence in one sentence.  It was a beautiful moments though, if he was ever made to admit it.

            He turned as her head came to rest on his broad shoulder.

The thought of falling asleep on an old oak tree branch would appear an uncanny idea to most.  To Ororo it was comforting and reassuring for Remy.

            So they sat there until the sun rose high over them and the mansion.

End