Disclaimer: I wish I owned them… My tuition would be paid off and I wouldn't have to worry about how much my textbooks are going to cost next semester.
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"Yo, Storm, wait up!" Rogue called, running up behind the white haired mutant. Storm turned to face the young woman, her face impassive.
"Yes?" She asked, her voice cool.
"Ah wanted to apologize…for flirtin' with Gambit. Ah know that he's yours, an' I wouldn't want to jeopardize what you guys have. Lord knows that you've gone through your fair share of heartaches… Ah guess that Ah'm just not used t' getting' turned down." Rogue admitted, her voice sincere, her eyes twinkling with sorrowful tears.
Ororo stood silently for a moment, glancing up and down the empty hallway, shifting her weight from foot to foot. She ran a hand through her hair before turning to the other woman.
"…I'm trying to not lose my temper, Rogue… You are old enough to know what you should or should not do. Especially when it comes to former friends' lovers." Ororo stated.
"Ah-ah know, and Ah'm sorry. That's all Ah can say." Rogue took a deep breath. "Ah won't do it again, ah promise. He's yours."
Ororo nodded, taking a moment before speaking. She smiled slightly at the other, younger, woman. "Alright… Just do me a favor."
"What?"
"The next time you feel like flirting, go after Forge." Ororo winked, before turning away from Rogue and walking down the hall, turning into the library.
"We'll see, Storm. We'll see."
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"So, Ororo… How did you meet Remy?" Jean asked, leaning against the small table, sipping her caramel cappuccino, her green eyes flashing, betraying her curiosity. "You've been here for quite awhile, but you've never said exactly how, or where, you got together."
"We were both…oh, how to phrase this? We were 'liberating' the same home's extensive, but stolen, art collection." Ororo took a sip of her own drink before continuing. "The owner came home mid-heist, and we joined forces to get out of there in one piece.
"I had few memories at that point… I still have few memories starting about a month or two before meeting Remy… But, we ended up watching out for each other. Had to stick together, you know?"
Jean nodded. "When we thought that that creature, Nanny, had killed you, we never thought to look for you. There was a body. A fake. We didn't find out that the body belonged to an innocent until only a year and a half ago.
"I was away with Scott at that point. We were both members of the original line up of X-Factor, with Bobby, Hank, and Warren. We had to hear about it through the vine.
"Apparently, Forge found a bit of your, her, uniform, on the X-Men's former base, in Australia. He realized that the DNA on it was wrong. It didn't belong to you, but to a young shape shifter. Nanny had forced her into your likeness, and then murdered her, tossing her out of her aircraft. Poor Alex… He was really affected by it all. He thought for a long time that he had been the one who'd killed you."
"Poor man. I think I shall have to let him know that I'm alive, yes?" Ororo smiled, draining the last bit of her coffee. She glanced down at her watch before turning back to Jean. "I should get back to the mansion soon. I've an appointment with Hank in an hour."
"Getting sick?"
"I don't think so." Ororo stated, standing up. She stood still for a moment, nausea overtaking her. Jean stood up quickly, taking her arm in her own.
"Are you alright?"
"Yes…" Ororo nodded. "I think that I must have an ear infection, or a touch of the flu. I've been feeling very nauseous lately, with spells of dizziness."
"Don't forget to bring that up with Hank. It could be something serious." A look of grief shadowed Jean's face. "That's how Illyana felt before she…died."
"Who was Illyana? What happened to her?"
"She was Peter's baby sister. She passed away a few years ago. The Legacy Virus… She was a member of the New Mutants for a while.
"It's a very long, very complicated, story."
Ororo sighed, nodding her head. She pulled on Remy's duster, having 'liberated' it from him earlier. She and Jean stepped out of the small café into the road. Jean glanced over at Ororo as the rain began pouring down.
"Your doing?"
"Oh… Sorry." Ororo smiled sheepishly. "I wasn't paying attention… All of this talk of death and such… I guess that I don't have my powers under complete control while I'm upset."
Jean chuckled. "You never really did… There have been many times where you've been angry enough for your powers to rival the Phoenix entity's fury.
"You were always very peaceful, but you had a spark to you. If you were set off properly…" Jean whistled. "I pitied whoever was on the receiving end."
Ororo laughed lightly as her eyes became white beneath her sunglasses, casting the rain away. They continued sharing old times on their way back to the Institute, sharing stories of the times that they'd missed.
Ororo waved to Jean as she headed to the medical wing. "Well, I'd best get down to Hank's lab. I wouldn't want to keep him waiting."
"Of course. See you at dinner, Ororo."
Ororo nodded as she turned the corner.
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A/N: Oh, yeah. I'm looking for a beta. Anyone interested? I don't update often, but when I do, I'm generally in a hurry to get it up before I decide that it's total crap and delete it. Having a beta might dissuade that.
