DISCLAIMER Don't own anyone, you all know that.
Jen1703 I've tried to add a lot of Scott/Jean tones to the end…hope you like!
Lady of the Lake You just saw it? *jealous* It's been out of theaters for a long time here…but one good thing was that when my theater lost it, my boss gave me the two huge vinyl banners that were up on the walls *grin*
Logan awoke disoriented after a night of fitful sleep. His head was still in a fog from strange dreams as he wandered down to east breakfast.
"Good morning, Logan," Professor Xavier greeted him cheerfully.
"Morning," Logan grunted. Odd phrases kept tumbling through his head. They didn't mean anything to him, just the only memorable remnants of an otherwise forgotten dream.
"That your passion may live through its own daily resurrection, and like the phoenix rise about its own ashes," he muttered, unable to put the maddening phrase to rest. 'Where in hell did I get that?' he asked himself.
"What's that?" Xavier asked curiously.
Logan shrugged. "Some phrase I got stuck in my head. Think I dreamed it up."
The Professor shook his head. "It is from Gibran's The Prophet, the section 'On Reason and Passion.'"
Totally confused, Logan fell heavily into a chair. "Never heard of the guy." His head was pounding. The Wolverine did not get headaches. "What happened to me last night?"
Xavier appeared deep in thought. Not that he ever didn't appear deep in thought. "You don't remember?"
"Nope." Logan thought for a moment. "I remember talking to Rogue and something started coming toward the room. Then I woke up this morning."
"And you remember nothing." It was more of a statement than a question.
"Guess not." Logan was confused. Xavier obviously wasn't going to tell him. Sometimes that man really bugged him.
"I will see you later, Logan." The Professor had left the room before Logan could turn around. Logan rolled his eyes. The brilliant telepath had an annoying habit of being cryptic and it drove Logan nuts.
That stupid phrase kept repeating itself. By the end of his breakfast, Logan was seriously contemplating driving his adamantium claws through his skull. Instead, he settled on stealing Scott's motorcycle again, heading off to find a beer.
***
For the first time, Professor Xavier was glad to be the only telepath in the mansion. The mind was a place of absolute privacy and the Professor never invaded that privacy unless he had to. And now no one could invade his. He didn't want anyone to ruin his surprise.
The ultimate trick would be assembling the X-Men without arousing their suspicions. 'But,' the Professor thought to himself. 'I've never been one for surprises. This will shock them for several reasons!'
He was quite proud of himself.
***
Unbeknownst to the inhabitants of the mansion, the late morning sky had turned grayish-black, as if with an approaching storm. Storm herself was just making herself lunch as a groggy Rogue wandered down to make breakfast. Kurt watched the two women fondly.
A sudden crack of thunder startled everyone in the room. Even Rogue woke up enough to look startled. The three mutants clustered around the window and saw a raging lightning storm under a black sky.
"Ororo?" Kurt asked worriedly. "Are you okay?"
"This isn't me." Storm's eyes turned milky white as she let her powers take over. But a moment later they returned to normal. "I can't stop it," she told Kurt and Rogue. "It's not a normal weather pattern."
"Could there be another mutant nearby?" Rogue asked. "Someone else with your power?"
Storm looked apprehensive. "Not that I know of. Perhaps the Professor will know what's going on."
Rogue and Kurt nodded. The tree quickly left the room. As they hurried through the mansion, they avoided all windows and nature's violence outside.
Professor Xavier expected them. He firmly assured them that it was nothing more than a sever meteorological occurrence and to not worry. Rogue and Kurt were relieved by his words but Storm did not leave with them.
She studied Xavier. She never professed to know what the man was thinking, but she knew him well. Along with Scott and Jean, she was one of his first students. He was like a father to her, as he own had been killed many years ago. It was obvious that the Professor was not telling her everything.
"Please do not ask questions, Ororo," the older man said. "I promise that you are all very safe."
Storm nodded uncertainly. She trusted Charles Xavier with her life, but she knew there was something going on that he was keeping from everyone. She just hoped he'd fill everyone in soon.
AUTHOR'S NOTE That phrase really is from The Prophet like I said. And I know that in the real comic book series Storm was not one of the first students, but that's how they do it in the movie. For the actual original character Storm, her parents were killed while she was still in Africa. Only one more chapter to go!
