Chapter 4
Click.click-click...click-click-clack.
The soft green glow of the computer screen shines in Jean Grey's eyes as she hunches over the keyboard, the large list of occult categories flitting by as Jean searches through Xavier's database of the occult.
"Come on, Professor.you've seen so much, you must have come across this symbol somewhere or know someone who has." Jean mutters as she pounds the page arrow on the keyboard, flipping through numerous images of runes and symbols, ranging from simple Nordic rune carvings to Navaho sand paintings. She leans back in the chair and runs her fingers through her hair in frustration as she telekinetically keeps clicking through the symbols.
"Siege Perilous. Shadow King. Limbo. hello!" Jean bolts forward as the symbol of the eye that blasted her in astral space stares coldly at her from the screen. "Okay, I've found you, now what are you?" she mutters as she pages down for more information, only to find a word in large red type flashing back at her.
"RESTRICTED?" Jean shouts in frustration as she slams her fist on the desk. "I didn't spend two hours looking for you only to tell me. hey. wait a minute." She scans down and in small type below she sees a glimmer of hope.
Anyone who has encountered this symbol should immediately report his or her findings to Dr. Stephen Strange, expert in the occult, Greenwich Village, New York.
"Dr. Strange." Jean muses as she stares at the magical symbol that the Professor felt he had to keep from the world. "Maybe I should tell the Professor about this."
The door behind Jean swishes open as Logan strides through. When he sees Jean hasn't noticed him, however, he takes the chance to silently sneak up on his favorite telepath, a devious grin on his face.
"What cha' doing, Red?" he asks in a whisper as he crouches behind her.
Jean stiffens for a moment, and then relaxes with a smile as she turns around in mock reproach. "Logan!" she playfully shoves him as she smiles. "Only you."
-Can make you smile, can love you the way you need to be loved-The thoughts run through Logan's head as he smiles and quickly changes the topic. "So what are you doing cooped up in here?"
Jean turns back to the computer monitor and taps the symbol on the screen as Logan leans on the back of her chair and looks over her shoulder. "As you well know, I was trying to help Romana with some repressed memories earlier today," Jean answers, her voice ripe with sarcasm over Logan's earlier incident outside her door, "and I think I may have found something. It's odd though."
"No kidding. There's a lot of odd things going on with her," Logan agrees as he stands straight.
"How so?"
"After you left on your quest for aspirin I sort of challenged Romana to a fight in the Danger Room." Logan mutters as he turns away, his voice steadily getting quieter as his embarrassment grows.
"You did WHAT?" Jean asks incredulously, her eyes practically bulging at the thought of Romana up against the feral Wolverine in a one-on-one fight. "What were you thinking? Oh wait, I remember.you weren't!"
"Hey now, dump some water on that hot head of yours, Red. You have to let me finish to get the whole story." Logan pleads as he raises his hands in defense from a telekinetic with a bad temper.
"All right.. spill it." Jean says as she crosses her arms, waiting to here what kind of excuse he can come up with.
"You know me, Jeannie. The best way for me to figure someone out is to see how he or she fights. I wasn't going to hurt her. hell, I don't even know if I can."
"Point taken. So what happened that was so odd?"
Logan wrinkles his face in thought. "At first, she wouldn't fight me at all. Every move I made she would dodge or neutralize, but she would never hit back, even though it was obvious she knew some knife fighting. That is till I mentioned Kurt. When I asked her to fight like Kurt's life was in danger, everything about her changed."
"What do you mean?" Romana asks as she sits up straight and truly begins to listen.
"She got this cold, hard look on her face as her eyes started to glow, and then her whole fighting style changed." Logan continues as he starts to pace back and forth, flexing his hands. "All of a sudden I could have sworn I was back in the good ol' U.S.S.R. fighting the KGB again! She caught me by surprise by predicting my every move, and then went straight in for the kill like a trained agent."
"In for the kill?" Jean questions, a worried look on her face.
"If I weren't who I was, Jeannie," Logan answers seriously as he leans in to her, his hands on the arms of her chair, "I would be dead. When the fight was over, though, she was 'normal' again."
"None of this makes any sense!" Jean exclaims in frustration, her brow furrowing as she turns back to the screen.
"Yeah. so what did you find out, other than this eye-thing?"
"When I went through her memory, I tried not to pry on anything other than what she asked, but I couldn't help noticing some powerful memories that kept popping up her mind." Jean answers as she picks up a computer stylus and bites on the end.
"And the odd thing was?" Logan asks as leans on the desk beside her.
"Well.. I don't think the memories were hers. I mean, in her head she was there, but."
"Just say what's on your mind, Jeannie." Logan reassures her as the looks of doubt cross Jean's face. "What did it make you feel?"
"Like each of the memories belonged to a different person, yet they were all kept in Romana's head. The feelings of the memories were all wrong, some like they belonged to children or the elderly, others from a decidedly male perspective." Jean glances up at Logan's troubled face and comes to a decision. "I need to tell the Professor about this."
Logan nods silently, and Jean turns around and closes her eyes, situating herself comfortably in the chair.
** Professor? Can you hear me? I need to talk to you. **
** I have been keeping track of what's going on, and you seem to be doing quite fine on your own, Jean. What is the problem? **
** Romana seems to be a mental conundrum, Professor, and at the root of it seems to be this symbol. **
Romana concentrates on the image she saw in Romana's mind and projects it to the Professor. There is a long pause as Jean waits for a reply.
** Professor? **
Silence.
** I will talk to Stephen and request an audience for you right away. The Senators are coming off the floor now, so I must go. Be careful. **
"Well," Jean says with a sigh when she is sure the Professor's presence is gone, " I guess it's time for a visit to the doctor's."
~~~~
"Okay class," Kurt announces as he glances at the clock. "Since our time is almost done, who can tell me something they learned today?"
Holly raises her hand with a soft smile. "I learned that being a mutant doesn't make you a bad person."
"That's wonderful to hear, Holly." Kurt says with a grin as he walks between the desks. "Can anyone else tell me something they learned?"
"Oooh! I learned that mutant powers means mutant responsibility!" chirps the bouncy Sarah.
"I learned that just because you have powers, it doesn't make you better than anyone else," Answers another boy.
"Wunderbar!" Kurt exclaims in joy as the bell rings and the children get up from their desks. "Tomorrow we are actually going to start studying, so be prepared!" Kurt jokingly warns the students as they walk out the door.
Holly grabs Kurt's waist in a quick hug again before she heads out of the classroom. "Thank you so much, Mr. Wagner."
Kurt watches the last of the students walk out and closes the door behind them with a smile. - Now that I have one day under my belt, I think I deserve a break. Maybe Romana would like to join me in the sunshine for a little lunch - Kurt slings his bag over his shoulder and looks over the classroom with a smile before he turns out the light. "Things are finally looking up around here."
~~~
"There has to be records of them somewhere. " A hollow sounding male voice growls as Romana hunches over a computer terminal in the darkened library. Pages of names flash by on the screen as Romana searches through numerous birth records of the state. "By the Gods, I didn't come to New York just to be thwarted by a measly wandering gypsy!"
"Romana? Are you in here?" Kurt's voice echoes from below as he opens the library door.
- Not now! -
"Kurt?" Romana shakes her head, overcoming a dizzy feeling. - What am I doing here in the library? Goddess, not again.- "I'm up here, Kurt!" Romana answers as she looks at the computer screen displaying the descendants of the Verone clan here in Manhattan. -Why would I be looking them up? - With a bamf and puff of smoke Kurt appears on the balcony behind Romana.
"There you are, meine liebling!" Kurt joyfully exclaims as he wraps his arms around Romana's shoulders and hugs her from behind. "I have been looking all over for you to share my good news!"
"Your class went well?" Romana asks with a hopeful smile as she cuddles her cheek against his.
"The class went better than I could have ever expected, Romana. I couldn't have done it without you." Kurt finishes in a whisper as he brushes his lips in gentle kisses down her neck.
"I didn't teach the class, Kurt." Romana rebukes as pleasurable goose bumps form over her skin and she leans back into his arms.
"If you won't accept my praise, would you accept some lunch instead?"
Romana turns her chair to face Kurt with a raised brow and a sly smile on her face. "And just what were you planning for us to eat on this little excursion?"
"You'll just have to come with me to find out, won't you?" Kurt chuckles as he raises his eyebrows suggestively.
"I never could resist a man who brings me lunch," Romana replies huskily as she stretches her arms out to him. Kurt pulls her up into his embrace and kisses her deeply, his tail wrapping around the picnic basket before they disappear in a puff of smoke.
~~~~
"There! Check this out, Logan." Jean exclaims as she notices Romana's computer usage on her monitor.
"Find something interesting?"
"Give me a sec, and we'll bring up the computer screen on her terminal.and here we go! " Jean scans the last thing Romana had on her computer as she mutters, "Curious."
"Come on, Red, what did you find?" Logan asks impatiently as he leans over the back of Jean's chair to look at the monitor. "Birth records?"
"Not just any birth records, Logan.these look like the birth records of her descendants here in Manhattan. Do you think she's looking up her family now that she's not being chased by the Externals?"
"Maybe.but after everything else that we've discovered about Romana, I'm starting to think everything she does has a double meaning." Logan growls.
"I think your right, Logan. The quicker we can get her to see Dr. Strange, the quicker, I hope, we can solve this mystery." Jean gets up from her seat at the computer and turns to Logan. "I don't think it's a good idea to tell Kurt about this yet.at least not till we know something for sure."
"Gotcha, Red." Logan says with a grin. "Anyhow.I've been wanting to see if the ol' fur ball has lost his skills or not. I'll head him off while you take Romana. Just be careful, now. You give me a holler and nothing will stop me from coming to your side. You know that." Logan steps close to Jean and places his hands on her shoulders, rubbing them gently as he looks into her eyes with worry.
Jean looks into Logan's eyes with guarded emotions. "I'm a big girl now, Logan. I can take care of myself." -Think of Scott.everything we've done, everything we've shared. It doesn't matter that you can sense the feelings he has for you like a blazing inferno. It doesn't matter that you've woken up with a sweat night after night thinking what if.-
"I never doubted you could, Jeannie." Logan says with a smile. "I just wanted you to know that you weren't alone in case you ever needed someone." Logan turns and heads for the door, leaving the veiled statement hanging in the air between them. Jean wistfully watches him leave and sighs heavily as she gives her head a mental shake.
-I'll always need you, Logan.but you'll never hear it from me-
~~~~
"I guess I consider this our spot now," Kurt says with a fond grin as he sets down the picnic basket in a sunny spot by the side of the pond where they solidified their relationship months ago.
"So beautiful. so peaceful," Romana agrees with a smile as she lifts her face to the sun and spreads her arms out like she would absorb the sun's rays.
-You live your life to the fullest, Romana, every experience like your first, even after 700 years. How I envy you, liebling-
"Kommt, Romana, and see what Ororo was kind enough to help me with for our lunch." Kurt spreads out the checkered tablecloth and sits down by the picnic basket.
"Helped, Kurt?" the skepticism visible in Romana's raised brow as she looks over her shoulder at Kurt. "We've been together four months now, and I've still never seen you cook!"
"Ach, I'm wounded, liebchen!" Kurt grasps his chest in mock horror and falls back onto the tablecloth. He peeks open one eye to see a smiling Romana shaking her head over him. He lifts himself up on one arm and says sheepishly, "Well, I DID make the cake. sweets for the sweet, after all."
"When all else fails, try chocolate?" Romana giggles as she sits beside him on the cloth and starts removing the food from the basket.
"It hasn't failed me yet," Kurt laughs heartily in response as he sits up and helps her remove fried chicken, pasta salad, fruit, and the most sinful looking chocolate cake she has ever seen from the basket.
-I should have known. German chocolate cake-
Romana reaches a finger into the thick layer of coconut frosting to snag a sugary glob of sweetness for herself, when Kurt's tail suddenly wraps around her wrist.
"Now, now, liebling! No dessert before lunch. unless you were thinking of something else." Kurt's tail brings Romana's finger up to his lips as he draws it gently into his mouth, avoiding his sharp fangs. Her lips part with surprise as his tongue wraps around her finger and licks off the incriminating frosting. "Very sweet."
"And that's just my finger." Romana answers lustily as she leans forward and pushes Kurt to the ground so she can straddle his waist, the cake all but forgotten.
-Witty repertoires can wait-
Kurt runs his fingers through Romana's long hair and gently cups the back of her head to bring her down for a kiss. His tail caresses her back lovingly, stroking from the small of her back to her shoulder blades. Romana moans into his open mouth as she deepens the kiss with her tongue and stretches out on top of Kurt in a passionate embrace. Her hands caress his shirt and the short blue fur underneath as her fingers deftly undo the buttons down to his waistline.
"I hope." Romana mutters as she rains kisses down Kurt's chest.
"Was. liebling?" Kurt questions between groans as he caresses her hair.
Romana glances up with a deceptively innocent and wistful look. "I hope Ororo's food tastes as good cold." she lowers her head again, and any reply from Kurt falls flat as he gasps.
"Romana."
~~~~
"Thank you, Wong, for all your help in giving us a chance to see your master today. Please thank him as well for his generosity." Jean speaks into her cell phone as she walks out of the school to see Logan sitting on the steps clad in his usual plaid shirt and worn jeans and boots.
"It is Dr. Strange who thanks you, Madame Grey. Your speedy contact regarding the symbol you say you've discovered could save many people. We await your arrival." The phone clicks, and Jean folds her cell phone closed to look at Logan.
"Well, all that's left is to gather Romana and keep Kurt busy, I guess." Jean puts her cell phone in the back pocket of her black jeans and sighs.
"Right, Jeannie," Logan says resolutely. "You wait here, and I'll send her your way."
"Don't hurt Kurt too much." Jean warns Logan as he walks towards the woods, his sarcastic snort barely discernable. -I hope you can forgive us, Kurt.I truly hope this is for the best -
~~~~
"So, did you answer your question, liebling?" Kurt asks with a naughty expression as they hold hands down the path towards the school.
Romana blushes slightly as she looks to the ground and coughs. "Yes, Kurt. Ororo's food was delicious, and I have discovered more uses for frosting than I ever knew."
Kurt's answering blush is more than enough for Romana as she remembers what else she put the frosting on other than her finger. "Maybe next time I will make us a." Romana's voice dies to a whisper as her eyes begin to glow.
"Romana?" Kurt asks in concern when he notices the change in her eyes.
"Duck!"
Romana's warning comes seconds to late as Kurt pushes Romana down, only to have himself bowled over by a leaping Wolverine who tumbles head over heels to come out with his knee firmly planted in a stunned Kurt's chest.
"Logan?" Kurt exclaims in surprise.
"You're growing soft, elf." Logan growls as he points down at the prostrate Kurt. "If you're going to live at this school, you gotta keep up your practice! Picnic packing skills aren't going to save you!"
Romana pushes herself into a sitting position with a groan and brushes dirt and leaves from her hair. "What in the Goddesses name do you think you are doing?" she asks in disbelief.
"It's all right, liebchen." Kurt bamfs and re-appears standing beside Romana with his hand stretched out to help her up. "Logan is just jealous."
"Oh yeah," Logan drawls sarcastically as he waves his hand in front of his face to disperse what was left of Kurt's signature move. "I'm real jealous of a wishy-washy pansy priest who can't fight his way out of a paper bag."
Kurt's spine stiffens and Romana gazes knowingly into his hardened eyes. "Go on," she whispers with a sly smile. "Show him what you're made of. I'll wait back at the mansion."
Kurt nods and smiles evilly. "Danke schoen, liebchen. I won't be long." Kurt turns to the grinning Logan and points at his chest with his thick finger. "Just because I chose not to fight, doesn't mean I don't know how to kick your ass, Logan."
"Hmph. prove it!" Logan pulls out a stub of a cigar and chomps down on it. "I'll give you to the count of 10, elf, and then your mine."
Kurt turns slightly and winks at Romana before he bamfs, and then the chase is on. Romana smiles and then turns to head down the path to the mansion, not noticing the hard stare of Logan as he watches her leave.
~~~
Click.click-click...click-click-clack.
The soft green glow of the computer screen shines in Jean Grey's eyes as she hunches over the keyboard, the large list of occult categories flitting by as Jean searches through Xavier's database of the occult.
"Come on, Professor.you've seen so much, you must have come across this symbol somewhere or know someone who has." Jean mutters as she pounds the page arrow on the keyboard, flipping through numerous images of runes and symbols, ranging from simple Nordic rune carvings to Navaho sand paintings. She leans back in the chair and runs her fingers through her hair in frustration as she telekinetically keeps clicking through the symbols.
"Siege Perilous. Shadow King. Limbo. hello!" Jean bolts forward as the symbol of the eye that blasted her in astral space stares coldly at her from the screen. "Okay, I've found you, now what are you?" she mutters as she pages down for more information, only to find a word in large red type flashing back at her.
"RESTRICTED?" Jean shouts in frustration as she slams her fist on the desk. "I didn't spend two hours looking for you only to tell me. hey. wait a minute." She scans down and in small type below she sees a glimmer of hope.
Anyone who has encountered this symbol should immediately report his or her findings to Dr. Stephen Strange, expert in the occult, Greenwich Village, New York.
"Dr. Strange." Jean muses as she stares at the magical symbol that the Professor felt he had to keep from the world. "Maybe I should tell the Professor about this."
The door behind Jean swishes open as Logan strides through. When he sees Jean hasn't noticed him, however, he takes the chance to silently sneak up on his favorite telepath, a devious grin on his face.
"What cha' doing, Red?" he asks in a whisper as he crouches behind her.
Jean stiffens for a moment, and then relaxes with a smile as she turns around in mock reproach. "Logan!" she playfully shoves him as she smiles. "Only you."
-Can make you smile, can love you the way you need to be loved-The thoughts run through Logan's head as he smiles and quickly changes the topic. "So what are you doing cooped up in here?"
Jean turns back to the computer monitor and taps the symbol on the screen as Logan leans on the back of her chair and looks over her shoulder. "As you well know, I was trying to help Romana with some repressed memories earlier today," Jean answers, her voice ripe with sarcasm over Logan's earlier incident outside her door, "and I think I may have found something. It's odd though."
"No kidding. There's a lot of odd things going on with her," Logan agrees as he stands straight.
"How so?"
"After you left on your quest for aspirin I sort of challenged Romana to a fight in the Danger Room." Logan mutters as he turns away, his voice steadily getting quieter as his embarrassment grows.
"You did WHAT?" Jean asks incredulously, her eyes practically bulging at the thought of Romana up against the feral Wolverine in a one-on-one fight. "What were you thinking? Oh wait, I remember.you weren't!"
"Hey now, dump some water on that hot head of yours, Red. You have to let me finish to get the whole story." Logan pleads as he raises his hands in defense from a telekinetic with a bad temper.
"All right.. spill it." Jean says as she crosses her arms, waiting to here what kind of excuse he can come up with.
"You know me, Jeannie. The best way for me to figure someone out is to see how he or she fights. I wasn't going to hurt her. hell, I don't even know if I can."
"Point taken. So what happened that was so odd?"
Logan wrinkles his face in thought. "At first, she wouldn't fight me at all. Every move I made she would dodge or neutralize, but she would never hit back, even though it was obvious she knew some knife fighting. That is till I mentioned Kurt. When I asked her to fight like Kurt's life was in danger, everything about her changed."
"What do you mean?" Romana asks as she sits up straight and truly begins to listen.
"She got this cold, hard look on her face as her eyes started to glow, and then her whole fighting style changed." Logan continues as he starts to pace back and forth, flexing his hands. "All of a sudden I could have sworn I was back in the good ol' U.S.S.R. fighting the KGB again! She caught me by surprise by predicting my every move, and then went straight in for the kill like a trained agent."
"In for the kill?" Jean questions, a worried look on her face.
"If I weren't who I was, Jeannie," Logan answers seriously as he leans in to her, his hands on the arms of her chair, "I would be dead. When the fight was over, though, she was 'normal' again."
"None of this makes any sense!" Jean exclaims in frustration, her brow furrowing as she turns back to the screen.
"Yeah. so what did you find out, other than this eye-thing?"
"When I went through her memory, I tried not to pry on anything other than what she asked, but I couldn't help noticing some powerful memories that kept popping up her mind." Jean answers as she picks up a computer stylus and bites on the end.
"And the odd thing was?" Logan asks as leans on the desk beside her.
"Well.. I don't think the memories were hers. I mean, in her head she was there, but."
"Just say what's on your mind, Jeannie." Logan reassures her as the looks of doubt cross Jean's face. "What did it make you feel?"
"Like each of the memories belonged to a different person, yet they were all kept in Romana's head. The feelings of the memories were all wrong, some like they belonged to children or the elderly, others from a decidedly male perspective." Jean glances up at Logan's troubled face and comes to a decision. "I need to tell the Professor about this."
Logan nods silently, and Jean turns around and closes her eyes, situating herself comfortably in the chair.
** Professor? Can you hear me? I need to talk to you. **
** I have been keeping track of what's going on, and you seem to be doing quite fine on your own, Jean. What is the problem? **
** Romana seems to be a mental conundrum, Professor, and at the root of it seems to be this symbol. **
Romana concentrates on the image she saw in Romana's mind and projects it to the Professor. There is a long pause as Jean waits for a reply.
** Professor? **
Silence.
** I will talk to Stephen and request an audience for you right away. The Senators are coming off the floor now, so I must go. Be careful. **
"Well," Jean says with a sigh when she is sure the Professor's presence is gone, " I guess it's time for a visit to the doctor's."
~~~~
"Okay class," Kurt announces as he glances at the clock. "Since our time is almost done, who can tell me something they learned today?"
Holly raises her hand with a soft smile. "I learned that being a mutant doesn't make you a bad person."
"That's wonderful to hear, Holly." Kurt says with a grin as he walks between the desks. "Can anyone else tell me something they learned?"
"Oooh! I learned that mutant powers means mutant responsibility!" chirps the bouncy Sarah.
"I learned that just because you have powers, it doesn't make you better than anyone else," Answers another boy.
"Wunderbar!" Kurt exclaims in joy as the bell rings and the children get up from their desks. "Tomorrow we are actually going to start studying, so be prepared!" Kurt jokingly warns the students as they walk out the door.
Holly grabs Kurt's waist in a quick hug again before she heads out of the classroom. "Thank you so much, Mr. Wagner."
Kurt watches the last of the students walk out and closes the door behind them with a smile. - Now that I have one day under my belt, I think I deserve a break. Maybe Romana would like to join me in the sunshine for a little lunch - Kurt slings his bag over his shoulder and looks over the classroom with a smile before he turns out the light. "Things are finally looking up around here."
~~~
"There has to be records of them somewhere. " A hollow sounding male voice growls as Romana hunches over a computer terminal in the darkened library. Pages of names flash by on the screen as Romana searches through numerous birth records of the state. "By the Gods, I didn't come to New York just to be thwarted by a measly wandering gypsy!"
"Romana? Are you in here?" Kurt's voice echoes from below as he opens the library door.
- Not now! -
"Kurt?" Romana shakes her head, overcoming a dizzy feeling. - What am I doing here in the library? Goddess, not again.- "I'm up here, Kurt!" Romana answers as she looks at the computer screen displaying the descendants of the Verone clan here in Manhattan. -Why would I be looking them up? - With a bamf and puff of smoke Kurt appears on the balcony behind Romana.
"There you are, meine liebling!" Kurt joyfully exclaims as he wraps his arms around Romana's shoulders and hugs her from behind. "I have been looking all over for you to share my good news!"
"Your class went well?" Romana asks with a hopeful smile as she cuddles her cheek against his.
"The class went better than I could have ever expected, Romana. I couldn't have done it without you." Kurt finishes in a whisper as he brushes his lips in gentle kisses down her neck.
"I didn't teach the class, Kurt." Romana rebukes as pleasurable goose bumps form over her skin and she leans back into his arms.
"If you won't accept my praise, would you accept some lunch instead?"
Romana turns her chair to face Kurt with a raised brow and a sly smile on her face. "And just what were you planning for us to eat on this little excursion?"
"You'll just have to come with me to find out, won't you?" Kurt chuckles as he raises his eyebrows suggestively.
"I never could resist a man who brings me lunch," Romana replies huskily as she stretches her arms out to him. Kurt pulls her up into his embrace and kisses her deeply, his tail wrapping around the picnic basket before they disappear in a puff of smoke.
~~~~
"There! Check this out, Logan." Jean exclaims as she notices Romana's computer usage on her monitor.
"Find something interesting?"
"Give me a sec, and we'll bring up the computer screen on her terminal.and here we go! " Jean scans the last thing Romana had on her computer as she mutters, "Curious."
"Come on, Red, what did you find?" Logan asks impatiently as he leans over the back of Jean's chair to look at the monitor. "Birth records?"
"Not just any birth records, Logan.these look like the birth records of her descendants here in Manhattan. Do you think she's looking up her family now that she's not being chased by the Externals?"
"Maybe.but after everything else that we've discovered about Romana, I'm starting to think everything she does has a double meaning." Logan growls.
"I think your right, Logan. The quicker we can get her to see Dr. Strange, the quicker, I hope, we can solve this mystery." Jean gets up from her seat at the computer and turns to Logan. "I don't think it's a good idea to tell Kurt about this yet.at least not till we know something for sure."
"Gotcha, Red." Logan says with a grin. "Anyhow.I've been wanting to see if the ol' fur ball has lost his skills or not. I'll head him off while you take Romana. Just be careful, now. You give me a holler and nothing will stop me from coming to your side. You know that." Logan steps close to Jean and places his hands on her shoulders, rubbing them gently as he looks into her eyes with worry.
Jean looks into Logan's eyes with guarded emotions. "I'm a big girl now, Logan. I can take care of myself." -Think of Scott.everything we've done, everything we've shared. It doesn't matter that you can sense the feelings he has for you like a blazing inferno. It doesn't matter that you've woken up with a sweat night after night thinking what if.-
"I never doubted you could, Jeannie." Logan says with a smile. "I just wanted you to know that you weren't alone in case you ever needed someone." Logan turns and heads for the door, leaving the veiled statement hanging in the air between them. Jean wistfully watches him leave and sighs heavily as she gives her head a mental shake.
-I'll always need you, Logan.but you'll never hear it from me-
~~~~
"I guess I consider this our spot now," Kurt says with a fond grin as he sets down the picnic basket in a sunny spot by the side of the pond where they solidified their relationship months ago.
"So beautiful. so peaceful," Romana agrees with a smile as she lifts her face to the sun and spreads her arms out like she would absorb the sun's rays.
-You live your life to the fullest, Romana, every experience like your first, even after 700 years. How I envy you, liebling-
"Kommt, Romana, and see what Ororo was kind enough to help me with for our lunch." Kurt spreads out the checkered tablecloth and sits down by the picnic basket.
"Helped, Kurt?" the skepticism visible in Romana's raised brow as she looks over her shoulder at Kurt. "We've been together four months now, and I've still never seen you cook!"
"Ach, I'm wounded, liebchen!" Kurt grasps his chest in mock horror and falls back onto the tablecloth. He peeks open one eye to see a smiling Romana shaking her head over him. He lifts himself up on one arm and says sheepishly, "Well, I DID make the cake. sweets for the sweet, after all."
"When all else fails, try chocolate?" Romana giggles as she sits beside him on the cloth and starts removing the food from the basket.
"It hasn't failed me yet," Kurt laughs heartily in response as he sits up and helps her remove fried chicken, pasta salad, fruit, and the most sinful looking chocolate cake she has ever seen from the basket.
-I should have known. German chocolate cake-
Romana reaches a finger into the thick layer of coconut frosting to snag a sugary glob of sweetness for herself, when Kurt's tail suddenly wraps around her wrist.
"Now, now, liebling! No dessert before lunch. unless you were thinking of something else." Kurt's tail brings Romana's finger up to his lips as he draws it gently into his mouth, avoiding his sharp fangs. Her lips part with surprise as his tongue wraps around her finger and licks off the incriminating frosting. "Very sweet."
"And that's just my finger." Romana answers lustily as she leans forward and pushes Kurt to the ground so she can straddle his waist, the cake all but forgotten.
-Witty repertoires can wait-
Kurt runs his fingers through Romana's long hair and gently cups the back of her head to bring her down for a kiss. His tail caresses her back lovingly, stroking from the small of her back to her shoulder blades. Romana moans into his open mouth as she deepens the kiss with her tongue and stretches out on top of Kurt in a passionate embrace. Her hands caress his shirt and the short blue fur underneath as her fingers deftly undo the buttons down to his waistline.
"I hope." Romana mutters as she rains kisses down Kurt's chest.
"Was. liebling?" Kurt questions between groans as he caresses her hair.
Romana glances up with a deceptively innocent and wistful look. "I hope Ororo's food tastes as good cold." she lowers her head again, and any reply from Kurt falls flat as he gasps.
"Romana."
~~~~
"Thank you, Wong, for all your help in giving us a chance to see your master today. Please thank him as well for his generosity." Jean speaks into her cell phone as she walks out of the school to see Logan sitting on the steps clad in his usual plaid shirt and worn jeans and boots.
"It is Dr. Strange who thanks you, Madame Grey. Your speedy contact regarding the symbol you say you've discovered could save many people. We await your arrival." The phone clicks, and Jean folds her cell phone closed to look at Logan.
"Well, all that's left is to gather Romana and keep Kurt busy, I guess." Jean puts her cell phone in the back pocket of her black jeans and sighs.
"Right, Jeannie," Logan says resolutely. "You wait here, and I'll send her your way."
"Don't hurt Kurt too much." Jean warns Logan as he walks towards the woods, his sarcastic snort barely discernable. -I hope you can forgive us, Kurt.I truly hope this is for the best -
~~~~
"So, did you answer your question, liebling?" Kurt asks with a naughty expression as they hold hands down the path towards the school.
Romana blushes slightly as she looks to the ground and coughs. "Yes, Kurt. Ororo's food was delicious, and I have discovered more uses for frosting than I ever knew."
Kurt's answering blush is more than enough for Romana as she remembers what else she put the frosting on other than her finger. "Maybe next time I will make us a." Romana's voice dies to a whisper as her eyes begin to glow.
"Romana?" Kurt asks in concern when he notices the change in her eyes.
"Duck!"
Romana's warning comes seconds to late as Kurt pushes Romana down, only to have himself bowled over by a leaping Wolverine who tumbles head over heels to come out with his knee firmly planted in a stunned Kurt's chest.
"Logan?" Kurt exclaims in surprise.
"You're growing soft, elf." Logan growls as he points down at the prostrate Kurt. "If you're going to live at this school, you gotta keep up your practice! Picnic packing skills aren't going to save you!"
Romana pushes herself into a sitting position with a groan and brushes dirt and leaves from her hair. "What in the Goddesses name do you think you are doing?" she asks in disbelief.
"It's all right, liebchen." Kurt bamfs and re-appears standing beside Romana with his hand stretched out to help her up. "Logan is just jealous."
"Oh yeah," Logan drawls sarcastically as he waves his hand in front of his face to disperse what was left of Kurt's signature move. "I'm real jealous of a wishy-washy pansy priest who can't fight his way out of a paper bag."
Kurt's spine stiffens and Romana gazes knowingly into his hardened eyes. "Go on," she whispers with a sly smile. "Show him what you're made of. I'll wait back at the mansion."
Kurt nods and smiles evilly. "Danke schoen, liebchen. I won't be long." Kurt turns to the grinning Logan and points at his chest with his thick finger. "Just because I chose not to fight, doesn't mean I don't know how to kick your ass, Logan."
"Hmph. prove it!" Logan pulls out a stub of a cigar and chomps down on it. "I'll give you to the count of 10, elf, and then your mine."
Kurt turns slightly and winks at Romana before he bamfs, and then the chase is on. Romana smiles and then turns to head down the path to the mansion, not noticing the hard stare of Logan as he watches her leave.
~~~