Scott padded along the carpeted hallway, his socked feet not making a sound. He paused outside of Ororo's door, leaning against it. All was quiet on the other side. Hesitantly, he reached up and knocked.
"Go away."
Scott frowned. So far, this endeavor hadn't been very promising. He waited another moment and then knocked again.
"Ororo?" he called, his voice soft and pleading.
There was a pause before she answered. "You're not going to go away, are you?"
The young man grinned. "Nope."
He could hear her curse as she got up and stomped across the room. The door opened and Scott was surprised by the sight before him. Ororo's face was blotchy and her eyes red. The dress she had worn was crumpled and mascara ran down her cheeks. She glared at him with her raccoon eyes.
"What do you want, Scott?"
"Can we talk?" he asked, his eyebrows raised.
Ororo sighed in defeat and stepped aside, allowing him just enough room to slip inside. Scott gazed around the immaculate room. Potted plants covered every available surface. The bookshelves were filled with history texts. The scent of exotic perfume hung in the air.
"Have a seat," offered Ororo, gesturing to a crimson armchair that sat partially concealed by rare flora.
Scott sat precariously on the edge of the chair. There was still a part of him that felt guilty over being in another woman's room. A sharp pain stung his chest as he thought of Jean. He quickly brushed aside the painful memories and turned to Ororo. "So…"
"So?" she replied snidely.
"Drop the attitude, Ororo."
The weather witch bristled at this comment. "What do you want, Scott?" she snapped. The wind was picking up outside, testimony to her sour mood.
He turned and pointedly looked out the window. He gestured to the maelstrom outside. "What's up?" he demanded.
"I have a headache," lied Ororo. She kneaded her forehead to try to emphasize the point. "It must be effecting my control."
"Bull shit," stated Scott bluntly.
"Damn it, Scott! Just leave me alone!"
"No," he replied coolly.
Ororo slumped against the pillows clustered on her bed. "Please, Scott. Let it be."
"No," repeated the young man more forcefully. "Ororo, something has upset you. I've had enough with seeing you bottle everything up inside of yourself. You put on this 'I'm the supreme weather goddess' air and act like you don't need anyone. But humans weren't meant to be all alone."
"I'm not human," interrupted Ororo, her voice icy.
Scott sighed and ran his fingers through his unruly hair. "You know what I mean. You can't always handle everything by yourself. No matter how strong you are, sometimes you need someone else."
"I don't want anyone else," argued the young woman, her voice cracking as more tears threatened to spill down her cheeks.
"That's not true," replied Scott softly. "And you know it."
Ororo vainly held on to her pride, refusing to crumble before Scott. If only Jean were here…but she wasn't. Jean was gone. And now Kurt would be gone too, because she had chased him away. Outside, rain began to pour down, shedding the tears that Ororo refused to release.
Scott silently stood up and moved to Ororo's side. He wrapped his arms around her slender frame, pulling her against him. "It's okay," he promised. "You can cry. I won't think any less of you for it."
Ororo let out a heart-wracking sob and buried her face in the collar of Scott's shirt. Her tears soaked the front of his shirt as she shamelessly shed all of the hurt that she had held inside. She began to hiccup as the tears tapered off. She sat back and wiped fiercely at her eyes.
"I…I'm sorry," she croaked.
"Don't be," stated Scott, smiling gently.
"It's…it's just…" Ororo let out another sob. "I'm so afraid." She flung her arms around his neck and held on tight. "I'm so afraid."
"Of what?" he whispered encouragingly.
"Of everything. Of humans. Of myself. Of always being hated. Of always hating. I can't bear it, Scott."
"But you aren't alone," he stated firmly. "Me. The professor. Logan. Kurt. We may not know exactly how you feel, but we will always be there for you. You don't have to carry the pain by yourself. That's what friends are for."
Ororo sniffled, then smiled. "Thanks, Scott."
"You're welcome. I know…I know I'm not Jean…" He winced as he spoke her name. "But I'll try my best to take care of those she loved."
"I know," whispered Ororo.
"Are you going to be okay?" asked Scott.
"I think I will be," murmured the weather witch. She glanced out the window to see that the rain had diminished to a mist. "I just hope he doesn't hate me…"
"Are you talking about Kurt?"
Ororo nodded solemnly. More tears threatened to form as she thought of losing his friendship. All because of foolish pride.
"I don't know what happened tonight, but I doubt Kurt will ever hate you. All you can do now is apologize. I'm sure he'll listen."
"Thanks, Scott," stated Ororo, her voice steady. She smiled up at him, her blue eyes shining. Everything is going to be okay. She just knew it.
Ororo jumped slightly when she sensed the air outside of her door shift. She pulled away from Scott and stared at the door expectantly. Moments later, someone knocked.
"Ororo?" called Kurt from the other side.
Scott stood to leave. He reached down and squeezed her shoulder reassuringly. "If you need me…"
"I know where to find you," finished Ororo. She then turned to the door. "Come in, Kurt."
Kurt shyly opened the door and stepped inside. Scott noticed that he was carrying what looked like a sundae. Smart man, thought Scott as he stepped past the blue mutant, nodding an acknowledgement. He could see the curiosity in Kurt's eyes, and he knew the German was wondering what he and Ororo had talked about. Scott grinned at him as he passed. He would have winked, but the gesture would have been pointless thanks to his glasses.
Scott closed the door behind him, leaving Ororo and Kurt alone. He set off down the hallways back to the rec room. He knew Logan would be waiting there and would be eager to hear what Ororo had said. Scott offered up a quick prayer for the couple upstairs. He smiled to himself, knowing that if anyone would break through to Ororo's heart, it would be Kurt.
TBC….
