Saints and Sinners - By Darlin

A/N - Thank you Artemisn, Danichan667, lilWolvie, skyz, and wOLF. Also thank you WolviesLover and since you said you'd update if I did I'm really looking forward to your next chapter! :D

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Chapter Two - The Homicidal Killer

After a restless night Ororo still couldn't stop thinking about her break up with Hank. She'd avoided him for the rest of the day and had gone to bed early. She didn't know if she'd made a mistake or not. So she did what she always did when she wasn't feeling well. She grabbed a bag of frozen peas from the freezer, glanced over her shoulder just to be sure she was alone, opened the bag and pulled out a pint of homemade double chocolate chip French pot ice cream from Graeter's Confectionary. The stuff was so good she ordered it on the Internet and had the scrumptious ice cream, six pints at time, flown in from Ohio packed in a shipping cooler. Double chocolate chip was a sinfully delicious ice cream made the old fashioned way with huge chunks of broken bittersweet chocolate blended in. It was well worth the cost and definitely required a special hiding place especially when she was down to her last pint.

She was basking in pure enjoyment as the luscious ice cream melted in her mouth while contemplating a trip to the mall when Jean came into the kitchen. The last person she wanted to see was Hank and the second to last person she wanted to see right now was Jean. She was still pretty pissed at her friend for the mess she'd caused between Scott and Wolverine. In fact, she figured if Hank and Jean ever got together a la Dawson's Creek where they just interchanged partners every few months or so the two of them would probably end up destroying the world.

"That's not a very nice thought," Jean said with a smile as she opened the fridge.

"You so did not read my mind!"

"No I didn't have to. You looked at me like I was the Big Bad or something."

"I just broke up with Hank."

Jean turned to look at Ororo.

"You can close your mouth now!"

"Oh, Ororo I'm so sorry."

"Why? I've been thinking about it ever since we got back together. He's just too much of an overbearing pompous know it all."

"But you love him!"

"I used too or at least I thought I did but after he broke up with me and had that stupid affair with the Blob or all people . . .!"

"He didn't know it was the Blob, Ororo and it wasn't really an affair."

"Who cares? He was still trying to pick up women on the Internet. How lame is that?"

"I don't know if it's lame."

"I should've known you'd defend him."

"Well, he was just misguided."

"Right. Like you were misguided when you slept with Logan thereby causing the intense rivalry between Logan and Scott that almost cost Scott his life?"

"That's not very nice of you to say."

"Truth never is."

"You're in a foul mood."

"Bitch mode."

"Can you turn it down a notch?"

"I'll try but no guarantees."

Jean sat down at the table biting her lip as she thought about what she wanted to say next.

"Don't even try to get me and Hank back together. It's over. Finished! Over and done with! Finito!"

"But you still care for him - I know you do."

"I like Hank I just don't love him anymore."

"But he adores you."

"Too bad for him. He just wants someone to lord it over like I'm his little social case of the week. I remember every mean thing he said to me when he thought I didn't have the strength of will to resist being brainwashed into liking him. He wasn't very nice in fact he was down right vicious. He made it sound like I was the most stupid person in the world and now he's all lovey dovey it's just too much too soon."

Jean made no reply.

"What about you and Scott?"

"Oh, you know how I feel."

"Nothing's changed now that Logan's back?"

"Why would it?" Jean asked defensively.

"Please! Best friend here! You two were knocking bones for awhile and pretty hard at that."

"After he left Scott . . . for dead I-I can hardly look him in the eye."

"Oh, not you too?" Ororo sighed.

"What do you mean?"

"Yesterday Hank went off on Logan about the same thing! Why did we vote for him to come back if everyone's going to treat him like he's a leper of something? Doesn't anyone think he's learned his lesson? I mean he's back and why would he come back if he wasn't sorry?"

"For me," Jean said quietly.

"What?" Ororo wanted to laugh but she was too angry. "Jean, girl, get over yourself! That man's not that crazy. He might've thought your skinny behind was all that before when you were the only thing willing to give him the time of the day but I think he's over that by now."

"I said turn the bitch mode down not up, Ororo! But think about it though. Why did Logan really come back? Because he's not over me. I mean he was deeply in love with me!" Jean stated even more defensively.

"Hullo!" Storm tapped Jean on the side of her head several times. "He's back and hasn't said two words to you hardly and duh – Logan and Scott aren't doing that stupid male posturing crap any more!"

"You can say what you want to but I still think he's in love with me."

"Just biding his time is that it? Waiting to kill off Scott for real this time so he can win you back?"

"Well . . ." Jean looked hesitantly at Ororo before going on. "Maybe or something like that."

"Jean, honey, you are in total denial. You have no clue when a person's moved on. I thought you were smarter than that. Thank goodness you gave up that idea about being a doctor!"

"Okay, Ororo if Logan's gotten over me why'd he come back then?"

"Scott told us when we voted on it - to find out about his past."

"There's more to it than that!"

"Oh, great! You actually like having two men lusting after you and fighting over you don't you?"

"No! I don't!"

"Right. Well, Jean Logan's moved on and you need to face it."

"He's in love with me that's what I know."

"I know you can't read his mind but can't you see how he acts when he's around you? He used to be in lust with you but now he doesn't want you any more. He probably realized that there're more experienced and better sexual partners out there."

"Who? Like you?"

"What? No! I don't just jump into bed with anyone especially if I've only known him for a week! And I definitely don't sleep with homicidal killers that look like they want to skin everyone alive and eat them for breakfast!"

"It was a month I knew him. I think one month," Jean ended rather feebly, screwing up her face as she counted the weeks on her fingers.

"Two weeks, a month whatever."

Jean stood up; her brow creased in anger and shouted at Ororo, "If you think he'd want you you're crazier and more deluded than you think I am!"

Ororo stood up too, her hands clenched tightly at her sides. "You're just so full of yourself sometimes it makes me sick," she replied.

"And you're such an annoying know it all it makes me sick to my stomach! You talk about Hank but why don't you take a look in the mirror at yourself!"

Jean turned on her heel and stomped out of the kitchen. Ororo dropped back into her seat and began to greedily spoon ice cream into her mouth trying to calm herself down.

"Heard that."

Ororo jumped then looked up to see Logan coming through the back door to the kitchen. She ignored him but he didn't seem to mind. He shut the door behind him and sauntered over to the table. After a minute of trying to pretend he wasn't there Ororo looked up at him with an angry glare on her face. Logan just laughed, pulled out a chair, and sat down.

"I like your spunk," he said and set his cowboy hat on the table in front of him. "So you wouldn't do the nasty with me?"

She coughed, gagging on her mouthful of ice cream. He reached over and patted her on her back several times despite her waving him off.

"You okay?"

"'M fine."

"Maybe you had a good point that."

"That what?"

"Sleeping with a homicidal killer who came to kill you and your buddies."

Ororo laughed despite herself. "Jean's just naïve."

"Good lay though."

"Eewww! Please! I'm eating here!"

Logan looked at Ororo with interest. He liked her. Liked her spirit. Liked how she'd stood up for him to Hank yesterday and liked how she'd put Jean in her place just now.

"So whatcha doin' tonight?" he asked.

"Watching My Wife and Kids and the George Lopez show with a big batch of popcorn – why?"

He shrugged. "Blue boy watchin' with you?"

She laughed so hard tears streamed out of the corners of her eyes. After she calmed down she said, "Of course not! My one night of comedy is considered completely and appallingly beneath him. No, Hank will be researching something, somewhere, somehow. Research, research, research - that's all he ever does."

"Still mad at your boyfriend?"

"He's no longer my boyfriend." Her blue eyes stared into his until he looked away.

"Hard to trust someone after they screw you over – I know."

"Hank, doesn't understand that."

"Sounds a bit hypocritical to me."

She shrugged. Logan stood up. She looked at him and he smiled as he placed his hat back on his head.

"I like comedies," he said. "Maybe I'll see you tonight."

Ororo was sure she hadn't heard him correctly but she shrugged and continued wolfing down her ice cream. Everything seemed better when you had good ice cream to keep you company.

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Hours later Ororo got out of a cab, paid her fare, retrieved her many bags, and started up the path to the mansion. She was unaware that Logan was watching her from one of the front windows. She set her bags down at the front door and pulled out a large tub of buttered popcorn from one of them. The door opened just as she was stuffing a handful of popcorn in her mouth.

"Need help?"

"Oh! You startled me – sure. Thanks." She stepped past him and went inside leaving four large bags at the door.

"Where'd you go - buy out the mall and the movie theater?" He asked as he picked up the bags.

"Mall. I just picked up popcorn for tonight."

He nodded. "Thought you'd decided not to show."

"Oh, is this a date?" She laughed.

"If you want it to be."

"Ooooo! Do I get gropey hands and sloppy wet kisses when the lights go out?"

"You don't seem like the kind of girl who kisses on a first date."

"You're right about that especially not with . . ."

"Homicidal killers?" He asked.

Ororo looked at him, all the humor drained from her face. "I wasn't going to say that, Logan. I thought I'd made it clear that I felt you'd changed just like I have. Just like we all have!"

When he only looked at her without replying she sighed and went up the stairs to her room. After a moment Logan came up behind her putting the large shopping bags on the floor by her bed. He looked around the room quite surprised to find he felt a quiet peace settling over him. Sheer white curtains with large and small gold stars embroidered on them were billowing lazily as a slight breeze flowed from her large opened windows. There were plants on the windowsills that he somehow felt blurred the perception of inside and outside as he could see only a large leafy tree outside the window and hints of blue sky. Her ceiling was painted almost the same soft blue as the sky giving him even more of a sense of feeling as if he were outdoors. The rest of the walls were painted a peaceful snowy white.

He realized he was used to Jean's frilly room, which had been a sensory overload to him. Looking at Ororo's simple white down comforter, the large fluffy white pillows and some smaller ones that were embroidered with gold stars similar to the curtains, he had to appreciate the sheer simplicity. The bed had an understated white bed skirt trimmed in gold, not ruffled and plaid that clashed with the many floral patterns like Jean had in her room. The night stands were simple white wicker tables that matched the headboard to her bed. Clay pots full of hyacinths sat on both nightstands giving off a pleasant, not too overwhelming scent that made him feel all the more as if he were outside. It was almost like being in a tree house he thought or in a gazebo. Maybe that's why it was so soothing to his senses. Strangely enough he never would've guessed Ororo would have had any type of room other than the same frilly and oddly matched profusion of colors and prints that Jean had.

"Like what you see?" Ororo was watching him look around her room and she wasn't sure she liked the attention he was giving it.

Logan looked at her and smiled. She looked like a princess in her castle boudoir. He couldn't deny that he liked what he saw. He nodded slowly his eyes never leaving her face. "I like what I see."

"Well . . . thank you I guess. Oh, and thanks for bringing my bags up."

"Sure." He knew he should leave but he was reluctant to leave the serenity he felt there with her in this tree house sanctuary she had made for herself.

Ororo looked at him expectantly waiting for him to leave but he just stood there. He gave her a lopsided grin feeling somewhat foolish.

"Um, you're welcome," he said for lack of anything else to say.

Ororo gave him brief smile and started going through her bags. After a moment she seemed to forget Logan altogether. Logan took the hint and slowly ambled out of the room. He stopped in the doorway glancing back at her soothing white and gold oasis and watched Ororo twirl around holding a short white floral dress to her chest letting it fly out in front of her. She looked like a beautiful goddess he thought to himself and he found himself grinning as he went downstairs whistling a tune.