Darkness loomed all around her. It felt heavy and thick and she couldn't breath. She could feel someone coming towards her and then she heard it, a loud clear click. The sound of a gun being cocked. Her heart stopped, her breath caught in her throat, and her body felt numb. A flash of light, a loud bang, searing pain, then a scream all played out like it had so many times before.
The light in Alexandria and Rachel's room came on just as Rachel sat up in her bed. She looked over her shoulder at the door and watched as her moms come in, they'd be awaken by Alexandria's screams and cries as well. Ororo walked over and sat gently on the edge of her daughter's bed while Jean sat on Rachel's. Ororo reached out and softly caressed Alexandria's hair and face and whispered to her that she was alright.
Alexandria gasped when her eyes opened and once she realized that she was awake and that her mom was sitting there with her she threw her arms around her mother. Ororo held her until she was calm and then once again asked about the dream. Alexandria didn't want to talk about it but both Ororo and Jean knew she needed to. Jean had seen images of the dream and she'd felt the fear that her adopted daughter was living with and had shared what she'd found out with Ororo and Logan, but they'd all agreed it would be best for Alexandria to come to them and tell them.
"I'm sorry I woke you again." Alexandria said softly as she lifted her head from her mother's chest.
Rachel smiled at her sister. "It's ok Lex I wanted to get up early anyway."
"Tell us about the dream, child." Ororo said softly as she held her daughter close. She could feel Alexandria's body stiffen and then relax as she let out a long slow breath.
"It's dark and cold and I'm alone for a while but then someone comes towards me and I see and hear a gun fire. I feel pain in my shoulder and then I wake up screaming." Alexandria said quickly. The images of her dream flashed in her mind again and she buried her face in her mother's chest.
Ororo held onto Alexandria and she and Jean talked to both of the girls about the violence that was causing Alexandria's nightmares. They had always tried to explain to their daughters that even though Mutant rights had come a long way there was still quite a distance to go before the violence ended.
Neither one of the girls went back to sleep after their moms had left. Alexandria didn't want to sleep, she didn't want to see the nightmare again, and Rachel didn't want to leave her sister alone, so the girls decided to get dressed and go for a run around the lake before breakfast.
Logan had heard Alexandria scream and he'd started towards the attack but stopped short when he realized that Ororo and Jean would be taking care of it. Alexandria would need a little more in the long run then just talking about her fears, she'd have to face her nightmares, a feeling Logan knew all to well. He waited by the attack door until he was sure all had calmed down and then Logan went back to stocking the corridors of the mansion and grounds until he finally ended up on the dock next to the lake.
Logan sat on the dock with his eyes closed and listened to the world around him. He could hear, and smell, two girls goofing off in the woods, he could smell breakfast coming from the house, he could feel the shift in the wind long before he heard her foot steps behind him.
"Mornin' Darlin'."
"Good morning, Logan." Ororo said as she walked up beside him.
The two said nothing for a long time. They simply sat there looking over the still water of the lake. Ororo had known for some time that Logan had wished to talk to her about something but between their daughter's nightmares, their son's dislike of his father, and the everyday life of being an X-Man with children it seemed the time for them to talk was never there. This is why Ororo decided that this morning Jean and Rogue could handle feeding the children without her.
"We have know each other well for a long time, Logan. What is it you wish to discus with me?"
Logan was surprised by Ororo's bluntness but then he smiled. Her way of getting right to it was part of why he loved her so much. Logan stood slowly so he could face Ororo. She was still as stunning as she was the first day he'd laid eyes on her. He had to stop himself from licking his lips as the image of her in her old white leather uniform popped into his head.
"Logan?"
"Sorry Darlin' lost track of my thoughts for a moment." He turned away from Ororo after smiling his trade mark smirk. He looked out over the water for a moment, calm and still as glass until something from a near by tree feel into it causing it to ripple. "I've been home a while now Darlin' and I ain't blind. I can see where your heart lives."
"Logan." Ororo said softly but Logan turned to look at her as he grabbed her hand.
"Don't, 'Ro. This ain't good for you and Jeannie or me or the kids. I still love you, Ororo."
"And I you, Logan but.."
"Your in love with Jean." Logan finished for her. "Yeah I know." He flashed her another smile and then reached into his jacket pocket and pulled out a thick folded pack of papers and handed them to her.
"What are these?" She asked taking the papers but unwilling to open them.
Logan leaned forward and kissed Ororo on the check but didn't answer her question. He simply walked back up towards the house.
"We're suppose to be running not flying!" Rachel called out after Alexandria as she tried to keep up with her. The girls had made it once around the lake before darting into the woods and soon after Alexandria had taken to the sky. Rachel loved the feeling of flying but she was finding it hard to keep up with her sister's emotionally driven speed. She sighed in relief when she saw Alexandria heading for solid ground and landed right next to her. "Feeling better now?"
Alexandria didn't reply she just looked out over the lake to the other side and watched her parents. She watched as they talked and then as her father handed her mother a pack of papers, kiss her and then walk away.
"What do you think's going on over there?" Rachel asked after looking at what her sister was looking at.
"I don't know I couldn't hear what they were saying."
"Logan are you alright?" Betsy asked as Logan walked into the house. Logan just threw his hands into his jean pockets and shrugged. "You gave her the divorce papers didn't you?"
"Yeap."
"Oh Logan." Betsy started to say but then Logan cut her off.
"Don't say your sorry, Bets."
Betsy stepped in front of Logan to stop him and then put her hands on his shoulders. She looked him in the eyes and softly said, "I'm not going to say I'm sorry, Logan, because I'm not. I'm glad you gave Ororo those papers."
Logan looked up at the dark haired woman with his head titled to the side. "You are?" Betsy nodded. "Why?" He asked.
Betsy leaned in closer to him and whispered. "Because I've been in love with you for a long time now, Logan, and I know you have feelings for me as well. The only thing that's been in our way was Ororo." Betsy didn't wait for Logan to say anything, she didn't wait for him to confirm or deny what she'd said about how he felt for her, she leaned in and kissed him hard.
The light in Alexandria and Rachel's room came on just as Rachel sat up in her bed. She looked over her shoulder at the door and watched as her moms come in, they'd be awaken by Alexandria's screams and cries as well. Ororo walked over and sat gently on the edge of her daughter's bed while Jean sat on Rachel's. Ororo reached out and softly caressed Alexandria's hair and face and whispered to her that she was alright.
Alexandria gasped when her eyes opened and once she realized that she was awake and that her mom was sitting there with her she threw her arms around her mother. Ororo held her until she was calm and then once again asked about the dream. Alexandria didn't want to talk about it but both Ororo and Jean knew she needed to. Jean had seen images of the dream and she'd felt the fear that her adopted daughter was living with and had shared what she'd found out with Ororo and Logan, but they'd all agreed it would be best for Alexandria to come to them and tell them.
"I'm sorry I woke you again." Alexandria said softly as she lifted her head from her mother's chest.
Rachel smiled at her sister. "It's ok Lex I wanted to get up early anyway."
"Tell us about the dream, child." Ororo said softly as she held her daughter close. She could feel Alexandria's body stiffen and then relax as she let out a long slow breath.
"It's dark and cold and I'm alone for a while but then someone comes towards me and I see and hear a gun fire. I feel pain in my shoulder and then I wake up screaming." Alexandria said quickly. The images of her dream flashed in her mind again and she buried her face in her mother's chest.
Ororo held onto Alexandria and she and Jean talked to both of the girls about the violence that was causing Alexandria's nightmares. They had always tried to explain to their daughters that even though Mutant rights had come a long way there was still quite a distance to go before the violence ended.
Neither one of the girls went back to sleep after their moms had left. Alexandria didn't want to sleep, she didn't want to see the nightmare again, and Rachel didn't want to leave her sister alone, so the girls decided to get dressed and go for a run around the lake before breakfast.
Logan had heard Alexandria scream and he'd started towards the attack but stopped short when he realized that Ororo and Jean would be taking care of it. Alexandria would need a little more in the long run then just talking about her fears, she'd have to face her nightmares, a feeling Logan knew all to well. He waited by the attack door until he was sure all had calmed down and then Logan went back to stocking the corridors of the mansion and grounds until he finally ended up on the dock next to the lake.
Logan sat on the dock with his eyes closed and listened to the world around him. He could hear, and smell, two girls goofing off in the woods, he could smell breakfast coming from the house, he could feel the shift in the wind long before he heard her foot steps behind him.
"Mornin' Darlin'."
"Good morning, Logan." Ororo said as she walked up beside him.
The two said nothing for a long time. They simply sat there looking over the still water of the lake. Ororo had known for some time that Logan had wished to talk to her about something but between their daughter's nightmares, their son's dislike of his father, and the everyday life of being an X-Man with children it seemed the time for them to talk was never there. This is why Ororo decided that this morning Jean and Rogue could handle feeding the children without her.
"We have know each other well for a long time, Logan. What is it you wish to discus with me?"
Logan was surprised by Ororo's bluntness but then he smiled. Her way of getting right to it was part of why he loved her so much. Logan stood slowly so he could face Ororo. She was still as stunning as she was the first day he'd laid eyes on her. He had to stop himself from licking his lips as the image of her in her old white leather uniform popped into his head.
"Logan?"
"Sorry Darlin' lost track of my thoughts for a moment." He turned away from Ororo after smiling his trade mark smirk. He looked out over the water for a moment, calm and still as glass until something from a near by tree feel into it causing it to ripple. "I've been home a while now Darlin' and I ain't blind. I can see where your heart lives."
"Logan." Ororo said softly but Logan turned to look at her as he grabbed her hand.
"Don't, 'Ro. This ain't good for you and Jeannie or me or the kids. I still love you, Ororo."
"And I you, Logan but.."
"Your in love with Jean." Logan finished for her. "Yeah I know." He flashed her another smile and then reached into his jacket pocket and pulled out a thick folded pack of papers and handed them to her.
"What are these?" She asked taking the papers but unwilling to open them.
Logan leaned forward and kissed Ororo on the check but didn't answer her question. He simply walked back up towards the house.
"We're suppose to be running not flying!" Rachel called out after Alexandria as she tried to keep up with her. The girls had made it once around the lake before darting into the woods and soon after Alexandria had taken to the sky. Rachel loved the feeling of flying but she was finding it hard to keep up with her sister's emotionally driven speed. She sighed in relief when she saw Alexandria heading for solid ground and landed right next to her. "Feeling better now?"
Alexandria didn't reply she just looked out over the lake to the other side and watched her parents. She watched as they talked and then as her father handed her mother a pack of papers, kiss her and then walk away.
"What do you think's going on over there?" Rachel asked after looking at what her sister was looking at.
"I don't know I couldn't hear what they were saying."
"Logan are you alright?" Betsy asked as Logan walked into the house. Logan just threw his hands into his jean pockets and shrugged. "You gave her the divorce papers didn't you?"
"Yeap."
"Oh Logan." Betsy started to say but then Logan cut her off.
"Don't say your sorry, Bets."
Betsy stepped in front of Logan to stop him and then put her hands on his shoulders. She looked him in the eyes and softly said, "I'm not going to say I'm sorry, Logan, because I'm not. I'm glad you gave Ororo those papers."
Logan looked up at the dark haired woman with his head titled to the side. "You are?" Betsy nodded. "Why?" He asked.
Betsy leaned in closer to him and whispered. "Because I've been in love with you for a long time now, Logan, and I know you have feelings for me as well. The only thing that's been in our way was Ororo." Betsy didn't wait for Logan to say anything, she didn't wait for him to confirm or deny what she'd said about how he felt for her, she leaned in and kissed him hard.
