The Pact

Disclaimer: The X-Men are the property of Stan Lee and Marvel Inc. There are references to the X-Men 2: X-Men United novel adaptation as written by Chris Claremont. Aside from this the story presented here is the total creation of this author.

Rating: This story is rated PG 13 for language and adult situations.

Summary: The tension between Cyclops and Wolverine reaches a boiling point when he realizes that he is truly in love. Meanwhile Storm has an inner struggle that makes her re-evaluate her position as an X-Man.

Author's notes: This story is based on the X-Men 2: X-Men United novel. Therefore there are events that differ from the movie version. The Nightcrawler character is not included in this story because it was not clear to me at the end of the novel if he was still with the team.

The Pact

Around him the night was quiet, and despite its large population the mansion was quiet, but inside of him peace was no where to be found. Here in front of her unopened door the shakes governing his body were increasing by the second. He didn't even remember walking to her door, it was almost as if he had been summoned and his body responded eagerly. He made no gesture to knock. This was her game, her rules, and he was just a willing puppet. As expected the doors opened on their own inviting him into her domain; a domain that he so desperately wanted to be a permanent part of. It took him a while to find her silhouette hidden by the shadows, the bottom part of her nightgown the only thing he could see. An alarming thought crept into his mind. Why hadn't he smelled her before he saw her?

He felt his senses working at less than the normal level of a normal human and he felt confused, lost, at her mercy. It was unnerving and thrilling at the same time. He walked towards her as if following a silent command, for at this moment their thoughts were as one, like the twin souls of two people that have been made for each other. Once he was in front of her she reached out and put a hand behind his neck pulling him into the darkness with her, claiming his mouth in a warm, fierce and yet tender kiss. He kissed her back with the passion he had been harboring since the first time he saw her and felt lost no more. Electricity started to run through his body making the sensation of the kiss unforgettable, and he made a promise to himself to never forget. Suddenly he realized that the electricity he had been feeling he could now see physically running all over his body. He jumped backwards away from her and into the soft light of the moon looking himself over, seeing the tiny lightning bolts fading away. This time it was her who walked towards him and he saw her face for the first time. Startled by the sight of Ororo Munroe he remained speechless, at least on the outside. Confusing thoughts filled his mind in a rush but he took note of every single one of them. This was not Jean and how come he was feeling all this passion for a woman that was not his beloved redhead. The realization did nothing to diminish his desire. The sight of her instead made it grow. He found himself not wanting to leave; he wanted to continue exploring the feelings that somehow were not completely strangers to him. Pulling her to him tightly, he kissed her again with purpose, all fantasies aside, knowingly, wanting someone else besides Jean, who was rapidly falling to a part of his mind where memories could not be so easily retrieved. Soon, passionate kisses became desperate ones. He had become the puppeteer; he was making the rules now. There was only one rule really; he was going to make Storm his that night. His body was about to explode with elation, but instead the intensity of it all woke him up.

Wolverine found himself in the darkness of his own room. The images of the vivid dream were still clear as water in his mind. It was not exactly what he had promised himself not to forget, but he didn't need any promises to know that Ororo Munroe was going to be in his mind and even his soul for quite a while. It was just a dream. Damn it! He cursed in the privacy of his mind like saying it out loud would make everyone know what he was thinking, what he was feeling and how much he had liked it. Still, he was wondering how the star of this current dream had changed from Jean to… He didn't even know how to call her now. The words that were coming to mind weren't exactly proper. It was his passion talking. How was he going to face her the next day, or the days to come for that matter, when from one moment to the other she had become something entirely different to him? He wanted to enjoy the feel of her that was still in his mind and body so he put the thought aside. He'd have to deal with that later.

The next morning Wolverine was sitting at the kitchen table playing with a beer, his thoughts far away. After the dream, going back to sleep was impossible. He spent the rest of the night trying to make heads or tails out of it. However, at this point, he was still more confused than clear about what he was feeling and what he wanted. Jean Grey's smell reached his nostrils way before she made her entrance and he smiled to himself at the thought of his senses being back to normal even though they had never really stopped working properly. "Good morning, Logan."

"Jean," Wolverine answered barely looking at her. Jean moved to pull up a chair across from him, her cane was supporting her body enough to protect her broken foot, which was still healing. "Need help?" He asked all of a sudden remembering her condition.

"No, thank you. I got it." She sat down looking at him and had the impression that he was avoiding eye contact with her. That's odd. She thought.

"How are you feeling?" He asked really concerned about her well being. Of all of them she was the one who had sustained more injuries. She lost her sight and broke her foot all thanks to that 'one eye moron' boyfriend of hers.

"Even though I wasn't totally blind because I could see through any of you, it is really nice to have my sight back. This damn foot however, is taking too long to heal. I wish I had your healing factor."

"I wish I could lend it to you." Their eyes finally met for the briefest of moments and then he lowered his gaze again. Jean noticed the beer in his hands when he resumed playing with it. Beer was not something one would normally find in the school's fridge. It was an alien product among all the healthy food Storm and Jean always bought for them all. However, with the new addition to their family beer was becoming less abnormal no matter how out of place it looked. "Logan, you're not going to have a beer for breakfast, are you?" Wolverine looked up at her with a neutral expression.

"It wouldn't be the first time."

"That is not healthy you know." She was talking to him and observing him. Jean was wondering if this was just typical Logan behavior or if there was something bothering him.

"It hasn't killed me yet." Wolverine got up from his chair and walked towards the coffeepot that was programmed to start making the coffee at 6am every morning. "Do you want a cup of coffee?" He asked her softly.

"Did you make it?" She asked him with a half smile.

"No." He responded in the same way.

"Then yes." Came her reply this time with a full smile prompting him to smile as well, the tension easing a bit.

"I'll do that, if you don't mind." Scott Summers' voice filled the room with determination as he approached Jean and tenderly kissed her forehead. Then he walked up to Wolverine and extended his hand asking him for the coffee mug. Wolverine gave it to him with a scowl and started moving back to his chair when he stopped suddenly. He became nervous, as if he was about to be discovered doing something wrong. His appearance became important to him and he struggled to make his common clothes look decent. Realizing he was still standing in the same spot he took a seat, combing his hair with his hand at the same time. Jean noticed this and wondered what had caused this awkward display of demeanor when the answer presented itself in the form of Ororo Munroe. She took it upon herself to be even more observant of Wolverine since things apparently had taken a turn for the interesting out of the blue.

"Good morning to you all." Storm greeted everyone in a soft tone of voice. They all responded and smiled at her except for Wolverine who now was paying total attention to his still unopened beer trying desperately not to look at her even though he was dying to. Jean was paying the same kind of attention to him.

"Can I get you a cup of coffee, 'Ro?" Cyclops offered gesturing to the coffeepot with his own coffee mug.

"No thank you Scott. I rather have some juice and…" Storm's voice trailed off when she noticed Wolverine playing with the beer and frowned incredulous. "Logan!" She called his name and his head snapped to attention looking at her for the first time that morning, whether he was ready to or not. "You are not thinking about drinking beer at this hour, are you?" At the question, Jean looked at him wondering what he would say to Storm after what he had answered to her when she asked the same earlier. She was quite amused with Wolverine's expression. He looked just like a little boy that had been caught red handed.

"No." Came his defensive answer.

"Then, what are you doing with that?" Storm said pointing at the beer in his hands, arching one eyebrow. Wolverine stood up from the table and walked to the fridge as he spoke.

"I took it by mistake, you know, force of habit. I was going for some juice. My mind must be elsewhere. You said you wanted juice. Can I get you some? What kind do you want?" His monologue came in a rush. Jean was now certain that something was going on with him.

"Orange juice would be nice, thank you." He took the juice out of the fridge and poured two glasses. He handed one to her and pulled up a chair for her to sit on and then took a seat himself. Storm pushed the chair back to its place making Wolverine sit up straight in his. "I will take mine outside."

"Why?" Cyclops asked curious.

"I feel like taking a sun bath. Besides I need to meditate, to talk to the goddess." With nothing else, she turned around and left. Jean noticed Wolverine looking the way Storm had gone, disappointment all over his face. Wolverine sat back slumped in his chair, the glass of juice still in his hand. He then looked at Cyclops and saw that he was not the only one that had been looking Storm's way and that made him frown.

"I'll be right back." Cyclops said putting his coffee mug down on the kitchen counter and walked out after Storm. At this Wolverine set the glass of juice on the table away from him almost too hard, spilling a bit. Immediately he saw the glass making its way back to him on its own. He realized Jean was using her telekinesis to push it back to him.

"You better drink your juice, Logan." She said looking at him, then shifted her gaze facing the kitchen door. "Doctor's orders." She then looked back at him and he had the feeling she was not talking about herself. He didn't move. "She'll ask you." Wolverine took the glass giving in and finished the juice in large gulps.

"See ya." Setting the glass back down he stood up and left.