Logan returned to the mansion at around 10:30pm the night before Hank was slated to remove Jubilee from the chamber. He and Remy had decided it was best they returned separately, as not to raise suspicion about their extracurricular activities. He was still on a high from the successful mission as he made his way to the kitchen. He stopped suddenly when he entered the kitchen's back door and saw Ororo sitting casually at the corner table that was once referred to as his spot, with her head buried in a book and a steaming mug of what smelled like chamomile tea next to her. He mentally kicked himself and cursed inwardly at not having scented her before he entered the room. He wasn't too keen on seeing her anytime soon. He chucked his negligence up to being caught up on the high of decimating the hate group. His heightened senses picked up the change in her heartbeat as she realized she was no longer alone.
Only one person was responsible for making the hairs on the back of her neck stand tall and her heart to hammer wildly in her chest. Ororo panicked, completely unprepared for this sudden encounter. She had wanted a planned encounter, not an unexpected one. Dammit! What in the Goddess' name was she supposed to do now? She had thought that after her heart to heart with Jean and some decisions of her own, she was more than ready to tackle seeing him and speaking to him. But apparently, everything she had imagined and thought had quickly fled her mind faster than Quicksilver.
Ororo took a few deep breaths, in a failed attempt to calm herself while she muster up the courage to finally feast her eyes on him. She sighed softly, placed the bookmark in the book and closed it. She stood, turned and lifted eyes that showcased a plethora of emotions to the enigma who held her heart. She was thankful she was a strong woman, otherwise she would have swooned right on the spot. Goddess, but he was a sight to behold. Raw power and sexuality emanated from him, much like their first ever meeting, that she couldn't help her appreciative sigh.
Logan stood rooted to the floor, unable to move. His mouth became dry and he realized he had no way of combating her when she finally looked at him. Oh how he missed her and wanted her. His beast literally pounded a symphony in his chest to get free, believing it had a score to settle with the weather witch.
"Hello, Logan." She was pleased her mouth and voice worked to form actual words.
Damn her! Why the hell did she have to look so beautiful? And why the hell did he still carry a torch for her? Time away from this circus had did nothing to remove her from his mind and heart. So much for outta sight, outta mind, he mused silently. The very woman that he had hoped to evade greeted him. Although he wanted to tell her to go to hell and leave him alone, he gathered his wits to grumble a decent reply.
"Miss Munroe."
Ororo flinched. This was definitely not going to be an easy task. At least he was acknowledging me, she thought. One step at a time, she reminded herself. "It is good to see you."
Logan snorted rudely before he could contain it. He was happy to regain mobility in his legs once again and all but ran out of the kitchen, leaving Ororo to wonder what the hell just happened.
"Well goodnight to you too," she muttered sarcastically. She looked to where he had exited and sighed in puzzlement. Bright Lady, give me strength, she entreated. She was definitely going to need it and more to deal with an even more difficult Wolverine.
Logan moved fast, aiming for the Danger Room. His mind was in an upheaval upon his brief encounter with the weather witch that all he wanted to do was to take his frustrations out on holographic versions of Sabertooth. Unfortunately, he was waylaid by a beaming Hank. "Thank God you've returned Logan. Come with me."
"What? Somethin' happen ta Jubes?" All thoughts of Storm and the Danger Room fled his mind.
"I need more plasma from you," Hank replied, the excitement hard to miss in his voice.
"Why? Jubes took a turn fer the worse?"
"No, no!" Hank quickly reassured the volatile man. "Come on, I'll show you."
They both made a mad dash to the medlab. Hank literally pulled him over to the monitors. "Here, is an image of the damage to her body before we placed her in the chamber," Hank said, "And this is an image from three hours ago. Do you know what this means?"
Logan glanced between the two images and within a minute it dawned on him. He saw the source of Hank's excitement. The most recent image showed significant improvement to Jubilee's injuries. The smaller injuries, like cuts and bruises were completely healed and the burns were healing at a fast rate.
Logan grinned at the furry doctor. "How?"
"Your plasma! It's doing exactly what I thought it would do and more! I was able to add it directly to the fluid in the chamber. I did it on a slim chance that it would work. The results have completely blown my mind! Do you know what this means?"
"Yeah," Logan said slowly. "She'll recover quickly."
"Yes!" Hank all but shouted. "And I estimate a complete recovery for her in about four to six weeks. I need more plasma now."
"Don't have an orgasm Hank," Logan joked. "Take as much as ya need."
Hank laughed good-naturedly as he made preparations for another plasma withdrawal from Logan. "I'll do another drip tonight."
With practice, Hank took more plasma from Logan and set up the direct drip into the chamber. Almost an hour later, he was switching the lights off and ushering Logan out the room with advice to get some rest.
"It was awful, Jean. He looked at me like I was yesterday's garbage and just walked away," Ororo cried from where she had thrown herself on the velvet sofa in Jean's room. She had ran directly to her friend after her chance meeting with Logan. "What am I going to do?"
"Something you've never done before, honey," Jean answered looking at her longtime friend with sympathy. At Ororo's confused look, she elaborated, "You're going to have to submit and beg."
Ororo glanced at her as if she was something distasteful. "Did you inhale some kind of chemical in the lab? I told you that you were spending too much time down there."
Jean laughed, as she picked up one of Scott's shirt from the pile of clean laundry on her bed and began folding. "I was helping Hank with some experiments, while he focused on Jubilee's recovery. But I'm serious about the begging."
"I am not going to beg, Jean," Ororo replied haughtily. "Do I look like the begging type to you?"
"Well, if you want him, you will have to become the begging type," the redhead returned starkly. "Look, Logan isn't the type to forgive easily. You have to really earn it."
Ororo frowned. "I know that Jean. His anger is a defense mechanism. I know he feels pain more strongly than any of us, thanks to his enhanced senses." She closed her eyes and groaned. "I have hurt not only him, but the Wolverine inside."
"And that's why begging is the best solution to this problem," Jean intoned, looking at a pair of Scott's boxers she had taken up in appreciation. "And I think the Wolverine may like the idea of you begging and submitting to him."
"Preferably in skimpy lingerie," Ororo tossed out casually.
Jean looked at her and grinned. "Now you're getting it, 'Roro."
'Ro took up a sofa pillow and tossed it at Jean's head. It hovered over the bed thanks to Jean's telekinesis.
"Bitch."
"Why, Miss Munroe, such language," Jean said laughingly. She went to take up a seat on the sofa next to the distraught Goddess. "Ororo, we all have to swallow our pride at some point in our lives for the ones we love. Logan is not going to relent and you know that. Not unless you make the first move."
"I tried that. He totally rebuffed me."
"Well try harder," Jean huffed. "Shit, 'Ro. This is your future we're talking about and you're sitting here like a big baby about to give up after one failed attempt."
Ororo sat up straighter and glared daggers at Jean. She hated when the redhead stunner was right.
"You know what you want. I can't give it to you, neither can anyone else for that matter, except you. You have to freaking fight for what you want. I thought all these years would have taught you that. Sheesh, you're sitting here bawling about what you're going to do, when you already know what you have to do. You're just too damn stubborn and chicken to do it."
Ororo stood to her full height. How dare this bitch say these things to her?
"I dare because I love you and want the best for you. And the best for you is Logan. So you better woman up and go get your man." Jean stood and did some glaring of her own, before turning away and going back to her task of folding clothes.
"I should not have come here," Ororo muttered as she made a beeline for the door.
"So why did you?" Jean said, quite irritated with the stubborn African beauty. She was fed up with Ororo and her self-pitying act, especially knowing that there was hope for the situation.
"I came for sensible conversation."
"No, you came for me to coddle you and tell you that everything is going to be alright. You came to hear me tell you that you're right as always. You didn't expect to hear what we both know you have already realized and come to terms with. You damn well know that I speak the truth."
Ororo snorted before opening the door, but before she could storm out, Jean had the last word. "That's right, go ahead and stew in your own self-pity, see where that gets you."
A slammed door was Ororo's response together with a few choice words aimed mentally to the telepath.