Storm was so tired. Emotional stress had been weighing on her throughout the whole meal, and she couldn't wait to find herself alone in her warm covers with her fantasies. But, as she climbed into bed, her sleepiness drifted away and she laid there, silently, just waiting for something to happen.

Something felt different about the school. There was someone there, but she didn't know who. Someone that was different from all the other inhabitants of the building. She wasn't particularly happy to get up, but she knew it had to be done. She threw on her wrinkled clothes and stepped out of her room into the empty hallway. She roamed down to the end and around the school.

She couldn't help noticing that the light in Xavier's office was on. It irked her that someone had been in there, again, without her permission, so she stomped her way down there to turn off the light and see if whoever had been there was still around. She peered in the window of the study. A man was in there, but she didn't know him. This confused her. Why would someone that she didn't know be poking around in Xavier's things? She took a deep breath and opened the door.

The man turned around to look at her, and smiled softly at her. She kept her expression stony and icy.

"What are you doing in Professor Xavier's office?" she said carefully and deliberately. "Did someone give you permission to be here?" The man shook his head slowly at her, with that soft smile still in place on his lips. It looked familiar, but she couldn't tell where she had seen it.

The man took a few careful steps towards her. She inched away until her back was pressed against the wall, but he continued to come closer until he was nearly right up against her.

"I'm warning you," Storm said, feeling scared now, "I'm not unarmed." She glared menacingly at his face, but she still could feel the waves of terror filtering through her body. The smile stayed on his face.

"Oh, Ororo," he said softly. "How cold you've gotten." He lifted his hand to her cheek, and for some reason she didn't stop him. His voice was smooth and his skin had just the slightest amount of roughness to it. She felt her terror floating away, replaced by a small, quiet feeling of curiosity.

"Who are you?" she whispered as he removed his hand from her face. "I feel as though I know you and yet I know I've never seen you before." She brought her hand up to her face to feel the place where he had touched her.

I am whoever or whatever you need me to be, Storm. It took her a moment to process that he had just transmitted the message into her head. Her eyes darted back and forth across his face, and her whole body seemed to melt.

"Pro...fess..." She couldn't bring herself to go on. Part of her mind wasn't letting her accept that it was him. It was saying that it was her fantasy, that she was dreaming he was back. He chuckled, and grabbed her hand in his two big ones.

"I was always with you, Ororo," he said quietly. "But now I can really be here for you." She felt her eyes let go and the tears begin to flow. She reached out and embraced him, needing to feel that he was actually there. She pulled away just in time to see his face melt into Logan's, and her world begin to spin...

She awoke with a start. Her eyes were wide open and her blankets strewn on the floor. She felt tears streaming down her cheeks, but ignored them as she gathered her blankets and placed them gently back on the bed. He's not coming back, she told herself firmly. Stop pretending like he's going to.

Did you forget I could speak through dreams, Storm? She stopped her picking up for a moment, but decided that it was just the after-effects of the dream and ignored the voice in her head. She heard her door open, but she ignored that, too. It was only when she felt two strong hands on her shoulders that she turned around and looked up at the face.

"I'm sorry about that, Storm," Xavier said. "I thought I would be in your room when you woke up. You broke away faster than I thought you would. You've become more powerful, Storm." She laughed and wiped away some of her tears.

"Are you really here now, Professor?" she asked quietly. "I don't think I could go through it again if you weren't." He chuckled exactly like she remembered from the old days and helped her to stand up.

"I'll be here now for as long as you need me."