A/N: You guys are great, seriously. Thank you for continuing to read this story! And special thanks again to people who review. Please don't be too shy to tell me what you think.

Most often, the thing you dread most has a tricky little habit of sneaking up on you when your guard is down. The last week of Ororo's life had passed pleasantly; the children were behaving (their sugar highs from Halloween had burned off), Kioni had been a sport in helping Ro plan a bachelorette party for Jean, and Rogue had informed her that Remy seemed to have come to terms with her pregnancy. So on Friday morning Ororo let out the breath she had been holding, unaware that this was just the calm before the storm.

The first bolt of lightning struck in the form of a text message from Remy. She barely spared it a passing glance during third period, noting only that Remy was meeting Scott and Logan to watch a game during lunch.

She was so engrossed in her own lunch with Ali and Cecilia that she neglected to bring her phone, which was vibrating like mad in the top drawer of her desk. By the time it began pouring rain and recess had to be called off her battery had died, so Ororo noticed nothing amiss as she tossed it into her purse before sitting down to do grading. She had big plans for the weekend ahead; dinner with Logan, dancing with the girls, maybe even bar-hopping. Eager to begin the fun she put her nose to the grind, whipped her red pen out and began circling, crossing out and starring papers. Her hand was just beginning to cramp when Jean burst into her classroom, hair a wet mess and looking out of breath.

"For the love of God, Roro! Answer your phone!" Jean chastised.

Ororo watched, bewildered as her best friend marched to her purse, dumped it unceremoniously on her desk and yanked the phone out.

"Dead," she announced. "Figures."

"Jeannie, what's going on? You're starting to scare me." Ororo said. Though Jean had a flare for the dramatic, she had never behaved like this.

"You would know if you paid any attention to your phone," Jean couldn't resist one last dig, but upon seeing Ro's face, she explained, "Remy told Logan."

"Told Logan what?" Ororo asked, but the color was already beginning to drain from her face. Outside, thunder boomed.

"You know what." Jean sat down and straightened her hair out.

"Oh God," Ororo felt her knees give out and she fell into her rolling chair. "How did he take it?"

"You have to talk to him about that." Jean's face betrayed that it had not gone well. "I came to tell you to call him, but obviously…" she gestured to the dead phone.

"Where is he?" Ororo was already up and shoving things into her purse. Jean helped her gather her papers and they both hastily made it out to the parking lot.

"His place. He's waiting for you. I think Rogue's there too, but she might have left by now."

Ororo threw her bags into the back seat of the borrowed Judge. "I have to go, but thanks for coming all the way down here."

"I know, I know." Jean waved off her friend's thank you. "Charge your phone and call me the minute you can. Scott and I want to know how it goes."

"I will," Ororo promised, jamming the key into the ignition and throwing the car in drive.

"It'll be ok." Jean shouted over the engine, waving as Ro tore out of the parking lot.

The rain-slicked streets were heavily populated with pre-weekend traffic. Ororo sat behind the wheel, alternating between swearing violently and verging on tears. It took 30 agonizing minutes to make it five miles, and if she had been driving her own car she would have parked it somewhere and simply ran the distance. Instead, she pulled Logan's car safely into the covered garage and made sure to lock it before she went to ring his buzzer.

"Is that you, Ro?" Logan's gruff voice crackled through the speaker.

"Yes," she was aware how out of breath she sounded as she apologized, "My phone died, baby. I'm sorry I didn't get your calls," before she could even finish the buzzer sounded, unlocking the door to his apartment. Ro chose to take that as a good sign.

Her boots left wet footprints on the staircase as she ran up as fast as her legs could carry her. Her boyfriend was standing in the doorway already, arms folded over his chest.

"How long have you known?" He asked her without a greeting.

"A few weeks," she passed into the apartment, willing herself to remain calm and to remember the argument she had prepared.

Logan kicked the door shut behind her. The sound startled her do badly that she jumped. She took a moment to look around as Logan stared at her in silence. Two empty coffee mugs were on the counter. From the look of things, Rogue had not been gone long. Ororo looked back at her boyfriend, prepared for his characteristic burst of anger.

"I can't believe you didn't tell me." He didn't yell, or even raise his voice. In fact, it was more muted than she had ever heard it. His shoulders were slumped, his hair mussed; whatever fight he had earlier had clearly gone out of him.

Ororo was taken aback. Rage, she was prepared for, but his disappointment was far worse than she could have imagined.

"Logan I'm sorry. I wanted to, but Rogue—"

"I know." He cut her off. "She told me. But answer me this, darling," his pet name for her held no warmth, "when have you ever listened to Rogue when you knew she was wrong?"

Shame flooded over her like water from a burst dam. "I thought she had the right to tell you. I was going to tell you last weekend but she called and I…" to her horror, Ororo felt tears running down her cheeks.

"Don't start crying too," Logan was irritated. "I got enough crocodile tears from Marie."

Ororo sat down on his bed and wiped her face. Logan stood over her, close in proximity but somehow a thousand miles away.

"The two women I trust most in the world couldn't tell me something like this?" he paced in front of her, making Ororo feel as though she was being lectured. "And you know what really pissed me off? Rogue said you all decided not to tell me because you knew I'd get mad."

"That's not true!" Ororo was on her feet again, doing her best to stare her boyfriend down. "Maybe that's why she didn't want to tell you, but I never said that! I didn't feel that way."

"No?" Logan looked unconvinced. "The way Jeannie rushed out to warn you makes it seem like you did." His argument left her speechless.

"Logan, it's not like that."

"What'd you think I was going to do, Ro? Blow up like the Hulk? I would have been happy for her! I would have been excited to be an uncle! Remy was all smiles when he told me, looking all happy like he thought I already knew. And Scott couldn't even look me in the eye. Everyone knew except me." He paused and swallowed hard. "And now, instead of feeling happy, or excited, or talking about it with you, I just feel disappointed, Ro. Cause I can't believe that you- of all people- kept it a secret."

"Logan," Ororo reached out for him, but he pulled back. "I really wanted to tell you," her voice warbled.

"But you didn't, darling." Logan said pointedly. He sat on the bed, his cobalt eyes drilling into her blue ones. "I don't think I'm up for going out tonight."

"I understand," Ro fought back the tears and the urge to throw herself into his arms. "But tomorrow, can we talk?"

"I don't think there's anything more to say." Ororo began to panic at the tone of his voice. She had seen it before. He was putting his tough guy wall up.

"Baby, I'm sorry. Don't do this though, don't shut me out." She reached for his hand and squeezed. He didn't return the gesture.

"I'm not doing anything Ro." He stood up again, "Just go home. I'll call you," he went to the counter, picked up his car keys and dropped them back in her hand. Normally, he drove her home.

"Logan," Ororo gave it one last effort as he walked her to his door. "I really am sorry."

"Yeah, that's what Rogue said too." he said.

The door closed between them.

The trip home was a blur of tears. It was a small miracle when she parked unscathed and managed to calm herself down enough to go inside. Her apartment was blessedly empty. Ororo all but ran for her bed, pulled the curtain closed and bawled herself to sleep.

She awoke again in the middle of the night, her nose sore and her eyes glued shut from her tears. Groggily she pulled back the curtain and stumbled to her bathroom to wipe her face. It wasn't until she crawled back into bed that she remembered to plug her phone in and check it.

All in all she had 11 missed calls and 14 texts. Most came from Jean, but a handful of them were from Remy and Rogue and even a message from Scott. But there were none from Logan.

Forcing herself not to cry again, Ororo dialed Jean's number and filled her best friend in. Jean was over at Ro's apartment seemingly before she had even hung the phone up, armed with a bottle of wine, a package of Fererro Rochers and a stack of DVDs. Rogue arrived a minute or so later, with chicken wings and apple cider. Ororo asked her what she was doing there.

"Well, I was sitting at home feeling sorry for myself, and I figured you were too." Rogue explained.

"We deserve it." Ro said.

"We do," Rogue agreed. "But we might as well do it together. A pity party is better than lying in bed by yourself, crying."

"Exactly," Jean popped the bottle of wine open. "Your roommate is on her way home from the library right now. She's bringing pizza."

"We're going to sit on your bed and eat and drink ourselves into a coma until we can come up with a way for Logan to forgive us." Rogue said.

Ororo began to protest, but Jean and Rogue were having none of it. Rogue's nose looked bright red and her eyes were swollen and even Jean looked upset. But the three of them were in this together, just like when Rogue would cry her eyes out in Jean and Roro's old dorm and when Jeannie would make them watch terrible and sad romances when she and Scott were having trouble. They took their falls together, every single one of them. Today was Ro's turn.

"Thanks girls," she said quietly. Jean dropped a plate of wings into her lap.

"No problem," Jean smoothed a lock of Ro's hair back into its ponytail.

"Let's start with Charlie's Angels," Rogue called from her place at the television. It was their fallback movie, a running joke the three of them created when Remy once remarked that they seemed joined at the hip.

"I'm Cameron," Jean announced, ribbing Ro gently. It was a routine they performed every few months.

"Jean, everyone knows you're obviously Drew," Rogue recited the old argument. "Roro's Cameron and I'm Lucy."

"We have to find a character for Kioni," Ro smiled despite herself. Her roommate had just walked in the apartment.

"She can be the creepy thin man," Jean joked. Kioni looked confused, but Rogue quickly explained.

"Ah," she said, studying at the DVD case. "I think that I'd much rather be Charlie."

Ororo was grateful for her friends' distractions, but after midnight when Jean was passed out on one side of Ro and Rogue was on the other side of the room sharing Kioni's bed, the feeling of sadness washed over her again. Unable to sleep, she rolled to her side and came eye to eye with Marie. The two stared at each other in the darkness for a moment.

"He'll forgive us, Roro." Rogue finally whispered. "He always does." The young brunette laid her hand protectively over her stomach and rolled over to sleep.

"I hope so," Ororo whispered back.

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