I want to thank you all for the awesome reviews. I am trying to update quickly, but with the holidays coming…you know where I am coming from. Hopefully I will be able to get one more update in before Christmas, but I am not making any promises.

Just in case, I wish everyone a very, Merry Christmas, Happy Hanukkah, Happy Kwanza, Feliz Navidad, and any others I missed.

Peace and Love

Chapter 2

/

~It's sad when someone you know becomes someone you knew.~

/

He walked steadily through the empty park, attempting to shield himself from the tempest that had suddenly fallen upon the unsuspecting city.

One would never believe that just an hour ago, the sky was crystal clear and the air was warm and humid.

Now, the sky was angry with varying shades of red and black.

Murky clouds blocked out the once shining sun.

The heaviest rains the area had ever seen fell cold, fast and furious.

If he did not know better he would have thought it was surely a signal of the Apocalypse.

Good thing he did know better.

Even the Apocalypse would be forced to bow down to the Almighty Weather Goddess.

He arrived at his destination and stopped in front of a bench that was currently occupied by the goddess herself, completely drenched in her own chaos.

He shook his head sadly at the sight.

He hated to see his beloved Windrider in such a state, but in the back of his mind, he had always know that this day would arrive.

He had tried to warn his friend about trying to enforce such restraint on a creature of nature.

Humans had been making the mistake for years, but nature always finds a way to break free.

It was obviously a lesson that Charles had to learn the hard way.

"Child, you know better than anyone to come in out of the rain." the man said in an accented, fatherly voice.

Slowly, Ororo looked up into the eyes of the only person she trusted outside of the mansion walls.

Her eyes were there trademark milky white. Such a tragedy to see such deadness in a spirit such as herself.

What had Charles done to her?

"Lord Magnus, you came." she choked out in her agony.

His presence seemed to bring on more tears, for she never really expected for him to come for her.

It would stand to reason, if her own father did not want her, who would?

"You sound shocked." Erik Lehnsherr offered her a sympathetic smile. Then his voice took on fatherly tone. "Of course I came, my dear." he picked up the overstuffed backpack sitting next to her on the bench, then gently took her hand in his, pulling her up to stand close to him, under the protection of his umbrella.

"Come now. Let us get you out of the rain and into some dry clothes. Then you can tell me what happened." he spoke softly to her.

Ororo aggressively shook her head and tried to move away from him.

"No, no. I do not wish to speak about it. If I tell you…" she began crying again even harder than before if it were possible. "If I tell you, you will send me away, just like Daddy. And then…then I shall be truly alone again. Please…" she ended in a frantic tone.

Erik surrounded her small frame with his strong arms and whispered vehemently into her ear.

"Ororo, I would never do that to you, and whatever Charles may have said or done was surely a result of his anger. That is his problem to deal with, not yours. Now please, do calm yourself Ororo before you make yourself ill. I may not believe in his vision, but I do know Charles loves you, just as much as I do. Everything will be alright. For you, I will make everything alright." he tried to calm her by gently running his strong fingers through her short locks.

Yes, Ororo thought, Charles had made the same promises.

Where was he know?

Probably thanking his god that she was finally out of his hair.

The thought of Charles and probably Scott rejoicing in her absence caused her unimaginable pain that she had only felt one other time in her life.

When her beloved parents were cruelly ripped away from her.

Surely, death was kinder.

But it seemed even death did not want her.

The thoughts bombarding her mind caused her to lean into Erik's chest, as sobs wracked her body until the point of collapse.

Erik quickly dropped the umbrella in the mud in order to catch her around the waist, keeping her from crumbling onto the muddy earth.

He began murmuring words of comfort in her ear, words he did not comprehend.

Words she did not hear.

And even if she did, she would not remember.

Erik did not care. He would talk as long as she needed him to.

Hold her as long as she allowed.

Erik silently and viciously cursed Charles under his breath. What the hell had he been thinking letting her run off in such a state?

Finally, it appeared as though the rain was letting up. He tilted Ororo's chin upwards and offered her a friendly smile.

"Come, it is time for us to be on our way. Whatever it is, it will be ok. Magnus will make sure of it." he assured her with conviction.

Ororo could only nod into his chest. He continued to support her as he walked her to his car, leaving the discarded umbrella behind.

He no longer cared about his clothes, shoes, or car getting wet and muddy.

They were only material things, and if need be he could easily get another.

He would never be able to get another Ororo.

Ororo sat down, not even noticing her surroundings. She really did not care.

Life as she had known it was gone, and in her mind, never to be again.

Once again, the tears began to fall as she tucked her chin into her chest.

Erik took in the distressful state of his little goddess.

He reached over and fastened her seatbelt for her, and then took her ice cold hand in his.

"Let us be on our way, yes?"

"Where…where are you taking me?" she asked just above a whisper.

Erik paused for a moment, not wanting to tell her an exact location, but not desiring to lie to her.

"Ororo, do you trust me?" he asked sincerely.

"Yes, Magnus, of course I do." and she did.

"Good. Then all you need to know is I am taking you somewhere where you will be safe. Alright?"

Ororo nodded once again, because really at this point, she had nothing to lose.

Erik brought her cold hand to his mouth and kissed her knuckles before placing her hand in her lap.

With a sigh, he started up his car and began to drive away.

/

Meanwhile back at the mansion…

Night had fallen on the grand mansion, the rain having stopped completely just a few hours before sunset.

Neither Charles nor Ororo had come down for dinner.

Scott was currently delivering a tray to Charles, who refused to leave his office all day.

Jean was busy making a tray for Ororo, while deep in thought.

She had been in love with Scott for over 10 years, but she could not help but be upset and disappointed in his treatment of Ororo.

No matter how much the Professor professed that he indeed was the one at fault, Scott still laid the blame at Ororo's feet.

Jean snorted at that.

Heaven forbid that the great Charles Xavier was actually wrong!

Jean loved the Professor, and saw him as a father-figure.

Jean smiled as she recalled the day she arrived at the school at the age of 11.

She was in the Professor's office when the door suddenly opened….

~Flashback…~

"Come in Scott and Ororo." Charles had called out as he and Jean stood facing his door.

The door opened, and in walked a handsome tall, slender boy of about 13, with red sunglasses on.

He offered her a brilliant, nervous smile that caused Jean to blush.

"Hi, I'm Jean." she said softly as she offered him her hand.

He took her smaller hand in his.

"Hi… Scott…I'm Jean." the boy stuttered out.

Charles let out a small chuckle.

Jean gave him a questioning look, his cheeks turning red when he realized his mistake.

"I mean..hi Jean. I'm Scott." then he pointed to his side. "And this is Ororo." but there was no one next to him when he looked down.

He reached behind him and gently tugged on the person hiding behind him.

"Come on out, Ro. It's ok. She's not going to hurt you. I wouldn't let anyone hurt you." he said sincerely.

Jean felt a moment of jealousy, thinking the girl behind him was his girlfriend. That feeling disappeared quickly as the shy girl came from behind him.

She was sooo adorable. There was no way she was older than 8.

Her pure white hair was in two plaited pigtails, dressed in a pair of Osh Kosh overalls, a pink shirt and sneakers.

Her eyes were the most beautiful she had ever seen. They were blue and crystal clear. She had a caramel complexion, full lips, and chubby cheeks.

Scott introduced them, talking unusually slow..

"Ororo, this is Jean. Jean, this is Ororo."

Jean offered the child a friendly smile and an outstretched hand.

Ororo ignored it, studying her for a few moments before moving closer to her.

Ororo was fascinated by Jeans red hair and green eyes. She had never seen anyone like her.

And she was pretty.

Slowly, she reached out her little hand and touched Jean's hair, letting the strands fall through her fingers, all the while looking at her eyes.

Ororo then looked back at Scott. "Pretty." was all she said, but Jean could hear her voice was heavily accented.

"Thank you, Jean said. You are pretty as well." Ororo tilted her head a little and gave her a confused look.

Jean reached out a hand to touch Ororo's hair, curious of it's texture, but just before she touched it Ororo flinched and ran to Charles, who quickly scooped her up.

Jean picked up on the child's emotions.

Jean had somehow scared her.

She turned to see Ororo with her face buried in Charles neck, his hands soothing her as they went up and down her back.

Jean felt bad as tears gathered in her eyes.

"I'm sorry Professor. I didn't mean to scare her."

"Jean, you did nothing wrong. Little Ororo is not accustomed to strangers, especially if she cannot understand them. She speaks very little English, but she is learning quickly, are you not sweetheart." he asked in a soothing voice.

Ororo lifted her head to look at Charles and nodded her head. "Daddy" she said in her little voice, smiling at him.

Charles laughed at her enthusiasm. "Yes, you are Daddy's good little girl. Now will you do me a favor?" Ororo looked confused again, but nodded anyway.

"I need you to go with your brother to show Jean her new room. Can you do that for me?"

Ororo looked from Charles to Jean, then to Scott. Scott gave her an encouraging smile and beckoned her to come to him.

Again she nodded yes to Charles. He placed a kiss on the tip of her nose and set her down. She made a beeline to Scott.

"Come on Jean. Your room is across from mine."

When Jean made her way to them, Ororo pointed at her while looking at Scott. "Friend, yes?" she said looking proud.

Scott reached down and ruffled her hair, smiling with pride. "Yeah, Squirt, Jean is our friend."

"Ja…Ja…Jean. Jean?" Ororo said looking for confirmation she said the name correctly.

"Excellent Ororo." Charles praised.

Jean was surprised to feel Ororo grab onto her hand and tugging her towards the door.

"Come, Jean, yes?" she said with a bright smile.

"Yes, Ororo." she answered to the child, who in only 5 short minutes had managed to steal her heart.

The three of them walked down the hall, hand and hand, binding them forever…

~End of Flashback~

If it were not for the Professor agreeing to help her, she would have never met Scott and Ororo.

And really, she could not imagine her life without them.

But unlike Scott, she had been blessed with a loving family. Her parents signed over guardianship to Xavier, not because they did not want her, but because they loved her and believed he could help their little girl.

Once it appeared as though she had gained control over her mutation, they wanted her to come back home. Jean declined, wanting to stay on at the school to help future

generations.

Not to mention she was starting to fall hard for the shy and sometimes awkward Scott Summers.

Though mom and dad were disappointed, they allowed her to stay, only wanting the best for their eldest daughter. She and Scott often went to visit her family, and they were no strangers to the mansion.

Unfortunately, Scott was not so fortunate.

His father was a prominent business man, and the discovery that his only son was a mutant was unacceptable.

Poor Scott went to sleep one night in a comfortable bed, and woke up in an alley with a blindfold over his eyes.

Thankfully, he was only on the street for a day before a kind woman took him in. She is the one who brought him to Charles, and the rest is history.

So, it wasn't that she didn't understand his undying loyalty to the man.

There was not an unloyal person amongst them.

In a way, the Professor had saved the life of every mutant at the school.

What she didn't understand was his refusal to even consider that the Professor could have been at fault in all of this.

She knew without a doubt that Scott loved Ororo fiercely, and even in his anger towards her, he would deny her nothing.

However, he didn't always LIKE Ororo.

He had definitely reached his limit more than once with her and her, at times, admittedly outrageous behavior.

She could sympathize with his annoyance with the young woman, but she also knew that what Charles said was true.

Ororo was emotionally troubled, and had been for some time.

Jean would not classify her as psycho or crazy…

Ororo certainly didn't need to be committed…

But she did have a problem; A problem that all of them, including herself, were guilty of ignoring.

IF she dared offer any diagnosis, she would say Ororo's emotional state resembled that of a person suffering from a bipolar disorder.

Constant mood swings

Reckless behavior

Periods of what could be classified as depression…

The list could go on and on.

It was the family skeleton in the closet.

Their dirty little secret.

She didn't know if it was because she was a doctor, or a woman, that caused her to be equipped to calmly deal with Ororo regardless of her emotional state.

That is why she was taking Ororo her dinner, and not Scott.

Jean knew Scott meant well, but he only seemed to antagonize her and make matters worse.

"Oh well." .Jean said out loud to herself. "Ororo is the reason why I stayed. She needs me." With that, she finished Ororo's dinner tray and headed towards her loft.

She mentally reached out to Ororo to let her know she was coming up.

~Ororo, I hope you are hungry, I'm bringing your favorites.~

Nothing

Not even the obstructing static that would greet her when Ororo's psi blocks were up.

Jean tried again, a feeling of dread coming over her.

~Ororo!"~

Silence

Frantically, she reached out over the entire mansion trying to find her.

Nothing

"Oh God…" panicking, Jean dropped the tray on the stairs and ran the rest of the way to Ororo's room. She threw open the door hoping she was wrong…

But, she knew instantly Ororo was gone.

Jean let out an anguished sob.

She attempted to compose herself and started looking around the room.

It looked like a tornado ran through there. Drawers were askew. Her closet thrown open. Clothes thrown all over the floor and bed.

And suddenly her heart dropped to her feet.

Jean noticed that the sacred picture of Ororo's parents was gone.

And that meant, without a doubt, so was she.

Jean turned to run out, calling out to Scott and the Professor as she made her way to his office. They both met her in the main hall.

One look at Jean's grief stricken face, Charles knew.

"She's gone." Charles stated factly.

"No." said Scott in disbelief.

Jean didn't, couldn't answer.

And she didn't need to.

The river of tears running down her face was answer enough.

Instead, she turned towards the elevator to take them to Ororo's room so they could see for themselves that she was indeed gone.

Charles could feel the void before he even stepped into the room.

The air, thick and heavy with despair.

Scott methodically checked out her room and bathroom, desperate to find something, anything, to point to the contrary, that Ororo had run off.

Charles did not bother with such futile attempts; she was gone and it was his fault.

Slowly, he made his way over to her bedside table.

With his eyes clouded with tears, he picked up the only other photo she kept at her bedside.

It was the day that her adoption by Charles Xavier became legal. Charles had organized a huge party to celebrate the happy occasion.

Ororo was a sweet and shy 8 year old.

Charles had full use of his legs.

Someone snapped a candid shot of Charles standing by the mantle with Ororo in his arms. They had their foreheads touching with bright smiles on their faces.

"I love you Daddy." is what she had whispered to him.

Things were so much different then.

They had been so happy.

Now it seemed a lifetime ago.

How did they get here?

When did things go so wrong?

Charles ran a finger over what was left of the photo.

He held the picture tightly to his chest as he struggled to breathe.

Ororo had burned an "X" on her face, so only Charles' face was visible anymore.

He never really thought it was possible to die from a broken heart.

Unfortunately, once again…he was wrong.