Hi everyone! This chapter's getting pretty long, so I think I'll divide it in two. That's how it goes with first drafts, at least for me. I know the destination, but the path to getting there is generally more a suggestion than a fully charted course. LOL! Hope you enjoy this next part! :)


Part Five

Ororo hated elevators. Cramped, claustrophobic capsules enclosed in narrow shafts with no exit, no escape until the motion stopped…the doors finally slid open…

The three of them had decided to check in and see their rooms before heading to the theater. The knights and armor décor delighted Kurt, but Ororo detested the casino's ashtray stench and she'd marched for the elevators the moment they got their keycards. Once inside, she'd worked to steady her breathing, to imagine herself somewhere – anywhere – else…

Kurt noticed her tense posture and offered his hand. Ororo stepped past it and pressed her forehead to his shoulder, allowing herself to lean into his warm, solid presence until the awful ride was over.

Logan scratched at his bristles to hide his smirk.


Nightcrawler was laughing when they stepped into the hotel room, delighted by the maze of corridors, the view from such a high floor, the almost magical way a wave of the keycard unlocked the door. His expression faded to confusion when he found himself in a cozy room with armchairs and a coffee table, a sofa, a big flatscreen TV, a work desk…and no beds.

"This is our room?" He turned his puzzled eyes from Logan to Ororo, who'd booked the room online before they left the mansion. "I admit, I have limited experience with hotels. Traveling with the circus, it was always understood I was to stay in the trailer or, when in a city, a cot or hammock backstage. But, Ororo…" He took a few steps deeper into the spacious room. "Where do we sleep?"

Ororo cast him a broad smile, striding across the plush carpet to open the doors to two large bedrooms. "Surprise! I snagged us a suite!" she announced. "Two rooms, four beds. I figured you boys wouldn't mind sharing a room, at least for one night."

Logan raised wry eyebrows. "Us share?" He turned his thumb from himself to Kurt, then pointed from Kurt to Ororo. "You mean, you two still haven't…"

The fierce blush flooding both his friends' faces was a clear answer.

"'Nuff said." He smirked again, shaking his head, and clomped into nearest room. "Bed by the window's mine, Elf," his gruff voice called back, followed by the sound of a spraying faucet. "Think I'll grab a quick shower before the show. What's this - rose bubble bath? AAAAACHHOOO!"

"Bless you, Logan," Kurt managed, his face and ears still burning though, now, he was struggling to stifle a laugh.

Ororo reached for his hands, giving his thick fingers a squeeze.

"You know he didn't mean anything," she said. "You and I have been close friends for nearly a year. I'm sure plenty of rumors have been flying around the mansion."

Kurt ducked his head, his small smile striving to mask the unexpectedly strong sting of her words. They were friends, of course. Closer than any friend he'd known. It was just, he'd thought…he'd hoped she—

He broke that thought and took a steadying breath.

"That may be," he acknowledged. "But…" Keeping his eyes down, he ran his thumb over the back of her slender hand. "Is that truly how you see us, Storm? As…close friends…?"

"Well I…" She pulled her hand away and walked toward the window, his soft touch suddenly overwhelming.

Outside, Excalibur's colorful spires and turrets glinted in the afternoon sun like a cartoon brought to life. Kurt curled his holographically-pale fingers to his palm and lowered his head, an all-too-familiar pain writhing deep in his heart.

"Apologies. I…I should not have—"

"Can…" She stopped and turned before he could finish, her eyes falling on the pocket where she knew he kept his rosary. "Can we be more?"

Kurt squinted, his head tilting slightly at her startling question. "I…don't understand…?"

Ororo stood tall against the golden light, her chin high and her eyes like blue crystal. "Your faith means so much to you. But it is not mine. We've avoided this conversation – I don't want to have it now. But, Kurt… The last thing I want is for you to feel…you must betray your beliefs…to be with me."

"Ororo—" He reached out to her, but she pressed on, her pose becoming increasingly cold and aloof the closer her emotions churned toward the surface.

"Beyond that…" she said. "I know how highly you value forgiveness. Despite all that's been done to you, all you've been forced to endure, love and trust still come so naturally to you. But, me…"

Her breath hitched and she turned toward the window, terrible memories, long buried, playing out behind her burning eyes…

"There are things I've seen, I can never forgive. Not only Stryker's…violations… But, when I was a child, in Cairo. After I lost my parents, I survived as a pickpocket. A thief. During that time, I…I watched my dearest friends die of malnutrition; from the beatings we received if we were caught, or if our take was too small. I saw men beat their wives and children. Those who fought back often ended up dead, while those who didn't were broken, subservient. I swore then I would never allow myself to get close to anyone. I locked my feelings away behind a shield of anger. I've been living with those shields…that rage…for so long now… I…"

"Ororo," Kurt tried again. The feel of his gentle fingers on her shoulder made her flinch but she didn't pull away, her whitening gaze still fixed on the window. "The anger you describe…it is not a thing to lock away."

She shifted her head, peering at him through her cascading hair. "But, you said—"

"It's true, when we first met, I told you someone so beautiful should not be so angry. Not when that anger hurts you, or others. But, Ororo… I have since learned that is not who you are."

She shook her head, but he only moved closer, his sincere eyes drawing her gaze.

"I know you to be a good and giving person," he told her. "And while you carry a great deal of pain and, yes, so much anger…" He brushed his finger along her cheek as he'd done when they first spoke in the X-Jet, many months ago. "Anger, like fire, can be a constructive force. That's the kind of flame that burns in you. It's a rage fueled by compassion - a drive to protect and care for those who do not have your strength. That's what separates you from the monsters you saw as a child; from the self-serving hatred of men like Stryker. It's what I see…when I tell you I love you."

Ororo tried to maintain her stern posture. But the look on his face made it impossible.

"Oh, Kurt…" She swallowed hard and held him close. "I've lost so many people. My parents… Jean… Everything in me keeps screaming I shouldn't do this, I shouldn't open my heart…risk pain like that again. But you…"

"Love creates a bond between people, Ororo," he said, his accented voice low and soothing. "It is unavoidable. This bond is not gone when a loved one is taken from us. Rather it remains as a memory…the impression our loved one has left in our hearts, and in our lives."

He took a step back, his expression growing distant with painful memories of his own.

"I was taught God's love for us is not influenced by worldly politics. Yet, being…as I am…"

He ran his thumb over his image inducer's yellow button, then gave it a firm press. The hologram around him fizzled out and he straightened, unfurling his powerful tail.

"It has not been possible for me to regularly attend mass, receive communion…confess my sins… I know there have been times in the past…times of war, of plague or persecution…when, for some, marriage in a church was simply not possible. Yet, the people then still went on with their lives, and their loves. As a child, reading stories of Robin Hood and other heroes, I would sometimes imagine how it might be to have such a happy ending of my own…to marry my lady love in the open, under a cathedral of trees." He swallowed hard and shook his head, his tail seeming to shiver behind him. "No, I cannot claim to know what is right, or what is best. But, I do know this."

He took her hand and pressed it between his palms. "My mentor, Woodhead, told me the sacrament of marriage is meant to protect and sanctify the bond between two hearts. To keep that love from being objectified…mischaracterized as game one can win or lose. He told me marriage is not a transaction, but a promise. A willing commitment to share and to offer support through all life's experiences. If…if you— That is, if we—"

"Kurt," Ororo peered into his face, seeming uncharacteristically fragile. "What are you trying to tell me?"

"I think I'm saying…" He sighed and turned toward the window, leaning forward to press his palms against the frame. "I have the impression that I've been in love before…or thought I was… My memories of the months leading to my abduction are still fragments. But this… What I feel for you…"

He looked at her, his yellow eyes pensive, yet entirely earnest. "I have never felt this way, for anyone. Before we met, I did not believe I would find someone who could feel for me…as I feel for you. I want to be with you, meine Liebe, in every sense. But at the same time, I fear, if we move forward…without an understanding… We may ruin what we have. And that would be—"

"Unacceptable," Ororo finished with a firmness that touched his heart and raised his hopes. "Tell me what you need, Kurt. What do you mean by 'an understanding'?"

"I mean…" He took a breath and looked her straight in the eye, his tail swaying behind him. "Ororo, am I your friend or your boyfriend?"

"Goddess, Kurt." Ororo shook her head. "I'm sorry, it's just 'boyfriend' and 'girlfriend'… Those are terms the students use."

"I see..."

Kurt's tail and shoulders dropped. Startled by his reaction, Ororo hurried to reassure him.

"No – no you don't. Dear Kurt." She clasped his arms, finding his eyes as a slow, fond smile warmed her face. "You are much more than a friend. To me you are…ya ruHi." She whispered the Arabic endearment into his ear. "My soul. My star. My beautiful moonflower…ya [q]amar. You live in my heart, and bring love, strength and joy to my world. Now…"

She pulled him close, their noses nearly touching.

"Do we have an understanding? Or does my partner require more…convincing?"

"Partner…"

Kurt swallowed before his voice could break, his glowing eyes welling with emotion. He'd never heard Ororo speak in Arabic. That she'd chosen to speak it now, with him…to share the language of her childhood…

She touched her hand to his face and he leaned in, his tail twining around them both as he pressed his lips to hers.

This kiss… It wasn't like the others they'd shared. Always before, there'd been some hesitancy…some part of themselves they'd hidden, held back. But now…

Ororo pressed against him without reservation and Kurt responded in kind. Their breathing quickened, interspersed with gasps and giggles as she nipped his ear; he kissed her nose, the lids of her beautiful eyes. Desert winds rose and rattled the window, made the palm trees dance and sway. Electricity crackled in Ororo's snowy hair, and they laughed with joyous wonder, melting into each other's arms.

"Meine wunderbare partner," he sighed, his smile playful as he brushed a stray hair away from her shining eyes. "You are entirely correct. We will have to come back here."

"Without a chaperone…?" She flicked her eyes toward the sound of Logan's shower, and they both sank to the sofa in a fit of giggles…then more kisses…

"Mein Gott, I love you," Kurt whispered. "I love you, Ororo."

"'Uhibuk ya taw'am ruhi," she spoke against his ear. "I love you too…"

"Glad you got that sorted," Logan grunted: showered, shaved, and dressed in fresh street clothes. "There's still about five minutes if you wanna freshen up."

Kurt gasped and jumped to his feet. Ororo stood and squeezed his hand, keeping him close by her side.

"You were listening?" she accused.

"Nah." Logan waved a blunt hand. "But the way you two've been pussyfootin' around was really startin' to piss me off."

Kurt give his friend such a dry look, Logan actually broke out a grin.

"'Ro, you up to the elevator? Or, you wanna try the stairs?"

"The elevator will be fine," Ororo told him, and gave Kurt's hand a playful swing. "Ready to introduce me to your family?"

"Meine geliebte Ororo." He gave her hand a similarly playful kiss, then switched on his image inducer. "Nothing could please me more."

To Be Continued...


References Include: X2: X-Men United (movie); X-Men 2 Official Movie Comic Book Adaptation; my stories Batman: The Man Behind the Grin and An Unsung Hero (since the timeline for An Unsung Hero only exists as an Otherworld Footnote, I figured this would be a way to get Ororo's backstory into the main post-Arrival Quartet storyverse. Yep, when it comes to worldbuilding, I'm a total nerd. :D ); Google Translate (I don't know any Arabic and I only know a little German so, if anyone has a suggestion for better translations, I'd appreciate it if you'd let me know. Thanks! :D )

The circus stuff starts in the next chapter, promise. LOL! Stay tuned!

Like it? Hate it? Indifferent? Please let me know what you think! :)