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Summary: It started at night!!

It started innocently enough. Two friends…best friends no less, catching up on old times, friends and family. Just like they always did. Just like always.

Simple and normal.

How and when things moved away from the usual light but innocent flirting, neither of them knew. The next thing they knew, they were kissing. A deep full-lipped kiss like the one they had shared quite a few times in the past.


But….there was something different about this kiss. There was something different about this time. What was different, you ask?

Passion

This kiss had a passion like no other. The feeling they felt with each other, they had never with another. Not Forge or T’Challa in Ororo’s case, or Jean, Psylocke, Elecktra, Yukio, Silver Fox or any other from Logan’s long list of remembered and forgotten women.

They would have carried on there itself, on the roof top of the Xavier Institute for Gifted Youngsters, more commonly known as X-Mansion, had it not been for Logan’s *Wolverine* senses….smelling and hearing in particular.

-----

“Grrrr,” he growled at Ororo’s mouth as he pulled his lips away from her honey sweet ones, both slightly swollen from the intense action. Drawing back, he also removed his hand, which had somehow found itself inside her silk sleeveless nightgown. “Gumbo,” he grunted in explanation as he straightened up, shoving a new cigar in his mouth, while moving to come between the steps and Ororo, allowing her a few extra seconds to fix her clothing and her straighten her passion ruffled hair.

“What dya want?” Logan barked at the Cajun charmer as he leapt onto the roof, his trademark cigarette smoldering between his lips. Logan didn’t mind Gambit too much, liking him enough to share a brew once in a while. However, this was one time that the Wolverine wanted to punch the living daylights out of he Cajun, if not just gut him first. He was about to take the next step in with Ororo, only to have the red-eyed fucker throw a spanner in the gears of his plan.

The fact that Gambit had his own intentions towards HIS ‘Ro, didn’t help matters. Oh, the bastard was with Rogue and loved her to death. But that didn’t stop him for lusting after Ororo. Ororo regarded him as a friend, almost family, but the Cajun worshipped her. ‘Who wouldn’t,’ he mused ruefully. ‘She is made ta be worshipped. Just as she was, all those years. So what’s different now. Just ‘cause she is in a different country, fuck, a different continent, nothin’ gonna change. Even ya worship her, ya crazy Canucklehead.’

“Remy jus’ came t’ enjoy a smoke,” Gambit’s red on black eyes glinted in the soft moonlight. “An’ t’ spend time wit’ ‘is Stormy.”

“Remy,” Ororo spoke with a slight smirk, having recovered from the *make-out* session from a couple of minutes ago. “How many times have I told you not to call me by that insufferable name? Do I need to make things clearer?” She lifting her hand to form a small ball of lightening at the center of her palm.
“Aw, Ororo,” Remy came around and flopped right next to her, sitting too close for Logan’s comfort. Disregarding the growl emanating from the stocky Canadian, Gambit rested his hand on the forearm of he hand holding the ball lightening within it. “You really do that t’ your Remy?”

“Lucky for you, you are dear to me,” Ororo let the lightening frizzle out, twining slender her fingers with the gloved ones of Remy, as came down from her forearm to her hand. “I don’t believe in hurting friends, not do I condone TEASING them.” She stressed laying her head on Gambit’s overcoat covered shoulder.

-----

Logan was unable to stand it any longer. Even though, such display of intimacy were common for Ororo and her ex-thieving partner and current teammate, this time was different, not for one but many reasons, chief among them being the *sickening* smell of male arousal rising from the only other man on the roof. Logan knew that Gambit and Rogue had been having problems in their relation ever since Rogue’s powers had come back, making her untouchable once again.

Although he sympathized with the couple, particularly Rogue, he didn’t like what it was leading to. Deep in self-loathing, Rogue was trying to push Remy away, knowing that eventually he would turn to other venues for sexual gratification, now that she couldn’t provide it to him. It had already started. ‘The Cajun has been sniffin’ around and he has horned in on ‘Roro.’ Logan scowled at the thought.

Things had gone so far as him kissing Ororo near the waterfall near her boathouse, although truth be told, she also kissed him back and that kiss was not like the ones she had shared with Logan in the past. That kiss was more like the way they had tonight, albeit without the whole breast groping or chest rubbing from either of them. Although, it had been a one-time thing, never to be again….till date, it had set Logan off.

It was the knowledge of that kiss by the waterfall that had finally pressed Logan into making his own move. Over the years Ororo and him had grown closer. Starting from reluctant teammates who hated each other’s guts, they became hesitant sparring partners, growing further to sort of friends and finally on to what he called as complements of each other.

She complemented him….she could complete him. If only she agreed to it, for which he would have to ask her first. Make an effort for it….make an effort for her.

So why hadn’t he tried it already?

Why?

-----

Because…..he wasn’t worthy enough for her.

She was everything he was not. Where he was rough and crude, she was cultured and smoth ‘but not soft’. Where he believed in gutting first and then trying to talk, she had vowed to never take a life. Hell, she was a vegetarian for fuck’s sake, something that puzzled him even now. How could someone not love a juicy steak was something he could never put his mind around. But that was Ororo, his ‘Ro, always thinking of others.

She was the only one who could soothe the savage beast. One whiff of her calming yet intoxicating scent, and he would lose himself, finding himself at the same time. Her warm smile, the one that was different from the *plastic* one she used in normal life, would fill heart with joy, making him want to see her smiling and happy always, with him being the one to bring it to her.

He wanted to be hers. As much as the animal inside him wanted to possess her, claim her as his own, it also had a deep and as yet unfilled desire to belong.

BELONG

That was one thing that it had never achieved. He had felt it come close many a time. The closest being Mariko. She had been the ONLY one who had seen past the claws, the almost fur like hair, the growls and snarls, everything that was animal inside him. She had seen the man and brought him out and tried to give him a sense of belonging. Tried to give him a place to call home.

Even good old Red, Jean hadn’t made him feel like this. With Jean, it had always been something else. Something he couldn’t explain. It was if she called to him from another life, or a part of his life long forgotten and lost. Maybe if Jeannie hadn’t chosen Cyke over him, things might have been different. He had made peace with her choice long ago. He knew that she did love him in her own way, only not as or as much as she loved Scott ‘Slim’ Summers.

Mariko had been the only one to make him want to belong to her. She had been the only one…until now.

Until Ororo.

Ororo gave him the same hope that his Miko had given him, causing those long buried feelings to rise up again.

----

The only reason he had never made a *move* on her, apart from the times he had had his head up his ass, pining after Jean, was that he felt that she was too good for him. She was something a person like him could look and feel from afar. If he came close and touched her, or tried to make her his own, he would only end up hurting her.

That line of thought finally ended with that kiss between her and Gambit. Logan knew that just like him, Remy worshipped the snow haired Nubian beauty. That fact didn’t change even after Rogue came into the picture. Logan also knew that just like him, Remy had a potential of hurting her, which he probably would, if not by his actions, then by the mere fact that he would be breaking the southern belle’s heart. Something Ororo would never forgive herself for.

Even if Logan denied, there were many similarities between him and Gumbo, especially when their resident Goddess came into the picture.

‘If the Cajun can do it, why not you?’ He had scolded himself, spending many a night prowling in the wooded area of the mansion grounds. ‘He ain’t any better than ya? Both of ya are cheap, worthless fuckers.’

Finally making up his mind, he had started to try to get even closer to Ororo, starting with spending more time with her in her attic garden and the larger greenhouse on the grounds. He had even taken her to see some flamin’ Broadway show, knowing that she liked such things.

------

During all of this, he had had to deal with a new problem, namely the inexperienced, but in no way innocent approaches of Nightcrawler, who having given up on his plans of becoming a fully ordained priest, was for the first time in his life was flexing his currently non-existent *dating* muscles.
Initially that had also been the cause of concern for the biker Canadian. Kurt was a good man and one of, if not the best male friends he had. He didn’t want to hurt the Elf, but neither did he want to lose the woman he loved, the woman he wanted for himself, to him.

‘The Elf shouldn’t be a problem,’ he had reached the realization after his restaurant talk with the blue-skinned teleporter. He had seen and sensed the attraction of Red *Junior* Rachel Summers towards the soft-spoken German. An attraction, which Kurt had reciprocated, although unknowingly in the beginning.

‘If it had been Kurt then I woulda thought more….longer,’ he mused. ‘Yeah, fer a tenth of a second,’ the Wolverine scoffed at him. ‘Unless ‘Ro liked him too,’ his heart reminded him. ‘Then ya would have ta be the good friend fer both of them and step back…..and not cause the ruckus that you caused with Jeannie.’

Nevertheless, it wasn’t the Elf that the *Wolverine* was worried about. It was the black-on-red eyed devil that raised his hackles. The Cajun came to Ororo, especially when something had got his *most probably stolen* undies in a twist. ‘Just like ya,’ the Wolverine growled at him. With the escalating tension in his love life, Remy had been coming more and more to his *padnat*, Logan snorted at the word. ‘Some brother he is. He’s has as many brotherly feelin’s towards ‘Ro, as I have towards that blue bitch, Mystique or that overgrown hairball, Creed.’

------

“G’night ‘Ro,” he growled as he pushed away from the ledge, falling down to the balcony a feet below, only to land with a clear and slightly echoing *THUD*.

Lost in his thoughts, he had missed Remy putting his arm around Ororo, pulling her even closer to him and away from Logan. Even though it was a natural action, one that he had done countless times in the past, it ticked Logan off this time, Remy’s increasing arousal not helping one bit.

He had to get away, both for himself and for ‘Ro. If he stayed there any longer, sitting around like the redundant third wheel in a motorcycle, he was sure to pop his claws and provide Gambit with, six, if not more holes in his body, along with gouging out the Cajun’s family jewels.

“Logan,” Ororo called behind him, a sudden cool breeze starting up due to a jump in her emotions. “Wait.”
“Later ‘Ro,” Logan jumped down to the next available balcony. He needed to get away from here, from her...from both of them. Ororo’s arousal from their kissing had saturated his senses and Gambit’s scent overlapping and mixing with it, was driving him towards the edge. He needed to get away, away from the school, to his woods, his territory, to let out the raging beast inside him.

“Logan,” Ororo whispered and drew back her outstretched hand as she watched him silently land on the soft ground.
“Let ‘im go cherie,” Remy drew her back towards him. “It looks as if th’ Wolverine will run t’night.”

“Yes,” Ororo sighed against his shoulders, her eyes following the retreating form of Logan….nee Wolverine as he divested himself of all clothing, stripping down to his skin tight, weather worn jeans.

“Besides,” Remy caressed her exposed upper arm gently. “It gives us more time t’ talk t’ each other.”
“So that’s your reason for wanting him to go away,” Ororo chuckled lightly as she lost Wolverine to the tree covering, Mother Nature opening its arms to welcome her agitated son.

------

The past few months had been real roller coaster for her, the pinnacle being what had just occurred a few minutes ago.

She had always had this attraction towards Logan, the Wolverine. Even when they had met for the first time, and she had detested him for his brutal manners, that attraction had been there. Initially she had attributed it to the innate attraction that many women had towards the so called *Bad-Boys*.

‘Did it fade?’ she asked herself. ‘Yes and No,’ came the ambiguous answer. It didn’t fade as much as it tempered, maturing from a raw, wild physical one to something deeper. Oh, the wildness was still there, but something else had come in, something that hadn’t been clear or even visible at first. In Logan she had found a teammate, a partner, a friend and something more. Something that was all of the above together…..and then some.

‘Logan always saw Jean,’ she shook her head. The memory of redheaded friend, made her heart clench. Jean Grey-Summers, was her sister in every sense of the word, except for birth. They used to spend hours together, in the kitchen, in front of the TV or just lounging around in their rooms. How she missed those times. How she missed Jean.

“What are y’ thinkin’ padnat?” Remy’s warm breath tickled her neck.
“Nothing,” she leaned her head back and looked closed her eyes. “Nothing….and everything.”

----

“Does Remy come in that *everything*,” Gambit whispered softly, enjoying the way Ororo semi-exposed body fit against his sides. ‘Somethin’ dat Anna would never be able t’ do,’ a part of his heart cried out, cursing him for enjoying it with another woman, and not just any woman but Ororo, his Stormy.
She was supposed to be his sister, wasn’t she? ‘Dat kiss wasn’t anyting’ dat ‘appens between a brother and his sister,’ his mind reminded him, his heart glowing at the memory of that impromptu and *equally* shared kiss. What would have happened if they had not been interrupted? That question had risen up in him many times after that night….increasing in its frequency in the past few weeks.

‘Ever since y’ and Anna ‘ave had this problem,’ his conscious reminded him again. ‘Dat’s why y’ came ‘ere tonight. Not to meet you’re your Stormy, but t’ get ‘er away from th’ Wolverine.’


His perceptive eyes had noticed the way Logan had been acting these past few months, especially around Ororo. Where earlier, the feral had been content with the friendly intimacy the two children of nature shared with each other; he now made conscious efforts to get closer to her. ‘He wants t’ have Stormy spend every minute with ‘im. He wants ‘er to be…’ he trailed off.
‘He wants ‘er to be with him, just the way you want her to be with YOU,’ his conscious completed brutally.

‘No,’ his mind cried out. ‘Remy has Rogue. Stormy is his….’
‘Sister. Yeah, sure,’ his conscious chuckled. ‘Dat’s why y’ used t’ ‘ave dreams about ‘er. Dreams that y’ ‘ave started havin’ again. Dreams in which you are anyting’ but a brother and she is anyting’ but your sister.’

‘No. Remy loves Anna Raven,’ his mind pushed as his heart. ‘She be the only woman Remy love.’
‘Sure kid,’ his conscious adopted a Wolverine like tone. ‘Keep feedin’ this shit ta yer heart, and maybe it will start believin’ it…in yer next life.’

‘Shut up,’ a frown appeared in his face. ‘Remy only worried about ‘is Stormy not getting hurt.’
‘Sure, sure. Only worried about Stormy not getting’ jurt,’ his words were thrown back at him. ‘Ya may love Rogue, but yer love fer her is nothin’ like what ya feel for ‘Ro…..nothin’ like the way worship her. The way ya should be worshippin’ yer woman and not someone else. Is it concern fer ‘Ro’s wellbeing that made ya come here tonight, or was it worry that she and Wolverine might be getting it together? Which one was it bub? Which one?’

‘No…..’ his mind started only to find that the soft occupied by his troublesome conscious vacant, its parting words echoing inside him. ‘Which one?’

----

“Remy….Remy….” Ororo’s concerned voice roused him from his reverie.
“Huhn,” Gambit looked around and finally down at Ororo, her beautiful face and cloud like tresses glowing in the pale light. Her lips so close…that he could…. ‘Stop it,’ his conscious reappeared and yelled into his mind.

“I said what are you thinking?” Ororo smirked as she straightened herself, her eyes momentarily turning towards the woods before coming back to Remy.
“Noting’ cherie,” Remy smiled easily. “Noting’ and Everytin’. Just like you.”
“Very funny,” Ororo scrunched her face at him, punching him gently in the shoulder. “Using my words against me. Where is that glib Cajun charm of yours?”
“It don’t work on you cherie,” he lifted his hand to hers. “Dat’s why Remy don’t use it wit’ ya.”

“Remy,” Ororo squeezed his hand back. “You seem agitated tonight. Is everything alright with…?”
“Everting’s fine,” Remy snapped at her, apologizing the next instant. “Sorry padnat. Remy jus’ not want t’ talk about it.’

“I understand,” Ororo patted his hand and turned back to the face the open grounds, her own mind swirling with thoughts of Wolverine. ‘I hope this doesn’t cause any problems,’ she wished in her mind, squelching the faint cry rising from her heart. ‘We are friends. Just good friends. Nothing more,’ she reminded herself. ‘Logan knows that. Its not as if we haven’t kissed before…..and its not like we won’t kiss again,’ her lips curved up at the thought. ‘Everything will be alright.’

‘There is no need to worry.’

‘Is there?’

Note: Really don't know where I am going with this one. Won't be too *actiony*. Just wanted to write something from the current uncanny-universe and also from the X-treme X-Men series.

The Storm-Gambit kiss is from X-Treme X-Men 32 (Intifada 02 - W.M.D). If you read the panels I have used here, you will get an idea of what I explained above. Especially when Ororo says that she envies Rogue for the FIRST time. The artwork also helps a lot.

The Ororo-Kurt-Rachel Pseudo-triangle and the Ororo-Logan couple is from Uncanny X-Men. Read Uncanny X-Men 445, 446, 450 and 455 for more insight into these four.

Oh, one more thing......PLEASE REVIEW!!