XCave.NET

** ** indicates telepathic communication
‘ ’ indicates thought
“ ” indicates spoken words

….the Wolverine had left the building

“Storm?” Ororo Monroe didn’t look from the glass she had been twirling around.
They were here. She knew that they would find her, just as they had found her the last time, and the time before that.

She had realized it the moment they entered the run down bar in the middle of nowhere. She had smelled his perfume. He always did wear a strong one and that too in prodigious amount. She also knew that he would be the one to approach her.

“Gambit,” she used his codename as he had used hers. Storm, not Stormy.
“How ‘re you doin’?” he asked as he slid in the seat in front of her.
“I’ve been better,” she answered flatly. Lifting the glass, she downed the bitter liquid, wincing as it hit her mouth, burning through her throat, right down her chest into her stomach. She needed its bolster, for what was going to have to hear and face for the next hour or so. “You can tell the others to come out. I know they are here.”
“Always th’ perceptive one, that’s my Stormy,” Remy smirked at her. “When did y’ come t’ know?”
“The moment you entered into the bar,” Ororo smiled a humorless smile. “You need to change your perfume brother, and wear less of it.”

“Ah, now y’ hurt my heart,” he professed mock pain. “The ladies, they luv’ Remy’s manly smell.”
“Sure they do,” Ororo shook her head. “However, you don’t have to bathe in it. I could smell you from a mile away.”
“That some nose y’ got padnat,” Remy reached forward an flicked it lightly. “Just like th’….”

“DON’T,” Ororo’s voice suddenly grew cold. Low and cold. “DON’T. TAKE. HIS. NAME.”
“’Roro,” Remy began.
“Drop it Remy,” the finality in Ororo’s voice silenced him immediately. “Get the others to come out so that we can get this over with.”
Letting out a dejected sigh, Gambit looked over his shoulder and signaled the rest of his teammates to come over to the table.

Within seconds, Cyclops, Jean Grey and Shadowcat were standing besides the table. Along with them was a smartly dressed young man with striking blue eyes and raven hair.
“Nightcrawler,” Ororo wished him first. “Like the look.”
Kurt smiled at her, and spoke in his thick German accent. “Thank you. The professor just gave it to me last month.”
At the mention of Xavier, Ororo flinched slightly, her change in expression immediately caught by her teammates.

“Hello Ororo,” Scott greeted her solemnly as he pulled a couple of extra chairs from an empty table. Jean and Kitty, both hugged Ororo, who returned it unfeelingly.
“Hello Cyclops,” Scott noticed that Ororo was still using their codenames. She had done it for Remy, then Kurt and now him. The only person who she didn’t address by her codename was Shadowcat, whom she called by her real name, Kitty.

“How are you?” he asked trying to start a conversation.
“Already answered that,” she ended that line of talk. “Try something else.”
“Ororo,” Jean laid a fair slender hand on her darker one. “Come back home.”
“No,” Ororo’s tone brooked no argument. “Not until I find him….” she added softly, just to herself.

“Ororo, its been long,” Scott began again. “Almost ten months. Why don’t you…..”
“What?” her eyes lit up with a cold fire, the thunder boom outside, announcing her anger. “Why don’t I give up? Is that what you want to say, Cyclops?” she spat out his name.
“No….” he lowered his head shamefully.

“Why are you here? All of you?” Ororo raised her head regally. “If you are here to repeat what you said the last time, I have just two words for you. SHOVE IT.”
“Stormy,” Remy reached for her hand, which she immediately yanked away.
“Leave me alone,” she said dejectedly. “Let me go…..let me find him.”

------

HIM

She had been tirelessly searching for him, having spanned the whole of Northern USA and more than half of Canada.

He had left her, in the middle of the night. Left her alone, and lonely. Just like she had been when he had left her for the first time, almost eight years ago.

He had left her.

‘NO’ her heart cried out.

He didn’t leave on his own accord. He was driven away.

Driven away by the one man she trusted most. Almost as much as Logan himself.

He had been driven away by that man.

Professor Charles Frances Xavier

------

Almost ten months ago,

Ororo had woken up late. She had spent a restless night, tossing and turning, trying to make sense of what had happened during the time she had been away from him. What had happened to make him so angry? Angry with her…angry, dejected and lost.

His anger she could understand. After the stunt Scott pulled, even she had been angry with him. However, the loss and dejection she had seen in his eyes had ripped right through her, searing her soul with that single look.

Did he believe what Scott said? Had he taken those words to heart? Did he trust her so little? Did he not trust her love for him?

All those questions and a deep foreboding feeling had kept her awake the entire night, with sleep finally coming in the early morning hours.

The last thing on her mind had been a determination to confront him in the morning and speak the truth of heart. It would then be up to him to make the next move. She would take a step forward and hoped that he would take one too.

------

What she didn’t expect was that he would have made his move even before she got a chance to make hers.

Getting up, she had a quick shower, she had left her long hair open, just brushing their length and had worn a dress, she knew he would like. It wasn’t very revealing, just showing the top of her cleavage, but what it had been was very defining, outlining all her womanly curves while avoiding making her look like a….well unlike her. She looked like herself and she looked like the woman he would like.

She looked like Logan’s woman

With a skip in her step, she had hurried to his room, hoping to catch him in her favorite *dress* for him, bare-chested, with just a jean or in this case, a sweat pant.

Reaching his room, she took a deep breath before knocking twice on it to let him know of a presence and then turned the knob.
“Its me, Oro…….ro,” her words stopped at the state of the room. It was a look that she had seen many times and knew well. He always did this in the motels they had stayed at. He cleaned up completely, right before they left the room. Right before HE left the room.

HE HAD LEFT THE ROOM

He had left her.

------

Hoping that she was wrong, she searched for Jean. She was in charge of allotting the room. Ororo hoped that she had allotted Logan a more permanent room than the guest room he had been staying in.

She had found Jean, sitting with Xavier and Scott, in Xavier’s office. The three of then were in deep conversation that had ended abruptly the moment she entered the room. Instantly she knew something was wrong and asked the first thing that came to her mind.

“Where is he?”

At her question, Jean flinched as if she had been slapped, Scott looked down, a frown etched on his face and Xavier remained as unaffected as ever.

Getting no answer, she repeated herself. “Where is Wolverine?”

For a couple of second everyone was silent and Ororo detected Xavier telepathically conversing with Jean. The next thing she knew was Jean had risen from her seat and was coming towards her, a pitiful look in her eyes.
“No,” Ororo moved aside to avoid her raised arm. “Tell me where is Wolverine?”
“Ororo,” Jean began, her voice cracking.

“Where is Wolverine?” was the mantra she was chanting.
“Ororo, please have a seat,” Charles began amicably. “We have something to discuss with you.”
“NO,” her tone grew louder, her previously light mood darker, the dark clouds gathering outside clarifying it. “WHERE. IS. WOLVERINE?” she asked coldly.

“He LEFT,” Scott jumped up from his chair. “He took my bike and cleared out in the night?”
“What?” Ororo’s voice cracked; the crackle of lightening outside lighting up the dark sky.
“He left,” Scott repeated shamefully.
“Why?”
“You have to ask the Professor about that,” Scott reoccupied his chair.

“Please Ororo,” Jean pleaded. “Sit down.”
Ororo numbly flopped in the empty chair. All emotions seemed to have left her body, and the atmosphere seemed to absorbed them, a torrential down pour starting to pelt down on the mansion.

------

“Stormy,” Remy had jumped at the first lightening strike. He maybe have ignored it as a freak happening, if it had not been a perfectly sunny day a couple of minutes ago. Once the rain started, it was his girlfriend who made the first move.
“Remy, find Ororo,” Rogue touched his shoulder, flying out of the room the next second.

Both of them had searched the entire mansion, finally meeting outside the only place left, Professor Xavier’s office. The fact that Xavier had not detected and responded to them before they knocked at the door let them know that something was wrong.

Bursting through the door, they had come face to face with four very pensive x-men. Xavier and Scott had crossed eyebrows, a frown clear on the younger man’s face. Jean had tears in her eyes and along her cheeks and Ororo….she was completely unresponsive, staring at her crossed hands.

“Ororo please, you have to try being calm,” Xavier said evenly.
“I am calm,” Ororo’s own voice was just as even, the only problem being the lightening and thunder outside, accompanying the rain.

“What happened?” Remy demanded as he walked to Ororo. Reaching for her, he found that she flinched, even from him. “What happened?” he demanded from the trio.
“Gambit, this doesn’t involve you,” Xavier tried to dismiss him. “I suggest that you and Rogue wait outside until we are finished.”
“Well its nice then that Remy don’ care about yor *suggestion*,” Remy scoffed at him.
“Gambit….” Xavier started again. Both Jean and Scott were silent observers now, not saying or doing anything to avoid making an already bad situation, even worse.

“No Professor,” Remy raised his hand. “Whateve’ concern Stormy, concern Remy. An’ that is final.”
“Very well,” Xavier nodded his head. “You can stay but Rogue, you will have to leave.”
Rogue started to say something, but the look on Remy’s face stopped her. She knew that Xavier wouldn’t start speaking until she left the room.
Harrumphing, she walked out of the room, slamming the doors behind her.

------

Xavier had told them that he had given Wolverine information about his past and an option. His exact words had been.
“I had asked Wolverine only one thing. That was, if he wanted to stay in the mansion he could, but her would have to follow the rules like everyone else.”

Ororo knew Logan. Xavier’s words must have felt as if he was giving him an ultimatum, that either follow our rules or leave. She had Xavier know as much. Logan was fiercely independent and not used to take anything lying down or free.
Gambit had seconded that sentiment. He had told them about his outing with Wolverine. The first thing Wolverine did was finding a pool place and had made five hundred dollars from hustling. It wasn’t until he had won that he ordered his own drinking, refusing to drink the one Gambit had offered to buy for him.

Xavier had apologized for his mistake, although not in so many words. However, when Jean asked him to use Cerebro to find Wolverine, he had refused. It seemed that Wolverine had made him make a promise, not to use any telepathy to find him. Scott had even said that somehow Wolverine had found and disabled the tracker placed in his bike.

Ororo had listened to their explanations and apologizes silently. Once they were finished, she thanked them for their ‘HELP’ and left the office, returning to her loft suite. She had floated through the corridors like a living ghost, not responding to anyone.

Retreating into her room, she had locked herself in not coming out or answering to anyone, including Remy.

------

While she finally did come out, it wasn’t what any of her friends and teammates had expected.

She was dressed in all black, a long overcoat swishing around as her boots sounded in the corridor. She also had a bag hanging over a shoulder, making it clear that she intended to follow Wolverine.

“Stormy,” Remy was the first one at her side. “Remy also ready,” he gave her a tentative smile and gestured towards his own bag, lying against a wall.
Ororo gave him a small smile of her own, but shook her head. “No brother. This is something I have to do for myself, by myself.”
“But…” Remy started, but was a slender finger on his lips, silenced him.

Nodding his head, he reached into his pocket and took out a sealed envelope. “This is fo’ you,” he pressed the envelope into her palm, gently closing it into a fist around it. “It is something you need to know. Remy hope, no he be sure it will help y’. Open it after y’ leave, not before.”
Ororo scrunched her face in confusion wondering what could be in the envelope. However at Remy’s secretive smile, she relaxed and carefully placed the envelope inside her coat pocket.

The only other x-men who had said anything to try to stop her was Scott. Scott had reasoned that it would be near possible to track Wolverine down and that she should remain at the mansion and that they would use other means than telepathy or Cerebro to track him down.
Ororo had bluntly refused his offer, saying that she needed to do this, and although she would welcome any help they could provide her, she wouldn’t just sit and wait for something to turn up.

Scott had started once again, but Ororo’s next words silenced and sealed his case. She had said that if it had been Jean, would he have waited around for something to turn up.

She had then left, not bothering to bid farewell to an apologetic Xavier.

------

Present,

“You people can leave now,” Ororo stated as she started to get up. “Your hour is up. I’ll see you soon, maybe two or three months from now…..” she smiled ruefully. “As it is you people always seem to find me.”

“Ororo…” Scott began. “Wait…please.”
“Why?” she arched a snowy eyebrow at him.
“We….we would like you to come back to the mansion,” he said cautiously. “We have something that you might find useful.”
“Useful?”
“Yes,” Scott answered a little louder this time. He had her attention. “It is about….its about Wolverine.”

“Wolverine,” she was instantly backed into her seat. “What? Tell me,” she demanded.
“Come to the mansion…” Scott repeated. “Everything you need to know is there.” He wanted her to come back home, because he was afraid of her reaction to the news he had in store for her.
“NO,” Ororo refused bluntly. “You will tell me here and you will tell me now.”
“Ororo….” Scott started again. It was his show; he had made sure of that before hand. None of the other x-men were to say anything, not even Gambit.

“Sorry Scott,” Ororo rose again, her back straight and her voice regal. Looking down at the teammates, she spoke, “Good bye.” With that she strode away, her black overcoat billowing around her legs.

------

“Homme y’ screwed it up,” Remy muttered under his breath, watching as Ororo paid her tab.
“Keep quiet,” Scott snapped at him, causing Gambit to extract a card from the deck he was playing with.
“She will come, she needs the information. She will come,” he ended. “….I hope.”

However, that didn’t happen. Paying her tab, Ororo walked to the door. Not even once, did she turn back to her teammates.
“Cyclops y’ screwed up big time,” Remy hissed at him, pushing him out of the way to catch Ororo before she disappeared again.

“Scott I told you, you cannot make her come back like this,” Jean started behind Gambit, Kurt and Kitty following close behind her.

“Stormy wait,” Gambit yelled out, just in time.

------

“Ororo, there was a reason why I wanted you to come back to the mansion,” Scott said evenly. “Please understand we want what is best for you.”
“I know Scott,” Ororo replied unfeelingly. “But I would rather have you give me the information right up front, than to play around or sugarcoat it.”

Nodding her head Scott pulled out a small six-inch television from inside the bag he was carrying.
“This was recorded two days ago. It is footage from a mall parking lot security camera,” Scott explained. “We have been able to track down the vehicle and have pretty sure idea of its current location.”
At Ororo’s silence, he started playing the footage.

------

Although, the video was grainy, it was clear from time stamp and the lighting that it had been recorded just before sunset.

As Ororo watched, the familiar figure of Wolverine stepped from inside a camper. Before proceeding any further, he lifted his head and gave the surroundings a once over, trying to gauge any signs of danger. Ororo smiled at the familiar practice. He used to do it every time the both of them went to a new place.

She was still smiling, when something obstructed her view of Logan and caused her smile to falter and then completely disappear.

Something that rushed from behind the camper and flung itself on Logan, latching its hand around his neck. And, rather than pushing it away, Logan pulled it further into him, snaking its legs around his mid section. Holding it in that position, he walked out for the camera’s view.

That ‘something’ around his back was a *woman*