"Logan..."
The light touch on his shoulder was enough to wake him. He looked disheveled and full of the devil, but his bestial fury only served to heighten her attraction to him.
"Shit," he muttered. He winced and rolled his shoulder with an audible pop.
"What the hell time is it?"
"Nearly eight."
He spat another oath and rubbed his face. The kitchen was suspiciously devoid of activity, which probably meant that the rest of the mansion had caught Wolverine's nap on the table and wisely thought it best not to awaken the sleeping bear.
Ororo glanced at his untouched coffee mug on the table, watching the lingering steam vapors curl to the top. The kitchen makes a poor substitute for a bed, she thought with a frown.
"Have you been brooding here all night?"
"No."
She smirked, believing his still-warm mug told her otherwise. "Then why is your coffee still warm?"
"Because I dozed off," he growled. "And because I'm too damn tired to drag my ass to bed."
Ororo hid her smile and lightly squeezed his shoulder. He absently cupped his hand around her fingers as if grabbing hold of a lifeline.
"Thank you for the blanket, Logan."
He shrugged. "Couldn't have the mansion thinkin' you two had a slugfest now, could I?"
"I suppose not." She dipped her head in front of him to kiss his cheek, and her long strands brushed his face. "And you were right, Nada and I are very much alike. After we awoke we spent a few moments together, simply talking."
"What about?"
Ororo laughed. Logan was surprised at how good the sound made him feel.
"About you."
"Huh. Figures."
He turned his head slightly and caught the lines in her face, imagining that she had to be just as tired as he was, if not more so. But she still looked as if she'd just stepped from a Vogue photo shoot.
"You should sleep," she said softly. She slid across from him and took his mug tentatively in her slim fingers.
"Speak fer yerself. I'm the one with the healing factor, not you."
"And yet, you still need sleep. Imagine that." She smiled and sipped from his mug delicately.
Damn, Wolverine thought. She even makes drinkin' coffee look sexy. "What are you thinking about?"
"That I need more coffee," he grumbled. He got up and stretched out his legs, and grabbed the coffee pot off the counter. "Where's Nada?"
"Taking a shower. I thought she needed to rest for a while longer—she seems so incredibly tired. Much more so than yesterday. But she is very stubborn."
"Yeah, like her mama," Wolverine grunted.
"I suppose."
He dumped a few teaspoons of sugar into a new mug and doused it with coffee. "She'd better not get that collar wet. Hank'd have 'er hide."
"Probably...You know, he and the Professor looked rather pleased about something this morning."
Wolverine stopped stirring his coffee and stared into his mug. He didn't face her. "Yeah? They say anything to ya?"
"No. They just looked very secretive and excited. And they want to see us in an hour—I believe they may have found something that can help Nada."
"Excited, huh?"
Wolverine purposely kept his voice flat but Storm caught the bitterness in it. "What is it?"
He glowered into his mug and made his way back to the table. Even though he wasn't looking at her he still felt her eyes burrowing into his skull. "You know something about this. Please tell me."
"They found somethin' all right." He sipped his coffee and winced at the brief sting of heat. "They think they may've found a 'cure.' "
"Well, is that not good news?"
"I dunno, 'Ro. Maybe you'd better let Chuck tell it to ya. Sounded like a pretty raw deal to me."
"No."
His eyes shot up at the dangerous power in her voice. She wasn't in the mood to be messed with either, and her tone told him that he'd better give it to her straight and in a hurry. "I want to hear your concerns, Logan, before I hear it from them."
Logan's brow furrowed as his heavy hands cupped around his hot mug. "They've done tests on 'er and from what I figured out they think she's got some kinda...'short circuit' in her skull. Her body's hormone's're fightin' against her healing factor, which makes it impossible for her to control her powers. They're thinkin' of goin' into her skull and repairin' the damage, mentally. A regular surgeon can't do it."
Ororo frowned. "They intend to alter her natural body chemistry via psychic bond?"
"Somethin' like that, I guess. To me, it just sounds complicated and risky." He gulped his coffee and grit his teeth. "I gave 'em an earful of what I thought about their 'idea.' "
"What are some of your personal reservations?"
"That they ain't never tried it," he said, tossing back the rest of his coffee. "That no matter how brainy they are they ain't surgeons—not even close. That they're dickin' around with that kid's head like she's the next Nobel Prize."
"Like another experiment," Ororo said softly. Logan could smell the rage coming from her in thick waves, though her expression barely changed. "That's how I see it, yeah."
Her eyes narrowed coldly. "They must find another alternative. Their unorthodoxed methods could kill her."
"And us, but they don't seem to be listenin' to that part. Too 'excited.' "
"Then we shall make them listen."
Storm was rising from the table when she caught Nada's hidden form in the doorway.
"Nada, child, how long have you—"
"Long enough," she snapped. Her face outwardly showed the pent-up rage Ororo hid from the world. "How dare you two decide this for me."
Ororo went over to her. Nada's hair was barely damp from the shower, but her face was drenched and hot.
"Nada, what they propose—"
"What they propose," she interrupted, "may save your scrawny necks. It might be our only means of survival. They...they're only trying...to do what's best—"
Her legs buckled a little, and she gripped the doorway for support. Immediately Ororo grabbed her other arm and placed it over her own shoulders to help support her. She felt Nada's forehead just as Logan rushed over to them. "What's wrong? What's the matter?"
"She's burning up with fever," Ororo said, biting her lip. "We need to get her to the infirmary."
"I'm fine," Nada whispered, trying to bat away Wolverine's arm. "Just...just tired."
"Tired, my ass."
Wolverine scooped the girl into his arms and hustled from the room with Ororo close behind. "Is it the collar?"
Wolverine didn't say anything but they both understood—the time to act had come, and they had exhausted all other options.
~~~ Next Part => ~~~
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