Standard disclaimers apply...


			Just Lucky, I Guess 19/?


	Ororo stood and brushed the soil off her knees.  The flowers 
were beautiful. Every petal shone brightly in the mid-morning sun-  no 
unwanted pest dared bare its carapace in *her* garden. Smiling
in satisfaction at her handiwork, she gathered up her tools and walked
down the long driveway to the mansion, watering the shrubs and plants that
lined the path with small rainshowers as she passed.

	Humming a tune under her breath, she punched in the code to open
the front door. Her body automatically compensated for the much cooler
interior of the mansion, and she continued the tune as she entered the
lobby and walked down the hall to deposit her tools in a utility room
before she went up to her attic loft to change. Passing the Professor's
study, she noticed a familiar figure hunched over a huge oak desk.
She paused at the doorway and spoke softly. "Hello, Scott. It is a lovely
morning- perhaps you should take a break and enjoy some of it outside."

	Scott Summers was struggling his way through the vast array of
paperwork that littered the desk. Closing his eyes tightly, he rubbed the
bridge of his nose where his ruby quartz glasses restly. He looked up
"Wha...oh, hell, Storm, come on in. No, I've got too much work  to do
today to take a break, but I'd like some company for a minute." He yawned,
stretching tight deskbound muscles. Kicking the plush chair back, he
walked in front of the desk and leaned against it. "I would like to ask a
favor of you, if I can." 

	Ororo walked over to the desk. She pursed her lips, considering.
Though she respected Scott and considered  him a friend, the old rivalry
they'd had as simultaneous leaders of the X-men still flared up at
times. She paused, hedging "Might I ask what kind of favor?"

	Cyclops yawned again. "I need someone capable to check our
communications systems *thoroughly*.  Nathan promised to get Shatterstar
to do it, but...I don't have too much faith in those X-Force kids." 

	Storm brightened at the mention of Nathan. "Ah! You have spoken
with your son lately, then?" Perhaps he'd told his father of their
relationship- she was curious to know what Scott thought about it, though
she was not too concerned. Though the situation was unconventional, she
admitted gladly, as a dear friend to both his 'mother' and father she was
certain they would consider her a tremendous step up from his last
'relationship'. 'If one could call it that,' she sniffed.

	He nodded. "Yeah- that's why I need the system checked out."  He  
recounted the previous night's conversation with his time-tossed son to
her, ignoring her stunned expression. Venting his frustrations to her, he 
finally concluded "The whole thing's just a waste of time, Storm."

	Ororo's eyes widened in annoyance and she had to bite her tongue
to contain her disapproval. Even so, she couldn't keep a tiny chord of
irritation out of her lilting voice "Scott, perhaps I did not hear you
correctly. You said that Nathan is going...where? To meet whom? When is he
leaving?" She purposefully left out Domino's name- she didn't want Scott
to misinterpret her interest in the matter as petty jealousy. 

	Cyclops was warming up to his subject. "Oh, they're going to
London- didn't say for how long, though they left Siryn in charge of
X-Force so I'm assuming it's at least an overnight trip. They're leaving
in, oh," he glanced down at a battered wristwatch "About thirty-five
minutes or so. I think he said that they're going to meet up with...." He
bit his lip, tying in vain to recall the elusive name. "Oh,  
whassihisname...the new guy in Excalibur. Nathan said they've been friends
with him a long time- he needed some help with something, I don't
remember what." A morning spent going over reports of literally thousands
of names from the Mutant Underground had left his short-term memory very
little room for details. "I've got it written down here, somewhere," he
motioned to the cluttered desk.
 
	Ororo was so infuriated that she didn't even bother to contain her
ire. She flinched every time Cyclops used the plural 'they' when
describing Cable's plans. She almost cried out when Scott said 'new guy in
Excalibur.' She swallowed hard. "Wisdom?" she queried darkly, the
single word conveying every ounce of her distaste and suspicion of this
interloper. The situation was rapidly deteriorating from bad to worse.
"Is Nathan going to meet...Pete Wisdom?"

	"Yes!" he grinned, snapping his fingers. "Wisdom! That's his name.
I haven't met him, just read Kurt and Moira's reports. I wish they
wouldn't go, but there's really nothing I can do about it. When the
Professor decided to let X-Force stay here, he agreed to give the team
leaders complete mission autonomy, as long as they stayed within the
boundaries of the law." 'And sometimes when we need them not to,' he
didn't add, vividly recalling one time in particular when X-Force had
broken into the SHIELD helicarrier to free him.  Matter concluded, he sat
down on the edge of the desk and picked up another thick stack of papers.
Idly thumbing through them, he looked up "Well, Ororo?"

	She stared at the floor, shocked by this double betrayal. Nathan-
leaving with...with that unstable...no, that was too kind... with that
insane woman who'd clung to him for so long, and not telling her! 'I will
speak to him about this,' she promised grimly. 'And to meet....Pete
Wisdom?' Bile rose in her throat as she thought of what she'd learned
about this man yesterday. 'And Nathan is going to see him? Surely he is
simply humoring Domino. Cable would *never* associate with such a
character of his own free will.' She had completely forgotten the fact 
that not too very long ago, Cable *was* such a person.
  
	Cyclops raised an eyebrow "Ororo? Can you check out the
communications system this afternoon? I really don't think there's
anything wrong with it, but we can't afford to take any chances."
 
	She glared at him. "I am afraid that I will be unavailable this
afternoon. I am going to speak with Nathan about this trip, and if I
cannot convince him of the error of his ways I am going to London with
him." She tilted her chin in the air and abruptly left the room, striding
regally to her loft to change clothes and take a quick shower before
meeting Cable in the hangar bay.

	Cyclops watched her exit in confusion, then turned back to his
work. 'Whatever,' he thought, annoyed that he'd have to find someone else
to check out the com array, and resumed his paperwork.


To be cont'd

 
	- DuAnn!

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Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the
world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid.
					-John 14:27
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