Disclaimer: Anyone or anything you recognize the name from a Marvel comic book, does not belong to me. I have no money, sue if you want you can’t get blood from a stone. Any likeness of people you recognize, I may know them as well and they know I have no money and they can’t get anything from me. The lyrics to Beautiful Vision belong to Van Morrison, used without permission. A Quiet Rainy Weekend, Pt.2 By NoHaven As the rain fell quietly during the dark night on the Campus of Xavier’s school for higher learning two solitary figures walk in an embrace from the back porch. They pass through the farthest outreach of the Japanese gardens, pausing under a tree to share a kiss, and then proceeding down a small hill to a boathouse on the shore of Spuyer Devil Cove, on the bank of Breakstone Lake. As the two enter the small boathouse, a series of lights can be seen quickly turning on and then off as the two lovers move to the bedroom. Looking back at the mansion a single figure can be seen at a first floor window cast in shadows. As the final lights in the boathouse are extinguished the figure could be seen leaving the window of the mansion, returning to the darkness. -- Interlude: New York City She had told the rest of the team she was going to visit Bobby Drake to see how he had been in the past few months, when in reality she had come to New York to talk to a teammate, a friend, possibly someone who meant more than she even knew. Finding him had been easy, and where he she found him was even less surprising. There in the halls of the Metropolitan Museum of Art standing in front of Garden at Sainte-Adresse by Claude Monet was Piotr Rasputin, known to most of the world as Colossus. She saw something in him that so often was never seen in this massive man, a sense of awe seemed to fill his eyes as he looked over the masterpiece. When she walked up to him greeting him with a simple “hiya Sugah” his eyes lit up with happiness. Over the course of the day the young woman known simply as Rouge was treated to a tour of the art work of the museum, a tour that numerous people around the world would have paid to experience, the insight, the passion the knowledge, Piotr had levied all his considerable knowledge of art onto her in a manner that she felt a connection to the giant man and an appreciation of his passion. After leaving the museum Piotr had treated Rouge to a day that she could have only dreamed of, a quiet walk around the Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis Reservoir, even the did not bother her on the walk, the conversation between the two was enough to make her forget the weather. Piotr had spoken to her about Art, and literature, and music, he had wanted to know about her, and he told her about himself and his life, at times speaking very candidly. Walking around the reservoir they could have been easily mistaken as two young lovers enjoying a day with each other, when in reality, Rouge was confused to as what they actually were. After the walk they had returned to his hotel room at the Four Seasons, where through a series of arrangements he was able to attain formal attire. The opulence that Piotr had chosen to stay in threw Rouge; this simple farm boy had chosen to stay in one of the nicest hotels in all of New York. With their formal attire donned they proceeded to an evening of dinner and dancing at the rainbow room. At the restaurant, they were not Rouge and Colossus two of the most powerful mutants on earth, members of the X-Men; they were simply two young people enjoying a night out. Returning to the hotel, they looked simply as two lovers, Rouge with her arms wrapped around Piotr’s massive left arm, they proceeded to his room locked in an embrace. Now several hours later Rouge sat on a chair in front of a large window in Piotr’s room, the light of the city silhouetting her figure. Her legs pulled up, with her chin resting on her knees, dressed in an old pair of doctor’s scrubs and a white tank top she stared out the window past the bands of rain on the panes of glass. Sitting in bed, covered by a white sheet with a knee pulled up so that he may rest his sketch pad on it Piotr took in her form, and emblazoned he form on paper. The look of joy in his eyes ate at Rouge until she finally spoke up. “Pete, sugah…what are we?” she asked quietly, turning her chin on her knee so that she could look at the man. “However do you mean my Blossom?” the huge man responded gently. “I mean, you and me, what do you think we are…its just I am so confused lately. Between Remy and you and all mah feelings.” She choked out. “Well I assume you know how I feel about you. How do you feel about me?” Piotr stated rising up in the bed. “That’s just it, ah’ve seen into your thoughts when I absorbed your powers, I know you believe you love me…but I don’t understand what ah’am feeling right now.” She choked out tears starting to form in her eyes. “Ah mean...I truly felt I loved Remy, that one day we could overcome our problems, that we could be together. Then you and me up in space, when we kissed you gave me something that I could never have, the touch of another human. That’s why I came here to find you, to tell you how confused ah was, then after today, with the museum and the rainbow room, I felt something different.” Tears now streaming down her face. Piotr rose out of the bed walking over to her and kneeling, looking into her jade eyes. “Today you showed me something that Remy has only barely shown me in the entire time ah’ve known him, you showed me what you care about, what you love. You showed me romance, you treated me like… like ah was someone special, not just a conquest.” She stammered, shaking visibly as tears streamed down her face. Piotr transformed to his steel form and wiped away the tears with a massive iron hand. “This, even when you do touch me its not really you its metal…I want to feel the warmth of you, but I can’t, its impossible. But you, your hart is true, ah, ah just don’t know.” She sobbed placing her face between in her knees. “I can’t begin to say that I understand what you go through Rouge, I only understand that for us to be together I must have this metal…what I wouldn’t trade to feel you skin against mine, to feel your warmth. But I know that I can experience your loves, your passions, what make up you. That is what I want to know. I want to know you, for who you are. That is all I can offer.” Piotr quietly stated lifting Rouge’s chin to look into her eyes. With eyes filled with tears Rouge pulls herself to her feet, walked over towards the door, slipping on an old battered pair of Nike running shoes and a windbreaker. Turning to face Piotr she choked out, “Ah think ah need to take a walk, ah need to think.” “Rouge…I will be waiting for you. Always.” Piotr avowed quietly, watching her as she stepped through the doorway. “Ah know Piotr, ah know.” She answered weakly, pulling the door closed behind her. End Interlude -- Early the next morning, in the boathouse on the grounds of Xavier’s Institute for higher learning. Logan stands balanced in the windowsill of the bedroom, window open; feeling the falling rain swept by wind, cascade across his face. In the room, sleeping entangled in the sheets, her crimson hair splayed across her back and the bed, lay Jean Grey, the woman he loved, yet he could not rid himself of a sense of guilt over what he had done the previous night. Rising out of his crouched position he stepped from the windowsill, taking in the room. Scattered across the floor lay his faded jeans and gray t-shirt, her jeans a sweatshirt and a t-shirt embroidered with words University of Anchorage athletics lay in a ball next to the bed, her bra on the lampshade next to the bed, her panties in a ball near the window. Two empty bottles of beer sat on the nightstand, next to the alarm clock. The room was filled with her scent, just as intoxicating as ever. In the bed she was a vision of unadulterated beauty. Her crimson hair, her body so sleek and smooth, muscular but unequivocally feminine. As he watched her sleep, her body rising and lowering peacefully he wished only that she would open her eyes so that he could see her beautiful emerald eyes look upon him. He wanted to see her smile, to hear her laugh. Picking up his jeans he moved to the doorway opening it quietly so as not to disturb her he slid through the door and padded on bare feet to the kitchen pulling on his jeans he began to make a pot of coffee. As the coffee maker burped forth its black liquid he gazed quietly out the window onto the Cove, pulling a slightly worse for wear cigar from his pocket he clenched it between his teeth and lit it with a match that he struck on the countertop. Inhaling the sweet essence of the cigar, he moved to the large sliding doors that opened onto a small covered porch sliding through them he sat on a moist wooden chair looking onto the lake as the falling rain rippled its once calm surface. He began to question himself as to what had happened last night. His keen sense of hearing picked up the sound of the bedroom door opening again, he could hear her moving on bare feet to the kitchen and pouring herself a cup of coffee. He could not only hear her but also smell her as she appeared in the doorway, clad in her jeans and the t-shirt. Leaning against the door jam steam emanating from her cup. They remained in peaceful silence for a moment. The silence was shattered by one soft word from Jeans lips. “Hi.” “Hiya darlin.” Logan replied quietly. Jean walked behind Logan; placing her left hand at the back of his neck she ran her slender fingers through his hair. The sensation was ecstasy to Logan. He closed his eyes and tilted his head back, taking in the moment. Jean moved from behind him to the chair next to him, sitting down she pulled her knees to her chest, wrapping her arms around her legs clenching the coffee cup with both hands. Logan had chin to his chest, looking at the wood on the deck. Raising his head he turned to look at Jean locking eyes, they both stared at each other, Logan gazing at her bright emerald eyes, Jean looking at Logan’s Crystal Blue eyes. The remained in this position for a moment eyes locked on each other, before Logan ended the blissful silence. “Jeanie, we gotta talk bout last night.” He said softly. “Yes we do, but later; lets just enjoy this moment.” Jean replied softly. Turning her gaze back to the cove. “Okay, Red.” Logan whispered, also turning his gaze to the cove but not before noticing a thin smile on Jean’s face, maybe last night wasn’t a mistake after all he thought. Lyrics to another Van Morrison song played in his head. “In the darkest night I said you are shining bright You are my guiding light Show me wrong from right.” “Beautiful vision Stay with me all of the time Beautiful vision Stay ever on my mind with your beautiful vision I can make it I can make it With your beautiful vision.” Let me know what you think, trying to figure out where to go from here. It’s late again, Enjoy. -NoHaven Thanks to the Marvel Atlas Project for allowing me to gain a sense of Xavier’s campus is due as well.