Young Hearts, Jumbled Minds

"What's going on?" Ororo closed the door behind Cyclops as he stepped in her room, freshly changed and looking slightly troubled. Scott wasn't sure what to do with himself or if it would even be appropriate for him to sit down, it was only the second time he had been in her room- the first time being all the way in.

"I uh-" he stammered, turning to face her. He couldn't find any words for the goddess. Her hair was a little disheveled, she was clad only in a baseball t-shirt and gray sweat pants, her eyes were still puffy from her earlier bouts with tears... and she's still beautiful. She tucked a stray lock behind her ear, waiting for him to speak, "Uhm..."

She chuckled at him, "Come on", she said,crossing the room and pulling him to her bed by his wrist. He sat with her, watching her fold one of her legs beneath her.

"Are you alright?" he finally asked when he gathered his senses, "I mean... the sky looks like it's clearing up now, but still. I need to know. Really."

Storm looked at him in shock, "I'm okay," she nodded.

"You're sure?" he asked, "I won't be able to think clearly unless I know you're okay. You're not lying just to get me off your back are you?"

Storm watched him reach his hand out to her smaller one, and still couldn't wrap her mind around what she was hearing.

"No, I'm not. I'm fine, I promise. It was just..." she trailed, not sure what it was her own self, "It's over now." She shook her head.

Scott looked back and forth in her eyes as if he were searching them for any dishonesty, but finally exhaled and grinned, pulling her hand up to his lips.

"Good. You had me worried, there."

Storm kept her eyes locked to his even as he lowered her hand back into its previous position. He was really this concerned about her? "Why?" She spoke timidly. He met her gaze again.

"I don't know," he answered as honestly as he could. Ororo could feel herself shying away from him, feeling his eyes bare into her, "I... you're all I can think about lately."

Storm could feel her heart starting to beat out of her chest at the man. A day or two ago he didn't even surface in her mind compared to Remy. His presence, even then, had annoyed her when he had come in, but now her mind was blissfully hazed, and she was again hypnotized by her previous giddy infatuation with the X-men team leader. She felt ready to marry him, if he asked. Goddess he's perfect.

Scott could feel himself about to go too far and say or do something prematurely-blurting out that he had broken it off with Jean and confessing that he was ready to forget her forever if she'd have him. But he stayed himself and flashed a coy smirk at her.

"Well, since you're feeling better... the ground's starting to dry a little, let me take you out for a while."

"But..." she started, seeing the huge list in her mind of reasons why it was a terrible idea.

"Storm. Go out with me." He stopped her, "You've been cooped up in this room all day, I'm not taking a 'no'." He raised an eyebrow at her, challenging her to protest. His flirtatious behavior was working to loosen her up, they both figured, when she smiled.

break

"Lawd Almighty," Remy breathed, sitting across from Logan in the now empty t.v. room, "She said she in love wit' Remy? Stormy said dat to you?"

"She said she didn't know," Logan answered between bites of his sandwich, "But I ain't gonna lie, Gumbo. Whatever you did to her, it's fer goddamn serious. I mean, the girl's bawlin' her eyes out, she's isolatin' herself...stayin in her bed clothes. If that ain't chick-love, Iunno what is."

Logan looked up when Remy gave no response. The Cajun sat, dumbfounded. There were countless thoughts running through his head... the primary one being if she was going to admit it to him or not. He shook his head. She wouldn't, now. He knew his Stormy, he'd scared it out of her the night she knocked on his door. She wouldn't admit it now until she was more than certain he felt the same way. And he would have to show her.

"So Jubes told you that Sparky was actin' weird, then told Sparky that you were pissed at her... because you were in the kitchen yelling at Jean." Logan finally concluded after running over what Remy had told him of his side of the past few days.

"Oui, homme. Dat seem ta be de case," he sighed. Logan grunted.

"Mm. Someone's gonna have to tell that squirt a thing or two about mindin' her own business."

"Leave'a 'lone," Remy interrupted him, "Petite ain't mean no harm, she always been a chatterbox. Dis ain' nobody fault but me an' Stormy's," Logan looked up at Remy's statement.

"Think so, huh,"

"Hell. It m'own damn fault. Remy should'a been told Stormy how he feel, 'stead'a teasin'a."

Logan grunted, dusting his hands of the crumbs he'd left, "Well I'm glad one of ya's finally come to yer senses. I don't need this shit waitin' for me at the door every time I show up here."

break

"Rogue?"

The brunette pulled her pillow from over her head when she heard a voice outside of her door, "Go away," she shouted and pulled the pillow back to its previous position.

"Oh, come on, Rogue, it's not that late! I need to ask you something!"

Rogue groaned heavily before sitting up in her bed and throwing her sheets off of herself, "What?" she yelled. She rolled her eyes when Jubilee cracked the door open, peeping through it.

"Geez, Rogue, it's dark as a cave in here," Jubilee commented, edging her way in.

"I'm fully aware. Don't touch that light either, I want it that way," she responded, pulling her sheets over her head when she sat down next to her, "Whaddya want?"

Jubes sat next to her friend, more than a little confused regarding her behavior, "Are you okay? Something happen earlier?"

"Is this what you wanted to ask me? 'Cause you may as well get out, now."

"Well geez, Defensive!" she exclaimed, "Fine. I wanted to ask you about Logan, actually."

"Jubilee... get outta my room," Rogue dismissed her.

"But I'm serious!" she whined when Marie kicked her from the edge of her bed.

"I am, too!" she yelled back, snatching herself from under the sheets, "You think I'm gonna sit here and listen to you... swoon over Logan after you gave me all that... crap about... Remy?" she paused as she slung pillows, shoes and purses at Jubilee, all of which she deflected, "Get out you stupid little hypocrite bitch!"

"I knew that was your problem!" Jubilee yelled back, "He told you off, didn't he? When you ran off after him like a dummy downstairs!"

"Get out!"

"Whatever, Rogue. You know what? Don't be mad at me because you finally found out what I've been trying to tell you for months!" She said, stepping over the thrown items on the floor to make her way to the door, "It's about time you got a reality check, anyway. You're delusional. Especially if you think you can call me that and keep me as a friend!"

"Please, who needs you and your big mouth anyway!"

"Fine, you stay here and feel stupid. See if I care." Jubilee shouted, flipping on the lightswitch before shutting the door behind her.

break

"Storm are you sure you don't want me to just wait outside?" Scott called from Ororo's bed. He felt extremely uncomfortable waiting there for her to change clothes in her bathroom, "Or downstairs?"

"Calm down, Slim, I'll be out in a minute!" She laughed back.

"No, I'm not trying to rush you, it's just that-I..." his mouth ceased to move when Storm emerged, now dressed for their evening.

"This isn't too dressy, is it?" She asked, spinning for him. She laughed when he dumbly shook his head.

"...You... look perfect," he finally said, rubbing his neck.

"That's cute," Storm giggled watching the blood tint his face, "Geez, Scott, you're gonna have to man up! Remy never blushes when I get dressed while he's in the room." She noted. It was true; Remy had more than once seen her in nothing but a bath towel and not reacted in the slightest, other than his usual playful comments.

"Yeah, well, I'm not Remy," Scott pointed out, standing. He hated to admit it to himself, but Storm's saying so jabbed him. It puzzled him that she even brought up Remy at all. But he brushed it off. If she wanted him to man up, then he would do just that. He refused to be outshined by Gambit, "And don't tempt me, either, babe. Next time I might have to help you get into whatever you pick out," he smirked. Storm gasped theatrically, shoving him by his shoulder before they both exited for the evening.

break

Remy ascended the stairs quickly to Storm's room. He figured he'd given enough time to Scott to talk over whatever it was he needed to with 'Ro. An' if not, to hell wit' 'im.

"Stormy," he called, tapping the door with his knuckles. He leaned closer to the door when there was no response, "Chere,' he called again. When he was again met with silence, he let himself in to the empty room. She was gone. And so was Scott.

He clenched his jaw, cursing himself when he added everything together. Cyclops was moving in on Storm. Of course, now would be the perfect time. She was ripe for the picking: emotionally vulnerable, not on the best terms with him... an' you let de bastard do it, you damn stupid bayou rat. With Storm being as young and sensitive as she was, she was bound to fall for whatever tactics the boyscout would pull. Especially with her pre-existing condition over him.

He made for the door, when his eye was caught by something lying on the floor. Remy paused and looked at it more carefully. It was Storm's diary.

For whatever reason, an insatiable need to read the thing overcame him. The man wasted no time with picking the thing up from the floor, and closing the door behind him. He sat on her bed, opening the book to her last entry.

TBC