The Hammock by Stormfreak

Disclaimer: I don't own the X-Men. If I did. I wouldn't be typing on an HP OmniBook 3000. "Zaynah" is Arabic for "beautiful." This fic contains slight sexual references. I'm proud to say this was my 20th piece of fiction. it is the prequel to "Daddy's Girl."

It was one of those days that was just…amazing. Picture book summer day.

Scott Summers sat in a hammock, large enough to be for four people, but normally only used by two. Next to him sat a dazzling woman, so beautiful that she looked to be borderline unreal. Ororo Munroe's lovely chocolate face was tilted to the sky, her eyes closed as she inhaled the fresh spring air. This day wasn't by her doing - Ororo seemed to take to much joy in today's weather to have had anything to do with it.

Secretly, some people found it odd that Jean didn't protest to Scott and Ororo's hammock bonding. But the hammock had been there long before the Statue of Liberty disaster, long before Rogue and Wolverine, long before Jubilee and Bobby and St. John and even before Scott and Jean's relationship. Jean's objections to Scott's snuggles with his wife's sexy best friend would've fallen upon deaf ears anyway. Somehow, Jean knew it was an issue not to be pressed. Scott and Ororo had always had this small corner of the Institute to themselves, to voice their frustrations over being co-leaders, being X-Men, being mutants and everything else.

Scott placed his arm around Ororo's shoulder as she tugged the ribbon from her cloud-colored locks, and her hair fell nearly to her waist. She wore a white wife-beater, and tattered, faded blue jeans caressed shapely thighs while the bottoms were cuffed above bare ankles and feet. The waistline dipped dangerously low, revealing a flawlessly sculpted stomach, in spite of…

"Zaynah! Zaynah!"

Scott and Jean's flower girl was sitting stock-still, watching a butterfly. The delicate creature hadn't moved from the flower in quite some time, and neither had Zaynah. "She's in a world of her own," Scott remarked.

"Zaynah appreciates nature," Ororo responded.

"Just like her mother," Scott replied.

"Zaynah Summer, come here now!" Ororo called, the tone in her voice stern. At once, the lovely sixteen-month-old stood shakily to her feet, then broke into a run that was absolutely comical. Zaynah was moving at one hundred steps a second, but she was covering little to no ground.

Ororo jumped off the hammock, nearly tipping Scott over as she ran through the plush, carpet-like grass and scooped up her baby girl. Zaynah squealed as Ororo lifted her high in the air, crying "Mama! Mama!" Ororo laid her daughter on the ground, tickling her and making Zaynah squeal with delight. Scott smiled. He was thrilled to see Ororo's smile, hear her melodic laughter. For a while, Scott had wondered if Ororo would ever smile again…

*

On the way to the garage to grab Scott's bike, Logan noticed Ororo gliding on air in the direction of her outdoor garden. He was hit with a sudden urge to tell her good-bye. Sure, their relationship was all but non-existent. But it was Ororo's proud declaration of choosing a side that made Logan wind up staying with the X-Men and eventually saving his beloved baby doll Marie. For that reason alone, Logan owed a bit more than a dust-in-the-wind farewell.

Ororo's garden was a good half a mile away from the school. From one end to the other, it took up an entire acre of land, Xavier's welcome gift to a woman brave enough to leave her homeland, where she was worshipped and revered, to a country that would hate and fear her. For the longest time, Logan watched as Ororo worked her mutant magic across the land to make the flowers grow, her face so serene that Logan felt jealous.

Why couldn't he have that kind of peace? Now here he was, running again. Chasing dreams. At least this time, he had a reason to come back. Marie. His sweet Marie, as close to a daughter as Logan felt he'd ever have. But it bothered him that Marie had a crush on him. Normal, sure, and most guys would like the thought of a young girl fawning all over them. Not Logan. He truly loved Marie and didn't want to hurt her. It was best that he leave. Let he get accustomed to life at the school with kids her own age.

"Logan, hello." Ororo noticed Logan before he could speak up She came down to earth, smelling like fresh spring rain. Her bangs were plastered to her forehead, her t-shirt wet and clinging to her curves. Damn…"Something I can help you with?"

"I…uh…I got a lead about my past." Logan found himself stumbling over his words. "Somewhere up in north Canada. I gotta go follow up on it-"

"And you have come to tell me good-bye."

"Yeah," Logan muttered.

Ororo shrugged, a gesture not unknown to her borderline haughtiness. "Well, I suppose we couldn't keep you caged here forever." Ororo sighed. "At any rate, good luck Logan." She extended a hand. Logan took it and they shook hands.

"G'bye, Ororo," he said slowly, his eyes wandering to her breasts. Tiny droplets of water were falling down the pieces of swollen flesh, like fingertips cascading down her shirt…

"Logan?" Logan heard Ororo call his name, her hand stroking his wrist, his fingertips. "Are you okay?"

Logan looked into her eyes then. Blue, as blue as the sky they stood under, blue as the clearest oceans. He pulled his hand from hers, and Ororo frowned for a second, but Logan used that hand to caress the side of her face. Ororo dipped her face to where her lips were pressing the inside of his hands. That one kiss - sweet and sensual at the same time was all it took for two people who had suppressed their feral sides for way too long…

*

"Ororo?"

Ororo glanced over at Scott. "Yes?" She had Zaynah's arms in her hands, clapping them together, singing an Arabic version of "Patty Cake, Patty Cake."

"What's on your mind?"

Ororo threw Scott a dazzling smile. "Do you really want to know?"

"Sure. Humor me."

Ororo bit her inner lip. "It's silly, I know. But…I was thinking about when Logan and I made love."

Scott, who was sipping on a Heineken, promptly began to cough. Ororo pounded his back until it subsided. "Ro, I know you're a mother, but I can't fathom you…well…"

"Oh, you!" Ororo swatted at Scott.

"Well, I can't!" Scott laughed. "Especially not with Logan. Ugh," he shuddered.

Ororo laughed and lied on the ground. Her dark brown skin was a lovely contrast to the bright green grass. "I tried to spare you," she admonished.

"Well, you shouldn't have brought it up! Do you see me talking about my love life with Jean?"

"Ha!" Ororo sat up. "You don't have to! Everyone knows when you and Jean are intimate - the walls here are not that thick!"

Scott's face grew as red as his visor. "Are you serious?"

"Oh, goddess Scott!" Ororo was howling with laughter now. It felt wonderful.

*

They made love for hours, underneath the sun that shone on them, amidst the roses, orchids, gardenias, daffodils, and all other things blossoming and growing. He had touched her in a way that was so tender and gentle that Ororo was trembling long before he entered her. How on earth could a man so rough and so coarse have a touch that was so gentle? He had taken her to heights she didn't know existed, bent and twisted her slender body into all kinds of positions. And she gladly moved for him, arched and slid her body to mold and compliment his until they were both to tired to move for a while.

Later, much later than he was supposed to be gone, Ororo was toweling Logan off from his very first goddess-made rain shower. He had taken the towel from her and held her close, embracing skin to skin as he kissed her forehead. "Ororo-" he began.

"Shh," Ororo pressed her fingers to his lips. "Do not fill my ears with empty promises, Logan," she murmured. "If you lied to me right now, I think I would die." She had no intentions of begging Logan to stay with her, to make her feel so good and loved again.

She didn't love Logan - there were no disillusions there. So what happened? Perhaps they had given each other something they both needed. Logan finally got a woman's touch, and Ororo got the attention she had been craving for quite a while. That's not a good reason to sleep with anyone, ever, but it worked for now.

"I promised Marie I'd come back." Ororo watched Logan dress. "I meant it. I wouldn't lie to her, not ever. I can't promise you anything about you an' me, but when I come back-"

"We will discuss it then," Ororo said.

"Will you…" Logan's voice trailed. "Will you wait for me?"

"I cannot make any promises," Ororo said diplomatically. "I will wait for you if you give me a reason to."

"I…I guess that's fair."

"It is very fair."

They kissed one last time, and he left.

*

Two things happened after Logan's departure. One, Ororo's health began to go haywire, and two, Marie began to get on Ororo's nerves. The latter bothered Ororo. She could handle a small crush, but Rogue's crush on Logan seemed to be full-blown. Ororo resisted the urge to take points off Marie's compositions for every "Marie and Logan" doodle that was in the margin.

She played with those dog tags endlessly. Ororo could hardly concentrate on her teaching due to the jingling. Every thing she said was peppered with "Logan said" and "When Logan was here…" and "When Logan gets back…" It led to the split of her and Bobby, who exploded that he couldn't compete with Mr. Better-Than-Everybody. Of course, Rogue didn't exactly care. "He's like a little boy, Miss Munroe," Rogue confided to Ororo one day. "Not like a man or anything."

"Why do you need a man?" Ororo teased as the walked along her garden. "You are only seventeen yourself."

"Ah…Ah need a man Ah know will watch over me. Take care of me." Marie's eyes got that wandering look again. "He needs to be strong, and handsome and powerful, a man lak-"

"Like Logan?" Ororo prompted kindly. Rogue giggled and nodded. Goddess, the child couldn't even have a subtle crush. It used to be cute, but now…

Finally, Ororo simply had it one day. It was one of those toilet-hugging mornings, around the time that Ororo noticed she hadn't had a menstrual cycle in months. Around the time her jeans didn't fit quite right and she felt like crying over any given thing. Around the time the scent of cooked meat made her nauseous.

She knew. She didn't need to urinate on a stick to know.

That was the morning that Marie burst into Ororo's classroom before the first period. "Miss Munroe, look!" Rogue set a postcard on Ororo's desk. "It's from him, it's from him!"

Logan. Not a single word, but the postmark was from Madripoor. What on earth was he doing there? "It's good to see that Logan is still alive," Ororo said, her voice tight. Why had Logan sent the card to Marie? Why hadn't Ororo heard from him since he left?

"…just know he loves me!" Rogue was gushing. "Oh, Ah know what yer thinkin' Miss Munroe. Yer thinkin' Ah'm too young for a guy lak Logan. Well, I know Ah'm young, but Ah'm mature for my age! An' Ah know he has t'have some kind of feelings fer me. Maybe when he comes back, he'll see me as a woman, an' not as a little girl, I know he will! We share a bond, Miss Munroe - what could another woman give him?"

If only you knew! "Marie, how do you know that you love Logan?" the older woman asked quietly, partially to get a word in edgewise and partially to make Marie think.

"You jus' know, that's all," Marie finally replied. "Haven't ya eva been in love before, Miss Munroe?"

Ororo thought for a moment. "Once," she replied. "Before you showed up."

"He'll come home," Marie was continuing, "an' he'll see me an' he'll see that I'm not just some little gushing kid an he'll see that mah love for him is real, not like mah love for Bobby but really, really real! An' I'll give him a son, his first baby, his first born!"

"Marie," Ororo interrupted, feeling ready to burst. Why did Marie have to confide in Ororo, and make the news twice as bad? "I am having Logan's child in June. I'm sorry…"

For a moment, Marie stood still, her jaw wide open, her illusion of her favorite teacher shattered. Then she flew at Ororo. She screamed at her, cursed her, spat in her face, and when that was all over, she sobbed in Ororo's open arms, begging for forgiveness. And Ororo felt about two feet tall.

Ororo grew bigger and Logan didn't return, didn't call, and didn't contact a soul to let anyone know that he was living or dead after the Madripoor postcard. Ororo quietly got used to the fact that Rogue hated her, and that their once close relationship was severed forever. When Emma Frost opened Massachusetts Academy, Rogue transferred, and Ororo grieved, feeling personally responsible.

Finally, on a hot day in June, while Scott, Bobby and Jubilee were helping Ororo with work in the in the same garden where her daughter was conceived, Ororo's water broke. Ororo had cried to the heavens as the pain rushed through her body, praying to the Bright Lady for forgiveness of her sin of fornication, for vanity, for pride, and she would've confessed to the Jon-Benet Ramsey murder if it would've taken the pain away. Only Scott's calm voice and soothing words were enough to keep her going until Zaynah Summer Logan was born.

Later, as Ororo slept, Scott opened the nursery to peek in at his new goddaughter, who was wide awake. She was so tiny! Her head was barely bigger than an apple, her tiny fists flailed around wildly, swinging at anything in her path. Just like Logan. Only Logan was a grown man - Zaynah was just hours old. Zaynah's behavior could be excused. Logan's couldn't. This whole "rebel-without-a-clue" schtick was getting old, as far as Scott thought. Logan was older than Jesus, and now he had a little girl who had never seen him. He needed to calm down.

He needed to come back. For Zaynah's sake - and Ororo's - Logan needed to come back.

*

Scott glanced over at Ororo as the sun began to set. Zaynah was fast asleep, her head on her mother's breasts. Her thumb had found her way into her mouth. "He'll come back," Scott said gently, for the thousandth time since Logan had left.

"Eh." Ororo kissed her daughter's crown of raven curls. "Zaynah is no better off with him than without him. It's about the same thing."

"I know you want him home, Ororo," Scott said gently. "No use lying to me."

Ororo shrugged and didn't answer. Instead, she began to rock her daughter, singing to her in Arabic. Ororo's soft lullaby matched the quiet, somber mood as the sun was devoured by the changing sky.

"Do you love him, Ororo?"

Ororo turned to Scott, her cloud-colored eyebrows knitted together. "I do not know enough about him to love him," she responded truthfully.

"But you knew enough about him to roll around in the dirt and make a baby?" Scott's voice held a hard edge to it.

"Who I roll around in the dirt with is none of your concern, Scott," Ororo snapped. "I am a woman grown!"

"Barely. You're only twenty-three."

"And you are only twenty-five, so spare me the big brother speech!"

"Ororo, if Logan knew he had a child…"

"I really don't need you making excuses for him, Scott. He could've contacted any of us. I am sure he's still in touch with his beloved Marie!"

"Ororo," laughed Scott. "Calm down. It's not like you to be bitter toward a child, for goodness' sakes. Besides, maybe he can't contact us, Ororo."

Ororo grabbed both of Scott's wrists. "Don't say it, Scott. Please, please don't even say it aloud."

Tears formed in Ororo's eyes, and Scott pulled Ororo into a tight embrace. "You do care about Logan, Ororo," Scott chided gently. "You're not the kind of women who has flings for the hell of it. You need to just admit it to yourself. It's not a…bad thing, per se. Unorthodox, but not bad. "

"I don't know how I feel about Logan," Ororo confessed. "But I am a little upset that I may never have the chance to know."

"He'll come home," Scott said gently. "For some reason, I know he will."

Ororo's voice caught in her throat. "Damn it, Scott! Why are you so certain, when I am not?" For a moment, there was no other sound then that of her crying.

Scott ran a hand through Ororo's hair, stroking it gently as he spoke. "Because he said so. Look, I don't like Logan, and I fully intend to take thousands of miles out on his ass, same as he took out on my bike. But Logan doesn't strike me as the kind of man who tells you things for the hell of it. He didn't have to tell you he was coming back. If he said he's coming back, he's coming back. That, I can bet my bike and my wife on."

"It's been nearly three years, Scott," Ororo whispered through her tears.

"And it may be thirty more. But he'll be back. And he's alive. If he weren't, he'd have let Marie know by now, somehow."

Ororo paused, and her hand left Scott's to wipe a tear from her eye. "Thank you," she said out of nowhere. "I thank the Bright Lady for you every night, Scott," Ororo confessed. A good thing she said it in the dark, which was great for hiding her tears. "These past couple of years have been hell, and if it hadn't have been for you I don't know where I'd be…"

"Do you regret it?" Scott asked.

"I beg your pardon?"

"Having sex with Logan that day. Do you regret it?"

Ororo cocked her head to the side before responding. "If I hadn't have loved Logan that day, I wouldn't have my beloved Zaynah. And there's nothing or no one on earth that can make me feel ashamed of her, or sorry to have her, single mother or no."

Scott squeezed his closest friend and murmured into her hair, "Ororo, you…you're special. You are. And if Logan never comes back - excuse my language, but fuck him. Losing you and losing Zaynah, it'll be his loss. You'll move on. Zaynah will move on. Speaking of which," Scott added. "That Bishop guy called for you again. How long are you going to give that poor guy the runaround?"

Ororo smiled. "I will probably break down and call him tonight."

"Hey!" a voice called in the gloaming. "Is the still the Co-Leaders' Corner, or can a lowly X-Man join you two?"

Scott pantomimed scratching his head. "I don't know, Ororo. She may be the wife of a co-leader, but she's still a peon…what do you think?"

"I think she gets to sit on the grass," Ororo answered.

"Oh, you!" Jean Grey-Summers laughed and sat on the opposite side of Scott. The loving couple shared a deep kiss, then Jean turned her attention to her best friend. "How's Lil' Wolvie?" Jean asked tenderly.

"All tuckered out, the poor girl." Ororo stroked Zaynah's hair. "Between Mommy and Uncle Scott, the kid didn't know what was coming to her."

"Oh, Ro. Bishop called. He's picking you up in at 8:00 for dinner and a movie."

Ororo sat up. "What!?"

"Hey, it was more of an order as opposed to a request. I'd go if I were you - this guy's tired of you putting him off, and he's on his way." Jean winked. "I think it's sexy, this take charge attitude of his."

"Sexy? Jean, how could you do this to me!? You could've told him I was out of town!"

Jean shrugged. "Hey, it gets you away from my husband." Ororo stuck her tongue out, and Jean laughed and continued. "Besides, he likes you a lot and you've been procrastinating a bit too much." She gestured to Zaynah and nodded. "I know how you felt about Logan - hell, how you still feel, but I think it's time for you to see other people. Stop giving Logan the courtesy that he hasn't been giving you."

Jean's words hit home. "I'll have to find a babysitter…" Ororo said stupidly, as if they didn't live in a house full of people old enough to baby-sit. Still Jean gently replied, "It's done, Storm."

"My…my hair, I have to get dressed - my clothes!" Ororo began to panic. The thought of going on a date with the sexy cop was making her heart pound and her breath quicken.

"Ororo, you know you're a knockout," Scott interjected. "No need to worry about any of that. Hell, just wear those jeans and this kid Bishop won't know what hit him."

Ororo laughed as Jean nudged Scott in the ribs. "I…I guess I'll go get ready now." She handed Zaynah to Scott, then kissed him on the cheek. She embraced Jean, whispering "Thank you, sister," in her ear.

"You're welcome, Storm," Jean whispered back. "Just don't have too much fun this time around, okay?" She gestured to Zaynah and the two burst into laughter.

Ororo felt much better as she walked away from the happy couple on the hammock. She was blessed to have Scott and Jean as friends. Whether Logan came back, or not, Ororo was loved.

She finally knew that now.

END

The original can be found at http://www.fanfiction.net/read.php?storyid=625430.