Scott had feared coming back to the X-mansion but he should have known better. The professor had acted as if he had just been gone for a few hours and the children had been overjoyed to see him even though their enthusiasm stilled somewhat when Bobby pointed out that now that Scott was back the school had once again an arithmetic teacher. Scott’s return had gone even more smoothly because neither Jean nor Logan was at the mansion at this time. They were in Japan taking care of some business of Logan’s. But sooner or later they would be back and even if he didn’t owe Jean an apology he felt he owed Logan one. He knew Logan well enough to know that he wouldn’t go anywhere he wasn’t invited and a part of him understood Logan even though he still felt he had acted wrongly. Logan was a man of basic wishes and needs who almost always let his feelings control his actions. Logan wanted Jean and didn’t like Scott. Jean had offered and he had received and for Logan that was all there was to it.
“ Mr. Summers, would you explain this again?” John asked Scott and got his thoughts back to the present. He had been back for two months now and things had slowly settled down. Scott had gone back to teaching classes and leading the X-men, Remy had joined the school and developed quite a crush on the young Rogue but as with all boys she kept him at arm’s length.

Ring, ring.  The bell ran to say that the class was over.
“ Okay, class dismissed,” he looked at John. “ I can explain it to you again in this break,” Scott offered. John looked at his friends going to break.
“ Nah, that’s ok,” he said and ran out.
“ Ohhh, come on, Petite. Just you and ah and the moonlight. Fleur romane de volonté, mon amour [Romance will bloom, my love],“ Remy tried to smooth talk Rogue with a soft gleam in his eyes.
“Ah said no,” Rogue said firmly but a small smile curved her lips.
“  Uh, Cherè. You are breaking my heart,” Remy said and put his right hand over his heart in a suffering gesture. Rogue half smiled at him as she hurried after Kitty and Jubilee.
“ How’s it going?” Scott asked Remy with a smile he tried very hard to hide.
“ Just great, Mon Ami, just great,” Remy said darkly and hurried past him. Scott couldn’t hide his laughter anymore and laughed out loud. Remy had tried to seduce every girl in the school when they had arrived two months earlier. Jubilee had sent him away with fire running after him, compliments of her mutant hands. Kitty had gently but firmly declined his invitation for dinner but when Remy had stolen a kiss from her he had gotten in trouble with Kitty’s long time boyfriend, the strong but normally silent Peter. It had taken some explaining and quite some diplomacy on Scott’s part to get Remy out of that one. But then he had seen Rogue and the poor boy had fallen head over heels in love with her. Or so he said. Rogue still rejected all his attempts at a closer relationship much to Remy’s dismay but so far only his pride had been damaged.
“ What’s so funny?” Ororo’s kind voice cut through his thoughts.

“ Oh, hey Ororo. It was just Remy and his continued pursuit of Rogue.” Scott smiled at her. “ I am actually beginning to feel sorry for him”
“ Don’t. If it is love it will last,” Ororo said lightly but something in her voice made Scott look intensely at her. Since Ororo had found him and Remy a few months ago, they had become closer and Ororo had helped him cope with both the loss of Jean and his guilt over Remy’s illness. Scott had always counted Ororo as a friend but when he was with Jean he had often forgotten all but her and now he regretted that. Ororo was one of a kind and he found that he enjoyed her company enormously. She was a good friend that he cared deeply for.

“ Oh well. I better go. I have to teach a history class next,” Ororo said quickly as Scott’s warm but investigating glance made her fell self conscious. She quickly exited the room.
“ Damn, damn,” Ororo mumbled as she went down the corridor. She was so wrapped in her own thoughts that she didn’t see Betsy going in the opposite direction.
“ Why don’t you just tell him?” Betsy asked and Ororo stopped.
“ Oh, I didn’t see you. What are you doing here?” Ororo asked the other woman, feeling embarrassed for being caught like that.
“ Warren wants to give some money to the school,” she said and as she saw Ororo’s look of protest she added with a smile; “ Don’t worry. He has enough of them.”

Betsy looked Ororo up and down. “ Why haven’t you told him how you feel?” She asked her interested.
“ Because I…What do you mean?” Ororo asked, faking innocence.
“ You know what I mean. You love Scott.”

Ororo looked sharply at her.
“ How did you know?”

Betsy smiled gently at Ororo.
“ My friend, you are broadcasting those emotions as clearly as if you held up a sign.”
“ Oh.”
“ So what are you waiting for? Go for it!” Betsy said impatiently.
“ Maybe he doesn’t feel the same. And besides I….I got to go,” Ororo said and practically ran down the corridor. Betsy looked after her and an idea came to her.

He looked over Kitty’s shoulder at the letter she was writing.
“ Now, this is for Ororo and this is for Scott,” Kitty said and gave Jubilee the letter they had made for Ororo and Remy the letter they had made for Scott. “ Go, go,” she said and waved at them.
“ Stormy, there is a letter for you,” Jubilee said, coming into her office with all the mail and their letter on top.
“ Oh, just put it on the desk,” Ororo said and continued to water her exotic plants.
“ I think it is important,” Jubilee pressed and waved the letter in front of Ororo so she could see it. Ororo sighed.
“ Okay,” she said and took the letter. She did not see that Jubilee was smiling like a small sun when she quietly exited the room. Ororo opened the letter and read:
“ Dear Ororo,
It is important that I speak with you.
Please meet me at this address at 18:30”

 
There was an address for a fine restaurant and the letter was signed Cyclops. How strange, she thought. It must be something very important X-men business, she decided.
“ Scott, there is a letter for you,” Remy said as he entered Scott’s office without knocking.
“ How many times have I told you to knock?” Scott said, his eyes still on his papers.
 “ I don’t remember,” Remy tossed the letter on Scott’s desk in front of him. Scott opened the letter and read
 

“Dear Scott,
It is imperious that I speak with you.
Please meet me at this address 18:30”
 

There was an address for a fine restaurant and the letter was signed Storm. How strange, he thought. It must be something very important X-men business, he decided.

“ It’s a fine restaurant. You need to blend in,” Rogue said and the other girls nodded eagerly.
“ Well, if you think so…,” Ororo said uncertainly.
“ Oh, we do,” Kitty said. “ Rogue, see what’s in her closet.”
“Hey, now that’s …,” Ororo began as Rogue began searching through her things.
“ Look at this,” Rogue interrupted and brought forth a beautiful fine white silk dress that would surely do Ororo’s figure every right.
“ Wow,” Jubilee said stunned.
“ I bought it long ago,” Ororo said defiantly but the truth was she had brought it in hopes of Scott would finally notice her if she wore it. But as time had past she had had to admit that the only woman Scott had had eyes for had been Jean and she had gotten to a point where she had doubted he would do more than tell her not to catch a cold in a fatherly voice if she was to walk around naked. Scott’s break-up with Jean had changed all that. Maybe, just maybe the dress had some magic after all.

“ Ok, I will wear it,” Ororo said as if it was a big sacrifice she was making while in fact she was happy inside. Some 15 minutes later she flew towards her destiny and if anyone saw her they would think they had seen a Goddess for her beauty and grace was unmatched in the world.

There she is, Scott thought when he saw Ororo coming towards their table. She seemed to almost float a little over the floor. Wow, she is breathtaking and his heart began to pump wildly in his chest.
“ Hey,” Ororo said and smiled at him as she was to seat herself across from him but he quickly stood up and held the chair out for her before he sat down again.
“ Hey yourself,” Scott said softly and smiled widely at her.

Get a grip. She is here to talk business, he kept telling himself but his heart just wouldn’t listen to his head.

Concentrate, Wind Rider. He is here to talk business. Nothing else and nothing more, Ororo told herself but her heart just won’t listen.
“ So what was it you wanted to tell me?”
“ What was so important?” They both started at once.

Then they looked confused at each other.
“ You mean you didn’t ask me to meet you here?” Scott asked Ororo. She shook her head.
“ No, and you didn’t ask me to meet you here either?”
 “ No.”
“ Oh,” they both said at once.
“ It was probably the kids. How else could they know where we were going?” Scott thought out loud, wondering why he hadn’t thought it before. His thoughts had been too wrapped up in the thought of meeting Ororo.
“ Probably. They were a bit too interested in my dress,” Ororo said and looked sadly at it. So much for magic.
 “ Well, now that we ARE here we can just as well get the best out of it,” Scott said and smiled at her.
“ I agree,” she said in her most regal voice but her smile was warm and real.
“ So, you want to dance?” Scott asked her softly a few hours and some glasses of wine later.
“ Yes, I would like that very much.”

Scott pulled out her chair for her and took her hand. At the touch they both felt as if they had gotten a small electric shock. Scott guided her to the dance floor and soon they were waltzing around to music as timeless as love itself.
“ By the way I really love your dress,” Scott whispered in her hair and Ororo smiled happily and laid her head on his shoulder. As they continued to dance it felt as if their feet didn’t touch the floor and they were waltzing on air. Or a small cloud. This night was magical and for a moment in time they could fly, love and dance all at the same time without any words having to be spoken.

Two months later:

” Have you seen Remy?” Rogue asked Scott. He turned to face her and Ororo, who he held by the hand, did the same. It was Sunday and fine weather (compliments of a happy Ororo) so Ororo and Scott had taken a walk down by the lake at the edge of the X-property.
” He was at the baseball field near the house last we saw him,” Scott answered.
“ Thanks,” she yelled after them and ran off. Scott smiled at her. It had taken time and a talk with Ororo and himself but finally Rogue had seen that she did not have to be so isolated and she had opened up to Remy. After Kitty and Peter they were the most talked about couple among the students. And among the teachers…Scott looked down into Ororo’s loving eyes. That price they won. He bent down and kissed her gently on the lips. He pulled her down beside him and they seated themselves so they could look out over the lake and into the forest that surrounded the mansion from this side.
“ Scott, I need to know something,” Ororo said softly and lifted her head from his shoulder.
“ What, love?” He asked and fiddled with her hair. It looked so beautiful in the sunlight. Like silver or the very rays of the moon captured by a Goddess.
“ Jean has been back for two weeks now. If you…If you still…” Her voice broke and she looked away from him. Scott gently guided her head around to face him.
“ Ororo, look at me,” he asked softly. With tears in her eyes she meet his shaded eyes. “ I won’t lie to you. Jean will always mean a lot to me but you are the one I love,” he said, his eyes pleading with her to understand the deep of his feelings.
“ Please believe me.”
“ I do,” Ororo said and realised that she did indeed believe him. “ Scott, I love you.”
“ I know,” he said softly with a gleam in his eyes. He had introduced Ororo to Star Wars a week before and it had quickly become one of her favourite movies.
" Uh,” she said in mock anger and playfully hit him. He laughed out loud and Ororo smiled. Only she could get this playful and relaxed side forth in Scott and for that she felt special.
“ No, seriously, Scott. I love you and I want to live the rest of my life with you,” she looked intensely at him. Say yes. Say yes.
“ Oh, Ororo. Is that what I think it is?” Scott asked her happily.
“ I guess it is. Will you?” She asked him eagerly. Scott got up and knelt on one knee before her.
“ I will be the world’s happiest man if you will marry me?” Scott said and took out a jewellery box that he opened and inside there laid a simple silver ring with a pearl in it. When the light fell on it, it seemed as if there was a storm inside it. “ Two minds think alike,” Scott said with a smile when he saw her astonishment.
“ I will love to marry you,” Ororo said and Scott placed the ring on her finger.
“ It is beautiful,” Ororo said softly as she looked at it.
“ You are beautiful,” Scott said gently and kissed her. This was the happiest day in his life and he felt very blessed to have found a second chance at love, at life. Above them the sun seemed to glow with warm and light as pure as love and bathed them in its light. In the light of love. Now and forever more.

The end.