Scott and Ororo, Thursday morning

[x-cyclops.livejournal.com]

The morning after her return from Egypt, Ororo seeks out Scott, still troubled by how much she enjoyed her little spot'o'thievery. Scott gives fairly good advice, even if in the end it can be summed up by 'Don't worry so much.'


The early morning light was filtering into the library through the tree-shaded windows, throwing panes of illumination across the shelves of perfectly-straightened books and periodicals. 'Ro couldn't help but sneak quietly up to the table where Scott was sitting, reaching over him to place a small stone statue in front of him.

Scott looked up at her, raising an eyebrow with a smile. "What's this?" he asked quietly, turning it over in his hands as he examined it. "And welcome home, by the way..."

"Thank you," 'Ro said, smiling back at him. "And that is Amun-Ra... or at least a representation of him. I found him in the hotel gift shop," she added a bit guiltily, sliding out a chair to sit in.

"Amun-Ra," Scott said, still smiling as he set the statue back down. "I'll add him to our still-rather-bare suite. How did it go?" he asked, not missing the guilty look. He'd known her for too long not to catch the unspoken things.

"It went... Hm." Steepling her fingers, Ororo gazed off into the distance for a moment, looking thoughtful. "We accomplished our objective, which was retrieving the mask. No one was too seriously injured. I suppose that means it went well, then."

"Job done, no one's badly hurt, you all got back safely - yeah, I'd say it went well," Scott said, nodding. The implicit 'but' was like a blinking red light, thought.

"Right." 'Ro nodded, blinking as she glanced back at him. "Of course. Only..." She let the pause stretch out, not wanting to voice the thoughts that had been bothering her during the entire jet ride back.

Scott watched her for a moment. "What's wrong?" he asked, his eyes flickering around. No one in earshot. It was early. They were probably fine in having this conversation here. If Shan overheard anything, she wasn't going to tell anyone.

'Ro leaned forward, dropping her voice. "I am afraid I let myself slip back into old habits. Things that I swore not to do... and yet I still did them."

Scott leaned back in his chair. "Like?" he prompted gently.

"I stole something, Scott." She hadn't realized how much it had been bothering her until then. "Something that was not mine, had never been mine... and I stole it for him. I cannot tell you how wrong that was. And yet... I did it, and a part of me enjoyed it."

"Nostalgia's a bitch," Scott said after a moment, his voice still low. "It can sneak up on you even when it shouldn't. Did you need to do this to get the job accomplished?"

"It was the easiest way... one that did not involve unnecessary bloodshed. But it did involve damage of private property, of public property..." Ororo shook her head. "We needed to do it, yes. And I was the best person to accomplish it. But that does not excuse the fact that part of me was glad to do it."

"I wouldn't kick yourself too hard over it, Ororo. You made a judgement call - if it stands as a good one, what part of you is feeling about it isn't something that should make you second-guess that." Look at him, giving advice. "Obviously I don't practice what I preach," he said, summoning up a faint, wry smile. "But it's still true."

"Yes, of course," 'Ro said, tracing a finger over the pattern of the wood in the table. "You are quite right, Scott."

"We've done far worse in the name of the ultimate objective," Scott pointed out. "Remember earlier this year? Consorting with the Russian mafia in order to spike Gideon's wheel? Let's not even touch the invading sovereign countries in Africa and kidnapping minors over international borders. Just... try and put it in perspective," Scott said, reaching out and laying a hand over hers for a moment. "We've always tried to balance the good done with the harm done. Or the laws broken. We just can't get what we need to accomplish done without crossing the line sometimes."

"But that doesn't mean we have to enjoy it," 'Ro replied with a small frown.

Scott shook his head a little. "No, it doesn't," he conceded. "But I think we can forgive ourselves for our little lapses, from time to time." He smiled again. "A very smart woman told me that once. Or maybe it was repeatedly."

'Ro sat very still for a minute, staring at the statue standing before them both. "Yes, maybe she was right." She nodded, smiling and looking over at Scott. "You would not believe how expensive hotel gift shops can be..."