Sylum Advent 2023: Day Seventeen

---

Title: Court and Spark
Author: ladyjax
Characters: Brisco County Jr/Ororo Monroe
Clans: Xavier’s School/Border Clan
Sylum Timeline: 2009 AD

Border Clanhome – Salina Cruz, Mexico

“Are you almost ready?”

Brisco looked up from the suitcase he’d been packing to see Josiah leaning in the doorway of his room. He dropped the shirt in his hands into the suitcase then sat down on the bed next to it. “Pretty much. My flight’s in three hours so if there’s something that needs doing, I’ve got a little time.”

Josiah walked into the room and grabbed a nearby chair, turning so he could sit down and lean against the back of it. “So, you’re going to teach at Xavier’s school.” He gave Brisco a sober look. “Are you sure about this?”

“The professor felt like I have something to offer, given my experience with the law.” Brisco shrugged. “Besides, someone has to teach the youth. He leaned over zipped the suitcase closed then sat heavily on the bed. “You know you can always call me, if there’s need.”

Josiah nodded. “And your lady?” he inquired gently. Brisco had told him of meeting the mutant, Ororo and the immediate pull he felt towards her.

“Ororo’s not my lady. Yet.” Brisco corrected. ” I’m hoping she’s willing to hear me out on the subject of mates. Outside of that, I don’t have a lot of expectations. I’ve waited this long. What’s a little longer?”

Josiah smiled softly. “What’s a little longer indeed?”

Brisco got to his feet as did Josiah who held out his hand. The men shook and Brisco said, “Don’t worry, I know where home is.”

“Oh, I’m not worried about that at all,” Josiah replied. “If things work out, I figure you might be bunking somewhere else for a while. If they don’t, well, I can always send one of the other hunters up there to get you.”

“You wouldn’t.”

“Try me.”

At the airport, Brisco checked his luggage and headed for the gate. Boarding was easy and the flight was on time. As the ground fell away outside his window, the view of the city and surrounding area below served as a reminder of what he was leaving behind.

This is going to be either an astounding failure or wildly successful, Brisco thought. He closed his eyes as his thoughts turned to the road ahead.

Westchester, New York

In the light of day, Xavier’s School for Gifted Youngsters was solid stone surrounded by green. Brisco parked his rental car at the main gate and got out. His memory of his previous visit was marred by the battle with Magneto even as his discovery of Ororo provided a bright counterpoint.

Beyond the fence, Brisco could see a number of younger students playing outside. It eased something in his soul to watch them play with such abandon.

The rumble of the motorcycle behind him alerted Brisco that he was no longer alone, He spared a glance over his shoulder then turned around just as Lycan pulled to a stop.

Somewhere, there’s a dictionary that has his picture right beside the word ‘feral’’ Brisco thought.

Lycan’s dark bushy brows were drawn downward as he dismounted then stood straight and cracked his neck from side to side. He fished a cigar out of his jacket pocket then tucked it neatly in his the side of his mouth and lit it. Lycan nodded at him, then shifted the cigar around in his mouth to growl, “You coming or going?”

“Coming,” Briscoe replied. He gestured with his thumb back at the rental car. “I went back home to get some of my things. before my classes start next week.”

“Mmm hmm. Would you being here also have somethin’ to do with our resident weather goddess, would it?”

“How did you.” Brisco began while Lycan pulled the cigar out of his mouth and smirked at him

“I have a capacity for smelling bullshit,” he replied. “Answer the question, bub.”

Brisco pursed his lips then answered. “Ororo. She’s my mate. The last time I was here, my soul knew immediately” Lycan stared at him and he continued, “I asked the Professor if I could come back to be near her. He in turn asked if I’d be willing to teach. Figured it was a good way to earn my keep.”

Lycan contemplated the cigar in his hand before spitting a bit of stray tobacco at Brisco’s feet.

‘Ro’s not just a friend, understand? You put one step wrong and we’re going to be having a conversation. If you take my meaning.”

Brisco nodded, He understood why Ororo inspired such loyalty but his vampire bristled at Lycan’s presumption. Stil he needed to be able to get along with the other man so he merely replied,

“If she’ll have me I’ll do everything in my power to make her happy.”

Lycan snorted and swung his leg back over his bike. “Right answer. C’mon.”

Brisco got back into his car as the gates swung open. Lycan pulled up, then gunned his engine and shot ahead, leaving Brisco to follow.

***

From Xavier’s office Brisco took a moment to look out the window at the green sweep of the lawn where a simple game of tag was further enhanced by the small bursts of a variety of powers.

“Where they could not fit in in the outside world, they are able to do so here.”

Professor Xavier rolled silently up beside Brisco to join him in his observations. “I hope it facilitates community in addition to being a school. My students deserve a place where they can thrive.”

Brisco said.“ Being a vampire is an exercise in change. Not exactly like your students but I I” He sighed then, “But do we have an advantage. Most of us can pass and we’re not what anyone expects.” One kid walked swiftly across the lawn, deftly avoiding the game. He noticed how, unlike many of the others, their appearance was probably what most people thought all mutants looked like: dark scaled skin, yellowed eyes that caught the light when they glanced towards the window.

“I don’t know if I’d be as brave as some of them.” Brisco raised his hand and waved. The kid stopped, a slight frown on their face, before it flowed into something like a smile. They waved back then made their way into the school.

“I am grateful that you are able to join our staff here, Brisco,” Xavier remarked. “I am remember that there’s more too it than just that.

Brisco tried not to flinch even as the Professor gave him a friendly smile. “I was wondering when we were going to get to this part.”

“I would like to think that I have some understanding of what it means to be inexplicably drawn to another.” A faraway look over took Xavier’s face and Brisco wondered if he was thinking about Magneto who, during the battle for the school, was revealed to have once been Xavier’s wife. Stepping away from the window, he sat down on a nearby wing back chair and took a moment to gather his thoughts while Xavier maneuvered himself in an easier position for their chat.

“I knew, from the moment that I met her, that Ororo was someone special…to me,” he said haltingly. “Her power, her grace…her beauty…I couldn’t stay away, not after meeting her.”

Xavier considered this. “How sure are you?”

” Brisco blew out a breath, “Very sure. I’m not interested in forcing her to accept me or this. I would, however, very much like a chance to court her good and proper, as a gentleman should.”

***

The last of the students filed out of her classroom amidst a chorus of “Bye, Ms. Monroe.” “See you later!” Ororo breathed a sigh of relief. The weekend had finally arrived and except for a little administrative cleanup, she wasn’t back in this classroom until Monday morning.

She erased the white board the sat back down at her desk and pulled open her lesson book to review what she had scheduled for the next week. It was fairly light since it was nearly the end of the semester but Ororo liked being prepared. A few students would need summer instruction and she was already giving some thought to that end.

Shouldn’t get too ahead of myself,” she said aloud as she flipped through the planner’s pages.

“I don’t know about that. Sometimes getting a little ahead turns out to be the better choice.”

Ororo looked up and was surprised to see the former sheriff with the silly name sticking his head into her classroom. “Mind if I join you?”

She nodded and stood up so she could move to sit on the edge of her desk. “I hadn’t realized that you were due to visit again.”

The Banker’s Box tucked beneath Brisco’s arm caught her attention. Briscoe followed her gaze down to his box then half smiled before he put it on a nearby desk.

He shoved his hands in his pockets as he approached the front of the room Ororo watched with a small amount of fascination.

“It has been a while,” she said politely. “What brings you back to us?”

Brisco sat down at one of the desks at the front and immediately regretted it. He shifted in his seat, trying to find a comfortable position that didn’t make him look as though he was being squashed between the desktop and the attached chair. Ororo’s lips twitched slightly as he did so.

Smooth move Brisco thought. Eventually he stood back up, turned the desk so that he could sit sideways and then sat back down.

“You could have just taken one of the seats over here,” Ororo said as she gestured gracefully towards one of the single chairs nearer to her desk. Brisco shrugged.

“I figured I’d already committed to this action so I might as well see it through,” he replied. “I’ll do better next time.”

“Will there be next time?”

“I should hope so,” Brisco said with a wry grin. “Considering we’re going to be colleagues.”

The comment landed in the way that he thought it might. Ororo raised her head, one snowy eyebrow crooked upward in inquiry. Dammit, she was beautiful.

“Charles hadn’t said anything.”

“We’ve been talking since the last time I was here, and the good professor felt that the addition of basic law and civics would be a good addition to the curriculum.”

Ororo closed the report with a snap before resting her hands on it. “I wasn’t aware that you were a teacher, Mr. County.”

“Brisco.”

There was that smile again. “Alright then, Brisco. My comment still stands.”

He levered himself out of the chair with as much dignity as was possible and thrust his hands back into his pockets as he took slow steps to her desk. “Didn’t think much of schooling even if I did go to law school. But I can offer what I know to you…and the school.”

Ororo definitely clocked that slight pause in his words. He held himself still as she looked at him. He understood that her mutant power had something to do with the weather but her examining gaze held more power as it seemed to look all the way to his soul. Brisco held tight to the reins that leashed his vampire. The subtle howl that ran through him, acknowledging that she was indeed his mate after so many years was low and thrumming through him.

“You are a most intriguing man, Brisco.” Ororo cocked her head to the side. “Perhaps you’ll tell me more about being a vampire while you’re here. Given that we’re going to be colleagues and all.” Her voice was light and teasing.

“Anything,” Brisco replied easily with a sweep of his hand. “I hope you’ll tell more about you. That’s what colleagues do, right?

The process of settling in went a lot faster than Brisco expected. The students were smart with as many personalities as they had mutations. They soaked up most of what he was teaching like sponges. Somewhere, Harvey had to be laughing his ass off at the fact that Brisco had avoided the law long enough only to end up teaching it himself.

That didn’t mean he still wasn’t an object of curiosity. In a school full of mutants, he was the only one who wasn’t. Not everyone had been present for the fighting and the forces that assembled to protect the school. It had been easy to pass off their enhanced prowess in the midst of the battle. However, this time, Brisco’s vampirism became widely known to the rest of the student body the minute that a late-night kitchen raid resulted in the discovery of his blood bags in the back of the fridge.

“I’m thinking I probably should have asked for a different place to put them,” Brisco confessed sheepishly to Lycan who rewarded his observation with a smirk as Scott, Jean, and Ororo worked to quell the small-scale freak out unfolding in the kitchen.

“Might want to invest in a mini fridge or sumthin.” Lycan observed. “Unless you plan on snackin’ on folks.”

Brisco rolled his eyes and pushed down his mortification.

Fortunately, Professor Xavier was able to turn the incident into an impromptu assembly the next day where the students peppered a very wary Brisco with questions about vampires and his life in the Old West. He was careful; many of the secrets he carried were not his to tell and he’d protect them with his life.

But the inconvenience was worth it to see Ororo in the back of room taking everything in. She wasn’t running.

Progress.

***

A disturbance in the air let Ororo know she was no longer alone a mere moment before she heard the foot fall on the terrace.

“Come to get a little air?” she asked, glancing briefly over her shoulder at her visitor before turning her attention back to the lightning dancing about her fingers. She’d already released the brewing storm and the clouds were clearing.

Brisco parked himself a few steps away from her and leaned against the balustrade. “That’s pretty damned amazing,” he said, pointing towards the quickly dissipating weather pattern.

Ororo flicked her fingers, careful to cage the lighting until finished dying away. “The devil’s is in the details. It’s easy to call down wind, rain and lighting, and harder to do something small and delicate.”

“Well, I can’t do it, and you can,” his grin was inviting. “That makes it amazing.”

“Is there something you needed, Brisco?”

The vampire nodded. “There is.” He moved to stand straighter before reaching out to capture her left hand. Ororo started to pull back but stopped. His work roughened fingertips slid gently across her palm sending an unexpected thrill up her spine.

“I’m a little rough around the edges and I’m not real fancy,” he began. Brisco’s head came up to look at her squarely. “I was wondering if you’d be interested in going on a date. With me.”

Ororo’s surprise must have shown on her face because he rushed on.

“What? But…” Ororo began even as Brisco rushed on with,

“We’re as different as night and day, I know. I’d still like to get to know you better.”

She raised her hand and pressed a finger to his lips. “Stop. Talking.” Mischief danced in Brisco’s eyes, but he complied.

“You’ve dogged my steps in so many ways since the battle. A little less so since you’ve returned but it’s still hard not to notice,” Ororo observed as she dropped her hand to her side. “Care to tell me why?”

Brisco bit his lip, determined to approach this with care. “There are…things I’d like to…need to… talk to you about.”

“And?” One snow white eyebrow arched in inquiry. She wasn’t angry, just curiously. And interested. Good.

“I’d prefer a little privacy when we talk. I like your folks here but you’re in each other’s pockets all the time. I’d just…oh hell, let me just say it.” He took a deep breath then began to speak.

“Along with the obvious properties of being a vampire – the whole relatively long life, blood drinking thing we can also have mates.”

“Mates?”

Brisco nodded. “I met mine decades ago but they were human and didn’t want to lose their mortal life for me.

As hard as it was for me to accept, it’s what was right. My people don’t take those who aren’t willing.”

Ororo parked herself next to him, leaning against the heavy stone barrier of the balustrade almost close enough to touch. “When you were here before, it felt…as if you knew me,” she replied. “As much as I tried to deny it at the time, I was also drawn to you. You tried to protect me.”

“We were drawn to one another because you carry the soul of my former mate,” Brisco said.

Ororo’s mouth dropped open in shock. “I… what?”

“My mate’s soul calls to me, and something inside of you recognizes it for what it is.” Brisco searched her face. “I know this is a lot.”

She held up a hand, forestalling his step towards her. “You’re not lying.”

“No.”

Ororo licked her lips and straightened up, running a nervous hand over her hair. “I need some time to think about this. Can I think about it?”

Brisco held up his hands placatingly. “Yes, definitely. I’ll be here when you’re ready to talk.”

After Brisco’s revelation, the last place Ororo expected to find herself was in front of a mirror, looking at body critically. It had been a long time since she’d allowed herself to consider how she looked. Working at the school, being a part of the X-Men; these things left very little time for her to consider Ororo, the woman.

“Knock, knock.”

Ororo turned from the mirror then walked over to the entrance to her loft just as Jean waved at her from the bottom of the stairs. “I wasn’t prying but it’s a little hard to miss the angst fest you have going on.”

Ororo groaned. “Sorry, didn’t mean to let anything leak through. I’ll try to keep it to a dull roar.”

“Or,” Jean countered, “I could come up with some wine and crackers and we have a little conversation about just what has you tied up in knots.”

Normally, Ororo reserved her drinking for the weekend, but she was just keyed up enough to motion towards her teammate encouragingly. ” C’mon up.” When Jean reached the top of the stairs, she did a brief spin taking in the lush green paradise that Ororo had created.

“I love this,” she said.

Ororo chuckled. ” No power rule, except for watering. I don’t want any of these plants to be destroyed.”

She looked at the bottle of wine in Jean’s hand then moved to the kitchenette in her quarters before reaching into her cupboard for wine glasses and plates for the snacks.

Jean poured while Ororo took the snacks and arranged them neatly on the plate. Between sips of wine, Jean stole the looks of Ororo.

“So, we’re sitting here drinking very nice wine and eating a nice snack while you could be talking about why you’re trying to avoid Mr. County.”

“That name,” Ororo sighed. “It’s the most ridiculous thing I’ve heard and yet, I wouldn’t ask him to change it to anything else.”

“Not exactly what I had in mind when I came over to share confidences.”

Ororo uncharacteristically drained her wine in one gulp before carefully putting the glass down on the table. “Jean, he claims that I am his mate, that our souls recognize one another.” She rubbed two fingers against her temple before continuing with, “This the first time that I’ve courted with so much confidence.”

“Wait,” you’ve been courted before?” Jean snuggled deeper into the couch. “Do tell.”

“I tell you that our newest resident, a vampire, mind you, tells me about his mate and you’re worried about the last time I was courted?”

Jean made a motion with her hand for her to get on with it and Ororo rolled her eyes.

She slipped off her shoes and tucked her hair behind her ear before saying, “Back in my old neighborhood. Kenny Johnson,” she said, reminiscing. “He was quite intent in being my boyfriend. He even came to my father at one point to Ask if he could date me. My father said no, which was probably for the best.”

“There’s been others but my life has been marked by change, even more so now that I’m training my powers and teaching here. Plus we have Magneto and his people in addition to the government to worry about.” She rubbed a finger against her nose. “And then there’s the vampires like Brisco.”

“I get, it” Jean replied. “I like to think that the Professor has our best interests at heart but there’s a lot from the battle and his relationship with Magneto that we didn’t know about on top of the vampires. Then there’s his relationship with Nick and his people.”

So many variables.

They chatted longer, giving Ororo a chance to dive deep into some of her feelings on the idea of fate, chance or what have you, to bring her someone who not only claimed that she was his mate but also carried another person’s soul.

Once they reached a stopping point, Ororo looked at the wine glass in her hand. “I should probably stop. I do appreciate you coming up to check on me, though.

“What are teammates for?” Jean quipped. “Besides, it beats grading.”

Whey Jean left Ororo went back to her mirror She tried to see what Brisco saw. beauty, intelligence, power. Those were things she knew. But how did one see one’s soul?

Monday morning, Ororo walked into her classroom, her mind occupied with both the upcoming lesson as well as scenarios in the Danger Room that Xavier wanted them to run through. She could be forgiven, then, for stopping when she saw the bouquet of calla lilies sitting on her desk.

She turned back to scan the hallway, but no one was there. Ororo usually arrived early in her classroom; the quiet time before classes allowed her to settle herself and prepare for the rest of the day.

She sat down, gazing at the lilies appreciatively. Reaching out, she touched one seemingly perfect bloom and smiled at the softness of the flower beneath her finger.

“I wasn’t sure about what kind of flowers you liked.”

She saw Brisco was standing in the doorway,

“These are from you?” she asked.

Brisco nodded. “They are.”

“Thank you.”

“A man has a few ways to let a lady know that he’s seeking her favor,” Brisco said matter of fact. “Flowers are one.”

Something shifted in Ororo, and she said, “Yes.”

Brisco stared at her. “Yes?”

“Friday afternoon. I have a half day and I’d like to spend it with you.”

***

Brisco rubbed nervous hands on his jeans before tugging his vest down for no other reason than to give his hands something to do. He sat on the chair that was nearest to the stairs, waiting for Ororo to finish getting ready.

“Could’ve knocked me over with a feather when she said yes,” he’d said when he called Josiah.

His Clan leader’s amused chuckle rankled until Josiah said, “Don’t take this the wrong way, friend. I’ve just never actually heard you sound so sprung.”

Brisco stopped pacing and stood in front of the mirror of his room, taking a good long look. He was older, yes, several decades and he still had the slightly careworn look in his eye that he’d had since he rode the frontier. “Why am I doing this to myself?” he asked softly, forgetting briefly that Josiah was on the other end of the line. “Josiah but what if…”

There was a sigh on the other end of the line. “What if she rejects you? Doesn’t really believe it?”

“Yeah.”

Josiah paused before continuing with, “Brisco, you are one of the finest men that I know, an even better Hunter, who serves our clan with honor. Stop thinking about the vampire for a minute. Just approach your lady fair as a man. Start there. Hopefully with time, she’ll get to know who you are as you are. Not some weird vision of who you think you should be.”

Brisco rubbed his hand across his face and sighed. “Y’know I usually don’t go for the sappy shit.”

“I know, neither do I and I swear to god, if you tell anyone about this conversation, I’ll deny everything,” Josiah said succinctly.

That had been two days ago. Ororo had said yes, he made his call, and now here he was, drowning in a sea of hope.

“Hope I haven’t kept you waiting too long.”

Brisco got to his feet in time to see Ororo walking down the stairs towards him. She had traded in her neat slacks and blouse for form fitting jeans, a big white shirt, heeled boots and a bag slung over her shoulders. She’d drawn her hair back from her face with a headband, making her look more exquisite than ever.

When she stepped up to him, her lips curved in a slow, knowing smile. “Hello.”

“Hi,” Brisco stammered before recovering. “You look great.”

Ororo looked him up and down. “You don’t look too bad yourself.”

He chuckled. “Not exactly a fashion plate but I’ve been told I clean up nice.” Brisco reached back to the bench he’d been sitting on and picked up the tiny bouquet he’d brought for her

A warm, soft expression came over Ororo’s face as she accepted the bouquet. “Wildflowers,” she said before pressing her nose lightly into the blooms. She raised her head and gifted him with an even brighter smile.

“Are you sure? I could get you others!” Brisco stopped talking when she raised her hand.

“They are lovely,” she repeated. “I like them more because you gave them to me from your heart and not because I expected it.”

“So noted.”

Brisco held out his arm to her and Ororo didn’t hesitate. She slipped her hand into the crook of his arm, holding the flowers in her other hand. “I was thinking of something simple today. Ice cream in town?”

Ororo tipped her head back to look at Brisco, searching for something in his face and evidently finding it because she gave a decisive nod and said, “Starting small. I like that.”

It didn’t take long to drive into the town proper and head straight for McArdle’s Sweet Shop. “I’ve come here with some of the kids,” Ororo said as they walked through the door. “Sometimes you just need something sweet.”

“That’s true.” They took the time to peruse the flavors before Ororo settled on Pecan Praline, while Brisco decided to venture out with coconut pineapple. “I’ve never had that flavor before,” he said with a shrug. “It sounded good.”

“I’ve had it before,” Ororo replied. “I think you’ll like it.”

The young woman behind the counter brightened when she saw Ororo. “Hi Ms. Munroe. You didn’t bring the kids today.”

Ororo nodded. “Brisco, this is Alice Tremblay, her parents own McArdle’s.”

Alice smiled. “They bought it off of the McArdles when they decided to retire. Now, it’s our empire of ice cream. What can I get for you?”

“Coconut Pineapple sounds good,” Brisco said. Immediately, Alice scooped a little on a tasting spoon and handed it to him. “It is, give it a try.”

He took the spoon and tasted it. The creaminess of the coconut mixed well with the sharp sweetness of the pineapple and Brisco nodded. “Yep, that’s the one.:

“Sounds good. Your usual, Ms. Munroe?”

“Yes.”

Moments later, they were out the door with cones in hand, leaving the ever cheerful Alice behind them. “Alice is very nice and I’ve told her that it was okay to call me by my name.”

“Let me guess, ” Brisco said, “her parents put a kibosh on that.”

“How did you know?”

He took a quick lick of his ice cream, swallowing before he answered with, “Some parents still hold to not being too familiar with people outside of their own family. A little old fashioned…”

“But sometimes you just have to work with it,” Ororo finished. “When I was a kid, my parents were of the same mind. My mother was Kenyan and my father American, they shared similar values on that front.” She took a lick of her ice cream and pretended not to notice the not so subtle moan from Brisco. Tucking her arm back into his, they walked slowly down the street enjoying their treats and the quiet afternoon.

Their walk ended in a small park that wasn’t too far from the main street but still allowed for some privacy. They sat on a bench, both finishing their ice cream before tsettling in for some people watching.

Brisco’s nerves jangled briefly the silence between himself and Ororod opened. Wait, his vampire counseled. Just wait. He reached over and covered Ororo’s hand where it lay on the bench, not grabbing it, just resting it there; the skin on the back of her hand was smooth for the most part, a light ridge to one side where she might have struck someone or something.

She is a warrior, his vampire whispered. Brisco knew that but he’d only concentrated on her mutant power. It hadn’t occurred to him that she also trained hand to hand.

“Sometimes, a fist is faster than the lightning.”

Brisco turned his head to look at her but Ororo was staring straight ahead. He shifted so he could slip his hand beneath hers, contenting himself with a short caress before holding her hand loosely. A light wind flicked the edges of her hair before slipping over Brisco, bringing the scent to him: hints of iron and ozone that tickled his nose.

“I survived on my own long before Professor Xavier ever found me. An accident robbed me of my parents, and I was left to fend for myself.” She let her fingers curl lightly around his hand as she spoke. “And as much as I care for the school, my teammates, the children, sometimes it’s hard for me to desire something just for myself.”

The words dropped into the void between them. Brisco. He sat in silence with her as the wind carried the sounds of laughter across the field from them. “I was a loner myself for a while. It was the way of the west, so to speak, but like everything, there’s a bit of truth and then there’s reality. I had friends, comrades, people I could count on and work that fulfilled me. It wasn’t until I was turned that I understood that there was so much in the world that I didn’t know. Power. Mates.” Shifting in his seat, he reached out with his free hand, caught her chin in his fingers then gently turned her towards him. “You have questions, ask. AI’ll tell you everything you want to know. I’m not going to ask you to leave here and if you send me away, I’ll go.”

Ororo’s eyes widened. “Brisco…”

“Let me finish, okay? This is probably the longest speech I’ve given in a while and I don’t want to waste it.

There’s a lot about my life that I’m proud of and some I’m not but I figure that’s the part that’s all human. The vampire part is actually not that much more complicated. I figure there’s a lot you have to tell me about you being a mutant so all I can do is listen. And Ororo?”

“Yes?”

Brisco’s hand came up and curved around her cheek, the warmth sinking into his palm. The lightest tug brought her lips tantalizingly close to his own. “You, my lady fair, absolutely deserve to desire something for yourself. Whether that’s me or someone else. Don’t deny yourself that.”

When her gaze grazed his lips, something inside of him tightened in anticipation.

“Brisco, may I kiss you?”

He chuckled warmly. “I was hoping something like that might be in the offing.”

Ororo’s lips were warm against his own. The kiss was a whisper, a promise of possibility. He eased his hand from her grip to bring it up around her shoulders, pulling her in even closer. He grazed her bottom lip with his teeth, careful not to drop a fang and was rewarded with the briefest sigh.

She pulled back and rested her forehead against his enough to say, “We should probably head back to the mansion if we want to continue this part of the conversation.”

There was stirring in the leafy pile near them, and a squirrel popped up, nose twitching, an acorn in its paws. “I’m thinking we can do without the audience,” he remarked dryly. Surging to his feet, he held out a hand to Ororo who took it before making sure her bag was secure around her shoulders. Then he surprised her by twirling her before tucking her back against his side.

Ororo laughed. “You are full of surprises, aren’t you?”

“I’d like to think that I contain multitudes,” he replied.

“Then I look forward to exploring them,”

“Anything for you, my lady. Anything.”