Lean On Me

By Tasha Hill

Rating: G

Genre: General/Romance

Pairing: Hank/Ororo

Author's Notes: Hi, readers. Welcome to my very first fic on the site. It's an X-Men movieverse one shot involving the pairing of Hank/Ororo. It takes place during the third film and focuses on Ororo's concerns about leading the Xavier Institute after his sudden death. I hope everyone enjoys this little one shot. Constructive criticism is welcome.

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Ororo Munroe, new headmistress of Xavier's School For Gifted Youngsters, sat in the kitchen at the counter, her face stained with tears. The service was long over and most, if not all the residents were asleep, at least those who could manage it were. She felt more tears run down her cheeks as her body shuddered with sadness. Charles Xavier was dead, incinerated alive by his protégé, Jean Grey. She looked down at her third cup of coffee. She kept wondering if she would be able to shelter and protect the children, like the Professor did for all these years. Her thoughts were broken by Hank McCoy clearing his throat.

"Ororo?" Hank whispered as he approached the counter.

Ororo looked up, seeing Hank was dressed in a robe. Hank became concerned when he realized she'd been crying.

"Ororo, are you all right?" Hank asked.

Ororo wiped her tears and looked back down at her cup. She gripped it so tightly that it seemed she could break it with her bare hands.

"Yeah, I'm okay," Ororo answered, feeling more tears fall down her cheeks, as another shudder whacked her body.

"No, I don't believe you are, Ororo," Hank said, shaking his head.

Hank came closer, taking a seat at Ororo's right side. He reached out and grasped her hand, squeezing it gently. Ororo didn't want to look at him, but she couldn't help but do so.

"What's wrong?" Hank asked.

Ororo sniffled and dabbed under her nose with a tissue. She wiped more tears from her eyes as she cried. She took a deep breath in an effort to calm herself down.

"I thought I had come to grips with all this. With Jean, Scott, and the Professor gone, I don't know if I can do this," Ororo whispered, feeling a sense of dread and uncertainty wash over her. I don't know if I can carry on with my responsibilities as headmistress of the school."

Ororo looked down at the counter, unsure of what else to say. Hank squeezed her hand once more. He felt sorry for her because she had been through so much in the last few days, especially in regards to the aftermath of the Alcatraz incident. What she had been given was a huge responsibility, and most people would feel uncertain with having that. In cases like these, only time would tell what might happen.

"You can do this," Hank said confidently. "I have all the faith in the world in you, my dear, and he did too. You could never disappoint him."

Ororo didn't look at Hank. Hank took both of her hands in his, giving them another gentle squeeze. However, it was a little hard than last time.

"You could never disappoint me either, no matter what," Hank said.

Ororo looked at Hank and gave him a small smile. She was beginning to feel better, but she still felt sad.

"Thank you," Ororo said, sniffling softly, as she wiped a tear from her eye.

Hank smiled warmly, bringing one of her hands to his lips to kiss it. Ororo felt goosebumps on her skin from his touch. Then again, it was a nice feeling to her. She looked at the clock and raised her eyebrows in surprise. It was well past midnight. She looked back at Hank, trying to stifle a yawn.

"Will you walk with me back to my room?" Ororo asked.

"Of course," Hank replied, nodding as he smiled.

Hank and Ororo got up from the table and left the kitchen. He offered her his arm as they approached the stairs. When they reached her room, he opened the door, and they looked at each other. Again, he took her hands in his. He rubbed the backs of them with his thumbs, making her skin tingle.

"Will you be all right?" Hank wondered.

"Yes, I'll be fine now," Ororo said and kissed Hank's cheek. "Thank you."

"You're welcome, my lady," Hank replied.

"Come get me for breakfast?" Ororo asked.

Hank nodded and kissed Ororo's hand. Ororo had to blush at the feel of his lips on her skin. It also gave her a tingling feeling, one that she really liked and would probably never get enough of from him.

"Until then, my lady," Hank said.

Ororo backed up into her room and looked at Hank, who bowed gracefully before walking away. She leaned against the door and watched him until he turned the corner and was out of sight. She shut the door and leaned back against, sighing warmly. Things were finally beginning to look up.

THE END