Author's Note: The scene referenced in the past between Hank and Annie is found at the last chapter of When In Rome. This story covers a reference made in The Kids Table, chapter 5.
Matt Murdoch's Great Gatsby Slash Surprise Murder Mystery Gala
By Mice
-McCoy's Pond, July 5th-
"Harpo!" Hank shouted from his study to his aide. "Harpo, I think that somebody is at the door."
"You don't want them, Dr. McCoy!" Harpo shouted from the hall.
"'Them'? What are you talking about, dear boy?"
Harpo entered the study, pale and red eyed. "I can hear them in my head, Dr. McCoy. I could hear them coming up the hill."
"What do they want?"
"For...for Matt Murdoch to stop throwing murder mystery parties..."
Henry took a deep breath. He had RSVP'd no to that particular event. He had no idea Matt was even in the neighborhood.
The knocking persisted.
"Let them in, Harpo. The fools."
Harpo left the room and Hank threw on his smoking jacket and a fez. Looking at the mirror, he told himself, "It's showtime, folks."
Descending the staircase, Hank could see the small gathering. He immediately got the eye of Sue Richards. "He said it was a "Great Gatsby" themed party. He knows Reed loves art deco! The man tricked us!"
Reed cried quietly, ashamed for being so gullible.
Hank made a quick head count of fifteen people who were in the entryway. All of them spectacularly drunk. "What did he serve you, authentic bathtub gin?"
"You know, Murdoch, Hank!" Steve Rodgers shouted at a coat rack. "Ever since he got on Pinterest, he's all about the signature cocktail."
Jennifer Walters shook her head. "Pinterest is not the problem, Cap! It's the attention Tony's getting on Buzzfeed. He got Beyonce and Dazzler to both sing at his birthday. The video of them singing "Fairytale of New York" together has over five million hits on YouTube."
"That would explain that karaoke machine in the corner! Good work, Jennifer!" Steve then tried to do two stupid things: 1) Hi-five the She-Hulk 2) Hi-five a coat rack, thinking it was the She-Hulk.
Annie walked slowly up the stairs in a gold dress with a brown and gold art deco scarf on her head. "Hank, can you provide a sober place for us, free of surprises?"
Hank frowned. Annie was tipsy herself. "What was the signature cocktail?"
"Grape Gatsbee. It involved honey whiskey and..." Annie held herself as she remembered her analysis. "Children's cold medicine. He needs to be stopped!"
"All right. They can stay. But nobody goes into the liquor cabinet!" Hank looked at his new guests, unsure if they had heard him. He took Annie's hand and looked her in the eye. "Definitely no more for you."
She let her hand be held. "Me? I only had one of those things."
"You have terrible tolerance, if memory serves." Hank kissed her hand and left, calling out, "Harpo - make sure everyone behaves themselves."
Harpo looked to the leaving Hank and then to Annie. "Is he...is he serious? Does he see who is here? How do I tell Ben Grimm to not do things? He's THE Thing!"
"Imma gonna make a sammich!" Ben announced, leaving the room.
"He's going into the trophy room. There's nothing but taxidermy and heads of deer and elk in there."
Annie nodded. "It does appear that Ben is going to have a sammich made of antlers. If only one of us was an empath and could figure out what they're thinking so we can avert really bad ideas."
Harpo brought his hand to his head. "Ow. God. Wow."
"Don't be dramatic. It's not so bad. I'm...going to go find Hank."
"No way." Harpo grabbed her wrist. "You're right - we need to avert really bad ideas. You finding Hank while drunk -"
"I'm not drunk!"
"- is the baddest of the bad ideas. You are helping me and staying away from Hank."
Annie eyed him. "What did you see?"
"It's not so much see but felt."
"Well?"
"It's almost a perversion at this point with both of you."
"Nothing ever happened between us."
Harpo smiled. "And you don't know why. Neither of you do. And you both get off with this game. That's why there's no way in hell you're going back there to find Hank."
Annie pouted.
"Besides, I thought you were engaged to Sean Cassidy."
"C'mon," Annie grumped. "Let's stop the Thing. And then let's show Captain America where the bathroom is."
-Xavier's, Past-
The kiss would remain forever crystalline in Annie's mind. She felt her mind slowly fog with alcohol as Hank broke away from her slowly.
"Let's stop."
Arms wrapped around him tightly. "Because of the surgery? Because Dr. Clay-Pool didn't say anything about fooling around being on the verboten list...butter and complex-carbohydrates, yes. This..." She kissed him back, starting at the corner of his mouth. "No."
"No." Hank pushed her down off of him. "Please, Annie."
"I'm sorry. I guess I read you wrong." Hank gently released her arms as she stared down away from her. "I should go."
"Don't go, let's talk. This is my fault."
"No, it's mine. I was too stupid to think."
Hank stared at her, her lower lip unsure if it was pouting or quivering. "Annie?"
"Hank, you're out of my league."
"That's ridiculous."
"You think it's ridiculous that a waitress -"
"Former waitress."
"-wishes that a famous, handsome scientist wanted her?"
There it was. That sweet adrenaline Hank lived for.
"I'm not that famous."
"I remain stupid."
"Annie, it's not so simple-"
"Forgive me, I'm a simple girl," she snapped.
And there that was. Her shame. Fully clothed, she was naked to him. Hank saw the stress in her eyes and the insecurity worn around her like a mink stole. "We may both be mutants and outcasts, but outside of that, there is no reason why we should know each other. And I always want to know you, Hank. I don't know any other way about how to make that happen other than -"
"Romantic love." He knew she was trying, not just with her studying everything he gave her but to change with her circumstances. Annie seemed so small to him, then. And he very large, as if he could crush her on accident. Hank suddenly became very aware of just how much power he had over her. "No. I don't think that can be an option."
"Because I'm not good enough for you. I'm good enough for Bobby, though. Just not you." Annie sighed. "I'm not saying this to make you feel bad. I'm saying it because it's true."
Hank denied this by shaking his head though mentally, he he agreed. Morally, he was sick with himself for doing this to her. Selfishly, it made him feel incredible to have a woman tell him this, to have one admit she was lower than him. He wanted more of it. "You should go. I'll help you to your room."
"Stop being the nice guy, Hank." Annie stood up on new faun legs. She stumbled in her first steps, narrowly missing a sculpture of a mummy's head on a table, but not without some worry before exiting safely.
He felt her give him permission to be a beast. To give up all pretenses of humanity. Hank nearly went to her when he remembered that she was his responsibility at Xaviers. If he allowed himself to prey on her...what would happen?
Hank pictured what would happen next. How soon were Annie and Robert in a relationship after their tryst? Constant companionship was not what he had in mind, but what was their relationship now if not that? She was his protege. Wolverine did not sleep with his proteges.
Pouring another glass of wine, Hank sat in his chair. "Since when do you compare yourself to Wolverine, Henry?" Women threw themselves at Wolverine, as did little girls. "And I am not in the market for little girls."
Not only was Annie his trusted his responsibility, but for all of her years, she was most definitely a little girl, like Little Red Riding Hood. He was a big, bad wolf, pretending to be her grandmother.
What would the wolf do in his shoes? Be good?
Because nobody else made him feel like the wolf. Everyone was so sure he was a sick old woman, hiding in bed with no desire.
Nobody else made him feel like the wolf.
-McCoy's Pond, July 5th-
"But I wanna!"
"You'll thank me in the morning."
"He's sooooooo cuuuuuuuute!"
Annie placed Sue Richards on a fainting couch next to her sleeping husband. "If you go to sleep, Sue, I promise I will never tell you about how you tried to ask your own brother into a threesome while drunk on a cocktail that could pass for a street drug."
"It's a deal, Annie! But what are we gonna tell that dolphin?"
"For the last time, Sue, the dolphin isn't real and if it were, it wouldn't be down to be the third!"
"Awww..!"
Annie slowly walked away from the door and started looking for Harpo. The kid was right, she shouldn't be near Hank. She had done a good job of it for years, barely talking to him. Their relationship seemed to fade and any importance she had placed on it had been forgotten.
Then she had gone to the first of the Matt Murdoch parties. They avoided each other largely. Same with the others. She didn't know if he avoided her, but Annie knew she was avoiding Hank.
No memory of the night they kissed had ever revealed itself to Annie in the years since it happened, but when Hank looked at her, she could feel a shock of the memory. Every nerve in her body on pins and needles for just once second, which is undoubtedly what Harpo had experienced earlier. It made her feel relieved that someone else had felt that and that it wasn't her alone in her mind. And that the feeling was something to run away from.
Annie opened the door to the trophy room, successfully undisturbed. The eyes of a great elk stared into her own.
"Harpo, is that you?" Hank called out from a dark corner in the room.
Annie froze, not sure if she should answer him. If she waited, maybe he would get back to sleep. She moved once more after moments of silence.
"I could use a cup of tea. Earl Grey. Hot."
She went closer to the door.
"No milk this time. I like my tea straight."
She exited the room.
"And bring me cookies! Chocolate ones."
Annie rolled her eyes. "So much for lust."
Harpo entered the hall. "You didn't go in the trophy room, did you?"
"Yeah, I did. Hank wants tea and cookies. I'm not getting them."
Harpo touched the side of her head gingerly. "Go talk to Hank and tell him what Sean is doing to you."
Annie jerked away. "No."
"He can help you."
"I'd rather die."
"If you don't tell someone soon -"
"Don't tell anyone."
Harpo shook his head. "You know what? Not my problem. I'm trying to be a nice guy -"
"I don't want a nice guy!"
"Obviously!" Harpo shouted.
Hank entered the hall. "What in blazes are you two arguing about?"
"Tell him, Annie."
Annie shook her head.
"Tell him or I will!"
"Harpo, please stop yelling at the girl. She's been to seven of these horrible murder mystery parties." Hank put a hand on Annie's shoulder, noting how small she seemed under it. "Are you all right?"
"Annie...tell him." Annie shook her head. Harpo narrowed his eyes. "Fine. Don't. Nobody is getting tea and I'm going to bed. I deserve it. I got Captain America to the bathroom on time!"
Harpo left and Hank brought Annie into his study. "Annie, I know we haven't talked in some time, but I always consider you to be...my responsibility. You can always come to me with anything."
"Not this, Hank. This is my problem."
"Annie -"
"No. This is my problem and I don't need your help."
"Then can I get you a drink?"
Annie nodded slowly.
Hank poured two Manhattans in martini glasses. "To old friends?"
"Sure."
They drank in silence with very little talk. As they neared the end of the drink and excuse for time together, she broke it. "I'm glad it never happened."
"You mean, the night we almost..."
"Yes. Just a bunch of nonsense."
"I wish something that never happened didn't ruin our friendship."
"We're still friends!"
"Not like we were."
"Hank, we were never meant to be friends." Annie shook her head. "A whole bunch of stupid coincidences brought you to Wyoming and me to New York."
"It sounds like fate."
"Fate doesn't exist. Everything is random. Trust me, I've seen so many patterns, studied so many patterns...I've seen so many people think that what they have is so special and unique only to see that it's just part of a pattern of stupid coincidences that happen to make people feel special and trick them in believing in fate."
"I'm sorry."
"If we're such good friends, why didn't you call me back when I told you I was engaged?"
"It wasn't because I was jealous, if that is what you are getting at."
"I'm really a stupid, simple girl, Hank. I would prefer you to be jealous than to ignore me altogether!" Annie began to laugh. "I know how Jubilee feels! I so get her relationship with Bobby now."
"That is not funny. Bobby won't even talk to me -"
"And he won't talk to her! He'll talk to me, all the time! Just like he did Opal, just like he did Lorna."
"You're not Jubilee, Annie."
"Then why do I feel like a little girl trying to convince someone to rape me?" Annie stared at Hank. "Oh, God, you're both the same. You and Bobby are so the same!"
"Annie, you're being disgusting."
"You won't talk to me and I have to invent reasons why! You're disgusting!"
"I am. You should hate me."
"That's the problem, Hank. I can't hate you. I could never hate you. You saved me."
"You saved yourself. I was there." Hank sighed. "Look, I'm not a good man, Annie. I am disgusting. Please keep focusing on that."
"You want me to go away and are too polite to say it. I'm your failure."
Hank remained silent.
"That's it, isn't it? You aren't happy when I pop up in your life because it reminds you that I was once important to you in some way."
"You are important to me, Annie."
"But you would prefer it if I wasn't part of your life."
"It would make my life less complicated, yes," Hank admitted. "Why won't you just hate me?"
"Because," Annie quivered. "I want to believe in a reality where Hank McCoy loved me."
"Annie, it's complicated."
"It is complicated. I didn't happen upon these feelings for you on accident. I just got out of a bad relationship. I had no intention of doing anything for a long time."
"Don't forget your affair with Robert."
"Somehow, that felt more natural. Say what you will Bobby, but until he began to unravel at the end, I believed his motives were pure. You...you know what is?" Annie stood up in discovery. "You get off on this."
"You're drunk."
"You love that poor, dumb, white trash me worships you."
"Annie, you're not-"
"You're glad that Sean is marrying me because then you never have to worry about me coming after you again."
"You're drunk and tired and - "
"Stop trying to be nice, Hank. I like it when you're mean." Annie stared at him. "I get off on your rejection."
Hank felt the air in the room change.
Annie took the art deco scarf off of her head. "Look."
Hank came closer to find a long scar across the side of her head.
"I wish you had called me back. Disapproved in anyway."
"You don't need me to disapprove to remove yourself from a bad situation. Use common sense, girl! That goes beyond games." Hank shook his head. "It's sick, Annie."
"Things with Sean are stressful, but I won't leave him." Annie put her glass back in the globe. "He needs me and he's getting help. He loves me without games."
"If he hurts you again, Annie, leave."
"What he's done doesn't nearly compare to what you've put me through, Hank. My face will heal. Sean will get better. But you will stay the same."
"I didn't rescue you from Wyoming so you could be this."
"And your ego comes out! A few minutes ago, I saved myself, and now you're rescuing me!"
"I also didn't rescue you just so you could become Bobby's puppy dog fascination!"
"Then why did you rescue me? Why couldn't you leave me where I was?"
"You were supposed to be my protege! My greatest achievement!"
"But why me? Why was I so special to you at one time?!"
"Because you were there!" Hank howled.
Annie nodded slowly. "Thank you. I needed to hear that." She began to leave the room. "Good night, Dr. McCoy."
Nobody else made him feel like the wolf.