Disclaimer: I do not own the X-Men. I do own Rose.
A/N: Welcome to my second full length Evolution fanfiction Making a Family, the sequel to Part of a Family where we will wrap up the cauldron and move on to the second season. So without further ado, sit back and relax. Here goes. Enjoy!
Wolverine set the X-Jet down in a cove on one of Hawaii's islands where Alex had been living with his foster parents.
"You see anything?" Scott asked Logan as he stood behind the wolverine.
"No," Logan replied, laying his arms on the controls. "And the tide's coming in. This cove will be underwater in an hour."
"Nice spot to go surfing though," murmured Rose as her head began to throb. "Guys, I think we have company."
Logan glanced from the silver cheetah to Xavier who nodded. "Take a closer look around. I'll stay here and see if I can locate Erik."
Rose, Logan, and Scott disembarked the plane and searched the beach for any signs of Alex. Scott paused to bend down and pick up a surfboard that had been half in the water. "You think it's his?"
"Maybe," said Logan as he found a set of footprints leading away from the water and followed them until they stopped abruptly. "Hm, looks like that company ya were talkin' about dropped in on him, Goldilocks, literally and left the same way."
Rose groaned as the throbbing in her head increased. "He never could leave anything or anyone alone."
"What kind of company?" inquired Scott curiously.
"Magneto," grunted Rose, placing a gloved hand on her left temple.
Scott cocked a dark eyebrow. "That guy who put that metal chip in your head so he could make you his puppet assassin?"
Rose nodded as she tried to fight off the pain that was threatening to split her skull in two. "Yes, and I have a feeling you're about to meet him yourself."
The silver cheetah suddenly spun around at the sound of creaking metal to see the X-Jet tossing and turning as if something was moving it. "It's him. He's after Charles!"
She ran after the plane as Logan called after her but she did not reply.
"Damn it," muttered Logan savagely as he hurried after his girlfriend as the plane took off with the two X-Men clinging to its wheels. "Yer crazy, ya know that right?"
"You're the crazy one," she shot back as they scrambled up the plane and onto its wings. "You got on here even though you know he can manipulate the adamantium that covers your bones."
As clever as always, my dear Rose, whispered Magneto's voice inside her mind as the plane shook even more violently causing her to fall and be caught by Logan who was holding on to with his claws. Which begs the question how one as intelligent as you would choose to be with a brute like Wolverine who would rather use his fists than his brain to solve his problems?
What would someone like you who doesn't know anything about love nor caring about someone to the point you would do anything, even give your own life to protect them know about Logan, let alone how I feel about him? Rose thought back as she tried to find a foothold. What would you know about wanting to be with someone? About wanting to make a family with them someday? You're just a selfish man who only cares about himself and uses excuses like caring about your fellow mutants to fulfill your own vendetta! So don't you dare preach to me about loving Logan when all you showed me was how to be a mindless puppet!
And here I was going to grant you admittance into my Sanctuary without having you fight, but if you insist on clinging to this brute of a man then so be it, mused Magneto as he twisted Logan's claws before releasing his grip on the plane sending them flying backwards into the water. Enjoy your swim, dear Rose. I do hope we meet again.
"Prick," spat Rose once she broke the surface. She looked around for Logan and found him only a little ways away from her. The silver cheetah swam over to him. "Are you okay?"
"Yeah," he replied. "Though it's not going to be easy swimmin' to shore with this adamantium body of mine."
"I would imagine not," she agreed. "Here. Give me your arm. I'll help you get to shore."
"Are ya sure?" he asked her, uncertainly. "I'm really heavy even when I'm not wet."
"I'm sure," said Rose, rolling her golden eyes before taking his left arm and wrapping it over her shoulders. "Now let's get to the beach and back to the mansion so we can get the others and save Charles from that pretentious, pompous bastard."
Logan grinned. "That's my girl."
~ Making A Family ~
It was nearly sunset by the time the two mutants reached the beach and collapsed upon the sand, but before they could catch their breath, a new threat appeared: Sabertooth.
"You and your girl look tired, runt," noted Creed as he perched on a giant rock in front of them.
"Why do I get the feelin' we weren't dropped here by accident?" muttered Logan as he got to his feet.
"Because we weren't," Rose muttered back as she stood up too, shaking out her golden locks. "On the plane, Magneto contacted me inside my mind and told me he was going to allow me to enter his "Sanctuary" without having to fight. Now I know what he meant. That's why Sabertooth is here."
"You got that right, little girl," sneered Sabertooth as he lunged off the rock at them.
Rose dodged to the side as Logan unsheathed his claws. "Tell us where Magneto took Xavier and maybe we'll go easy on you, maybe."
"He had it easy. A free pass to Sanctuary while the rest of us have to fight to get in which actually suits me just fine," Sabertooth told them as he slashed at Logan forcing him backwards before turning on Rose who smiled sweetly before disappearing and reappearing right in front of him so she was out of his reach. The silver cheetah then aimed a well-placed kick at his chest sending him flying. "You really are quite the woman, ya know that?"
"Trust me, she knows," Logan answered for her as they squared off again with Rose jumping in when she could. This went on for a while until Sabertooth shoved the wolverine to the ground and grabbed Rose by the collar of her silver shirt.
"You better let go of me, Creed," the silver cheetah advised him as a voice echoed in her head. Charles.
I do not have much time so listen to me closely my X-Men, Xavier ordered Rose and Logan. Lose the battle-
Charles! cried Rose in her head but got no response. Damn it. I guess I have no choice.
"Or what?" inquired Creed, laughing as Rose went slack and threw her into Logan causing them to tumble off the cliff and land on the ground below with her on top. "All talk, just like the runt."
"He's just lucky Charles told us to lose," murmured Rose as a silver orb appeared and carried Sabertooth away.
"Yeah, but I still don't like throwing a fight," grumbled Wolverine.
Rose raised her head to look at him, smiling slightly. "I know but right now we need to focus on finding a way to get out of here and back to the mansion."
"I've already found one," Logan replied as he inclined his head to the side where a helicopter will parked.
Rose grinned. "That will do."
~ Making a Family ~
They reached the school just in time to find Mystique surrounded by Kurt, Kitty, Evan, and Toad. Kurt was currently asking his mother why she was there.
"Simple truth," Mystique replied. "Nobody discards me, especially not Magneto after all I've done for him. So I'm paying him a visit. We can go together or I can go alone."
"Ya won't be goin' alone," Logan told her, making them turn to look at the two mutants entering the destroyed lobby. "Magneto's got our friends, we're goin' after him."
"Good, but I know the man so I'm calling all the shots," declared Mystique.
Rose snorted. "If you think we're going to let you be in charge, you're even stupider than I thought. Besides, need I remind you, you aren't the only one who knows that pompous bastard?"
"You don't know as much as you think you do," retorted Mystique. "You were merely his puppet; I was his loyal right hand thus giving me much more insight than you could have gained."
"Hmph, if you want to be in charge then get your own ride," said Logan as he strutted past her. "X-Men, let's go!"
Kurt, Evan, and Toad followed the wolverine while Kitty glanced questioningly at her mentor who was still staring down Mystique. "Rose?"
"You heard him," said Rose, never taking her eyes off Raven. "Let's go, Kitty."
Kitty nodded as she and Rose started to walk out.
"Fine," called Mystique after the silver cheetah as she hurried to catch up. "But I expect to be consulted."
"Oh, I'll consult with you alright," muttered Rose as they reached the hanger, suited up, and headed out on the XN velocity which took them into outer space as they headed to Asteroid M where Magneto held his so called Sanctuary.
"Oh yeah, this thing cooks!" noted Logan from the pilot's seat as the rest of them held on to their seats.
"Hear that metal strainin'?" groaned Toad worriedly. "We're gonna beak up, I know it!"
"Couldn't be," argued Logan from the cockpit. "This crate's built without an ounce of metal."
"None?!" replied Toad as he stared at the wolverine incredulously. "That means we're flyin' in what? Cheap plastic? I need an airsick bag."
"I've got something on the scanners," Rose told Logan from the co-pilot seat. "And it's huge. Asteroid M, 463 miles and closing."
"Hey Goldilocks," murmured Logan, making her look at him. He was staring out of the windshield. "Is that Scott?"
Rose followed his gaze and sure enough it was Scott with someone who was most likely his brother Alex but there was something different about them, they were both big and ripped. The most surprising change was the fact that Scott was not wearing his glasses and was charging up… "Oh no, this can't be good."
Scott and Alex powered up and shot their combined energies at the jet, hitting one of its wings causing them to crash land onto the runway before sliding inside the fortress.
They broke free of the wreckage to find Magneto and an even hairier Sabertooth standing off from four pods which held Storm, Rogue, Jean, and Charles.
"Knock, knock," said Mystique dryly.
"Mystique," grimaced Magneto. "You never could take no for an answer."
Mystique rushed at Magneto as the fighting began while Logan and Rose broke Charles and the others out of their prisons.
"Where's the X-Jet?" Logan asked Charles.
"Observation desk," he replied as he pointed to his left. "That way."
"Gather ther…" began Logan but was suddenly jumped by Creed.
"Logan!" yelled Rose as she hurried to help him while the sanctuary began to break up around them. What did Magneto do to him? It's like fighting a dump truck. This is going to take too long and the whole place is falling apart. We need to do something quickly.
As if hearing her thoughts, Storm utilized her powers to whirl Sabertooth away in a tornado.
"Thanks," said Rose as the weather goddess inclined their head as Xavier wheeled over to them.
"We need to leave, now," said Charles.
"What about the boys?" inquired Logan as they stared at them.
"They'll do what they must," he replied as they hurried to the X-Jet and Logan started the plane.
"We couldn't force them," Charles was saying to Jean as they stared out the open hatch. "They are too powerful."
"Here they come!" cried Jean in relief as Scott and Alex ran out to the jet as the sanctuary crumbled around them causing the jet to break away from the runway and tip towards the ground but Logan pulled the plane up just in time to land it.
Meanwhile Scott and Alex were falling to the ground but were able to use their power to land softly. They then utilized the rest of their supercharged powers to destroy the sanctuary before it could flatten them to death, reverting them back to their original states.
The X-Men along with Lance and his gang debarked from the plane and ran over to the two boys. Jean walked over to Scott who had his eyes closed and gave him his glasses so that he could see again.
"I'm sorry, all of you," murmured Scott. "Professor, I just, you know. I-I made some bad choices and Rose, I'm sorry for listening to Magneto after all you told us about him."
"It's alright, Scott," she assured him with a kind smile. "We all make bad choices. All you can do is own up to them and learn from them in the future. Plus we owe you our lives, you and your brother Alex so thank you."
Scott turned to Alex and laid a hand on his shoulder.
"So much for Havoc, huh?" he said with a slight smile.
Scott laughed and ruffled his hair. "Yeah, the white hair looked lousy on ya, anyway."
"Hey Scott, if nothing else at least I have my bro back and that's what really matters to me," he replied.
Scott smiled as he hugged his younger brother. "Yeah, me too and I promise nothing is going to split us up again."
"With time, Alex, your powers will emerge on their own," Charles told him as he looked at them with kind brown eyes. "and if you'll allow, we will be there to help you along the way. All of us. Together, unified because we are the X-Men."
This is where I was meant to be: part of a family, thought Rose as she leaned into Logan who wrapped his arms around her. Perhaps someday I'll be able to make a family of my own. Right now though, it's just nice to enjoy this moment of solidarity and comfort. I have never been more glad to be an X-Man.
A/N: And there you have it! I hope you all enjoyed and a big shout out to my silver cheetah on her 43rd birthday, HAPPY BIRTHDAY ROSE! I am glad and proud to have you as one of my characters! Til next time, read review and show the love!