Author´s note: Set after the events of X 3. This is a sequel of my other Pyro story Homecoming and focuses a little more on his relationship with Kitty. I kind of wanted to do this in the other story, too. But I got sidetracked a little. Oh, I don´t think that you have to read Homecoming to follow this story, it can stand on it´s own. But if you do, I would be happy. So, I hope you enjoy yourselve. Have fun.
Disclaimer: The characters and concepts of X-Men are owned by 20th Century Fox, creator Stan Lee and Marvel comics. I own nothing and this is just for fun!
Torch
- Chapter 1 -
John was sitting on a sofa in the dark, a fire burning in the fireplace. There was a book beside him, that he had laid aside long ago.
They had left him here to guard the mansion and the kids in it. After all, he had enough combat experience for that. Even if he had not trained much for quite some time now. And all things considered, probability nothing would happen here at the mansion.
The X-Men had all gone to fight off another crisis. What had really happened... He did not knew. He had not asked and they had not told him. Just left him a communication device – in case something happened here. But again, it was unrealistic something happened.
Still – they liked to have somebody on to watch. Mutants had many enemies. Someone could see this as a chance to rid the human world of some mutant kids, while they were still relatively harmless. It had happened before - back then he had been one of those kids who had to be protected.
He should feel honoured that they trusted him enough to do this job. After all, he had been their enemy not long ago.
He was tired, but he had to wait until they came back before he could go to bed. And he just had the fire to keep him company, everybody else were in their rooms.
Suddenly he heard the jet engines. He went to the window, watching as the jet came down slowly. It would soon land in the hangar under ground. John asked himself if he should go down and check that everything was all right? And that nobody was in that plane that should not be there?
Yet he had not been down in the cellar for some time. More or less since they had brought him in after Alcatraz. Then he had been in the examination rooms to be treated. Maybe they would not want him there? But then again, what was down there to see that he had not seen already?
So he snuffed the fire with one gesture and went to the elevator. And then down to the basement.
As the elevator doors opened he could hear their voices.
"Quick, we must get him into the examination room."
Piotr was carrying Bobby in this arms. Rouge was beside him and then the others followed close behind them. Bobby was bleeding from his head and was unconscious.
John stood for a moment in the elevator door, taking this in, when Logan spoke to him.
"Is everything all right?"
"Yes..." John looked again in Bobby´s direction. "What has happened?"
"He had been a moment off guard. So the machine hit him."
After that the conversation was over and Logan went after Bobby. John was left standing. And still did not knew what really happened. So he went after them.
There was a flurry of motion in the room while he stood at the door, watching them. He was worried. The way everybody was behaving something was wrong with Bobby. Would he be all right? He was after all the oldest friend he had.
Finally Ororo said. "So, that is all we can do. Now we have to wait if he wakes up in the morning or if we have to get him into a clinic."
A human clinic was not good. Too much could happen there.
Now John finally had the chance to look at all of them. They were all tired and dirty.
"I can stay here and watch him."
"I stay." Mary answered with a dark expression in her face. She still had not forgiven him. And he knew she didn´t trust him either.
But Ororo nodded a him.
"If he is getting worse, call me."
Then they left. The last one to go was Kitty. She was smiling tiredly at him, touching him shortly on the arm before leaving.
Only he and Rouge staid in the room. He felt uncomfortable and finally decided to sat down on one of the chairs. And after some time Rouge did the same on the opposite side of the bed.
They did not speak. Just waited. But after Rouge had nearly fallen asleep for the third time he finally tried to talk some sense into her.
"Mary, I will watch him and wake you, if something is going wrong. You are tired. Will you at least lay down on one of the other beds?"
"I don´t trust you, Pyro."
John sighed. He had caused this himself. He had not accepted her after the cure and now the results were paying of. So he had to try to find a way to mend this.
"I know and maybe you are right, but you are tired. And Bobby is my friend, too. I will do nothing but watch. I promise."
"I have been in your head once, Pyro."
That sounded like a threat. Then he had this crazy idea. After all, crazy was what he was good at. Still, if that was the way she could trust him a little, why not?
"If it helps you, you could do it again."
Not that he would like it. It had been horrible. Feeling his life been drained. And she could. Her powers had returned after the cure had failed. But he had to go through with his promise, so he held out one of his hands.
She shifted as if to remove her gloves, but then stalled.
"No."
Then she got up, moving to another bed. Maybe his gamble was paying of and she trusted him just a little bit.
"If something happens to him..." She lay down and closed her eyes. After two minutes he could tell that she was asleep.
He got his lighter out of his pocket and clicked it open, then shut, then open. The old habbit calmed him down.
He was worried over Bobby. Their relationship had changed in the last month or so. Becoming closer again. He and Kitty were his only real friends after he came back to the mansion, even if he was kind of accepted by the others, too. And he was beginning to dread the day they would finish school. After all, they would leave and go to university or something like that. At least Kitty wanted to. She had told him so some month ago. And he would be staying, because for now he had nowhere else to go.
But first Bobby had to survive his last accident as a X-Men. But surely it was not too bad, was it?
He looked up at the clock. He sat here for about three hours now. He got up and stretched a little. He had to move around a bit or he would get too tired himself. When he sat down he begun to play with his lighter again.
"You know, sometime in the future I will surely miss this noise. But not now."
The quiet voice belonged to Bobby, who had opened his eyes and smiled a bit.
John smiled back. If Bobby was joking again, it could not be too bad.
"You wanted to share a room with me again... I heard that you cracked your head a little. You want anything? A glass of water?"
"Yes, please."
John got the water and held it carefully so that Bobby could drink. With a nod in Mary´s direction he said.
"You want me to wake Rouge?"
"No, I am just tired. Let me sleep just a little." And with that Bobby was asleep again.
Should he wake Ororo? But why? To watch Bobby sleep? She must be asleep by now, too.
So he decided against it and sat down on his chair again, the lighter in his hand, but not playing around with it.
He looked up at the clock on the wall. Down here it was hard to guess the time. Still about four hours before dawn. So he settled himself as comfortable as possible on the chair and waited till someone would show up and take over. Or until Rouge would wake up and kick him out.
Bobby and Mary were still sleeping, when the door opened and Ororo came through it.
"How is Bobby?" She whispered so she would not wake them.
"He was awake for a short time, about four hours or so ago. But then he fell asleep again."
John watched her as she went to Bobbys bed, checked a few readings on one of the machines and then nodded. She moved around to Mary´s bed. He was tired. After not sleeping the whole night with nothing to do he had felt himself drift of a view times. He wished for his bed but he would stay to watch if it was necessary.
He felt a hand on his shoulder.
"John. Thank you. I think you should get something to eat and then get some sleep yourself. I will take over from here."
He nodded and got up. "Thanks."
And with one last look at the patient he left the room and moved to the elevator.
John was tired. So tired. More then twenty four hours were simply too much. Now he was sitting in class after leaving Bobby. Who was now taken care of by Ororo and his girlfriend.
He should have gone strait to bed like Storm had told him to do. But as always he had known better and had done something different then he was told. He had wanted to take a look at Kitty. If she was all right. Last night he had just caught a glimpse of her. And now he was suffering for his decision to go to school.
He could hear the teacher talk about physics. The teacher was a mutant. That was nearly all he knew about the man. This and that he was a former student of the school.
Kitty had been right, not everyone who graduated from the school had to become on of the mutant fighters. He briefly wondered where his tired mind was wandering off to. And hoped that no one would want to ask him questions about what the man was teaching.
But the end of the term was nearing anyway. And nobody was thinking that he could take his exams now, after all the time he had been away. So he figured, they took it easy on him. Letting him getting reacquainted and kept all the difficult stuff for next year. If he was still in school by then.
He had thought about what would happen, if the government found out that he was in the mansion again. And he remembered that prison they put him in the last time around. He really did not want to speculate where he would end up this time.
Kitty was suddenly beside him. He felt her hand on his arm.
"John, are you still awake?"
"Hm."
He could almost hear the smile,as she shuck him a little.
"The lesson is over. Come on, I bring you to your room. Before you disturb everybody by snoring too loud."
He cleared his head enough to smile at her.
"I don´t snore." And on an afterthought. "And I don´t need a babysitter either. I know where to go to."
Some month ago, she would have gone away with a shrug of her shoulders. Now she just smiled back and took his arm.
"Oh, but I think you do."
They had developed this light banter for some weeks now. He sure would miss her, if - no - when she went away.
But he let her lead him through the school to his room. His and Bobby´s room. But he doubted that Bobby would show in the next hours. They would do tests and tests and tests, before deciding that he was healthy enough to leave the examination rooms. Until then he could rest without disturbance.
If Kitty would let him. She sat down on Bobby´s bed.
"How is he? Will he be all right?"
She still cared for Bobby. More then for just a friend. John knew she was still harboring feelings for Bobby. John felt a stab near his heard. And realized that he was jealous.
He took some time to answer. While doing so he took off his shoes and lay down on his bed. Finally he responded.
"He was awake this night. Don´t worry. He always had he head as hard as a stone. I can tell you that."
He thought about the moment, Bobby had knocked him out with his head. He had been so surprised by this attack.
But it was so hard to concentrate. He felt his consciousness slip away. He was just so tired.
He felt her hand on his arm. "And you should sleep, too."
The hand rested there for what seemed some time but was surely just a moment. Then everything finally went dark and he was asleep.