Greetings, all! Maria here! The X-Men do not belong to me. Meg and Ruby are canon characters, however, though they come from different zany timelines in the Marvel Universe. Google it. I thought it would be fun to put them in the same timeline. I hope you enjoy. "NeXt Genesis" because cheesy "X" puns are cheesy. "Fergalicious" does not belong to me either. I wish it did ...
Cheers, Maria
Please Read & Review!
Chapter I: Ruby Wants A Dog
Ruby always chose Chow King. Always.
"They have sushi, hibachi and a sundae bar," Ruby explained, emphasizing "sundae bar" as if she had won an argument with her sister before an argument had even begun.
"Not to mention all the chicken wings Dad can eat," Ruby added, running her fingers through her dark-gold hair, a habit she had inherited or learned or whatever from said Dad.
Megan saw said Dad grin one of his rare grins. Even Mom smiled. With her ice-blue eyes and super-straight white-blond hair, she was the picture of poise and grace. Even her name was "Grace." Ruby shared her name. "Ruby Grace". Too bad she hadn't inherited that trait, Meg thought with a smirk.
"Good chicken wings, dear?" Emma prompted with a smirk very similar to her eldest daughter's.
Meg knew her mother was trying to seem cool and nonchalant in the face of Ruby's almost rabid enthusiasm, but even Meg would admit her sister's silliness was infectious. And right now Emma Frost, the White Queen as she was called by many (and with more than a hint of fear by most), was doing her best not to crack up.
"Listen, Mamma," said Ruby, scowling in a way that was eerily similar to her father's trademark frown. "You can go to Food Rodeo and pay eight bucks - discluding the soda - and eat their sterling chicken wings and then feel bad about it for the rest of your life."
Emma rolled her eyes - both at the term "discluding" and the way Ruby pronounced "Row-Day-Oh."
"Or you can come to Chow King where you get a never-ending supply of wings and a sundae bar," Meg concluded, deadpan, her face a mask of seriousness. The freckled 14-year-old ducked her blond head, only a shade darker than Emma's, and blew bubbles in her water glass through the straw.
Unable to bear it any longer, Emma Frost and Scott Summers laughed in unison.
"I knew I liked you for some reason, big sis!" the youngest (not to mention rowdiest) of the Summers family crowed as Ruby threw her strong arm around her "big" sister.
Of course, "big" was used only in terms to relate Meg and Ruby's ages. For all intents and purposes, Ruby was the "big" sister. She stood a head taller than Meg and her outrageous personality, crazy dark-blonde curls and the fact that her very skin was bio-organic ruby-quartz crystal made the youngest Summers sister seem even bigger ...
And that description didn't even include the part about Ruby shooting concussive beams out of her eyes.
So "big" was only used to describe Meg's seniority - and barely that.
Today, Ruby turned 14. In just a few weeks, Meg would turn 15, so for one magical month the Summers sisters were the same age.
... And Meg knew Ruby would enjoy every last moment of it.
"Try to be quiet, girls," Emma chided her daughters, though her very pointed look was aimed directly at her youngest offspring.
Meg noticed patrons and staff at surrounding tables beginning to turn, stare and (some) smile knowingly at her family. Thanks to Ruby, the Summers were regulars at this restaurant and most of the servers, chefs and other regular diners were all too familiar with Ruby's boisterousness.
We could communicate telepathically! Ruby suggested cheerfully thru the psychic link her mother, an extremely powerful telepath, had established amongst her family when Meg was two years old. Ruby wasn't telepathic; neither was her father, but - thanks to Emma's psy-link - the Summers could stay in touch with one another wherever they were and no matter how far apart they traveled.
"No thank you," Meg replied verbally, scowling. Like her mother, Meg was a powerful psychic, but her great raw telepathic ability was yet to be tempered by training and experience as Emma's had.
Like many young telepaths, Meg suffered greatly in crowded areas, such as this restaurant, and people's many jumbled thoughts and emotions pressing in on her mind which was predisposed to detect all of them.
Emma Frost had taught her eldest child since Meg was a toddler to put up mental shields in her mind to keep out all the loud static of others' countless barrage of thought. That took concentration, however, and particularly strong emotions or feelings from others always got thru no matter how fastidiously Meg kept up her psy-shields.
Meg's reason to avoid crowds. And needless telepathic chatter with her sister and parents. Even now, she could feel a nasty headache setting up around her temples. Her father seemed to sense it and gazed thoughtfully at his daughter - or at least, he turned in her direction and she assumed looked at her. Meg had never seen her father's eyes. No one she knew had. He had the concussive ocular beams Ruby had inherited and, like Ruby, Scott - nor anyone else - had ever found a way of controlling them short of constantly wearing protective eye-wear to contain the beams. Ruby always wore shades too, but hers were black unlike Scott's red visor.
Scott gave Meg a sympathetic smile and squeezed her hand. Funny how he could communicate with his daughter without words or telepathy, Meg thought. Right now, she knew that he knew she was stressed by the pressure of others' thoughts and maintaining mental barriers and was willing to offer her a break from it all.
Meg, however, just gave her father a brave smile in return. There was no reason for her to spoil this night out for her family; they were all usually so busy. The Summers rarely had time to spare for family gatherings. Emma Frost was the headmistress of the Jean Grey School and Scott Summers (better known as the hero Cyclops) was still the co-leader of the super-powered team the X-Men, though nowadays he was relying more and more on Rachel, his eldest child and Meg and Ruby's half-sister, to take on his leadership duties.
Ruby had joined and bested every extracurricular activity she had encountered and every boy Meg knew of at the Jean Grey School was both in awe and in love with her fiery sister whether they said so or not - their thoughts surrounding Ruby were LOUD. It was awful.
Meg was no slouch, however. Emma Frost expected her daughters' very best and they usually delivered. (A bit haphazardly on Ruby's part, but the youngest Summers did try and most often triumphed in her endeavors even if that usually meant beating whatever adversary - abstract or otherwise - presented itself to Ruby senseless.)
Meg was President of the School's Fabric Tech Guild and Small Mammals Domestication Clubs. She had been breeding Angora rabbits since she was six when she received her first (and most beloved) Angora buck, Kingsley, and was the alpha leader of the School's sole alpaca herd which inhabited a pleasant paddock by the stables.
Living their lives was more than enough to keep the Summers occupied; Meg did not want to mess up this rare occasion they could be together - and Ruby's big night at that.
Cyclops, the stern leader of the X-Men, would offer Meg a reprieve from her telepathic struggles. Emma would not. A telepath herself, she had been thru the same struggles as her daughter and without the careful mentoring Emma gave her child. Maintaining composure in such a setting as this was good practice for a budding telepath, she would tell Meg gravely. Emma Frost expected her to tough it out. Meg expected that of herself as well - Ruby and her father could never "turn off" their powers. Why should she complain about hers?
"Let's move on to school," Scott announced, following the customary schedule the Summers' family gatherings usually took. Scott Summers seldom swerved from a Plan. Meg knew her dad's powers weren't the only thing he had trouble "turning off."
"Yuck! Why?" Ruby groaned. Unlike Meg, Ruby had no trouble making her feelings known. "Winter Break is about to start. NO SCHOOL!" she shouted in a voice that should be reserved for hockey rinks, Meg thought.
"Ruby, please!" Emma snapped angrily.
"Oh, sorry, Mamma," Ruby replied meekly. Then she "shouted" as loudly as possible thru the family's psy-link: NO SCHOOL! setting Meg and her father's teeth on edge.
"Ruby Grace Summers!" Emma snarled, employing the "three names" both daughters dreaded to hear. "If you want to live to see your fifteenth birthday, you will desist from shouting -"
Ruby sputtered: "B-But I wasn't verbally -"
"Telepathically or otherwise," Emma growled.
"Yes, Mamma ..." Ruby squeaked. She looked so mollified, Meg giggled. She couldn't help it; she was roaring with laughter mentally anyway. Emma would "hear" one way or the other. Scott snorted with laughter and tried to hide it in his water glass. Nothing escaped the White Queen, however. Emma glared at all of them ... before her stern demeanor cracked into a smile.
"All right," she sighed, closing her eyes momentarily. "I reserve judgment on you, Ruby Grace, because this is your birthday."
"But keep it down, Rube," Scott put in with a smile. "Because the maitre d' is going to throw us out."
"Kay, Daddy," Ruby said innocently before launching into her latest exploits as the "Grey Bay" goalie.
It did not escape Meg's notice that her "little" sister had earned her position as goalie because she had accidentally slashed every other player she encountered, opposing or otherwise. The other kids were just too scared to go out on the ice to face Ruby. Ruby was an excellent goalie though; she had her father's razor-edge precision and aim. When her boisterous nature was contained to a small space where she could focus on a specific target ... Well, there was a reason the Grey Bay's were undefeated since appointing Ruby Summers goalie.
She could even destroy the hockey puck with her concussive force beams; of course, this was completely against the rules - or at least it was now that Ruby Summers was on the ice.
Ruby just loved explosions. She loved pushing and shoving and general roughhousing. Ruby was also a member of the "Grey Frays" - the School roller derby league. There, she could shove and throw her elbows around as much as she liked, but, as in hockey, no eye-beams were allowed on the rink.
They were, however, in the Danger Room. Ruby had been putting her powers to the test in the School's holographic training arena since she turned 13. Her parents figured either allow their daughter to do it or face an "accidental" hole in the roof or shattered dry-wall via Ruby's eye-beams every other day. Like her Dad, Ruby contained an incredible power behind her dark glasses and had to let it out occasionally.
Sometimes it was hard to believe she and Meg were related, let alone sisters. Ruby and Scott would sometimes just blow off steam incinerating concrete blocks or clay pigeons in the backyard. Even the old films father and daughter binged on were full of exploding buildings and burning vehicles. Meg's idea of a fun Saturday was calmly spinning fiber into thread or experimenting on a new crochet stitch.
It wasn't something Meg was ashamed of - she could thank her ultra-supportive mom for that; as long as she strove to be the best at what she was good at, Emma allowed her to pursue what she wanted - it was just ... there were others, like her Uncle Hank and her best friend, Jeannie, who were more similar to Meg than her own sister and there were times it filled her with confusion and an emotion similar to wistfulness.
"Megan?" Emma prompted her eldest daughter, frowning the way she always did when she caught Meg daydreaming - which was more often than Emma liked, Meg thought.
"Oh," Meg started, jerking her elbow off the table the way she did when she was caught mooning about. She sat up a bit straighter, the way everyone did when the White Queen's blue eyes were on them. "I am experimenting with a new hybrid thread; quivet - very light - but with the hardiness and weatherproof qualities of alpaca fleece and then, of course, the softness of rabbit Angora ..."
Meg's blue eyes lit up and she began to speak rapidly the way she always did when she was talking about something she enjoyed - in this case fiber technology.
... And Ruby's mouth began to sag slightly as she zoned out. Family rule dictated all members must pay attention and at the very least acknowledge what a speaker was saying, but Meg excused her sister for being bored. Meg knew enough to understand that for many people advances in fiber tech could seem a bit ... dull, especially to someone like Ruby who immediately lost interest in something if it didn't include some sort of explosion within the first five minutes.
Hell, the fact her sister was making an effort to listen to Meg's latest exploits was a huge credit to Ruby's sisterly devotion.
Meg could tell Emma sensed Ruby's wandering attention by the scowl she was giving the oblivious Ruby. Meg could too; Ruby's thoughts were never discreet. If Meg were to intentionally delve into her sister's mind, she would (as she would with any person) find a whirlwind of jumbled thoughts and emotions. Skimming the surface of Ruby's thoughts, however, Meg found her sister was wondering what her concussive beams could do to a hibachi grill. She was also thinking about what different flavors of soda would taste like mixed together and - the thought always niggling around at the back of Ruby's mind - dogs.
Meg guessed the next topic of discussion: Ruby's birthday present. Her whole family had been delaying this conversation the entire evening, but Meg thought it best to get it over with, so she wrapped up her School presentation with: "In essence, a hypoallergenic fabric perfect for a functioning uniform."
"Very good," Emma smiled, in genuine pleasure. Emma Frost adored both her children, and whatever thoughts she let slip to Meg never betrayed this sentiment, but there were times Meg wondered if the prim and beautiful White Queen had bargained for a child as rambunctious as Ruby.
Ruby was almost bursting as Meg finished speaking. Meg didn't miss the almost-panicking look her mother gave her father. It wasn't often the White Queen squirmed and Meg sat back with a smirk to enjoy the show.
Emma glared at Meg who just shrugged. Sorry, Mom. It's Ruby's birthday. Not mine, she sent her thoughts Emma's way. You and Dad are on your own with this one.
Supportive as always, Megan, Emma grumped thru their pys-link.
Ruby, privy to all this, of course, piped up: "Can we talk about my birthday present now?"
Emma smiled at her youngest child. "Ruby Grace," she said, a sure sign of nervousness. Nervousness and Emma Frost did not belong in the same sentence. Hell, apprehension did not. Oh, this was going to be good, thought Meg, sipping her water. Her father ran his fingers thru his already-rumpled hair. She noted, not for the first time, the greying hairs sprouting at his temples.
Emma cleared her throat. "Ruby," she said. The White Queen rarely repeated herself. She rarely had to.
"I'm not getting a dog this year ..." Ruby said, staring down at her place-mat. Meg felt her sister's intense emotions radiating like heat. Feeling Ruby's disappointment was like coming down from an intense high. Ruby wasn't sullen or whining ... just sad. For the thirteenth year, she'd been let down. Yet she still wasn't resigned. Meg didn't know if that made it better or not. As much as Meg enjoyed seeing her always-in-control parents so uncomfortable, she felt intensely sorry for her sister.
Most kids' first words are "Mama" or "Da-Da." Ruby's first word was "dog." Ruby was obsessed with dogs. Ruby, who avoided reading anything besides school texts she was forced to, filled her room with informative books and posters on dogs - their physiology, their breeds, their habits. Ruby chattered incessantly about dogs: what dog she would own, what she would name it, the games and tricks they would do. Ruby's fondest wish was to own one.
Meg had to admit it was very annoying, a little pathetic ... but also pretty sad. Especially since, for the past 13 years, their parents had denied it. Meg suspected other parents might just break down and give their daughter what she so desperately wanted; but other parents were not Emma Frost and Scott Summers.
And other kids might have finally given up on their dream and moved on to focus on other things. But then again, not all kids were Ruby Frost-Summers.
Meg readied herself for the tired debate she listened to on every one of Ruby's birthdays. Her blue eyes darted between Ruby and her parents' side of the table like she was watching a tennis match.
"Rube, pets adopted on birthdays are usually given impulsively," Scott said.
"But it wouldn't be impulsive!" Ruby said, bringing her fists down on the table and making the water glasses rattle. Emma flashed her youngest daughter her trademark icy-cold warning glare; it could (and had) made the X-Men's worst foes pause and reconsider their life choices. But Meg knew Ruby was meeting that icy gaze with her own concussive-beam-generating eyes.
"Sorry, Mamma," Ruby said quickly. Even her most headstrong child wouldn't antagonize the White Queen. "But it wouldn't be," she couldn't help herself adding. That might have sounded like whining coming from any other kid, but Meg admitted that her sister wasn't begging; she was just stating facts.
"I have wanted a dog since I could remember. I've researched the best breeds to suit my lifestyle, my personality and my capabilities. Their care and training. I've even searched out reputable breeders. I would know both my puppy's parents and their home environments and upbringing," Ruby ticked off each point on her fingers.
At first glance to many people, Ruby seemed flippant and reckless, but her sister knew that couldn't be further from the truth. When Ruby was focused on a goal, she did her homework and wouldn't be swerved from her desired prize.
"I am ready for this," Ruby said with conviction.
"Are you?" Scott asked his youngest, slanting an eyebrow down at her.
"Yes!" Ruby snapped. "Meg has owned rabbits since ..."
Meg opened her mouth in indignation. She felt sorry for her sister for being denied what she wanted most, but this opinion of Ruby's always pissed off Meg. She was about to argue back when her father swooped in with a response.
"Meg's rabbits are strictly livestock," Scott said in a stern tone he had led the X-Men with for years. "Raised for a particular agricultural purpose."
"In this case, fiber," Meg couldn't help but add. Though she appreciated her dad's input, she was more than capable of standing up for herself, especially to Ruby.
"Plus, rabbits are not dogs. And Meg's rabbits are not pets. A dog would be," Scott continued. "A dog is a predator, built to live in a pack environment. Meg's rabbits view her alone as a provider. A dog would change the entire dynamic of our family; its role in our home would effect everyone else's life. It would essentially be, in some ways, like having a younger sibling. A dog thrives in a family hierarchy in which it is constantly jostling for position - without the proper training, that position might be superior to you."
Meg couldn't see it, but she could tell her dad was sizing up Ruby the same way he sized up an opponent or a follower - a soldier, someone worthy to fight for him and someone worthy to be led. Cyclops had been doing that almost his entire life. He was a leader, balancing stringent command with compassion and caring for his teammates ... and weighing the sacrifices he and his followers took to reach an objective against the hardship that placed upon his team.
Meg very vaguely understood the difficult life her father led before she and her sister were born; Scott had done everything in his power to shield his youngest children from the harshness of the world they lived in. Even nowadays, for children like Ruby and Meg - children with extremely powerful gifts - life was very hard beyond their sheltered home.
Scott and Emma's daughters were growing up fast, however, and the time to teach them of the dangers outside the safety of their family home was running out.
"I know all that," Ruby said in exasperation.
"Your research has led you to believe that," Emma corrected her. "You haven't experience, my dear, that turns knowledge into wisdom."
Scott was facing Ruby. Meg had trouble reading her father's expression because his eyes were always covered. She could tell now, however, that he was thoughtful.
"Maybe Ruby deserves that chance, Emma," Scott said slowly in the same tone he always used when he was reaching a decision.
The thing about Cyclops was he had lived with telepaths for such a long time he almost had an immunity to telepathy in general, sort of like a person develops an immunity to disease after being exposed to it for so long. That made her father both easy for Meg to be around, since his thoughts weren't constantly bombarding her mind, and hard for her to read telepathically. He was one of the few people who could genuinely surprise Meg.
And her mother.
Emma Frost was seldom surprised by anything and she didn't like it, Meg could tell, even (especially) when it came from Cyclops. Meg knew it hurt her mom's pride that he was as immune to her telepathy as he was to his daughter's.
Emma's blue eyes widened at Scott. "We should let Ruby get a dog?" she asked him in a "but-we-did-not-discuss-this" voice.
Scott answered carefully because Ruby was starting to make the silverware shake by bouncing in her seat. "Eventually, yes," he stated calmly.
"Eventually ...?" Ruby echoed, a bit crestfallen. Only a bit. This was the furthest she had even gotten on her dog-ownership campaign.
Scott replied before Emma could which made the White Queen narrow her eyes in frustration. "Ruby had done her research, as you said," he explained. "Hell, she's more prepared to own a dog than most people are to become parents," he pointed out wryly. "More prepared than we were." Meg had to bite her lip to keep from smirking at this. Ruby was suspiciously quiet at this remark. She was so close to capturing her goal; Meg could almost hear her sister holding her breath.
Emma scowled. She had never said anything in front of Ruby before, but Meg knew her mother disliked dogs. Meg did too. She found them barbaric and distasteful, great loud brutes always making noise and trouble. And they chased down cute little innocent animals like rabbits and ate them. But stating these opinions to Ruby would have broken her heart and, deep down, Meg would have died before doing that.
Besides, even Meg would admit a dog could be well-trained and there wasn't a doubt in her mind that her little sister would do it faithfully.
Scott turned to Emma questioningly. Emma shut her eyes and sighed. She didn't like being out-voiced, even by Cyclops, her leader and father of her children.
Then she looked directly at Meg. "What does Megan think?" she asked.
Meg was shocked. Two surprises in one evening was a bit too much for her. Her parents had never asked her opinion in this debate. Meg frankly thought it was none of her business.
It is your business, honey, because you'll have to live with this decision every day just like the rest of us, Emma's telepathic "voice" chimed in her head.
Meg smiled. Still, it was nice to be asked. It made her feel so ... grown-up.
She took a long sip of water; she was thirsty and wanted time to carefully think about how to respond, but she also wanted to tease Ruby who was almost shaking next to her with impatience.
Finally, Meg replied, "I think Ruby should get her dog. She'd done her homework. Let her have an experience."
Ruby's expression could be just as hard to read as her father's, but her thoughts radiated surprise and gratitude for her sister. So much so, Meg was afraid she might hug her in public. Then she knew she would literally die.
Currently, the youngest Summers looked like she might scream.
Emma, sensing this, said gravely: "Ruby Grace, if you disobey my directive of no shouting, this decision will be rescinded."
Ruby put both her hands over her mouth to keep from doing so. All the other Summers laughed happily.
###
Ruby was dancing around Meg's room, singing along to her annoying and offensive music. Both girls were in pajamas and ready for bed.
"I ain't easy, I ain't sleazy, I got reasons why I tease 'em. Boys come and go like seasons," Ruby sang raucously along with the singer's voice pouring out of Ruby's ear-buds.
Then she broke into a freestyle of: "But I'm gettin' a dog, oh yeah!"
Megan glared at her sister over the instructive hologram video she was watching on quivet production. "Ugh," she grumbled. "I'm considering rescinding my previous decision."
Meg scowled in an expression almost identical to Emma's. With her long light-blond hair and blue eyes, excluding the freckles, she could have been her mother's miniature. Ruby stopped to do a double-take and tripped over Meg's bean-bag chair. Meg howled with laughter and Ruby, who loved jokes even at her own expense, joined in gleefully.
Girls ... a little less noise, Emma's warning telepathically chimed in their minds.
Bed is in ten, Scott's "voice" added.
Ruby usually would have argued, but she would have jumped over the moon for her parents tonight. Meg worried exactly how her sister was going to get to sleep, she was so excited. She wondered if their mom would have to telepathically shut Ruby's brain down into a calmer state. As a parent, Emma Frost could do that ...
"But I do my best to avoid that, darling. Why, I haven't telepathically influenced my daughters' sleep-patterns since Ruby turned four," Meg purred, sounding so much like her mother, Ruby clamped her hands over her mouth and rolled on the floor in silent giggle fits.
I can still hear you! Emma huffed into her daughters' brains.
"Hearing is defined by the ear detecting noise, darling," Meg continued, in her mother's honey-sweet tones. "Sound is the comprehension of meaning in said noise ... Both impossible via telepathy."
Megan Katherine Summers! Emma snapped telepathically.
"Oops, three names!" Ruby giggled, when she could gasp air long enough to speak. "You're in trouble, Meggie!"
Meg grinned when she sensed Emma's slight bemusement. Her mother probably hadn't bargained on her eldest child causing the ruckus tonight. Meg usually wasn't the troublemaker of the family.
Meg, tone it down, or you can go to bed an hour earlier next week, Scott warned thru the psy-link.
Yes, Dad, Meg replied. And sorry, Mom.
We love you, Mamma! Ruby chimed in.
Meg could almost see her mother pinching the bridge of her nose as she wondered why having two girls was so stressful.
Love you, girls, Emma replied. Even her telepathic "voice" dripped with weariness.
Meg returned to half-watching her video. Ruby scampered over to her bed and jumped up on it, causing her sister to bounce slightly. Meg scowled at her sister, who beamed back, her face one big grin. Ruby's music was still playing so loudly, Meg could hear every obnoxious lyric pounding out of her sister's ear-buds. Ruby pushed her curly head against Meg's shoulder. It was an annoying, but oddly endearing, habit of Ruby's, something she had done to her sister since she was a baby.
"What?" Meg demanded.
"You love meee!" Ruby whispered.
"I. Do. Not!" Meg hissed.
"You love me! You love me!" Ruby chanted softly.
Meg tried very hard to frown, but she couldn't. She grinned. "What makes you think that?" she asked.
"Y-You stood up for me ..." her sister replied almost shyly.
"I was stating facts," Meg said with a sniff.
"But you voted in my favor," Ruby argued.
"'Voting' would suggest a democratic process in which each of us influenced the outcome; this was ultimately Dad and Mom's decision."
"But you swayed their decision. They listen to you. You're their favorite."
Meg opened her mouth to argue, then shut it. Her pale cheeks flushed.
"W-What? I am not!" she said, flustered.
"Yes you are!" Ruby exclaimed. "You're quiet and sweet and look just like Mom, so of course you're Daddy's Little Girl. And you're a genius not to mention a telepath, so Mamma loves you."
"B-But you blow stuff up with Dad!" Meg stammered. "I never do that! If I tried to break stuff I would be too worried about fixing it. And you're so tall and beautiful like Mom. And you're not scared of anything!"
"Ugh, stupid, you know you're better than me. Just admit it!" Ruby growled.
"Stupid yourself! You're the best!" Meg snapped.
"No! You're the best!"
Ruby wrapped her arms around her sister and they grappled around until they landed on the floor. It had been a long time since the sisters had wrestled anyone outside of the combat training School required of them. Ruby's bigger size, of course, bested Meg, but the smaller Summers still put up a pretty good fight (though Meg found fighting with her mind easier than her muscle) - until she thought about their father.
"Ruby! Stop it!" she hissed as her sister put her in a headlock. "Dad will ground me if he finds out we're scuffling in here."
"No, he won't because you're his favorite," Ruby replied, smirking, and letting go of her sister.
Meg hit her with a throw pillow, but for once Ruby didn't fight back; she just laughed.
Meg sprawled back on her bed and Ruby climbed up to lay down beside her sister. They lay nose to nose, the same way they did when they were little and sharing secrets. Meg could see her reflection in Ruby's shades. Before bed, Ruby would put on a protective sleep mask over her eyes in case she woke up in the night and carelessly opened her eyes. Not for the first time, Meg wondered what her sister's eyes looked like. What color were they? Probably blue since everyone on both sides of their family had blue eyes. No one knew for sure, however. Even as an infant, Ruby had had to wear protective eye-gear to contain her concussive beams.
Meg found it strange, on the occasions she had skimmed her sister's thoughts (which were often), that Ruby didn't resent her powers. There were times when Meg certainly resented hers. Ruby's seemed unfair, even debilitating, but Ruby seemed to love her powers. Probably because they caused explosions, Meg thought drolly.
Right now, Ruby's thoughts seeping past Meg's psy-barriers were consumed, as usual, with dogs.
"I thought you didn't like dogs," Ruby said suddenly. "I know Mamma doesn't."
"Um, well, I don't generally," Meg replied, somewhat surprised. Ruby was perceptive, though it was sometimes hard to tell with her rambunctiousness and alongside such a thoughtful sister as Meg. "And, yes, Mom doesn't either, but I - I mean, we - know you'll train your dog to behave properly."
You better, was tacked onto Meg's response although she didn't say it. "And keep your dog away from my rabbits!" she added sternly.
"Oh, I will!" Ruby said, beginning to wriggle with excitement again. "I've thought about a herding dog. It will have energy and drive, but I do too, so we'll help each other out."
"Will you be training it or will it be training you?" Meg quipped.
"Ha, ha," Ruby replied humorlessly.
"Well, this is as much for your benefit, experience-wise," Meg replied. She frowned suddenly. "Speaking of ... I was surprised by Dad's response this evening."
"How do you mean?" asked Ruby, cocking her head.
"Dunno if you've noticed, but Dad's ultra-protective of us."
"He let me train in the Danger Room," Ruby pointed out.
"Only on Level One and only because he had to rebuild the back porch," said Meg, rolling her eyes. "And also, never alone. Mom and Dad are always with you. Or Oliza or Toad."
"Daddy hasn't even let me join a DR team yet," Ruby agreed thoughtfully.
Meg almost regretted her words. She hoped she hadn't planted a seed of resentment in her cheerful sister. Meg really didn't want Ruby to start on a new campaign now that she was allowed to get a dog.
Meg rolled over on her back. "Dad tries to shelter us from the outside world," she mused. But what disturbed Meg more was that her father's attitude didn't really bother her. She enjoyed her little insular world of School, her rabbits, her parents, her sister, her friends. In three weeks she would be 15 years old. Why didn't she want more than this?
"He's had a hard life. Mamma too. Sometimes I wonder just how hard," Ruby said. Meg glanced appraisingly at her sister; Ruby was rarely pensive, but when she was she approached introspection like anything else, throwing her whole being into it. "He never talks about it. At least, not with us. And never with Mamma or Uncle Hank that I know of," Ruby added, jerking her chin at Meg in a pointed way.
"Well, I certainly don't," Meg stated, a little coldly. "You know Dad is practically immune to telepathy and I wouldn't pry into Uncle Hank's mind. I wouldn't pry into any mind."
That was the first rule of ethical telepathy. Meg was taught since infancy to build up barriers to others' thoughts and emotions to keep them from overwhelming her. She didn't need to go intentionally looking into others' minds.
But then ... she had never just asked Dad or Uncle Hank. Uncle Hank was one of Meg's best friends and probably her father's closest and oldest friend.
Why had she never just asked him about her father's past or his own? They were both founding members of the X-Men, but that was about all she knew about their lives before she was born. And, apparently, that was all they wanted her to know. Meg had never thought about it before and now it deeply disturbed her - not so much they might be keeping these things from her or that she didn't care, but that it had never crossed her mind before.
"Mamma wants us to be prepared for anything the world throws at us," Ruby said. "She was the one who convinced Daddy to let me train in the DR, you know."
"Really? It wasn't the fact he had to keep rebuilding our house?" Meg joked.
Ruby stuck her tongue out at her sister. "But both their approaches are futile," she murmured. "Mamma can't prepare us for everything we'll encounter out there no more than Dad can protect us from it all."
There were times when Meg couldn't believe she was related to this crazy girl, but then there were moments like this when something inside them both clicked and they seemed as similar as if they were the same person. Meg smiled at her sister and somewhat impulsively kissed the tip of Ruby's red nose.
Ruby's eyebrows shot up in surprise, then she grinned and whispered: "You do love me!"
"Guilty ..." Meg replied sleepily.
Bed now, girls, Emma told her daughters telepathically.
May I sleep in Meg's room, Mamma? Ruby asked.
The girls occasionally slept in one another's rooms. The ritual had begun when they were both two years old. Meg was petrified of thunderstorms; she still was, an irrational fear she was ashamed of, but even as a toddler, Ruby (who even then feared nothing and no one as far as Meg could tell) sensed her sister's need for reassurance and took to cuddling with her on her baby cot.
Meg knew her mom disapproved, but Emma Frost had learned to chose her battles as a parent. She knew there were times like this when her girls just wanted the close comfort of one another. Now that they were growing up, those occasions were becoming scarce.
All right, but no more talking - verbally or otherwise, Emma responded.
When the girls spent the night in one another's rooms, each was supposed to sleep on a cot by the bed, but of course they disobeyed this rule and their mother had never enforced it. Ruby snuggled closer to his sister; Meg sensed her sister's brain shutting down and drifting away into the world of dreams which were inhabited, of course, by millions of barking, snuffling, running, panting, large and small dogs chasing butterflies and squirrels and sniffing each other's butts.
Just as she thought Ruby was completely out, her sister murmured sleepily: "Meggie, we're both fourteen ..."
Meg smiled. It was extremely rare occasions like this that made her thankful she wasn't an only-child.