Disclaimer: None of the original X-Men are mine, or Fantastic Four, but some characters I claim rights to ;-)
If you enjoyed Vacation and ever thought about what might have happened to the children born to four mutant couples, then this story will fill some blanks and add to the trip…
"Concentrate people! The target is just ahead!"
Eight mutants ran forward across the uneven dust that was their designated training area. Skidding to a halt, the one called Epic smirked and plucked a marble from his pocket. Kissing it he threw it long behind them all, beginning to run before he heard the explosion as it landed.
"Nice shot!"
Apologia shot him a smile and lifted herself off the ground, checking her team was safe. Her red hair fanned around her, long and loose – though she knew for sessions it was supposed to be tied up securely. Reaching out for a teammates mind, she kept her eyes open, watching for any projectiles.
'Tornado? Where are you?'
'Right here!'
A whirlwind burst from her right, crackling with electricity. The boy appeared from the middle, the winds dying as he looked around, a placid kind of anger in his eyes. Tornado shook dust from his hair and looked up to his team leader before nodding and hurrying forward. She would wait for the last of them, she always did.
"We've got your back Apologia." He called, joining the Epic by the end-zone. The pair exchanged a glance, knowing now that the final member of the team was no other than her brother – who they always had to wait for.
"N-UGH!"
A small boy flung himself out of the way of another rampaging robot, and his eyes began to glow white. Holding up one hand, he fired a blast that seemed to change colour as it pierced the metallic body. Beginning to sprint, he tripped in his haste and landed hard, grazing his knee. Lower lip trembling, he pushed himself up and continued running.
'I've got you Nate.'
Feeling a weightlessness, Nathan saw he had been lifted into the air. Firing an angry psionic pulse to her, he struggled.
'I can do it Rach, lemme try!'
The end was in sight but the others hadn't seen him yet, bar his older sister. Meeting her eyes, he saw fiery anger from his attack, but she lowered herself, defending the end-zone with the others. Sending her a burst of affection in thanks, Nathan dodged forward and blasted another 'bot that was advancing on his friends.
Jumping over the line, he whooped as the robots and scene faded. His bright smile and flushed face was enough to make Rachel forgive him, without his little 'thanks'. She grabbed his neck and put him in a headlock, ruffling his hair up.
"Well done Dulce, you managed it!" She said approvingly, not letting on to the others she had lifted him a third of the way to the end. "You'll make my team yet little bro."
Tornado, seeing the scene fade and their sibling affection looked around for their rivals. He smiled and waved to the group of four that were closer to the other side, but not quite there. The twins waved back and began to walk across, obviously tired, but wearing identical grins, still having the energy to knock each other. Tornado flinched as he saw his older sister enraged. He slowly began to step behind Epic, hoping it wasn't him she was angry with.
"Apologia! You cheated!!" The booming voice of Tornado's big sister and rival of Rachel Summers projected with venom. She stalked to the girl and poked her in the shoulder hard, blue eyes blazing. "I saw what you did, and it was cheating."
Rachel squared up to Melissa Monroe, her birthday sharer and long time enemy. Her eyes flared at the accusation and she released her kid brother. Nathan hid with Tornado, the two boys hating that their sisters fought so much.
"I didn't cheat Bahne, I was leading my team, and making sure they were all safe!"
"Liar!! You carried your tyke through half the course!!"
"Did NOT!"
"Did TOO!"
The battle of two words raged, and by the time the pair had turned away from each other in temper, they realised they were all by themselves in the Danger Room. Rachel lifted herself and was out of the doors before Melissa, which made the young Monroe squeal in rage. She stalked from the room and stamped up to her own slamming the door with real feeling.
Fuming, her blue-flecked, brown eyes turned milky and a snarl threatened about her lips. Fists clenched tightly, Melissa only calmed when she realised her nails were drawing blood. Observing the four crescent shaped cuts with a kind of mild interest, Melissa heard Rachel walk past her room and immediately her anger soared once more.
Below her, in the kitchen, Nathan began to develop a headache. His mom was cleaning up his knee, and she immediately sensed his distress. "Nate hon? Are you-?"
"I'm 'kay mom…" He said softly, squeezing his eyes shut. "Just Rach and Mel fought again…"
Jean Summers sighed and stood up, placing a hand on her little boys' cheek. In moments, he opened his eyes and smiled – she was good at blocking the bad feelings. Jean knelt again and put a sticker over his graze and smiled at him, lifting him down from the table edge.
"Done. All better." She smiled and straightened his hair absently. When he looked up with that puppy dog smile and deep brown eyes, she almost lifted him back into her arms again, but resisted on pure willpower. "James and Christian are waiting outside for you."
As he ran from her sight, she heard whoops of delight from all three boys. Turning back to her work, Jean sighed in frustration, wishing she could go and play. Right on cue, her husband walked in the room and froze with the look she shot his way. Mouth opening, then closing, Scott raised one eyebrow over his ruby rose glasses and continued to meet her eyes. Jean mimicked his action and smirked faintly until the man realised what she meant by the look and walked around the table to kiss her softly on the lips.
"Mmm…" She murmured and flicked her eyes up to his. "Scott are you terribly busy for the next hour or so?"
Scott smirked and lifted his wife into his arms, just as their teenage daughter walked into the room. Her expression was priceless. Freezing on the spot, her eyes widened, then she turned and walked out. The pair laughed and shared another kiss, knowing how 'gross' it was that mom and dad still did things like that.
Outside, Jason LeBeau, commonly known as Epic, stood on the lawn along with the outsider on their teams. He flicked his branch over his wrist and caught it again, jabbing at the other male. The tip of the stick melted into a daisy and Jason looked at it incredulously. "Y' know mon amis, tha' defies th' point o' fencin' Frankie."
"Well, you were gonna stick me with it, so I defended myself." Franklin's cornflower blue eyes danced with amusement, though his voice was sober and body completely relaxed as he lay beneath one of the many tress on the estate. "You're far too serious Jase."
"Y' t'ink Jase's serious? Y' should take a look at our team leaders an' yo' girl Frankie-boy." Collapsing to the ground, Jase flicked the now charged daisy head at him, it exploding in a puff of smoke. "Speakin' o' which…"
Franklin's head turned to follow Jase's gaze, falling on a certain redhead who was running down to the lake. He pushed himself off the floor and sighed. "Wish me luck – again."
Saluting his brother-in-arms, Jason sat back, breaking bits from the stick and throwing them to the air so he created his own mini-firework display. Hearing rustling from behind him, he smirked and finished his 'game' and disappeared up into the tree branches without a sound.
More rustling followed, then an annoyed sigh. One of the twins, the female – Susanne – walked out and looked at the spot her older brother had sat in just moments ago. She wrinkled her nose and folded her arms in irritation. That was her game over.
"Psst!"
Susie looked around, then up into the tree and smirked. "How'd y' do tha' Jase?"
Jason smiled at his little sister and lowered a branch for her to hang onto. When she wrapped both hands on it, he pulled it up until she was on her tiptoes, then he disappeared and reappeared within a fraction of a second and she was up in the tree with him. Her eyes were round, and he smiled again, his immunity to her charming powers not stopping him adoring the kid. "Like dat little one. Clever non?"
"Yeahhh…" She drawled and hugged him tightly, just to see behind him. Susie knew his powers allowed him to use pockets, but only natural ones. She also knew that her powers were better, she could use other people's powers if she was close to them, even sometimes afterward. That was cool, better than Jase's ones, because she could use them too.
The pair spent most of their afternoon's playing and hanging out in and around the trees. Susie's twin, Jase's younger brother, Christian liked to hang out with the other younger kids – the boys. Jase was the one that would entertain Susie, and sometimes Mel would play too, if Susie was lucky.
Down by the lake, Rachel sat by the water, her chin in her hands, eyes staring across the water. She wasn't upset, angry a little, but mostly disappointed in herself. So maybe Melissa had had a point – she shouldn't have lifted Nate up, he had the right to do it alone and she should have let him.
"This a bad time?"
Rachel jumped and looked around, to find a pair of cornflower blues fixed on her emerald greens. Her lips twitched a little, and she shook her head. She could 'hear' him a little now, after Franklin had brought her back to reality. Seemed like she got lost more and more these days, listening to a song that made her mother go pale and her father purse his lips. Sighing, she wrapped her arms around herself and looked back across the lake.
"Ever feel that something is different? About us, I mean."
It was Franklin's turn to jump this time, though he had half expected her to speak. He shook his fringe out of his eyes and looked at Rachel. His cheeks flushed as his thoughts jumped from his first meaning to what she had actually meant. "I guess, but then again, we know there is."
"Not just the mutant thing Franklin, something else."
Her eyes turned onto his again and he was sure he saw his feelings reflected there, but wasn't daring enough to admit it and find out. She was too much for him and he didn't feel he'd ever be good enough. Franklin blinked as something else flickered across the green of her eyes and his jaw dropped open in surprise.
"You saw it! Didn't you?" Rachel grabbed his hand excitedly and squeezed encouragingly. "You saw it too!"
Franklin nodded and closed his mouth, his cheeks flushing again as he felt her hand on his. He wasn't sure what 'it' had been, but it had resembled the being in his dreams. The one that spoke of eternity and the everlasting. The one he was slightly afraid of.
Clasping his hands, Rachel turned, kneeling next to him now, not totally aware of the effect she had on males of her species. She smiled softly, some of the excitement in her eyes dying and fading into concern as she saw Franklin's mixed expression. "Hey, don't worry. I'll protect you."
As he began to shake his head, she stole his breath by borrowing his lips. Trapped against hers, Franklin returned the gesture, encircling her in his arms as her hands crept up to his neck. Neither saw the lake flicker nor felt the air warm, neither realised that around them a silver glow shone…
A key to the ages and birthdays of my kidlets
16
Melissa Jaymi Monroe - Bahne
Rachel Anne Summers – Apologia
October 17th
Franklin Richards – Psi-Lord
November 29th
15
Jason LeBeau – Epic
September 5th
10
Susanne LeBeau - Eloi
Christian LeBeau - Hemlock
April 13th
9
James David Monroe - Tornado
March 3rd
Nathan Christopher Summers - Dulce
August 10th
I hope you enjoy this beginning, and will read on. I know my other stories need updating – and believe me, I want to know how they end too… I am writing when I can, but more for relaxation and sometimes inspiration hits the wrong story idea –this is such a time.
Much luv to you all and I hope this satisfies
Summers Groupie