Disclaimer: Anyone or anything you recognize the name from a Marvel comic book, does not belong to me

Disclaimer: Anyone or anything you recognize the name from a Marvel comic book, does not belong to me. I have no money, sue if you want you can't get blood from a stone. Any likeness of people you recognize, I may know them as well and they know I have no money and they can't get anything from me.

Only in your mind

By

NoHaven

Neal Sharra sat quietly on the back porch of Xavier's Institute of Higher Learning reading Field Marshal Viscount Slim's Defeat Into Victory. He found himself drawn into the memoirs of the English general who had led forces in India during WWII. He was being drawn into the tales of how these men had fought to save the world the lived in. Neal found himself finding something in common with the men in the book. Obviously the fact that the men fought in India, his home country, appealed to him, even though he knew full well about the history of India. However it was the connection of the men fighting to save the world that really appealed to him. Since joining the X-Men he had constantly questioned why he did so.

Immediately upon joining the team he began to question his physical ability. Standing 5'9" tall and weighing 160lbs, he was attractive with dark skin and dark hair however he was not the picture of a superhero adventurer. He did not have the height of Colossus, Bishop or Cable. Likewise he did not have the muscular build of Wolverine, or Beast. As a matter of fact his female teammates seemed of similar height and build to him. The fact that many of the team members had also been doing this for a portion of their life also led to a feeling of inadequacy. But lately he had been coming to terms with the fact that he was not as physically intimidating, or as skilled with his abilities as his teammates. He was learning to control his abilities and had shown he was quite powerful. Lately he had been more concerned with another feeling that had entered his mind.

Quietly striding up behind the unaware X-Men was Betsy Braddock, AKA Psylocke. She was the picture of beauty, tall with dark hair and striking features, and the chiseled body of an athlete. Trained in the arts of ninjas she had no problem sneaking up on Neal even if he hadn't been entranced in his book.

"Neal? Am I disturbing you?" Betsy asked, running a hand across the shoulders Neal.

"Uh, no…not at all. To what do I owe this visit Betsy?" Neal stammered.

"Well I just wanted to inform you that Storm has prepared a very nice meal…one that has been overwhelmed by our teammates but there are some scraps left." Betsy said with a smile.

"Thank you, I may have to indulge in what is left." Neal said while smiling.

"What are you reading?" Betsy asked while simultaneously reaching over Neal's shoulder and snatching the book from his hands. Her body pressing against Neal caused him to freeze momentarily as he felt the warmth of her body radiate against him.

"Just a historical account of WWII in India." Thunderbird stammered. "Nothing of great interest."

"I disagree with it being of little interest, but when you are done I would like to read it if possible." Betsy said calmly.

"Yes, you are more than welcome to." Neal said.

"Well, I will leave you to your reading, just remember there is food in the kitchen." Betsy said as she spun on her heel and walked toward the back door. Neal was standing now and couldn't help but notice Betsy's gate, so feminine, yet powerful.

"Makes ya proud to be a man, huh Bub?" a voice growled from behind Neal.

Spinning around, Neal was confronted by Wolverine standing no more than a yard from him, a cigar clenched between his teeth. "What do you mean?" Neal blurted out.

"Ah, come on Bub…Bets has got a great ass, no harm in looking." Wolverine said while turning and striding away from the mansion.

"Uh, yes but…." Neal failed to finish his excuse, as Wolverine was now a decent distance away and in all likelihood disinterested in anything Neal would have said.

Wolverine was right, there was no harm in looking. Most of the men at the mansion would speak of the women's bodies and how they rivaled that of any supermodel. It had seemed to him that Betsy had been flirting with him. She had been very friendly ever since he joined the team, but her relationship with Warren Worthington III had always made it seem as if it was just her way of welcoming him to the team. She was flirtatious with other X-Men, Wolverine, Gambit, and even Beast, so her actions with him were nothing out of the ordinary. Yet Neal always felt as if there might be something more to her flirtations with him. But as a shadow quickly crossed over Neal, he looked up and was reminded as the reason that Betsy's flirtations were nothing more than that. Angel had just landed on a second floor porch and strode inside; Neal could hear Betsy greet him. But he couldn't shake that feeling regardless of what he saw.

"Ah, its all in you head." Neal said quietly as he walked to the kitchen.

Hope you enjoyed it. Please give me some feedback.

NoHaven