A/N & Disclaimer: Originally written for myself and a few friends for our own amusement. I don't own any of the X-Men, sadly. I'm just borrowing them for my story. And without further ado, I present the beginning of the sequel to Two Kinds of Light; I actually got this posted way sooner than I thought I would. Kudos to those who can figure out the origin of the title! Expect chapter 2 around Thanksgiving; maybe earlier if I can manage it. Enjoy!
++ Prologue ++
"And so, gentlemen, " Senator Howard Fulwood concluded, leaning back into his chair and raising his glass, "with any luck, we'll see the end of the mutant problem by the beginning of next year. May 2010 be a good one!"
As cheers went around the room at the Fulwood home, one of the men near the back quietly excused himself, exchanging a few words with the security guard at the door before exiting, turning up his collar against the gusty wind. It was cold, even for the beginning of December. Heading down the busy sidewalk, he thrust his hands deep into his pockets, pulling a cell phone from one of them and activating speed dial.
"It's me, " he said simply as he passed a group of laughing women, rounding the corner of a busy street teeming with nightlife. "They're going to do it. There's no doubt, anymore." Without waiting for a response, he hung up, slipping the phone back into his pocket and paused as he neared the back of one of the more expensive restaurants in Washington. Leaning over, he nudged the form of a man - his double - on the ground briefly with a toe before his form shifted into that of a tall, muscular blue-skinned woman. Her yellow eyes gleamed as she regarded him for a long moment, lip curling in disgust, before she turned on her heel and stalked off toward an awaiting car.
The real Jabra Radler groaned as he returned to consciousness, grimacing as he brushed dirt off of himself. Fortunately, he hadn't been here on business, but the woman he had been talking to was probably long gone, if the lateness of the hour was any indication. Just how long had he been out, anyway? Stuffing his hands into his pockets as he flattened his hair, trying to look more presentable, he paused, fishing out a slip of paper that he didn't remember having before he stepped outside for a smoke. His eyes widened as he unfolded it and unbidden, it fell from his hands.
If it is war that the senate wants, it's a war they're going to get. We are watching.
++ Chapter I: Homecoming ++
"Are you sure we can't persuade you to stay?" George Hadley pressed for the last time, even as he rose to shake the hand of the young woman sitting across from him.
"No, sir, " she replied with as much politeness as she could muster. "You've all been very kind to me over the past year and a half as I finished my degree, but - I miss my family. It's time for me to go back home."
"Ah, yes, your home, " Hadley repeated. "Where did you say home was for you, again?"
"Westchester, New York, " she answered, a small smile appearing momentarily. "It's been - too long since I was back."
"Ah, yes. Well, best of luck to you, then. We were hoping to convince you to stay on as an instructor; your research here has been outstanding."
The young woman shifted almost uncomfortably at the praise, but managed another smile, nonetheless. "Thank you, sir. It has been a pleasure, Dean Hadley."
After another handshake and a promise to let him know when she found a position in Westchester, Kimberly exited the office, striding out of Brennan Hall with a deep breath. After four years of studying away from Westchester, she was finally ready to return home. Although, she mused as she headed down the steps and pulled out her phone to call a cab, if she had it her way, she wouldn't be returning alone.
"Kim!" a chorus of two voices called.
"Kris! Ellen! I thought you guys had already left, " she exclaimed, beaming at them.
"We thought that you had already left, " Ellen responded, grinning. "We - wanted to talk to you before we left."
"Oh?" Kim prompted, raising an eyebrow. "What about?"
"You told us about your - school, " Kristin said slowly, tucking a strand of her brown hair out of the way. "And, well, we - think that we would fit there quite well. It sounds like a safe place to be, and the way that the news has been reporting on recent situations, I think that I, for one, would be much better off there."
"Me too, " Ellen chimed in, quickly. "I think. Maybe."
"Well, " Kim said at last, casting a cautious glance around them, "I'm certain that I could - arrange for two extra seats on the plane for tonight, if you really want to come with me. Just - think it over, yes? It's a big decision for you guys. We'd love to have you, but the decision must ultimately be yours."
Both nodded, and promising to meet up with her before she went to the airport, even if it was just to say goodbye, the three friends parted ways to begin packing. All graduating seniors were being encouraged to leave by the next morning after convocation.
Later on that evening, a yellow cab pulled up into the front drive of Brennan University, right on schedule. While the cab driver was accustomed to having to wait for his passengers, he glanced rather nervously about him, fiddling anxiously with the dials on the radio. It would be a long drive up to the airport. Hopefully he wouldn't have to transport any mutants around - the bad publicity would certainly reflect back on the company, and then he would lose his job, and then - well, what would he do?
Peering cautiously out through the window, he noticed two girls waiting on the sidewalk with suitcases. Were they his passengers? But they, too, looked as though they were waiting for someone; the taller one glanced at her watch and said something to the shorter, shrugging. But as a third girl with dark hair and glasses strode briskly down the sidewalk, carrying little save for a messenger bag and a laptop case, it was clear that they were waiting for her, since they all waved to each other and exchanged greetings before heading toward the cab together. Squinting at them as they approached, the driver's palms began sweating. The taller one had a particularly bulky jacket on. She wasn't a mutant, was she?
"Good evening!" the bespectacled brunette said cheerily as her companions began loading their luggage into the trunk. "My apologies for being a few moments late. I do hope we haven't inconvenienced you too much?"
"Hey, you're the one paying me to wait for you and drive you to the airport, " he answered, nodding toward his meter. "So it's all three of you and your luggage, then? It's about a two hour drive, you realize."
"I'm quite familiar with the drive, thank you, " she replied, sliding into the back seat and lifting her gaze to the man's shifty eyes in the rearview mirror. He seemed nervous - quite nervous to just be driving several women to the airport in the evening. The corners of her mouth twitched slightly - of course! He was afraid that they were mutants, harboring mutants or somehow knew mutants - anything that might make him lose his job if his superiors were to find out about it. Shrugging a little, she turned her attention to the view outside of the window, carefully withdrawing from his mind and easing his nerves about mutants as unobtrusively as possible. Knowing that he would have three in the back of his cab probably wouldn't help matters much.
The drive to the airport was uneventful; boarding the plane, no less so. By the time they were comfortably nestled in the back of a Westchester cab and heading toward the Institute, Kristin was fast asleep. Giving her friend an envious look, Kim settled back further into her seat, peeking over at Ellen feverishly punching buttons on her Nintendo DS.
"What are you playing?" she mouthed.
"Pokemon, " the other whispered back. "I really want to get this particular species and it keeps evading me!"
Kimberly just grinned and shook her head, turning her thoughts to the road ahead. During her last few months at Brennan, she watched "the mutant problem" rise from a single call to action into a bill that was to be put before the senate. The government was finally going to deliberate on whether mutants really were a threat to society - and if they were, how to eliminate that threat. The night that the news story had aired, she immediately contacted Professor Xavier and discussed it with him; he had agreed that overall, the outlook was not very promising. They could only hope that their "band of rogue mutants" who had stopped Magneto would be considered as proof that not all mutants had it out for the world.
Unfortunately for the government, Magneto had managed to escape from their custody within two years of being in it. He was now considered to be "at large, armed and dangerous, " although it had been difficult for the reporters at CNN to explain how a distinguished looking man with a helmet and a cape could be dangerous when he didn't carry any weapons on his person.
She was startled out of her reverie by someone poking her in the shoulder, hard. "What, Ellen?" she whispered as quietly as she could, peering around Kristin, who was still asleep.
"Is this your school's driveway?"
The cab was turning down a lengthy stretch of tree-lined road, bringing the gates to a rather large mansion into view. Eventually, it stopped just before the gates. Even in the darkness, the ivy creeping about the walls of the entrance was visibly, illuminated by a small bulb cleverly positioned just beneath a sign Xavier's School for the Gifted.
Kim hardly heard the cab's driver reading off their fare, or Ellen nudging Kris and telling her to wake up excitedly. Pushing open the door on her side, she stepped out and inhaled deeply, the corners of her mouth curving upward into a cheerful grin that gradually widened into a full-out smile. She was home again, at last.
Welcome back, Kimberly.
Good evening, Professor, she returned, somewhat surprised. You're up rather late, aren't you?
And I'm not the only one.
The door to the mansion opened, spilling light and shadowy figures out into the front yard. Shrieks of "KIM'S BACK!" caused all three of the arrivals to start a little, taken aback by such an enthusiastic greeting committee.
"Does everyone usually stay up this late?" Kristin couldn't help asking, stifling a yawn as she finished pulling her bags out of the trunk.
"It - depends, " Kimberly answered, beaming happily.
BAMF! In a sulfuric cloud, a dark figure with gleaming, golden eyes and a swishing tail suddenly appeared out of nowhere, right next to the gates. And clinging to him was a tall young woman with light hair and fierce, dark eyes who immediately launched herself at Kim with a yell, pouncing her to the ground in a hug.
"KIM!" Natalie shouted, tackling her friend for all she was worth. "It's about time you came back! Do you have any idea what you missed out on in the past four years, huh? You'd better be staying for good this time, or I'll hunt you down and bring you back myself!"
"Fraulein Kimberly, " Kurt Wagner grinned, "it is good to see you again. The world has treated you well, ja?"
"Do you always do that?" Ellen coughed from just behind Kim, wrinkling her nose at Kurt. "That's an awful lot of smoke to generate."
"Only when I teleport, " he replied, peering over at her. "You are a friend of Fraulein Kimberly's?"
"Ellen and I both are, " Kris replied, extending a hand toward him. "I'm Kristin. We both went to college with Kim."
"I've missed you, too, " Kimberly said, voice muffled as she shoved gently at Nat's shoulders, "but I think I'll start suffocating if you don't get off of me in the next minute or two!"
As Natalie reluctantly got up, still grinning down at her friend, the gates opened silently, revealing someone half-obscured in shadow, half-obscured in the smoke puffing from his cigar.
"So the world hasn't taken you yet, kid."
Getting carefully to her feet, Kim stood and raised an eyebrow at the speaker. "Hey, what can I say, Logan? You were right; the world is a big place. But I found a niche in it. Four years does a lot for personal growth, you know."
"I can see that, " he responded, edging just slightly toward the gates to stare at her. "You're no child anymore." And then he promptly looked to her companions. "Who are they?"
"Friends of mine who are looking to join us, if they like the Institute." Forking some money over to the cab driver, she collected her bags and began heading toward the door, waving for Kris and Ellen to follow. "So, catch me up on what I haven't heard about within the past twenty-four hours."
"Well, Jessica's power finished evolving, " Natalie began, "and now, she can transform into a jet-black wolf."
The telepath's eyebrows hiked up toward her hairline with surprise. "Really? That's impressive! Can she still communicate with animals and have them fight alongside us like she did at the Space Needle?"
"Ja, " Kurt grinned, "and now, so much more."
"Cool, " Kim managed before another person flew at her the minute she made it through the front door, clasping her tightly.
"You're back!" Jessica squealed, overjoyed. "You're back, you're back, you're back! I've missed you!"
"Aw, Jess, and I, you, " she smiled, hugging her friend tightly. "I hear congratulations are in order."
Her friend stiffened a little, causing Kim to glance at her concernedly as they parted. "You know, for your powers evolving? Nat told me."
"Oh." And Jess relaxed a little, smiling once more. "Thanks, Kim. It's - been a crazy adventure. And now that you're back, I can't wait to show you how I transform and how well everyone is doing with Natalie training as field leader under Storm and -- "
"Nat's going to be the new field leader?"
"Who'd you expect to take the job?" Nat quipped. "Logan?"
"Mr. Logan is more suited to the job of art instructor, of course, " Colossus said cheerfully as he came out of the living room. "Evening, Kimberly."
Ignoring Logan's growl of "Watch it, Tin Man, " Kim grinned and waved at the tall, husky Russian. "Good to see you again, Peter. Are you becoming some sort of instructor, too, like everyone else seems to be?"
"No, " the young man admitted, "but there is plenty going on to keep me busy for the next few weeks."
Taking in Jess' suddenly anxious expression and Nat's amused one, Kimberly opened her mouth to respond, but Ellen's voice came out, instead.
"Whoa, look at the size of that chandelier!"
Collectively, she, Kristin and Kim peered upward, and even the telepath was hard-pressed to stifle a small whistle. The massive fixture just within the main foyer was definitely something new; it shone, it sparkled, it glittered and cast the reflections of the spectrum around the entryway.
"And to what occasion do we owe the pleasure of a new chandelier?" Kim couldn't help asking, glancing around somewhat bewilderedly.
"Occasions, " a well-modulated voice corrected her amusedly, causing the young woman's gaze to turn toward its owner.
"Professor, " she greeted calmly, smile warming. "Occasions, then."
"Maybe, " Nat snickered, "you should ask Jess what the occasion is."
"Oh, no, " Jessica retorted at exactly the same moment, "you should ask Nat."
"Um, guys, before we get into all of that - " Kim started, interrupting them, "I'd like you all to meet Kristin and Ellen. They're friends of mine from college, and like the rest of us, they are - unique."
"Ah, yes, I remember hearing about you two, " Charles Xavier said in greeting, wheeling further into the room. "It's a pleasure to meet you both." Glancing at his watch, he added, "I'd speak further with you but for now, it's quite late and I'm sure you're exhausted from your trip. Natalie can show you to two of our guest rooms until you come to a definite decision about whether you wish to remain here or not."
"Thank you, " Kristin nodded tiredly, albeit with a smile. "We really appreciate you letting us stay here."
"You have a really nice home, " Ellen chimed in, adding, "If I stay here, I definitely want a room on the top floor. I imagine I'd have a wonderful room with a view!"
"You would, at that, " Kimberly grinned, shaking her head. "I'll see you guys later on in the morning once we're all settled in. Night!"
After a chorus of goodnights, the two new arrivals trouped upstairs, closely followed by Natalie and Kurt who were gleefully giving the most interesting tour of the mansion that had probably ever been given within those walls.
"And on your left is the moving wall. It's like Hogwarts, only not."
"Out there, " Kurt pointed with his tail, "is where our jet is kept."
"And down in the kitchen is where you'll find our latest experiments. Whoops, just kidding! The food here is actually really good. Really."
"Ja. And down this way ... "
As their voices faded, Kimberly made her way into the living room, sinking gratefully into one of the plush, upholstered recliners with a groan. "Goodness, it's wonderful to be back. I've missed this place."
"Was Brennan less comfortable?" Peter had to ask, settling on a couch across from her with Jessica at his side.
"Not much less, " Kim replied, glancing over toward the doorway as Xavier turned into the room, "but you know what they say; there's no place like home. I almost felt like Dorothy putting on her ruby slippers when I left there this evening."
"Ah, well, that is understandable. The mansion is - how do you say - cozy, " Colossus agreed, smiling over at Jess, who returned the gesture faintly.
Yawning a little, the telepath snuggled deeper into the chair. "So, before I introduced you to Kristin and Ellen, you were going to tell me about why we have a new chandelier in our foyer, " she said at last, gaze sweeping from one person to the other. "What - occasions are you referring to?"
"Isn't it obvious?" Logan grunted from the doorway, popping the cap off of a brown bottle.
Kimberly raised an eyebrow. "Logan, is that beer?"
"Now, now, you know that I would never permit alcohol here as long as this Institute remains a school, " the professor said with a small smile. "Logan would find himself being much more than just a seven year old girl if he drank in here."
"What could be worse for him than that?" Jessica wondered aloud.
"Try a seven year old girl who is a ballerina, " Kim offered helpfully. "Or a pretty-pretty princess, because we all know that that's what Logan secretly wishes to be."
Amid peals of laughter, Logan made a rude gesture and headed back toward the kitchen, muttering something about getting 'more soda.'
"So, " Kim pressed once the distraction of Logan had passed, "the occasion?"
Jessica coughed a little, suddenly finding the carpet to be extremely interesting. "Well, uh ... you know that Peter and I started dating not long after you left for college, right?"
"Of course! How could I have forgotten about it? You called me right after dinner and squealed so loudly I had to pull the phone away from my ear."
"Right, " Jess said sheepishly, casting a pleading sort of look at Peter. "And, well, we've been uh, dating ever since. And, well, it just seemed like - a good time to ... "
"To settle down, " he finished for her, gently. "So I asked beautiful Jessica if she would want to settle down with me. And she said yes. So that is one of the occasions."
Kimberly blinked, once, twice, thrice. "What -- Are you two getting married?"
Fidgeting anxiously, Jessica finally held out her hand toward her friend, revealing the sparkling diamond that had previously gone unnoticed.
With a scream of "NO WAY!" Empath leapt out of her seat to embrace her friend, squealing madly. "Oh my gosh, that's wonderful! I'm so, so incredibly happy that you guys are like, together and happy!"
In the midst of her outburst, a drawled out "Well, well, " resounded, rather unlike Logan's voice. "I'm surprised you didn't guess, honestly. You've heard her squealing enough about him, haven't you?"
"So what's the other occasion?" Kim demanded, spinning around to stare at Natalie as she and Kurt approached.
"Yeah, Nat, you want to tell her what the other occasion is?" Jessica chimed in, still red-faced from sharing her news.
Natalie shuffled her feet for a moment, glancing over at Kurt before shrugging and holding out her left hand toward her friend. "Well. If you really want to know ... I'm tying the proverbial knot."
Gaping openly at the affianced couples, the telepath was at a complete loss for words for a few, long moments. "You - him - you're - engaged?" she squeaked.
"What, did you think I'd never want to get married?" Nat joked. "C'mon, Kim. We've only been dating for four and a half years, give or take a few months!"
"And now I suppose you'll both want me to be your bridesmaid, " Kimberly grumbled good-naturedly, grinning at them in a still-shocked sort of way.
"Duh, Kim!"
Several hours later, nearly everyone had finally departed to go to sleep. After all, Kimberly had argued aloud, they were all getting tired from having sat up nearly all night, and she was tired from the long trip back to New York. And so it was that she found herself alone in the library just past midnight, yawning every few minutes as she flicked blearily through a well-worn book of sonnets, vision blurring so much that she could hardly read the words.
"He was a genius, wasn't he?"
Startled, her head shot up as the volume fell from her hands. "Dr. McCoy, " she said tiredly, mustering a small smile despite the hour. "And yes, he was. Surely you're not still awake and working on some experiment in your lab?"
"No, " he answered, returning her smile with one of his own, "I was actually just getting ready to turn in when I walked past the library and noticed that you were still in here. You've had a long trip; you should probably get some rest, yourself."
"Er, right, " she muttered in reply, sleepy mind befuddled with his apparently sollicitious suggestion. "Thanks. I just want to finish these last few pages. It's - calming and helps me get to sleep. Reading, that is."
"Ah, completely understandable, " he nodded, inclining his head to her. "Good night, Kimberly."
"Night, " she mumbled, nodding over the book again the minute he left the room. Had she actually been more awake during the encounter, she would have been far more flustered; somewhere in the back of her mind, a little voice wondered if he remembered giving her the sonnets, if it had meant anything, and why he was so concerned at the present.
Suddenly, she was jolted back to consciousness as someone gently tugged the book of sonnets from her unwilling hands. "Excellent reading selection, " a familiar voice murmured, "but you really ought to go to your room, now. I don't recommend sleeping in the library."
Blinking several times in an attempt to focus her fuzzy eyes, Kim stared sleepily up at an amused, if slightly concerned Charles Xavier. "Oh, right. My - my room. It's been kept for me. Hasn't it?"
"It has, " he confirmed with a nod. "Take the elevator on up. I'll walk you there, if you'd like me to. You do look - quite out of it."
"I am, " she admitted, pressing a hand to her mouth as a yawn escaped her. "The past few days have been really hectic; no one told me that graduating from college would be so stressful. Our cab driver wasn't comfortable with the idea of transporting mutants, so I had to encourage him to not pay attention to the way that Kris' coat bulged or why we tried to keep Ellen from laughing too hard on the way over. As it is, things could have been disastrous."
"But they weren't, " he said simply, smiling gently at her as she slowly pushed herself to her feet, wincing. "It's good to have you back here with us. They were waiting for you to come back before having the weddings, you know."
She sighed as she shuffled out into the hallway, heading for the elevator. "I wouldn't expect anything less, " she murmured, giving him a sleepy grin. "I'd do the same, if I were in their shoes."
A peculiar expression came over the professor's face momentarily - or perhaps it was just her sleep-deprived, half-asleep brain that made it appear to be so. And then it cleared. "Well. Good night, Kimberly."
With a quiet, "Night, " the younger telepath stepped into the elevator. Somehow, she managed to remain standing as it carried her upwards; somehow, she didn't trip over the various electronic gadgets someone had left out in the hallway as she made her way toward her old room that she had once shared with Jessica and Natalie. Pushing the door open, she was too tired to really notice that the large room had been converted into one for single occupation, and that the bed was already made up in crisp linens and pulled back invitingly. Her laptop was already setup on the desk; her books already stacked neatly near the shelves. But those observations would have to wait until later on in the day, long after she collapsed onto her pillows without undressing and fell into a deep, if not-so-restful sleep.