So I'm super sorry about the year long wait. I have no excuses other than I'm so glad to be done with high school and on my way to college. I plan on finishing this story and have changed my mind a bit on where I want to take this so it should be interesting.
Disclaimer: I don't own the X-Men.
"I'll go talk to her." Betty told her husband.
"Betty," Xavier started, "I would like to speak with her personally when she comes down."
Betty nodded and heaved herself up the stairs to Lena's room where forceful piano 'music' was being attempted. She opened Lena's door without knocking and just gazed at her adopted child for a few seconds before speaking. "You're gettin' better."
"I'm not tryin' to play well, just to think about all this." She stopped trying to play the notes and matched her mother's eyes. "How long will I have to go for?"
"I don't know. Think of it as goin' off to college early. When I talked to Professor Xavier on the phone, he said that you would go to Bayville High School and live in his mansion with other students who are more like you, you know, mutants."
"Mom, why me? Why did this—"
"Hun, I don't question God's plan, just ask for guidance."
"What if they laugh at me?"
"Now why would anyone laugh at my beautiful little girl?"
"What if they laugh at me and say that I talk funny?"
Betty chuckled a little at this. "Darlin', I'm willin' to bet that the more time you spend up there, the better your grammar will get. I mean, just look at Luke; he had one of the thickest Texas accents and then when he went off to law school it disappeared. You'll be fine." She embraced Lena in a hug, then walked over to the closet and pulled out some large suitcases. "Hun, Professor Xavier would like to talk to you for a minute. I'll get you started packin', so you can go talk." With a little hesitation Lena nodded and walked out.
There was no more room for persuasion; Lena knew she would have to go. When she came to the balcony of the stairs overlooking the living room where she had left everyone, she stood a little around the corner as to not be seen and to eavesdrop on the conversation below. She knew there had to be a few things that these men wouldn't say in front of her, things that would possibly make her change her mind.
The bald man in the wheel chair and the rough looking black haired man where talking to her father who was still sitting on the couch. Off to the side she only saw three of her brothers conversing with themselves. Michel seemed to be missing which was only typical of him, he only came out of his room for food, to go hunting, or if something concerned him, and this was none of the above.
Her 'mutation', as they called it, would normally come and go. She hoped the acute hearing thing was working. She tried to pin point on the conversation between the two men and her father. She could hear their hushed conversation clearly, which still surprised her a bit since she still wasn't used to all this.
"You're not who you've been saying you are, are you Mr. Hendrix?" The bald man inquired. What did he mean by that?
"How did you know?" He seemed more ashamed than surprised by the words of the professor. What's more, his southern accent was gone.
"Before I take on a student I want to know their parents personally and telepathically. I know you are retired, but it still puts you and your family at risk which is why there is no set time that Lena can return to you." "Now I wouldn't say anymore aloud," Xavier told him telepathically, "Lena is listening in and I don't think it best that she know of this just yet."
"I understand." Her father stood up looking at the ground and said, "Lena, stop hiding and come down."
She poked around the corner and watched her father walk calmly into the kitchen with his head still hung down. She slowly descended the stairs, never taking her eyes off the two men. "Miss. Lena, come with us outside for a moment." Lena nodded and followed, thinking she had nothing else to lose; she had already lost her family so what was left? She followed them onto the front porch where they stopped. "Lena, are you prepared to make a decision?"
"Yes, sir. I'll go." She said solemnly. She just hated to leave all her friends whom she's known since kindergarten. Plus she just got her driver's license and was promised a car! But that all seems to be thrown to the wind.
"I assure you this is for your and your family's own protection. I'll explain the rest on the way to New York. And I know it will be difficult to leave all your friends, but you'll have two weeks before school starts for the second semester to get to know all the other students at the mansion."
She laughed a bit at the irony of what he just said. "You read my mind, I was just thinkin' about havin' to leave my friends." This bit of humor put her in brighter spirits, until the she heard what the man next to him said next.
"Yeah, he has a way of doing that." He said with a bit of a smirk.
"Huh?"
"Miss. Lena, I did read your mind. That's one of my mutant abilities. Logan here has the same abilities as you do from what your mother told me."
"Oh, ok… do a lot of mutants have the same… stuff or abilities?" She didn't really know what to call it. Up 'til now she had only heard it be called a mutation.
"On some rare occasions, yes, but they are usually only similar and not identical. But as for you, Logan, and another student in my institute, you three have identical powers."
Powers? There's another word for it. Lena decided she liked that word better; it sounded cool, kind of like Michel's comic books.
"So why do we have identical powers if that doesn't really happen?"
Well there it is, Logan thought, the million dollar question. This is the moment of truth. He had hoped he would get to tell her on the Blackbird in mid air so there was no going back. But it doesn't matter, if he has to drag her to New York, then so be it.
"Miss. Lena, you may want to take a seat." Xavier suggested. Lena walked to the far end and sat on the porch swing followed by Professor X and Logan, who leaned against the porch railing. "Now what I'm about to tell you will come as a bit of a shock and I want you to be prepared." Lena nodded to indicate she was ready. "The reason you and another student have identical powers is because you two are twins, she is you sister." Xavier said slowly. "And the reason you and Logan have the same powers is because—"
"I'm your real father." Logan spat out. He just knew Xavier was going to say clone, so he had to beat him to the punch. He stopped leaning and bent down in front of her to look her in the eyes. The look she had on her face was hard to translate. She was clearly shocked, but whether she was shocked and angry or shocked and happy; it was hard to tell. Logan took this moment to look her over. She had his eye and hair color, but her hair was long and half curly, just wavy. Her face was oval like Laura's but her cheeks where sharp like his where Laura's rounded out. She was much taller than Laura; nearly half a foot taller. Then she stood up and he stood up too. She was maybe an inch taller than him.
Suddenly she shoved him hard, "Why did you get rid of me!" Tears where rimming her eyes. Ever since she found out she was adopted she had always wondered why her parents abandoned her. What was so wrong with her that they saw unsuitable to keep? And now she finds out that she has a twin sister who, as far as she could tell had always been with their father.
"Listen kid, I didn't get rid of you. I didn't even know you existed until yesterday. But believe me, as soon as I found you out and what kind of danger you're in, I was pushing people out of the way to get here. I only found out about your sister, Laura, about a year ago and it took forever to get her to come to the institute. She's only been there for 3 weeks and she's there for the same reason I'm asking you to be there: for protection and for the chance to get to know you. You're luckier than she and I, you where able to grow up with a family that loves you. She was never around anyone that loved her and I can't even remember if I had a family. But I am jumping at the chance to be able to call not just one daughter, but two. So understand that if I had known you where born and up for adoption I would've came down here to get you myself."
She let one tear fall then she looked away from him and stared though the window next to her into the kitchen where her adopted father still sat. She made up her mind. She would give this man and sister a chance. After growing up with four brothers she liked the idea of a sister. "Ok." She said looking back at him. "But don't expect me to call you dad. That spot's been taken."
"Fair enough." Then he went back to his position of leaning on the railing. Lena walked back inside to finish packing leaving Professor Xavier and Logan outside. "Sorry to cut you off, Charles. I don't think she would look at anyone the same if you had said she was a clone of me."
"That's quite alright, Logan. I was going to say that you are her father, but I think you handled it quite well."
"I am curious Charles. Who is it that Henry used to work for?"
"I believe his real name is Luke Carson, also known as Agent Carson. He was a double agent for both HYDRA and S.H.I.E.L.D. The rest is a bit of a mystery, but I believe Nick Fury has made regular visits here to check on Lena."
"Seriously? That makes this a whole different ball game. She won't ever be able to come back will she?"
"No, I'm afraid not. She and Laura will have to stay close to us for the rest of their lives."
Logan chuckled a bit. "All of a sudden we're the Mutant Witness Protection Program."
"I think in a way we've always been."
"But we've just had to kick it up a notch." They started to make their way back inside. "There's just one thing I still don't understand. If S.H.I.E.L.D. is after her why did Fury tell us how to find her?"
"There is more to Nick Fury than meets the eye. Though we do not know of his reasons, I have a feeling we will find out in due time."
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A few hours later after all of Lena's necessary possessions where packed Logan helped her load her three suitcases of clothes, one suitcase of shoes, and a smaller suitcase of beauty and personal hygiene products into the car. Logan was thankful that she didn't have as many bags as Kitty did when she moved in. That mountain was a nightmare in itself!
After everything was loaded and ready to go the goodbyes where in order. Logan had seen this a thousand times, but none where like or as personal as this one. This was a permanent goodbye. She would never be able to see this family again and they didn't even know it. Henry, as he is now called, knew it though. He knew he would have to break the news to his wife once his only daughter had left.
"Goodbye, princess." Betty wept as she hugged and kissed Lena.
Rodney was the only brother who stayed to see her off. Luke and DJ said goodbye earlier and already left. Michel of course was still in his room. "See ya later Tator Tot." He said jokingly.
"You too Rim Rod. You better email me or somethin'."
"I bet the first thing you email me once you get will go somethin' like, 'OMG WTF it's cold!'"
"L-O-L." She said mockingly.
Betty leaned to her husband and said, "Sometimes I wonder what those letters mean, and other times, I'm glad I don't."
She gave her brother one last hug and went to her adopted dad. "Bye, dad. I'll miss you."
He hugged her and said, "I'll miss you too." Then he whispered in her ear, "Baby girl, I'm sorry, but you can't ever come back." She nodded her head in understanding.
Soon they were finally on their way. Lena rode in the back with the professor. She didn't say anything, just looked down at her hands. When they came to the end of the long drive way she noticed that Logan turned right. "Unless you plan on drivin' all the way to New York, the airport's the other way."
"I have a private jet just down the road." The professor assured her.
"But there's nothin' down this road but fields… No way, you parked a jet in a field?"
The professor only chuckled a bit. "Ah, here we are." Logan drove the car an empty corn field and stopped.
Lena looked around from inside the car, but could see no jet. "Uhh… I think someone high jacked your jet." But as soon as she said that, a huge black jet appeared seemingly out of nowhere. "Oh, there it is." At this point everything was so weird that it hardly surprised her. She half way thought she was dreaming anyway.
A hatch at the bottom of the jet opened into a ramp and Logan drove up it into the huge aircraft. He opened the door for Xavier and placed the ramp for him and Lena followed after. She looked around her and assumed she was in the cargo hold. She only had a few moments to take in her surroundings because they lead her through a door into what she could only describe as the front. Logan took the pilot's seat in the cock pit and the professor's wheelchair was locked in behind him. Lena was about to take a seat in the back when Logan called for her. "Hey, kid. Have you ever ridden up front in an airplane before?"
"Once in a helicopter."
"Well now you get to learn how to fly a jet. You might have to fly this baby sometime."
Lena was nervous and excited all at once. She took a seat next to her biological father and strapped herself in. She listened and watched carefully to his instructions and what he did.
"First you flip the ignition switch, then let the thrusters heat up and then…" She watched him and tried to follow along the best she could, but she was lost somewhere between thrusters and the tenth button pushed. He finally looked at her to make sure she was paying attention and saw the completely confused look on her face. "You're not following this at all are you?"
"When I told you 'once in a helicopter' I told you all I knew about flyin'."
"Well… just watch and try to get an idea of it. You will have to learn this sometime. You can't do worse than Bobby."
"Who?"
"You'll see. And you'll do good not to hang around with him."
"Umm…ok."
They only seemed to be flying for a couple of hours when Logan told her they were flying over Ohio. She knew they going fast but exactly how fast? She couldn't believe they were already over Ohio. "We should be there in about thirty minutes." That was welcomed news because she was starting to get a little air sick. They were pulling to many g's that her stomach could handle. But none the less she did her best to hold it in and act like it didn't bother her. It was an act that she had managed to perfect all her life. She had always had the mind set that if something hurt act like you didn't feel it.
Sure enough about thirty-five minutes later she nearly had the life scared out of her thinking Logan was going to crash the jet into a cliff, but to her surprise and relief it opened up to allow passage.
After they were finally off the jet she and Logan unloaded her bags on to a cart that she wheel to her room. They stepped into an elevator that took them to the ground level. Logan and the professor stepped out and Lena attempted to follow, but she was stopped by the professor. "You may want to take your things to your room first. It's on the second floor, fifth door on the left down the hall way to your right. Here is your key and we'll be in the foyer so you can meet your sister." She nodded as the elevator door closed between them.
"Laura, please meet Logan and I in the foyer. There is someone we would like you to meet."
Lena pushed her cart into the hall and began counting doors. "1…2…3…4…" "Five," she said aloud. She unlocked the door and pushed it open. Turning the cart to enter she realized that there was no way it would fit so she tried to turn it back around, but the wheel stuck and the cart tipped over spilling her luggage and some of her clothes. "You've got to be kiddin' me." She said under her breath and bent down and tried to stuff her clothes back in the proper place.
"Need a hand." She looked up to see a tall young man around her age with spiky blonde hair and dark blonde bangs that curved up. Her powers must be shorting out again because she didn't hear or smell him walk up.
"Yeah, thanks." She quickly snatched one of her bras that had fallen out too and stuffed in with the rest of her clothes blushing a bit that her underwear was in plain sight.
The blonde boy grabbed the four heavier bags and tried to make it through the door with them which wasn't happening with them at his sides. In one desperate motion he swung one arm to the front and the other to the back and stumbled into the room as fast as he could without falling from all the extra weight. She walked in behind him with the smaller bag and thanked him. He tried his best not to look like he was breathing so hard.
"Thanks again for helpin' me, but I've got to get to the foyer to meet Logan and the professor." And she walked out the door.
"Hey wait up, I'll show where it is." He caught up beside her and said, "So you new here?" Immediately he thought, "Idiot, of course she's new here. You nearly killed yourself with her bags!"
But she didn't seem to mind the obvious. "Yeah, we just flew in."
"Oh, that's cool. Where from?"
"Texas. I'm Lena by the way."
"Oh, sorry. I'm Berzerker."
"Berzerker? Bless you heart."
"Oh, no, that's not my real name. My real name is Ray Crisp. Berzerker is my X-Man name." He said proudly. He had worked hard to rise to the title of X-Man and away from being called 'new mutant'.
"What's an X-Man? Is that like some online internet game?" She laughed.
"No no!" He was sinking fast. She probably thought he was more of a geek by the minute. "The X-Men are what the experienced mutants here are called. I guess you could say we fight the baddies." 'Baddies? Who says baddies? I should never do the recruiting.'
"Umm… ok." Ok so this guy was kind of cute. A bit weird, but cute.
When they entered the foyer she saw a young girl standing next to Logan and the professor eyeing her intensely. The look she was giving her made Lena a bit uncomfortable. The professor broke the silence first. "Laura, this is Lena your twin sister."
"Twin sister?" Ray said. "No offence Professor X, but they don't look like twins to me. Lena even looks older than Laura."
"That would be because of the healing factor and also why Lena is so much taller." The Professor said. The two girls stepped forward and met each other in the middle. Lena was much taller than Laura; nearly half a foot taller. "The healing factor counteracts age and in turn, growth. Because Laura's took effect years ago, she is shorter and stopped growing." 'And I want no one to tell Lena she is a clone. I will tell her later.' The professor said telepathically to everyone in the room, minus Lena.
Laura continued to glare up a Lena before finally saying, "I hate you!" and shoved by her too her room.
"Some family reunion, Charles." Logan said. "Maybe they shouldn't room together."
"For the time being, they're room mates."
So Laura hates Lena. I wonder why?... Please review if you have the time! : )