Disclaimer: I do not own Highlander or X-men, they belong to respective owners.
ON WITH THE SHOW!
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I woke to darkness, peering up from under my pillow I looked at the glaring red numbers on my alarm clock. It read 8:32pm, "wow" I thought to myself must have needed that sleep more than I thought.
I got up and stretched, still a little stiff from sleep. I went to my bureau draw and got changed into a pair of sweats and an old jumper, and headed towards my door, not even bothering with the now tangled mass known as my hair, no point trying to control it with a brush, a chainsaw maybe.
Slowly I walked out onto the living room no-one was there, but I heard Duncan talking to someone in the kitchen, maybe Joe was here. I liked Jo he was like my adoptive grandfather; although no matter how much he adored me he still wouldn't let me behind the bar.
"Hey Mac is dinner ready, I'm starved, and you better not have put any Carr………." I stopped what I was saying when I entered the kitchen. Many obscenities went through my mind at that moment and in several different languages too, but the gist of it was 'it was the people from the park'.
Well my life just got interesting.
Duncan slowly walked towards me with his hands out "Bronwyn, Its ok"; I could feel myself starting to panic and back away.
I did the only thing I could think of, run. It took me all of about 0.4 seconds to think of an exit plan and I deemed my room to be the best exit. I ran towards my room, but Duncan was too quick for me, knowing me to well, he doubled back and grabbed me near my door. "Its ok Bronwyn, they are not here to hurt you, its ok" He said, his thick Scottish brogue sneaking through as I wriggled in his grasp.
"Muinín mé" (trust me) Duncan whispers in Gaelic, He knew it would calm me. All I could think of is that I wished Adam was here, I mean don't get me wrong I trust Duncan with my life, but Adam, well I always felt safe around him, he could always calm me, we were very close (and that's in a brother and sister or father and daughter sort of way, not in a creepy sort of way, come on people drag your minds back from the gutter). "I know what you're thinking and it's not them" he whispered into my ear", I stopped moving and my eyes darted towards them.
"How about we all go to the living room and talk there" he requested. Everyone nodded and he tried to get me to budge but I couldn't move, I don't respond well to strangers, it was one thing in a park, but coming into my house and stalking me, that didn't sit well. Duncan tried again but I still wouldn't move, I looked at him and he backed off knowing I was shaken and nothing short of Adam would help right now, I needed a minute alone to pull my fear back in and put on a calm façade.
"We didn't mean to cause any problems" The white haired woman said, Ororo I think she said her name was.
When I didn't say anything Duncan took over, knowing that it was going to be a long night.
"How about we go into the lounge" He said walking towards them.
"Is she ok" Ororo said walking towards Duncan; I started to pace."I wouldn't go near her at the moment" he said reassuring them I was ok, at that point though I didn't care how they felt, I took in a deep breathe and started to calm myself down once they left. Normally I wouldn't react this dramatically but Adam wasn't here and I felt vulnerable even if these people weren't stalkers, well maybe not in a kidnapper-ish sort of way, but they still followed me and that made me feel, well…sick, actually.
You see, I have a well 'fear' isn't the right word…. apprehension of others, its just the way I am, the first time Duncan spoke to me I passed out from fear (that and not breathing had something to do with it), long story short, it takes me a very long time to trust anyone except Adam, mind you I have become a tad more sociable, people saying hello to me in the street does not elicit an oxygen deprived fainting act, but at the moment unconsciousness was looking almost tempting.
I sat there staring at the three strangers who were currently sitting on couch in front of me, yes I had regained some control over my emotions and went and sat next to Duncan, didn't want these people thinking I was weird, well weirder, maybe they were friendly stalkers, yeah and pigs will fly.
Awkward silences were something that bugged Mac, and believe me you could cut the tension in the room with a sword (pun was definitely intended). The over grown Boy Scout decided to stop the silence.
"Why don't we start from the beginning, and you can tell Bronwyn here what you told me earlier" he said in a calming voice.
'Earlier' how long had these people been in the house, I'm loosing my touch if I cannot tell when there are freaking strangers on the barge. I was broken out of train of thought when the man with the red glasses, Scott he said his name was, started talking.
"I'm sorry that we scared you, believe me when I say that wasn't our intention" Scott said and put a smile on, a smile which promptly faded as he saw my hard stare, I think I make him uneasy, good, it's a start.
"What was your intention, then" I asked in my usual accent not bothering to fake one. Ororo spoke then, I liked this woman, I couldn't sense any ill intention from her so I relaxed slightly.
"We came from a school, in Washington" I wasn't entirely liking were this was heading. Duncan put an arm around me and said "Bronwyn it's a special school for mutants".
Oh Shit this just escalated from bad to worse. They know I'm a mutant, well fantastic. I looked at Duncan and he immediately sensed my distress. "Bairne, calm down it's ok, I called Adam" that got my attention like a bloody neon sign "He said to trust these people, he knows about the school, and wants you to think about it".
I think my brain just stroked out, I thought I heard him say that Adam agreed to this, Oh wait he just did, I think I just entered the Twilight Zone!
I looked at Duncan and studied his face, he looked um…..calm. I looked at these people and sighed, quickly coming to the realization that at the moment these people weren't dangerous and if Adam trusted them then, well, I guess I could to, for now anyway, if it all went pear shaped I could always disappear, It was an option. At that thought I relaxed into the couch and slid on a less dramatic façade. My heart started slowing down, and it gave up its desire to burst from my chest.
Duncan must have noticed the shift in my mood, because he smiled and looked at the others who still looked like stunned mullets, almost enough to make me laugh, almost.
"I think now is a good time to explain the details of the school, you three can do the honors, would anyone like a drink" trust Duncan to be hospitable, he looked at me and I nodded. He looked at the others "coffee, tea……beer" the word beer got the burly man, Logan's, attention. I think I will get along with him. They all said what they wanted and Duncan laughed "At least it's not Adam drinking all my beer".
As he left I turned and faced the others. I think I was still making Scott nervous, but the lady and Mr. Muscles seemed at ease. I suddenly found the dirt under my nails very interesting and started secretly observing the members of the group before me.
Mac came back in with the drinks, handing me the loveliest creations in the world……Coffee.
I slowly got up and grabbed the sweater that I left behind the couch 2 days ago and put it on, I sat down and had a thought that made me smile slightly, "What are you thinking" Mac asked comforted that I wasn't going to run away or massacre our visitors. "Nothing, just when I get my hands on Adam, he's going to be eating his meals through a straw, I don't care how immortal he is" I said in a long dead language, as I said that I sat back on the lounge and heard Duncan laughed a hearty laugh that was comforting.
"What did she just say" Logan asked Duncan, he laughed "Something that I should probably warn Adam about", I had to grin then.
I was back to normal now, well normal as I ever am, still guarded, my guard barely ever gets let down; some would call it paranoia, I call it cautious. I could tell they were still curious about me, and why I had reacted so dramatically, but them getting that gem of information out of me was about as likely as squeezing blood from a stone. "I wonder if stones bleed and what if….." I snapped myself out of distraction (I do that a lot), just as the white haired women spoke.
"Again, we are very sorry" Ororo said and the two men nodded, well, Scott nodded, Logan just kinda grunted. I leaned foreword and smiled at them.
The atmosphere was now less tense so I cleared my throat and decided to speak to the three visitors, "I'm sorry about my reaction to you three, I don't take kindly to strangers, don't take it personally though, took me a good six months to trust the Boy Scout in the kitchen" I said from behind my coffee cup, "I heard that" shouted a voice from the kitchen. A more relaxed smile crept onto the faces of the three people.
I took a deep breathe, and knew thing where never going to be the same again
"So you say this school is for mutants" I asked.
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