Title: New Mutant Reunion Part 4
Author: Ethiercn
Rating: M
Characters used: Firestar, Cannonball, Boomer (Meltdown), Cyclops, Jean Grey, mention of others.
Disclaimer: I don't own them, and I am making no profit.
Author's Note: Takes place a couple days after Part 3. And with a small nod to Myth.
"Okay. Let's see what happens," Cyclops spoke into the Danger Room's intercom. He hit the record button on the console and leaned over to study the readings on the computer and to keep one eye on what happened below. If they could reliably use Firestar's powers to affect psionics in the field then they could change their battle techniques.
Jean stood in the center of the Danger Room, using her telekinetic shield to block Firestar's microwave blasts. The purpose of the training session was to simply see at what point, if any, Firestar's powers could affect Jean's. Neither Jean, due to the events of Alkali Lake, or Firestar, who was positive her success in her confrontation with Frost had been due to the witch being off balance, were sure anything was going to happen.
Strange, Jean thought after a few minutes, her shields still held, but it felt like she was pushing the power though a thin layer of molasses. Not enough yet, to be overly uncomfortable, but enough to feel something. Enough that the more powerful part of her was getting a little annoyed. Time to see if it affected telepathy as well.
It didn't.
For Angel the world spun into confusion. One moment she was blasting microwaves at Jean, and the next she was back in her room at the Massachusetts Academy on that night. She could feel the stickiness of Randall's blood, smell the slightly metallic twang, could his ragged breathing as he gasped out Frost's betrayal, and heard his death rattle.
There was a boom, and she came back to her self as she was falling.
Jean reached out and caught her telekinetically.
As Angel sat on the floor of the Danger Room, Jean looked at her, a worried expression on her face. "Angelica, are you okay? I'm sorry; I didn't realize the burst was that strong." The other woman looked off to the side of the Danger Room. "And Boomer, Tabitha's, joke didn't help."
"That was the sound?" Angel asked weakly. Her head was pounding.
"Yes. Scott's reaming her out now."
Angel rested her head on her knees, "She's . . . I don't . . . "
"She's always been a bad practical joker," Jean mused, sitting down next to Angel. "She's different."
"'Berto said the same thing a couple days ago."
"She's like she was when she first came here. It's like she's hiding something bad that happened to her," Jean replied. With her telepathy so strong, it would be an easy matter to pluck the information from Boomer's mind. Jean shook herself. She should not be thinking such things, but her increase in power kept tempting her to do things, especially after the confrontation with Frost. "That's an old memory to be so close to the surface," she said to Angel.
"I saw someone who looked like him. It brought everything back," Angel raised her head and glared at Tabitha, if she could only get Tabitha in the Danger Room for a full demonstration of microwaves.
"And that's why you haven't been sleeping well for the past couple days," Jean supplied and then quickly looked a little guilty. 'Sorry, but the telepathy picked it up. Have you told Sam about it?"
Angel shook her head, "Sam has enough on his plate right now. What with Jay." The newest addition to the school's student body was sullen and angry at the world. Angel's eyes looked at where an unrepentant Tabitha was listening to the end of Cyclops' lecture. "But I'm meeting Jupiter tonight for dinner and that always helps."
With a few last words to Tabitha, Cyclops walked over to them. "Ready to give it another try?"
"I think we should call it a day," Jean began. She hadn't meant to hit Angel so hard. What was happening with her power, she wondered.
But Angel shook her head, "I'm good. Let's go."
"You want me to scratch her eyes out, cause I will you know. I have no problem doing it. I've got long nails for a reason," Jupiter said as she and Angel sat at a table in the local streak house. "She sounds like a smutty, spoiled, sluttly, small brained, clingy, fake boobed bimbo." Jupiter lowered her voice to a whisper, "You should fry her. No jury would convict you."
"Don't think it hasn't crossed my mind," Angel replied.
"Well, there was this story a girl at work told me. Her friend found out that her boyfriend was cheating on her, so she took SuperGlue to his," Jupiter took a look around the streak house and noticed the family moving to the salad bar and the waitress arriving with their order. She opted for the polite word, "wee-wee" She frowned, "Though I don't see how that applies here."
Angel smiled as she cut into her steak, "I'll keep it in mind for future reference," she said with a bit of forced lightness to her voice.
Jupiter stopped and put down the rib she was about to raise to her mouth, "You don't honestly think. I mean, I know you have trust issues, and I can't blame you. So do I for that matter. But you can't honestly think. I mean, I've seen the way he looks at you."
Angel thought while she chewed her steak, "I know, but there is that small sliver of doubt, you know. She plays the helpless bimbo so perfectly, and their relationship lasted for awhile. And Sam likes to help people." She sighed. "And then I feel guilty because the last thing that Sam needs right now is a jealous girlfriend."
"You could lock her in the broom closest for a couple hours," Jupiter suggested. "Sometimes I think life would perfect if it wasn't for other people."
"Just stars, rainbows, and smiling suns?"
"And Victoria Secret," Jupiter added. "We'll pick out something nice. I've got to stop and pick up more chocolate body paint anyway."
"I need," Angel said as she cut off another piece of steak, "to buy stock in that company, considering how much you and Jimmy use."
"You and Sam should try it. Let him know what he's got."
Sam walked into the common room and slammed his book down on the table. His stupid, pig-headed brother. Jay's behavior would be a disruption to the other students when they returned from break in a couple days.
"What?!" someone shouted from the couch, and Tabitha sat up with a panicked look on her face. Her hair was still damp from a shower. She looked around the room, "Oh," she said, starting to calm down, "It's you."
Perhaps, Sam thought, it was time to find out where Rictor was and what had happened. At the very least, he needed to tell Tabitha that her behavior in the Danger Room earlier today was out of line. After Scott had told him about it, Sam realized owed Angel a wonderful night for her patience over the last couple days.
"Tabby," he began, taking a seat on the couch next to her, "What happened?"
She sighed and looked away for a moment, "I made a mistake, Sam. A stupid one."
"That's not what Ah meant," Sam responded. If she thought this was going to turn into a conversation about their relationship, she better start thinking otherwise. He was happy where he was.
She refused to meet his eyes, "Rictor wasn't what I thought he was, and we broke up." She forced some lightness into her tone. "That's it."
He didn't believe her. There was the desperate feel to some of her actions, her abundant showers, and the startled cry just now. "Tabby," he began. But then she kissed him, pressing her lips against his, moving her hands down his chest, her tongue against his mouth, her breasts pressing against him.
He felt nothing, except annoyance, and, perhaps, boredom.
"Tell me," Tabitha said, her lips hovering just above his, her voice deep and husky, "That you didn't feel something. That you don't still think about us. That you didn't miss your Tabby Cat."
He put his hands on her shoulders and gently pushed her away. "Tabby, if you need a friend, if you need help, Ah'll help you. Ah owe you that much. But," he continued firmly, "You should know, Ah didn't feel a thing."
"You can't be serious, Mason-Dixon," Tabitha leaned back, thrust out her chest a bit, and laid a hand on his inner thigh. "Your new girl can't . . ."
"Tabitha, whatever happened to you, you can tell me about." He reached out and gave her hand a gentle pat. Then he removed it from his thigh, "Ah'm just not interested any more. And Angel can." He got off the couch and picked up his book. "If you ever play another joke on her like the one you did this afternoon, Ah'll kick you off campus myself." He left the room without a backward glance.
Tabitha stared after him for a minute, pulled her knees up to her chin, and began to cry.
Angel walked quickly thought the main doors of the mansion, heading for the common room to see if Rogue and Logan were back yet. Rogue's test results hadn't been discouraging, but they hadn't been encouraging either. The combined minds of Professor Xavier and his friend, Dr. McCoy, and Jean didn't quite understand how Rogue's powers worked. They wanted to do more tests. Rogue said she was starting to get tired of being a guinea pig. Angel entered the common room and almost threw up. Hands clenched at her side, she spun on her heel and left before she gave into the urge to blast both Sam and Tabitha.
In her studio, Angel bent over her drafting table. The wall above it was festooned with pictures of barnyard fowl, references for the Andersen sketches she was working on. Be patient, he had told her, she thought angrily. Yeah right. Patient while he wooed the information out of Tabitha anyway possible.
A very small part of her pointed out that she was being a tad bit unjust. It had looked Tabitha was kissing Sam, not the other way around.
The rest of her told the small part to be quiet.
She really, really wanted to fry Tabitha.
She wanted to make hot, passionate love to Sam and yet she wanted to fry his ass.
The small part of her that was still being rational pointed out that with her mutant power she could actually do so.
She should have known better to trust him, she thought. Frost had taught her that much. People either betrayed her or they left.
Stop the pity party, the small part of her said, just be patient, hear his side of the story.
Yeah right, she focused once more on her drawing. She pressed down so hard that the pencil point snap. At the very least, she should calm down, she told herself. Right.
She was still bent over her table when Sam walked into the room. "Angie," he said reached out to lay a hand on her shoulder. "Did you have good time out with Jupiter?"
"Yes," was her curt answer, and she shifted away from his touch and didn't look up from her work.
She was upset about something, Sam thought. Perhaps about what Tabitha had done in the Danger Room. Or, a thought niggled at the back of his mind, about that day at the museum, when she had been spooked. Jay's situation had pushed it to the back of his mind. He moved to the side of the drafting table. "Angelica, what's wrong?"
She still didn't look up from her work, "Is there something you want to tell me?"
Confused, he said. "What would . . ."
"About Tabitha," she interrupted coolly.
Comprehension quickly dawned. Shit, Sam thought. "It wasn't what it looked like. She kissed me." Damn, that sounded weak even to him.
"Right. And her hands just ended up on your crotch!" Angel threw her pencil.
"If you had seen the whole thing . . . "
"What? I'm supposed to stay and watch? Make some popcorn and offer words of encouragement?" She didn't shout, but the tone in her voice was far from friendly. She got up from her seat and stalked away from him, crossing her arms over her chest.
"You're supposed to trust me," he replied, his own frustrations over the last couple days threatening to leak out.
"I did! Be patient, you said. I was patient when she hung all over you. When she knocked on the door late at night, every night. Barely dressed!" She began to number the times on her fingers. "When she invited herself along to the museum. When she had to watch Persuasion with us. I've been patient though her sniping and her inane practical jokes! I'm tired of being patient just so you can make your mind!" She spun away from him and stared angrily out the window with her hands clenched at her sides.
"Is that what you think this is about? That Ah don't know what Ah want?" He took a step in her direction. "You have nothing to be jealous abo . . ."
"You . . ."
"She kissed me," he tired again
"Right," Angel spat the word out with a great deal of scorn.
"Damn it, Angel! Ah'm not Frost! Ah'm not your father!" He ignored her attempts to shrug him off and turned her to face him. "Ah'm not going to betray you. Ah know how that feels," he finished softly. He cupped her face in his hands, making her look him in the eyes. "Ah'm not that stupid. Ah know a good thing when Ah see it." He kissed her and after a moment she kissed him back. He rested his forehead against hers, "Okay?" he asked quietly.
"Sorry," Angel whispered softly. "It's just that . . ."
"Ah know," he interrupted. "Trust me, Ah . . "
But she cut him off with a kiss, her hands coming up to his chest as she pushed him back onto the spare bed they had yet to move out of the second room.
"Did Ah see a Victoria Secret bag in the corner?" he asked as he landed.
"Later," Angel replied. As her fingers unbuttoned his shirt, her lips and tongue claimed his skin. She paused only along enough to tug off his pants and her clothes before continuing to claim to every inch of him.
"Was that make-up sex?" Sam asked as he lay on the bed with Angel resting on top of him. "Because if that was jealous sex, Ah'll . ."
He couldn't finish his sentence for Angel punched him in the ribs, "Don't even think it or I'll fry your . . ."
"That's not what you just said," he interjected. "And now you blush?" he said with a chuckle. "After that?"
"You seemed to enjoy it," she raised her hand to look at him.
"Ah did. That's why Ah . . ."
"You really do want me to fry your ass."
"Not exactly fry, no. When do Ah see what's in the bag?"
Before Angel could answer, there was a knock at the door of the bedroom. Sam felt Angel tense in his arms. Neither of them said anything, hoping that Tabitha didn't realize that they had two rooms. Sam pulled the comforter over them.
The knock was repeated, but this time at the other door. "Sam!" It was Tabitha.
Angel groaned. "Please, please let me fry her."
Sam shook his head. This was something he should deal with. He slid out of the bed and pulled on his jeans, went to the door and opened it.
Tabitha stood in the doorway. As she took in his rumpled hair and unbuttoned jeans, her lips flatten into an expression of distaste.
Sam leaned on the door, "Yes?"
"Sam, I was wondering if tomorrow you could help me put together a resume? I really should find a job," Tabitha said, her voice small and tight.
"Ah'll help you when Ah get back. Ah'm going out with Angel tomorrow," he said clearly. "Alone."
Tabitha nodded, "Good night."
Hoping it was a peace offering, Sam closed the door.
Angel propped herself up and looked at him. "We'll going out tomorrow? What about Jay?"
"Paige can play big sister. Warren can help her." Sam had been impressed by how helpful Warren had been with Jay. "We deserve a day out. Ah haven't been to a bookstore in . ..
"Two weeks."
He shot Angel an amused look, "Though Ah'm disappointed that my input wasn't sought before you went shopping."
"I don't think you'll be disappointed." Angel smiled wickedly.
Sam picked up the bag and looked inside, "Chocolate paint."
"Jupiter says it's fun."
"Let's see."
Outside, Tabitha walked down the hallway to her room. Once inside, she took out her cell phone and dialed. "Ric," she said softly. "They're going out tomorrow." She listened, "I don't know. He didn't say. Okay. Be careful." She closed the phone and threw it across the room.