Right now I'm just imagining James McAvoy in a doctor's outfit…oops, just drooled a little.
Bright lights. That's what Hank could see from behind his eyelids. He saw bright lights and felt a gentle hand stroking back his hair. It was nice, and a sense of peace washed over him. But he had to open his eyes and let everyone know that he was alright. Slowly, his eyelids fluttered open and he was suddenly swimming in blue and red. His eyesight was slightly blurry, which was odd, but he knew that it was Marianne looking down at him.
This must have been how Prince Eric felt when he saw Ariel for the first time.
"Hi," she greeted meekly, her hand still smoothing down his hair. Her voice was hoarse and cracked as she spoke, but he couldn't decide if that was from emotion or the fact that she hadn't used her voice in years.
"You got your voice back," he said groggily, and she laughed.
"Yeah, I did. It feels good."
"How long have I been out?"
"A few days, you had us all worried sick." He remembered the reason why he was here, and what had gone down, and looked at her with his blurry vision.
"What you did back in the yard," he began, and she avoided his eyes, "not a lot of people can do that. Give those men a second chance." She took a deep breath and nodded.
"Nobody had to die, so I made sure that nobody did. And everyone deserves a second chance, especially you." This confused him for a moment.
"What? What are you talking about?" She grinned.
"Close your eyes." He obeyed unwillingly, and laughed as he remembered her power. "Don't peek." As much as he tried to open his eyes, he couldn't.
"Right, I almost forgot that you're a manipulator."
"Yep, and don't you forget it." She helped him slowly sit up, placing something on his nose. Her hands then took his own, they felt so small in his, and placed them in front of his face. "Okay, open your eyes." He did so and was shocked at what he saw.
His skin was a peach color again, no blue skin or fur, no claws or anything. He reached up to touch his face, and found that it was hairless as well. "I'm…I'm…"
"Cured," she finished. "For now anyway, that's what was in the dart. Charles said it was only temporary; it'll only last a few months. But you still have those awesome feet." His eyes, with better vision thanks to his glasses, trailed down to his feet and he was slightly disappointed to find that they were still mutated. "Why do you look so sad? I think those are the coolest feet I've ever seen." He laughed a little and looked around, noticing Rosabelle in the other bed.
"What happened to Rose?" he asked, and she bit her lip.
"She placed a force field over the mansion, but had to hold it for so long that she became exhausted. She should be getting out today, like you." He nodded and placed his now normal hand over Marianne's sitting on the bed.
"Was my name the first thing you said?" he asked, and she smiled a little. He already knew the answer, but he just wanted to be sure.
"Yeah, it was."
"I see."
"Why did you want to know?"
"No reason, just curious." She nodded with a small smile and looked at her hands. "Marianne?" She tilted her head up to face him and he slowly began leaning down, tilting his head to the side. Their lips just barely brushed before the doors opened, causing them to pull back quickly as Charles entered.
"Hello Marianne," he greeted, kissing her forehead. "Hello Hank, it's good to have you back." He patted his shoulder. "You had us all worried."
"That's what I told him," Marianne said with a pointed look at the blue-eyed boy. "So when can he leave?" Charles looked at his watch.
"Right now, if he wants." The two younger mutants grinned at each other and she helped Hank out of the wires. "Be careful, Hank might still be weak," he warned as the now partly-cured mutant grabbed the red-head's hand and pulled her out of the infirmary, heading up the stairs and into the lounge where everyone was waiting.
"There he is!" Sean said, and Hank was sucked into a vortex of hugs.
"You look like a doofus again," Alex pointed out, which earned him a punch in the arm from Elisabeth. "C'mon, let's watch some television." They all crowded on the couch and on the floor around the couch, with Marianne curled up next to Hank. But she didn't feel as small and fragile as she did the first time she rested her head on his chest. Now she felt strong and sturdy, like the whole situation with the scientists made her stronger.
Maybe it did.
xxxxOxxxx
Charles lounged on his bed, staring at the ceiling. Everything changed, in not even three hours. Hank was cured (mostly), Marianne had her voice back, and everyone was so much closer to one another. It was a nice feeling, knowing that everything was okay. For now, anyway.
Knock, knock.
He stood, curious as to who that might be, and opened the door to find Rosabelle standing in the doorway, a small smile on her face.
"Hi."
"Hello. May I come in?" He stepped to the side and she entered, sitting at the foot of his bed. He sat next to her and got a sense of déjà vu. She felt it as well, judging by her thoughts. But she didn't stay sitting for long, soon she was up and pacing. "So I've been thinking, we could've died a couple days ago, right?"
"Yes, I suppose so."
"And there were still a lot of things that some people haven't said to each other-no, don't interrupt, let me finish." Charles closed his mouth and waited for her to continue. "There were some things that I have yet to say to you, for example. And I realized a couple of days ago that I need to hurry up and say those things, because I might not get another chance."
"Rose, just sit down, you need your rest."
"Oh, shut up!" Suddenly she was bent over in front of him, her hands grasping his face and her lips crashing against his. He rested a hand on her waist and she pulled back, biting her lip. "Sorry, too fast?"
"No, much too slow if you ask me." She laughed and kissed him again, this time lowering herself down onto his lap. He placed his hands on her waist again, pulling her closer to him. Her hands moved down to the hem of the t-shirt he was wearing, pulling it up. He raised his arms and she pulled it over his head.
"It was always you Rose," he whispered. "It was always you."
"I know," she replied, kissing him again. "Trust me Charles, I know." His hand went to the zipper of her dress, but he hesitated.
"Are you sure about this?" She nodded.
"Positive."
"Are you-"
"Oh for goodness sake Charles!" she exclaimed and grabbed his hand, making his fingers grab the zipper and pulling his hand down. He looked up at her and saw it in her eyes. She wanted this. "Go on." He pulled her back down for a kiss, sliding the straps of the dress off of her shoulders.
The door closed on its own accord and locked with a quiet click.
xxxxOxxxx
Lucy glanced down at her composition, rather satisfied with her work. She had finally finished, finally found that missing piece. Turns out, the song was melancholy. It was depressing and haunting and she was, believe it or not, proud of herself for finally finishing something. The doorknob rattled a little before there was a sigh and a knock on the door. She giggled and stood, walking over to it and swinging it open, being welcomed with a bouquet of Lilies.
"Oh my goodness," she gasped, placing a hand over her mouth. Sean's head poked out from behind the flowers, and he grinned like a schoolboy.
"Um…Marianne told me you liked Lilies. So, I went and got you some as soon as the snow finished melting." The tips of his ears went red and she laughed, taking the bouquet.
"They're beautiful, Sean, thank you." He smiled and looked down at his hands. "Would you like to come in?" He nodded and entered the room, Lucy nudging the door closed with her foot. Sean sat down on her bed as she placed the Lilies in a vase and put some water from the sink in it. Sean took the finished composition and looked down at it.
"Hey, you finally finished it!" She walked out of the bathroom and smiled, placing the vase of Lilies on the dresser.
"Yeah, it decided to have a mind of its own and become depressing." He laughed and held it out to her.
"Why don't you play it for me?" A strange look passed over her face and she snorted.
"Uh, no. I don't play for audiences."
"But I'm only one person, I don't count." She let out a breath through her nose and gave him an exasperated look before picking up her guitar and setting her music on the bed. Then she sighed again and began to play. Lucy had been right. It was a very melancholy sound, but it was like a sort of twisted lullaby. Sean loved it. When she finished, he grinned. "That was amazing Lucy!" he complimented and her cheeks turned a bright shade of red.
"It's not my best work, but you know, I'm proud of it."
"You should be, it's amazing!" She blushed deeper and looked down. "So, um, I think you can guess why I'm here."
"I had a feeling due to the flowers."
"Well, it's sort of hard to explain, so…I think I'll just show you." Then he leaned forward and gently kissed her cheek. She looked at him in shock, blinking a few times. After a moment, Lucy seemed to come back to reality and leaned over her guitar, placing her lips softly against his. He was surprised at first, but then kissed her back, cupping her cheek in his hand. She kept one hand on her guitar and placed her other hand on the back of his neck, pulling him closer. They pulled away and smiled at each other.
"Now we just need to get Marianne with Hank and Rose with Charles," she whispered and he laughed. Suddenly, someone shouted Charles' name rather loudly. The two shared an amused look, chuckling.
"I think Rose and Charles are taken care of."
Haha Rose, you're so loud…
I'm not sure about this one, my muse kind of took over on Charles' and Rose's part. Yeah…she's gonna pay for that.
