A/N: Huge thanks to Sarah, my wonderful multilingual friend, I have no idea how she manages to learn so many languages and not have her brain like explode with too much info! I know mine would! Lol. She did me a huge favour and corrected my terrible German! AND on my request she left Beth's a little imperfect as Beth is not a native speaker. Just had to mention that so if any German genius reads it they don't think she sucks. There is method to the madness and there is a reason! The German is not the best it could be, purely for effect! Lol.
Oh yeah, in other news, this story no longer belongs to me. I have started university and in doing so, the University of Kent at Canterbury now owns my soul and any and all rights to any and all works I produce that they could conceivably want. So here's a big finger to The Man, I don't receive any revenue from this so they can't have any revenue from this! So there.
Aside from that, uni rocks. But now, on with the story!
Chapter 9: Foreigners And Friends
Some days later Beth had more or less forgotten Jean-Paul Beaubier in the course of life, but every now and then, she would spot him across the hall or something would shoot past the corner of her eye and the speed would remind her of him, bringing the puzzle he presented to the forefront of her mind. She simply couldn't figure him out. He seemed so anti-social, but Beth thought there was more to it than that. She didn't know if it was her trusting nature, wanting to believe the best in people or if the others just didn't see anything deeper because they didn't care.
She was pondering this as she left the kitchen carrying Isabelle and a dark blue young man entered, speaking German into his cell phone.
"Ja,
ich auch. Tschüss."
Yes,
me too. ("Chew-se") Bye/ See ya. He said and
punched a button on his phone just as -
"Ooof!" They collided
"
'schuldigung."
Excuse
me/ Sorry. She muttered; speaking in the language she
had just heard him using. He swung around to face her, his face
arrested
"Wie bitte?"
Pardon? He said, his
tone of voice intense
"Entschuldigung."
Excuse me/ Sorry She
repeated and made to go through the doorway again.
"Du bist Deutsche?"
You're German? He
asked; a vulnerable, almost wistful look on his face.
"Nein,
tut mir Leid. Ich spreche nur die Sprache und nicht besonders
gut."
Sorry, no.
I only speak the language, and that not so well.
"Wie
kannst du Deutsch?"
How
do you know German? He enquired
"Schule.
Seit sieben Jahren lernte ich Deutsch. Sprachen liegen in der
Familie - mein Bruder ist Übersetzer."
School.
I studied it for
seven years. Languages run in the family, my brother is a
translator. She told him
"Echt?
Na, dein Deutsch ist doch sehr gut."
Really?
Well, I think your German's very good.
"Nein!
Aber danke. Es freut mich, Deutsch wieder zu sprechen.
Seit langem Zeit habe ich kein Deutsch gesprochen."
No!
But thanks.
It's good to speak it again; it's been a long time.
"Ich
weiß was du meinst. Deutsch kannst du immer mit mir
sprechen."
I know what you
mean. Feel
free to speak it with me anytime.
"Danke,
ich werde. Oh, ich heiße Beth. Und sie,
Isabelle."
Thanks.
I will. Oh, my name's Beth. And this is Isabelle.
Beth introduced herself and her daughter.
"Sie ist schön.
Ich heiße Kurt."
She's beautiful. I'm
Kurt. He replied
"Danke.
Freut mich Kurt."
Thanks.
Nice to meet you
Kurt.
"Freut
mich auch."
And you. Kurt said as
they each passed the doorway. As she slipped through, she
caught a glimpse of the kitchen behind her; and everyone in it gaping
at her. Grinning at their surprise, she continued on her way; and
knew that everyone now knew she spoke German, and those that didn't,
would soon. She laughed, shaking her head. She met Jean in the hall
as planned and they went into the Salem Center. Jean had decided
that Isabelle needed a pushchair, the Professor had agreed, and
insisted on paying for it. They had also agreed it would be better
for the pair if Isabelle had her own cot, instead of sharing Beth's
bed all the time. She had protested at this, they had shared all the
time they had been on the run; except at June and Bill's. It had
never been a problem before; and Beth wasn't perfectly comfortable
allowing the Professor to pay for everything. But as it had been
pointed out, she couldn't afford it and he definitely could.
"Hey!" she greeted Jean as the older woman joined her in the hall.
"Hi. Well well well, you're full of surprises, aren't you?" Jean teased her
"Surprising a telepath? How often does that happen?" Beth asked, smiling
"Not often. You kept that quiet, no one knew you spoke German." Jean smiled conspiratorially.
"Well I guess they do now." Beth grinned "Shall we get going?"
"Sure." Jean led the way out to the car.
"Actually, I'm glad you've met Kurt now. Hank is going to a conference in Germany in about three weeks and Kurt's going with him. We wondered if you might like to go home for a week or so, as they're going to be in the area anyway." Jean offered. Beth froze.
"Urm…" was all she could say
"You can think about it of course. And, you know, any questions. As we don't know why the Marauders are after Isabelle, they are still a threat so we thought Rogue and Bobby could go with you."
"Mutant protection? I bet someone could make a killing off homo superior bodyguards." Beth joked half-heartedly, thinking hard. "I'd have to talk it over with my mum. Things got pretty crazy for a while before I left. All the mutant hysteria and everything, the Marauders, I don't know how people would react…if I just turned up again…"
"Well that's understandable of course. Give it a think, sleep on it, talk with your mom, you know, that's cool. You've got two weeks to decide anyway."
"'kay." Beth mumbled, deep in thought.
"Ngeee-AH!" Isabelle squealed from Beth's arms and waved her arms about. Both women smiled and Jean stroked the baby's cheek. She turned to start the car and Isabelle watched her intensely, mesmerised by the shining red of her hair. Beth grinned at this and played with her daughter's hand, which held her index finger in its baby-grip, as they sped away from the Mansion.
The two had an enjoyable time shopping, and Jean insisted on getting some clothes for both mother and daughter as well. They ate lunch in Starbucks, Isabelle amusing them with her wide-eyed curiosity and her ability to make a mess and spent their time grinning and laughing.
They were shopping for a pushchair, having already purchased a cot and loaded the heavy, cumbersome object into the car, proud of their success and declaring "Who needs men! We can do it ourselves!" in their girl-powered triumph; when Beth spotted all the adorable clothes and accessories for new-borns that she simply hadn't been able to afford for Isabelle. She felt a cloud beginning to loom and Jean picked up on this from the other side of the shop. She knew Beth's state of mind was much healthier and was improving all the time, but she wasn't there yet and Jean knew how easy it was for the young girl to slip into fits of depression. And who can blame her after everything she's been through, Jean thought. Working her way over to Beth, she laid a hand on her arm
"Are you okay?" she enquired. Beth looked into Jean's concerned eyes and felt a rush of appreciation for the Mother Hen of the X-Men, ever caring. She took a deep breath and smiled.
"I'm fine. Just, I wish I could have done better for her. I mean, look at the start in life I gave her. Leaves a lot to be desired."
"That wasn't your fault." Jean told her firmly, reassuring her young friend. "Look at the start you gave her. It takes a huge amount of courage and strength to do what you did, and a huge amount of love as motivation. If she grows up knowing the start she had in life, what you did for her; your daughter will always know she is loved. And it's made you grow as a person. I didn't know you before, but you know it, deep down, how else could I know? It was an ordeal, it was Hell, but you coped. Do you have any idea how strong a person has to be to handle something like that? A lot of people couldn't have.
You want to know the truth? I admire you. That strength, it's there, all the time. In you. So you're having a bit of a hard time seeing the bright side lately. So what? Doesn't make you any less of a good person, or a good mother or anything. Just makes you human."
Tears welled in Beth's eyes.
"Thanks Jean. I needed to hear that." She whispered, her voice choked with emotion.
"Hey, no problem. What are friends for?" The beautiful redhead replied and hugged her. They separated and Beth brushed her tears away as the pair laughed at the face Isabelle pulled at being squished, the baby's fluffy hair sticking up all over the place as usual.
"Come on, let's make it up to her. She might not have had the best of everything when you guys were running for your lives, but the X-Men are looking after you now; let's go mad! She deserves the best." Jean whispered in her ear with a big grin on her face.
"Okay." Beth laughed.
"Okay! Let's shop!" Jean grinned, enthused; an almost maniacal glee on her face at the idea.
Together they picked out a beautiful buggy, top of the line, and paid for it with Xavier's 'school' credit card, authorised to few, stolen by many.
"How does the Professor afford all this?" Beth asked, her curiosity finally overcoming her reservations about asking about his financial situation.
"Well, he has his estate; the Mansion has been in his family for generations. But Forge has donated several patents to the school fund. Which of course is a constant income."
"Who's Forge?" Beth asked
"He's one of the X-Men, but he isn't an active member if you like. Battle isn't his forte, he's an inventor. It's part of his mutation, on a sub-conscious level, he can see patterns and things like that. He's invented many things, weapons, some used by us, some sold to the government, and everyday household items. Those are the ones that bring in revenue. I'm not surprised you haven't met him yet; he keeps to himself mostly, like Hank, always working. So you see, you needn't feel bad about accepting the Professor's financial aid. He has more than enough."
Her conscience slightly relieved, Beth felt far less guilt about letting the Professor pay for the few things they had bought.
"Right. I think that's everything. I have to be back at the Mansion, I have detention duty, you ready to go?" Jean asked, as the day turned into late afternoon
"Well, I would like to stay for a bit longer, is there a bus or anything?" Beth asked in reply.
"Yes, but here, take this and get a cab." said Jean, handing her some notes.
"You sure? I can easily just get the bus." Beth asked.
"Yeah, it'll be safer. In fact," Jean hesitated and bit her lip. "I wonder if it might be too dangerous to leave you on your own. The Marauders are still out there. Or their clones at least." They looked at each for a little while, each debating the issue in their own minds. Jean wanted to indulge Beth's desire to stay a bit longer, knowing how far she had come to feel comfortable enough with public places, and to stay on her own. Beth just wanted to stay a bit longer while she had the courage to be there in the first place. It had been a long time since she had been to a shopping centre, she had loved to just sit there and just absorb the atmosphere. That seemed a lifetime ago.
"Hmm. It's a risk." Jean told her
"I can't take risks where Isabelle is concerned." Beth stated.
"I know." Jean agreed. A short pause followed and Beth said
"It's not that big a deal, I'll just come home with you."
"Yeah but I'm sure there must be another option, I…" she trailed off. Suddenly, she swung her head round, looking sharply to her left, obviously having picked something up telepathically, if the intense concentration and importance on her face was anything to go by. Which it was.
"There's another mutant here." Jean filled Beth in. A frown nagged at her forehead as she searched telepathically. A few moments more and Jean's face cleared.
"It's okay, it's Jean-Paul." She paused then an idea came to her. "Hey, we could ask him to keep an eye out for you. If you got in trouble, he could just whisk you guys away. Although what's the betting that nothing will happen now that you have back-up? Murphy's law." Jean said.
"Well, it's better than risking it. And you know if we risk it now without asking him, something will happen and we'll kick ourselves." Beth pointed out. Jean grinned.
"Yup." She replied. "Okay, I'll ask him." She closed her eyes briefly as she connected to the Canadian mentally. Beth could see her eyes flickering behind their lids. Her mouth worked as if she was trying not to smile at his response. She opened her eyes.
"He'll meet you. He shouldn't be too long, and is aiming to be back around 6. That okay?"
"It's perfect." Beth smiled.
"Right, I've really got to go. He should be here very shortly. But of course he can't use his power in public." Jean said, standing.
"Yeah of course." Beth understood
"Okay, see ya Little One." Jean smiled and tickled Isabelle who gurgled in reply. "See ya later." She said to Beth, still smiling.
"Bye. And Jean? Thanks so much. I had a great time today. And thanks for, for what you said." Beth told Jean. The older woman smiled warmly at her young friend and a soft look came into her eyes.
"It was my pleasure." And with that she turned and left. Beth looked around the café where she sat and finished her coffee, jiggling the arm that held Isabelle. She looked at her watch and decided to wait outside for Jean-Paul the air in the café was hot and stifled; everyone was in winter clothes and the heaters were going full blast.
She stepped out into the cool February air and took a deep breath. Fresher than the café, but there was a road right in front of her so it left a lot to be desired. Spotting something in the shop window opposite, she looked around. Jean-Paul wasn't there yet, but she would see him from across the road; she was only going to look in the window. She crossed carefully, cradling Isabelle, her handbag slung over her shoulder. When she got there, she peered through the glass. Just as she thought. The guitar was beautiful. She wondered if she knew how long it had been since she'd played, and longed to hold it, to touch the wood, to feel the strings beneath her fingers. How long she stood there, lost in thought, she would never know but suddenly her head jerked up and she saw Jean-Paul striding down the street towards the café. Damn. She knew he'd be pissed if he went in there, crowded, cramped. He was already going out of his way to meet her and she didn't want him to be pissed off at her. She still wanted to find out what was behind Jean-Paul Beaubier. He intrigued her and she wanted to get to know him, be his friend. She hurried towards him calling his name as she went. But he didn't hear.
"Jean-Paul!" she shouted but over the hustle and bustle, he didn't hear. "Jean-Paul!" she shouted as she broke into an almost-run. Jogging, dodging shoppers, she called his name again before she dashed out. She almost saw it in slow-motion, he caught his name at the last second, just as he put his hand on the door-handle; turned his head just in time to see her, not more than a few yards from danger, to see the car heading straight for her. Shock and horror slapped his face before he pelted out across the busy road and shot in front of the hunk of metal that was rocketing through the air with enough force to pummel them to Kingdom Come; whisking her and her daughter from the jaws of death. Beth saw the car for a split-second, as if it was nothing more than a snapshot then a blur of white and colour as her eyes struggled to get a purchase on the world shooting by.
Suddenly, everything was still. There was a fuzzy shape in front of her and when her vision finally cleared, Jean-Paul came into focus.
"Bloody hell." She breathed. And fainted clean away.
