Note: Thankyou SO much to the lovely reviews you've been giving the story! Twighlighter1189, thanks for the PM (and obviously the EK was very much appreciated too :P! I do it all the time, I seriously wish we were allowed more than 1 review per chapter!) But also big hugs to RogueNya, Wanda W, chibi nina, Selene Ruby Rose Snape and last but not least, Junesse! You guys keep me writing, and to all others reading, PLEASE REVIEW – I LOVE IT!
Disclaimer: Santa, all I want for Christmas, is the X-men, as I don't own them yet
The next morning was a Friday and Marie woke up at 9, luxuriating in the fact that her student/teacher limbo meant she got Fridays off classes for 'private study'. She yawned and stretched out, her hands whacking her headboard, making her wince slightly. She slowly sat up and swung her legs off the bed, smiling in spite of the momentary pain.
Last night had been… okay. Well, as okay as it could be seeing as her boyfriend had just cheated on her, her mentor and 'friend' had just walked out for an indeterminable length of time and all the school was gawking at her, waiting for her to crack. But still okay. She had spent the evening in the company of Jubilee (no big surprise there) but also Warren, who up to that point had mostly kept himself to himself, but had seemed to finally open up. He seemed like a genuinely nice guy. They spent the night chatting over ice cream, talking about the school, the students, and most significantly, the cure. Warren had spoken candidly about his father, the inventor of the cure, and their relationship, about how Warren was almost forced into taking it, but why he forgave his dad in the end. He listened to the girls' views on the vaccine, and was intrigued by Marie's firsthand account. By the end of the night Marie had forgotten all about her woes as she processed the deep conversation, and went to bed after hugging both her best friend and Warren, who she decided had earned her friendship and trust, and she hoped she had earned his.
After showering and brushing her teeth, Marie walked downstairs to have some breakfast. The school was quiet, as mostly everyone was in classes, and mercifully the kitchen was deserted. After making and eating a cream cheese bagel, she sat pondering what to do for the rest of the day. She started fidgeting in her seat, restless (probably due to the gallon of sugary ice cream she had devoured the previous night). She looked at the clock, and it read 5 minutes to 10, and she realised the Danger room would probably be empty soon. Suddenly she had the urge to beat the crap out of holograms displaying a select few members of her team. She grinned wickedly to herself at the thought.
Technically as she wasn't a fully fledged member of the X-men she wasn't allowed to use Danger Room on her own, especially as she no longer had her powers to defend her. But Rogue had argued with both Storm and Logan that her former powers would not have been any use on her own anyway, so she needed to improve her hand-to-hand combat if she was ever to defend herself. She had got quite passionate about the subject, and was close to tears when Logan had just said a firm 'no' and walked out, probably to drink himself into another stupor. Storm had, surprisingly, been happy to listen to Marie's argument, but was unhappy with the idea of allowing her complete access to potentially dangerous situations (Marie grinned to herself at the irony). Only when Bobby stepped in with the idea of only allowing limited access to scenarios which were 'safe' for a human did the new headmistress finally agree. Marie had been ecstatic at the time, and really chuffed with Bobby's sweet intervention, but now the memory just left a sour taste in her mouth. His tone suddenly seemed so patronising, so mocking, so damn… pitiful. Is that what he felt? Was he just laughing at poor human Marie behind her back with Kitty all this time? No, surely he wouldn't be that harsh, she rationalised, surely he loved her enough not to be that cruel? 'Well', a spiteful voice rose up in her head, 'surely sleeping with another woman shows just how cruel he can be'. Marie scrunched her eyes up, trying to silence her thoughts 'she would not cry, she would not cry, she would not…
OOF. 'Ok, not smooth', she thought wryly as she bounced off the elevator door she had just walked into. She jumped in and the doors closed smoothly behind her, then 10 seconds later she was in the underground level. The red light outside the door warned that a session was in progress, so Marie swiftly walked past the Danger Room and headed in the direction of the Med Lab, to check who was attending there. The doors opened and she stuck her head in, only to find Siryn busying herself on the computer, her gorgeous flame coloured hair tied back scruffily in a bun. Marie just smiled and left her to it – although she wasn't close with Siryn she knew the red head liked her peace and quiet just as much as she did. As she turned to leave she noticed a troop of teenagers leaving the Danger Room, all heading towards the elevator at the opposite end of the hallway. At the back of the crowd Warren walked out, his wings drooping with fatigue, and headed in the same direction. Smiling, Marie caught his attention.
"Hey, Warren!" He stopped and turned at the sound of her voice, his tired face lighting up into a winning smile. Marie grinned back at him as she ambled over, pulling him into an awkward but warm hug as she tried to avoid his wings (a tricky task, she can tell you).
"What put you in such a good mood?" He raised an eyebrow as he pulled away, but the smile remained on his face.
"Dunno, I guess I just feel…" she frowned slightly and pondered her answer. How did she really feel? "Guess a bit of weight's been lifted off my shoulders. Not all of it, no, I still got plenty of issues, but I think I'm starting to come to terms with what's happened. All of it" She said significantly, and Warren nodded his head in understanding.
"Well, good!" He motioned for Marie to walk with him towards the elevator, which she did, completely forgetting the reason she was down there in the first place, until Warren bought it up and she stopped.
"So, what are you up to now?"
"Ah, well, I was actually going to have a training session…" She looked over at the door she had easily passed, then back at Angel.
"Oh, god sorry, I'm just taking you in completely the wrong direction, I'll -" He started, but Marie waved her hands to stop him.
"No, it's fine. I actually don't really feel like it anymore" She shrugged and put her hands in her pockets "So, what are you up to now? Fancy a walk or something?" Warren raised his eyebrow again, and Marie had time to realise how that may have sounded. Please don't take that the wrong way, she silently begged. But he just gave another easy smile and leaned over to press the elevator button.
"Sure, why not? I don't have any more lessons today, and neither does Logan…" He trailed off, his eyes meeting Marie's and she realised why she was so surprised to see Warren walk out of the session – it had been Logan's class he was covering.
"Oh jeez Warren, I'm sorry about Logan. He's always running off at the drop of the hat, but usually he's never had classes to teach. I'm so-" but he waved off her apology.
"Don't apologise for him Marie, its fine!" She looked at him sceptically "Really! I know he's been through a rough time; I don't really blame him for wanting to get away" His voice was quiet and he was looking at his feet when he said that. Even though he hadn't known Jean, Scott or the Professor, Warren had had to share the School's grief after Alcatraz, and it only just dawned on Marie how much of a burden that must be to bear for an outsider. He shrugged, almost to himself, and looked up. "Listen, I'm pretty tired at the moment – Logan's combat class are good" He smiled slightly, obviously impressed with the teenagers' skills "so if you don't mind I'm gonna go upstairs, get a shower and a couple of hours sleep. But why don't we get lunch together later then have that walk?"
"Sure, sounds fine" Marie smiled at Warren's subtle look of gratitude "Meet you in the Kitchen 'bout One?" The elevator door opened and Warren stepped inside, and then turned around. Marie shook her head as she decided not to join him, so he put his hand on the door to finish their conversation.
"Good, that's a date then!" And the door closed. Marie's eyes widened at the man's last statement and she blushed slightly. She turned round and headed back towards the Danger Room. Suddenly, that urge to punch someone was back…
