I'm quite surprised. I'm not sure, but I don't think I made any mistakes last chapter. Wow. First time EVER. Kudos to me. Thanks for getting this far. XD
This, my friends, is either the last or second last chapter in this still plotless story, Ring Of Fire by pen-name author Rukie. I wanna thank everyone who read this, everyone who reviewed this (with special thanks to Teri Neko and Ratdogtwo), and especially Rinjii, who, although she only reviewed once, and generally didn't have much to say at all, did kick me several times while yelling 'Get on with it!'
This is Ring Of Fire chapter 10. Enjoy.
Chapter 10
"Thanks, Jubilee."
"No problem. You owe me a story when you get back, though."
Vincent nodded distractedly, already walking down the hall. Jubilation Lee shrugged, and shifted Lance into a better position in her arms.
"You tired, little buddy?" She crooned. Lance shook his head. "Wanna watch some television?" Jubilee asked. The little boy nodded. Jubilee smiled. "Alright." She swung around, then caught a look at what the boy was wearing. "Well, that's no good! You'll never be able to sleep in that! Let's go pillage Bobby's room, shall we?"
The boy grinned, not understanding what she meant, but gleaning the fact that they probably weren't supposed to be doing it. Jubilee placed him on the floor and took his hand.
"Let's go, eh?" The two tottered off down the hall, earning many an odd look from the other students, who had taken advantage of the fact that the teachers were gone.
--
"Form a line!" Logan shouted. "Don't let them cross!" On either side of him, soldiers and X-Men alike stood shoulder to shoulder, blocking the path of the mass of mutants that made up the Brotherhood. The soldiers cure guns came up, aiming carefully. Bobby's eyes roamed over the the row of mutants who stood on the bridge that Magneto had lifted to form a line of reinforcements to Alcatraz. There, in the middle was the metal manipulating mutant himself. To his left stood Jean, her face devoid of any emotion, closely shadowed by someone who looked like a male version of Vincent. And directly to Magneto's right was a familiar fire mutant. John. Pyro.
Bobby's eyes narrowed slightly. He had known the day John and Vincent had left that it would come to this. He didn't want to do it now any more than he had then. But John was threatening hundreds of innovent people, people that Bobby was fighting to save. If this is what it came to, so be it. He would regret it later. He didn't have time right now.
On the bridge, Magneto turned and said something to John. Pyro nodded, raising his arm. The X-Men tensed, anticipating a rush. It never came. As Pyro swung his arm, someone grabbed it, and, demonstrating a perfect move, used his moment to flip him over. As Pyro's head rushed toward the ground, the person jerked on his arm, pulling his head up before it hit the ground. Instead, he landed flat on his back. Mouth hanging open, he gaped. Vincent stood above him, a switchblade to Magneto's throat. The older man's helmet was on the ground. From the look on his face, he was trying to move the metal away from him, but failing. Vincent was blocking his power. On his other side, Jean watched emotionlessly. All movement stopped. Vincent dropped John's arm.
"That's enough." Her voice echoed out over the now silent ground. "This will end now."
Beside her, Magneto laughed. "Don't listen to her, my brothers! Don't forget, this girl betrayed us! She left us! She told the traitorous X-Men of our plans! What more can she do to us?"
Vincent snarled. "I can burn you to a fucking crisp, old man. Do not try me." She glared out over the crowd of mutants and soldiers. "Begone, all of you! The ground troops are less than ten minutes away! They have cure cannons by the truckload! Get out of here now, if you value your powers, and your lives!"
There was a moment of silence.
Then, in a rush, more than half of the Brotherhood turned and disappeared back onto the bridge. As more mutants streamed after them, Vincent lowered the knife slightly.
"Let's not have any undue fussing." She whispered to him. "I'm going to let you go. I don't want anyone hurt, ok?"
Magneto nodded. On his other side, Jean's eyes started to glow.
'It's on now, old man.' Vincent thought to Magneto. 'Run.' Simultaneously unblocking his power and dropping the knife, she lashed out with her own power, just in time to meet Jean's attack head on. She almost screamed as the powerful mutant's mind battered at her own. Gritting her teeth, she spread her power out like a blanket, and wrapped herself and Jean in it, locking their psychic powers into a ball.
'You.' Jean growled in her mind. 'You will die for them? For these paltry insects?' Outside their ball of energy, the ground troops pulled in, cure guns and cannons blasting. Mutants all around them dropped, screaming as the cure entered their bloodstream, eliminating the mutations in their cells. In the first few seconds, almost a quarter of the Brotherhood members became members of the human race once again. Jean and Vincent roiled at the feeling their change caused in the psychic field.
"Damn right, bitch!" Vincent yelled back, striking out with her power as Jean faltered. With a mental scream, the Phoenix let out a series of psychic and telekinetic flares as Vincent pressed down on it. Around their ball of energy, the ground flattened. Mutants and troops alike were thrown backwards away from it as the earth rippled. On the ground, John curled into a ball beside Vincent's feet, screaming as wave after wave of the mental attack hit him. As the sound belatedly reached her ears, Vincent stamped her foot once. The ground around Jean sizzled and burst into flame. As the Phoenix turned her attention to the newest attack, Vincent heard Xavier speak in her mind.
'It's time. Now, Vincent. I will help.' Vincent thought back her acceptance, and gave one last push. With Xavier helping, the Phoenix's defence crumpled. She screamed in anger as Xavier hurriedly began erecting mental blocks. With a new flare of power, she began to push outward again. Several people around them disintegrated as a flare of power hit them.
"Shoot!" Vincent screamed out to the soldiers behind her. One leveled a gun.
"Move!" He yelled, trying to aim. "You're in my way!"
Vincent shook her head. "Can't - move!" She yelled. "Just shoot!"
On the ground, John raised his head. Vincent threw herself forward, grabbing Jean in a bearhug, keeping her from moving. With her last dregs of energy, she blocked Jean's telekinetic powers. The soldier pulled the trigger.
Time seemed to slow. John screamed as the bullet hit the two women. Vincent bit her lip as it passed through. Face to face with Jean, her eyes widened. Then the bullet was through, ripping a hole through Jean's chest. Blood spattered. For a moment, Vincent could have sworn she saw a look of peace enter the other woman's eyes. Jean's voice echoed through her mind. 'Thank you.'
Then her knees gave out beneath her. She collapsed. A second later, Jean fell beside her. The other woman was already dead.
She stared upward, her hands around her stomach. She could feel the blood spurting into her hands, her fingers growing heavy. Her vision swam. Everything was going black.
"Vincent! Vincent!" Through the spots that crossed her eyes, she could see John staring down at her, his mouth open in horror. She lifted her hand to touch his face, leaving a bloody smear.
"It's alright." She whispered. She could taste his tears on her face.
"No." John gasped. "No, it's not alright. Where're you going, Vincent?"
Vincent smiled. "Not going nowhere without you." She whispered. "This is just the next step. I'll be waiting."
Her eyes closed against the blinding light that burned infront of her. She cast her consciousness away, towards Xaviers.
--
Lance was out on the grounds with Jubilee, walking, when she found him.
He stiffened slightly as he felt her approach, relaxing as he recognized her presence.
'Mauddie? Mauddie, what's wrong? You're sad.'
'Baby, Mauddie isn't coming home.'
The boy nodded. She'd told him that this might happen. He didn't know what it meant, but he seemed to sense that he wouldn't be seeing her anymore.
He swiveled to look up at Jubilee, who was staring down at him, concerned.
"Mauddie says she's not coming home." The little boy informed her. Tears filled Jubilee's eyes.
For a moment, time seemed to stop. Across the planet, mutants and humans alike felt a great sense of peace. Many paused, their hands rising to touch their chest, above their heart. Babies stopped crying. Children stopped screaming. Halfway across America, a woman named Jodie pulled her car over to the side of the highway and stepped out, staring at the sky as the heavens opened and a light drizzle began to fall.
"So it ends." She whispered. "Good-bye, Vincent. And thanks."
Vincent's voice echoes in Alex's mind. 'Bye, little brother.'
At Xaviers, everyone stopped moving. The many telepaths touched their foreheads in tribute as Vincent's presence slipped away.
The silence was broken when somewhere in the mansion, a radio kicked in.
Oh...It's time to let it go.
--
Vincent's eyes were closed, her face peaceful.
John choked on tears. Behind him, a scream ripped the silence. The sound of a soul tearing. It was Alex. He was on his knees, hunched over his sister's body. He ripped at his hair, still screaming. No one had the heart to go near him. Around him, water streamed upwards, falling back in the form of rain as the boy cried. Finally, his screams subsided into a weary whimpering. He started as someone gripped his shoulder. Looking up, he saw John, his eyes swollen, tears still flowing freely down his cheeks. Their eyes met. Slowly, John reached down and hugged him. Alex leaned into the other boy, hugging him back. Together, they shared their grief.
Nearby, Bobby was supporting Rogue, as Kitty cried into Piotr's chest. Logan's claws were sliding in and out with sickening shnicks as he flexed his hands, trying to refrain from crying. He was staring at the two bodies as though it would revive them. Lightning flashed across the open sky as Storm let her sadness and anger get the best of her. It was the first time she'd shown emotion through her power in years. To those around her, it meant more to the memories of Jean and Vincent than the tears streaming down her face.
--
Two years later...
The cure had been forbidden to be used as a weapon, by order of the government of the United States. This fact was celebrated as much as the wedding they were all there to witness.
Marie smiled as Bobby leaned in to kiss her. The garden erupted into cheers. The couple broke apart, both smiling widely. Marie leaned forward and tossed her bouquet into the crowd. Jubilee gave a shriek as she reached upwards and grabbed it. Every one smiled.
The entire population of students at the mansion, as well as many graduates, were present. Logan sat in the front row, wearing his best suit and tie, a smile almost splitting his face. Beside him sat Alex, accompanied by Turk, who had been cured in the attack on Alcatraz, and Lance, who had grown into a mischiveous boy of eight. There was talk of how he would be a heart breaker when he got older. Beside him sat John, a rare smile on his lips.
As the couple descended the stairs from the alter and swept back down the aisle, he stood and slipped off to the side, out of the crowd that was rising to congratulate them. Looking on, he saw a familiar girl, dressed in boys clothes, black hair flowing over one shoulder, slouched in a chair, grinning like a fool and whispering to another familiar young woman with deep red hair and a young man with red sunglasses. Seeming to feel his gaze, she looked up. Her startling yellow eyes met his own, and he gasped. She nodded to him, her smile widening. The moment was broken as the young newlyweds passed the chairs. Then they were gone. He looked around. Alex was staring, his own yellow eyes wide, at the same chairs. Slowly, the twin turned his head, meeting John's gaze, his expression asking the question for him. John nodded slightly. Vincent may have died, but she was still around, guarding, Jean and Scott in tow.
John turned and walked away, back toward the mansion, thinking. Rogue had accepted the cure, but remained at the mansion to teach along side Bobby. They had announced their engagement the summer after the attack on Alcatraz, drawing the school out of one of the deepest pits it had ever been in. Now, almost two years later, the deaths were easier to talk about, think about. He hadn't thought he would survive those first few weeks, those first few minutes, when he would suddenly see a flash of black hair disappear around a corner, or sparkling yellow eyes staring back at him in the mirror. But he had. And he was all the stronger for it. He and Alex were now close friends. He was never quite sure if Alex knew what had been between himself and Vincent, but he had his suspicions. He had once managed to get Alex drunk enough to talk about his twin's death. All he had gotten was that Vincent had been too weak to block him out of her mind at the end. He'd never found out what that meant, but he gathered that it meant that Alex had been with her when she died.
He'd tracked Vincent's family down, telling them what had happened to Charlotte, and what became of Vincent. They had asked after Alex, but he hadn't told them that the boy was currently living in the Xavier mansion. As far as he knew, they were still searching for him. And let them search, after what they'd caused in their family.
--
He closed the door to the room behind him, staring around. Nothing in here had changed in two years. There was still a picture of the six click plus Vincent on the night-table, the walls were still painted with strange, twisting patterns that met in an intricate knot over the bed. There was still a television balanced precariously on the dresser, connected to an old Nintendo. A pile of old journals lay in a pile in the corner. There was still a radio on the shelf.
Sighing, he reached over and turned it on.
Oh,
it's time to let it go The world's got a funny way of turning
'round on you Betrayed but not gonna be
willing to change It's
sacrifice All along
you know you thought you got the best of me Betrayed
but not gonna be willing to change It's sacrifice
when a friend tries to stab you right in the
face
losing faith in everything I thought I hoped I knew
don't
sweat it, set a false pretense
and it doesn't seem likely to fade
betrayed
but not gonna be willing to change
cu-cu-cu-cuz you know...
false pretense, you'll hurt again
stop pretending,
don't deny
a false pretense, you'll hurt again
you were wrong and I'm
laughing right in your face
I cannot believe you claimed you were
my family
don't sweat it - it's set on false pretense
and it doesn't seem likely to
fade
betrayed but not gonna be willing to change
Cu-cu-cu-cuz
you know...
false pretense, you'll hurt
again
stop pretending, don't deny
a false pretense, you'll hurt
again
guitar Oh,
it's time to let it go I can't seem to understand it, how you
turned out to be so cold it's sacrifice So play the game until you run out
you tried but were caught red handed, are
you happy with your role?
it's funny to me how you've turned into
such a joke...
false pretense, you'll hurt
again
stop pretending, don't deny
a false pretense, you'll hurt
again
and play the game
into my hand...
END
--
Songs list:
chapter 1 - Iris - Goo Goo Dolls
chapter 5 - Bye Bye Beautiful - Nightwish
chapter 8 - Someone I Once Knew - Dead Celebrity Status
chapter 10 - False Pretense - The Red Jumpsuit Apparatus
I loved getting the reviews for this story, you were all so great. Good luck with your own words of wisdom.
Thanks for reading.
-Rukie