Soooo... I highly doubt anyone is going to be waiting for this story to get updated... It has been five years and just under two months... But if you are, here's a new chapter! ...I have no excuses for my long absence, expect that adulting is hard... Also, this chapter may not be as good as those previous or those following... I'm a little rusty when it comes to this story... Oh! I may also continue As They Seem... We'll see...
I personally didn't really like Grim Reminder. There were way too many plot holes. The biggest being how Kitty and Kurt disappeared all day and Xavier wasn't even remotely worried in the end. I mean, I know the guy is psychic, but still. He should've been freaking out a bit. Especially with what Logan was going through. So I completely nixed that plot. Nothing in that episode happened. There is no chip in Logan's head... Which is another reason this chapter may not be as good. It's really mainly filler, as I had nothing planned for it.
Instead, we have more insight into Crystal's past, sort of, the first mention of the Brotherhood living in two separate dwellings, a little bit of romance, a little bit of training, and a hint at a new player. Not to mention a little look into Sylvie's personality.
I have a story line planned out to at least Joyride, so even if no one is reading this, there should be more updates in its future...
Note: Not everyone has screen time in this chapter! And forgive me if there are any mistakes. If there are, point them out and they shall be fixed!
Due to his mutation, Alex Rogers did not sleep. Instead, he spent his nights passing the time until morning came. Some nights, it was simply learning a new song on his guitar. Others, it was getting past a particularly hard level in the latest video game he was playing through. Few and far between nights were spent studying or catching up on homework. One night out of the week, however, was spent outside of the walls of Rosemund Academy.
Miss Rosemund hadn't been thrilled at first, even if she knew the streets of Bayville were relatively safe. It wasn't until Hunter Burden stepped in, offering to stay up on whatever night Alex chose so that he could keep a prophetic eye on the boy. He would use Gavin to focus on Alex's future throughout the night, and at the first hint of trouble, Crystal would be alerted. She, albeit reluctantly, had finally agreed.
Alex was immensely thankful of this arrangement. Staying cooped up in his room, as he was not about to meander around the mansion and risk keeping any of his housemates from the sleep they needed, became unbearable at times. Besides, he enjoyed riding his bike around town at night. It was one of his more calming hobbies, something he did to clear his thoughts.
He easily maneuvered his bike through the quiet streets of Bayville, his mind focused on one subject tonight. Captain America. The man who could possibly be his grandfather.
Sylvie walked into the kitchen of the newly purchased house the female members of the Brotherhood of Evil Mutants now called home. Emily was at the stove, cooking a breakfast made up of eggs, bacon, and sausage. Annie stood beside the four slot toaster, waiting for the last batch of toast to pop out. Maddie sat at the table, looking as if she was still half asleep. Liron occupied the seat beside her, her shoulders sagging just slightly.
"How are you liking the new house?" she asked. Liron immediately burst into tears, burying her head in her arms. Annie groaned, closing her eyes and pinching the bridge of her nose. Maddie's head hit the table with a thud. "Is it that bad?"
Emily gave a small shake of her head. "No, it's not."
"Lira's sad that we're not sharing a house with the boys anymore," Maddie added. "She thinks it's like we've split up."
"And her moods are always at the extreme," Annie threw in. She looked up to glare at the woman Mystique left in charge. "We just got her quieted from the first round."
"Désolé," she murmured. The three girls not currently sobbing at the table were slightly surprised to find she sounded like she meant it. She moved to stand behind the distraught teen, pushing aside her brown braid to gently rub her back. "The team hasn't split up, Liron. The boys are just next door. Would you like to come with me this morning to check on them?"
Liron's sobs quieted as she looked up at the woman through blurry brown eyes. "C-could I?"
Sylvie smiled down at her. "Well, of course. Come now, so that you are not late for school."
The other three girls watched as Liron took the hand Sylvie offered her before rising from her seat. Sylvie gently pulled the girl in front of her, letting go of her hand and gesturing for her to lead the way. Though Liron's shoulders were still drooping, it was less than before as she left the kitchen, Sylvie close behind.
When they heard the front door open and close, Maddie turned to her other two housemates. "Can we keep her?" she asked.
"I wish," Annie said, staring at the doorway that led into the living room. "She's much nicer than Mystique."
"Makes you wonder how they know each other," Emily commented dryly, turning her attention back to the sausage. Maddie and Annie exchanged looks that said they clearly hadn't thought about that.
When Liron stepped into the living room of the boys' home, eyes rimmed red and shoulders still slightly drooping, its occupants had varying reactions.
Lance and Damion exchanged wary looks. Pietro promptly zipped up to his room. He wasn't good at keeping his mouth shut on a normal day, let alone a 'Oh God, Liron's sad' day. Fred meandered into the kitchen, a look of panic crossing his features. Todd rubbed the back of his neck with one hand, but he didn't move from his perch on the back of the couch.
"H-hey, Lira," he greeted, a hint of nervousness in his tone.
The three remaining boys held their breath as she looked up at him. When she didn't immediately burst into tears, they slowly released it. When her lips twitched into a miniscule smile, their whole bodies relaxed. "Hey, Todd."
"I'm glad to see you boys have been keeping things clean," Sylvie mused from behind Liron. So focused were they on the Israeli mutant, the boys didn't even notice her enter. "Have you all had breakfast?"
"Uh, yeah," Todd replied. "Freddy cooked."
"I always cook!" Freddy called from where he still hid in the kitchen.
"You don't clean," Lance retorted. "So you cook."
"Yeah," Todd said, feeling slightly emboldened. "Quid pro quo, yo!"
"You don't do anything," Damion pointed out.
"Neither does Pietro!"
"Boys!" Sylvie called out right as Pietro appeared at the top of the stairs. "Please, just get ready for school." Pietro glowered at his missed chance to throw a retort at Todd. "And don't forget, your training will begin this afternoon."
Pietro and Todd groaned, Lance rolled his eyes, and Damion smirked. "Do we have ta?" was heard from the kitchen.
Sylvie didn't dignify the question with a response before she turned to leave the house. When Liron turned to follow her, her smile was much larger.
"Do you think you can get a sample of his blood?"
Logan ran a hand through his hair. "I don't know, Chuck. Fury's probably pretty pissed that Crystal used me as her trump card."
"Speaking of," Xavier replied, pressing the tips of his fingers together, "Were you aware that she knew of your connection with Colonel Fury?"
"Not until she asked me to talk to the kid," he admitted. "She told me her fiancé used to work for S.H.I.E.L.D., said that I'm still whispered about in the halls."
"You do tend to make quite the impression," Xavier said with a small smile. Logan chuckled. Xavier continued on in a more serious tone, "I believe you should try. A blood sample would give me an idea of what we're dealing with. Perhaps it would even provide me with information that will lead to revival."
Logan sighed, moving to look out of the window. "I'll give it a shot, Chuck," he said as he crossed his arms over his chest, "but make no mistake. Fury's interest in that kid has nothing to do with reviving Rogers."
Xavier arched an eyebrow. "What does he want with Alex?"
"Not sure yet," Logan turned to look at Xavier, "but whatever it is, it ain't good."
Xavier closed his eyes. "Don't worry, Logan. Crystal seems to know what she's dealing with, and I believe she is more than capable of defending her charges."
"Oh, I don't doubt that, Chuck," Logan agreed with a dark chuckle. "That's one lady I wouldn't want to piss off."
"Indeed," Xavier replied quietly.
"Hi, Scott."
Though the greeting was quiet, it still reached the brunette teen's ears. He glanced to his right to find Bridget standing beside him. "Oh, hey, Bridget. How's it going?"
"Oh, you know," she replied, giving him a small smile. "Another day of school."
He flashed her a grin. "I do know," he said as he accepted his tray back from the lunch lady. He arched an eyebrow over his glasses after a quick glance around. "Where's Inara?"
"Ladies' room," she replied, holding her tray out for the lady.
"Bridget!" Augustus cried as he appeared on the small blonde's other side, much to the annoyance of the person behind her in line. "Can you spot me some cash for lunch? I left my wallet at home!"
"Of course, Aug," she said after a moment of hesitation that Augustus didn't notice. Scott did. She reached into the pocket of her blue skinny jean and pulled out a few folded bills, handing them to the dark skinned teen. "Here you are."
"Thanks, girl! You're the best!" He squeezed her shoulders in a quick hug before disappearing as quickly as he appeared.
"For you, sweetie?" the lunch lady asked Bridget as soon as Augustus left.
"Oh, never mind," Bridget replied with an apologetic smile. "I'm not that hungry."
Scott arched an eyebrow. He turned to the lady to see her shrug. Before she could turn to the next student in line, he spoke up, "Same as me, please."
"I gave all my money to Aug, Scott," Bridget whispered as the lady nodded and set to work.
"I figured," he replied, smiling down at her. "I got it, Bridge."
"Are you sure?" she asked, the nickname not lost on her, as he took the tray from the lady and handed it to her.
"Yeah," he assured her, pulling out his wallet to pay the lady running the register at the end of the line. "What are friends for?"
"Thanks," she said, smiling as they stepped away from the line.
"Why didn't you just tell him you didn't have enough?"
She fidgeted a little and a light blush appeared on her cheeks. Scott found himself thinking it was rather adorable. "I, uh, have a hard time telling people no," she admitted in a hushed tone.
"Oh," was his response. Then he chuckled and went on to say, "Maybe you can get Inara to help you with that. She seems pretty good at saying no." When she raised one hand to her mouth and giggled quietly, he smiled. "Though, I'm not opposed to buying you lunch again, either."
She blushed again, but before the implication of what he said registered in his own brain, he heard someone calling his name. He turned around to find Kurt waving at him from a few tables away. Kitty was sitting beside him, looking slightly mortified at his actions. He chuckled as he turned back to Bridget.
"That's my cue. See you later, Bridge."
"Later, Scott," she replied quietly, 'watching' as he turned and headed for the table Kurt was at.
"What's got you staring off, love?"
Bridget jumped a little, turning toward the voice of her best friend. Burnt orange light washed over Inara as she responded, "Let's grab a table and I'll tell you."
"Sounds brill," Inara said, dark green eyes scanning the cafeteria for an empty table. "There's one in the back corner that's a bit secluded."
"Lead the way," Bridget said with a nod, glad that Inara knew her well enough to look for seclusion as well as an empty table.
"Like, what's with the goofy grin, Scott?" Kitty teased as he sat down.
"Yeah," Kurt added, smirking, "Are Duncan and Jean on the outs again?"
"Huh?" Scott asked, looking between the two. "There's no goofy grin guys, and I wouldn't know. I haven't seen Jean all morning."
The two younger mutants exchanged a look. "Oh, there's definitely a goofy grin," Kitty said slyly. "And if Jean didn't put it there..," she trailed off.
"I vunder who did," Kurt finished, flashing Scott a grin. If he hadn't been wearing his image inducer, Scott would have caught a glimpse of his fangs.
Thoughts of quiet giggles and an adorable blush filled Scott's mind, followed by his earlier words. I'm not opposed to buying you lunch again. A low groan made its way past his lips as he closed his eyes behind his shades. He would have dropped his head into his tray of food if Kitty hadn't quickly tugged it away from him. As it was, his forehead hit the table with a dull thud.
"As if my life wasn't complicated enough as it is," he muttered into the top of the table.
Kurt reached over to give Scott a reassuring pat on the back. At the same time, Kitty's blue eyes lit up at the prospect of gossip. "Like, who is it?"
Scott lifted his head to shoot a glare at Kitty. "As if I would tell you."
"Oh, come on, Scott," she huffed. "I'm not going to tell anyone!" The boys sent matching looks of disbelief her way. She ignored them. "What if I guess, will you tell me then?"
"No," he replied quickly. When she opened her mouth, he snapped, "Drop it, Kitty."
She slumped back in her chair, pouting as she crossed her arms over her stomach. "I'll find out eventually," she mumbled under her breath.
Inara sat beside Bridget, her fork half raised to her mouth, her wide eyes unblinking. "Scott was flirting with you!"
Once again, Bridget found herself grateful for the fact that Inara knew her so well. Her best friend's statement, while thrilled, was spoken in a whisper. She didn't miss the fact that it was a statement rather than a question. "I don't think he really meant to," she said just as quietly.
Inara shook her head, sending her curtain of chocolate brown hair swaying. "Whether he meant to or not, that was flirting."
"It probably doesn't even mean anything."
"Scott is not the type of guy to engage in meaningless flirting," Inara said confidently. "Even if it is subconsciously. He fancies you." This statement was followed by a dramatic sigh. "Now if only Kurt would notice me."
Bridget giggled quietly. Though she had her doubts about Scott liking her, she knew if she voiced them, Inara would simply wave them off. So she settled for, "If Scott was flirting, maybe I can get him to help you in that regard."
Inara shot her a grin that Bridget heard in her next words. "When you two get together, you mean."
Bridget blushed and ducked her head. "A girl can hope."
"That she can," Inara said in a dreamy tone. Bridget knew that the brunette was wearing a smile that matched that tone.
"Say 'hello' to the camera!"
"Evelyn," a much younger Crystal laughs, throwing her hand up to cover her face, "what are you doing?!"
"I'm recording this momentous occasion!" Evelyn replies, excitement clear in her voice.
"It's not that big of a deal," Crystal retorts with a roll of her eyes. "People get engaged every day."
"Yes, but people don't generally have to ask their girlfriend five times before she says yes," Evelyn says. "You're lucky Gavin is so damned persistent."
"I'm the lucky one, Evy," a masculine voice says off screen The owner of the voice steps into view before adding, "Trust me."
She paused the video, staring at the man on the screen. He was taller than the woman beside him by just under a foot, and very handsome. His hair was golden blond with hints of red. His dark honey colored eyes were warm and kind. His smile lit his entire face, making his eyes shine.
"Hello, Gavin," she greeted. "Sorry it's been a little while since our last talk. I've had a lot of things going on.
"Fury was here," she told the frozen image. "He wanted Alex. He says it's so he can revive Captain America, but you and I both know he always has ulterior motives." She paused to release a sigh. "Luckily, one of Charles Xavier's instructors is a man named Logan, no last name. Sound familiar?" She stopped briefly for an answer that wouldn't come. "Yeah, it's the same man everyone use to whisper about. Thanks for sharing that bit of gossip. I think it's going to save one of my charges from a lot of pain."
She stood up, walking in a small circle around the room. "I'm afraid for my charges," she admitted. "Remember the others I told you about? Magneto and Mystique? Hunter believes whatever they are planning is going to happen soon." Another sigh slipped past her lips. "He can't get any clear readings on exactly what it is that they have planned. Charles is certain that Magneto's found a way to block Hunter's power, much like he did his.
"I'm not sure if my charges are ready for it," she said softly. "They've been training with Charles' own charges, but they're still new at this. Battling other mutants." Rage flashed through her eyes. "They shouldn't have to! We should all be sticking together, proving we aren't a threat! He's just going to make it worse for all of us!
"I'm sorry," she said, closing her eyes. "I didn't mean to get angry. I just..," se turned to gaze into those honey eyes. "I don't know what to do, Gavin. I opened this school to help young mutants learn control. Not to fight in a war."
She moved to sink into a large, overstuffed chair. She pulled her knees up to her chest, wrapping her arms around them. "I wish you were still here," she whispered.
Avalanche threw his hand out in front of him, causing the ground to wake under a charging Lycan. The wolf growled as it lost stability, before launching into the air. Midway through her landing, she shifted back into her human form, aiming a flying kick at the older boy's chest. Avalanche caught her ankle and used the momentum from her fall to spin her around. She went flying through the air, shifting back into her wolf form once more before landing on her feet. She growled and charged once more.
Boneyard incorporated both Shaolin Kung Fu and Hung Gar martial arts in his movements as he fought against Copycat and Toad. The former used her own abilities to mirror his style, easily blocking his attacks and releasing some of her own. The latter used his slime to knock away any bone spikes sent their way, watching Copycat's back even as he used his powerful leg muscles to land powerful kicks here and there.
Quicksilver was forced to fight at the pace of his opponent when she increased his gravitational pull, effectively slowing him down. He glowered, but managed to dodge Gravity's attacks. She leapt into the air, making herself lighter as she did so, and sent a roundhouse kick at his head. He was quick to duck, waiting until she landed before sending a hit into her back. She glared as she stumbled forward a little before regaining her footing. Darting forward, she landed three punches in quick succession to his stomach.
Blob charged at Phantom, only to have a nearby shadow solidify near his feet, tripping him before he reached his much smaller opponent. The shadows wrapped around his arms, cuffing him to the ground. He dug his fingers into ground, pushing his knees forward. The ground around his hands cracked as he strained to lift his hands. With a small roar, his hands rose, chucks of ground still attached to the shadows. He swiped his hands to the side, in Phantom's direction, but the girl had disappeared into the shadows. Reappearing behind him, she commanded the shadows to swirl around his feet before solidifying. With an upward motion from her hand, the shadows jerked forward, pulling the large mutant's feet out from under him.
Sylvie watched all of this from where she stood at the edge of the large, empty field she was using as their training ground. She was proud to see signs of improvement throughout the teens. A quick look at her watch revealed that they had reached the two hour mark. She placed two fingers in her mouth and released a shrill whistle.
The nine teens stopped fighting and moved to stand in front of her. "You are showing improvement in learning to fight while simultaneously using your powers. Next week you will start training in teams, learning how to utilize your powers to work together. For now, let's go home, get cleaned up, and head for bed."
The teens grumbled their approval as they piled into the old, military truck Sylvie owned. They didn't know how she came to own it, nor did any of them dare to ask.
In Palo Alto, California, green eyes glided over the contents of a particularly interesting letter. One hand reached up to run fingers through dark brown hair that fell to the bottoms of his ears. A friendship bracelet, that looked to have been made by a child, dangled from the wrist of that hand.
"Rosemund Academy," he read aloud from the letterhead. His eyes moved to the body of the letter, focusing on one sentence. "'You may discover that this is what you've been looking for'." His eyes moved down to the bottom of the page. The letter was not signed by the matriarch of the academy, but by one of the teachers. One Hunter Burden. "I guess we'll see if you're right, Mr. Burden."
End of Chapter Eleven!
