I want to apologize for the sloppiness of my last chapter. It was written rather fast, and with little thought to grammar. And per some fan requests, I will start making my chapters longer. I love ya guys, keep reading, and keep letting me know what you like, don't like. ;)
The familiar scent of cigar and grease hit my nose. I sighed, turning around to see Logan leaning against the bookshelf.
"What's up Logan?"
He ran a hand over his face and shook his head.
"I came to apologize for earlier. I...I can't control myself around you Roslyn."
I nodded, this discussion becoming familiar.
"I get that."
He licked his lips, but kept quiet.
"How you handling all this? Creed giving you any trouble?"
Define trouble, I thought to myself. A single thought in his direction made my pulse rev up.
"I can smell it kid. You want him."
"My body wants him. My mind...well it has other ideas. And I need to get right with that."
"What are ya gonna do?"
"The best I can. I'm not going to just give in. You need a majority vote to have me."
"Majority vote?"
"Body, Heart, Brain. Victor only has pull over one of them. It's not enough for me to commit."
Logan graced me with a rare smile.
"Yer one of a kind Rose."
"Yeah, I am."
Logan and I sat in comfortable silence.
"Logan."
"Yeah?"
"Whatever does happen, promise me we'll still be friends."
Logan gave me a pained look.
"I can't promise ya that Rosie."
I felt like crying. Logan was the first real, solid connection I had made in this world. The idea of losing him left a vile taste in my mouth, and a hole in my heart.
"Can you promise to try?"
Logan walked forward and pulled me into a hug. We stood there, embracing each other.
"For you kid."
He kissed the side of my face and left the room. I was left with emotions I didn't know how to handle. I wanted my mom. Where was she?
"Your mother is in New York City with your brother. They left this afternoon while you were away with Hank."
Charles presence in my mind was comforting. He helped push away the dangerous thoughts.
"What are they doing in New York?"
"We have set your mother up with a new job, new name. New life."
I sighed. It made sense. My mother wasn't a mutant, so she really didn't belong here. And she was the former lover of a dangerous F.O.H. Agent, the father of her son. It really was for the best. But that didn't make it hurt any less.
"You understand my reasons."
"I do."
"But.."
"But I wish I could have seen her before she left. It feels like it's been so long."
"She looked in on you while you were asleep."
It was a comforting thought.
"You will see her again Roslyn. I promise."
"I will hold you to that."
"I have no doubt you will. Hank has asked me to inform you that you will begin your classes tomorrow morning, 9 a.m., if that is agreeable with you."
"9 is fine. Where do I..."
"He will meet you at your room. I'm afraid your lessons will be, on the fly, as they say. Hank is a rather busy man."
"I don't want to impose."
"He has insisted, rather passionately, that he take you on as his protege."
I smiled, as pride flooded my system.
"It will not be easy Roslyn. You will have to do a lot of the teaching yourself, as well as the learning."
"I enjoy a good challenge."
"Hank said you would."
"It's scary how well he knows me already."
"You and he are of like minds. I believe he considers you kin."
My grin slipped a little wider. Maybe I wouldn't be so alone.
"You are tired my dear, so I will leave you to your dreams."
"Thank you Professor. For everything."
"No need my dear. You are family now."
Charles left my mind, and I drifted off to sleep, with thoughts of a new family and a new future.
**********Hours Later*************
I heard thumping on my door and groaned. Would no one in this blasted mansion let me sleep in peace?
I rolled off the bed begrudgingly, pulling down my skirt that had ridden up. I hadn't meant to sleep in the outfit. Ah well.
I opened the door and was puzzled to see Hank pacing outside my room
"Dr. McCoy?"
"Ah! Roslyn!"
A horrible pit opened up in my stomach. Did I sleep past our scheduled meeting time?
"Oh God, please tell me I did not sleep past our appointment."
Hank seemed amused.
"Heavens no. It's rather late actually, and I apologize for that. But I find myself seeking your company."
I nodded, unsure of what else to do.
"Would you be so kind as to listen to the rants of an old fool?"
I smiled then. Hank was lonely, and only wanted to chat.
"Your hardly a fool Dr. McCoy, and if you have an issue, I have an ear. Just let me change into something more comfortable."
Hank smiled warmly at me.
"I will meet you down in Charles's library."
I nodded and closed my door. I didn't have much for clothes, so I pulled on some black yoga pants, and a long, tight, v-neck sweater. Black flats graced my feet and I was out. I braided my long hair as I walked down the hall. I was just putting the elastic at the end when I felt a pair of large arms encircle my waist.
"Let me go Victor."
"You didn't want me to let you go earlier."
He had his face buried in my neck, and then suddenly pulled back.
"You smell like the runt."
I turned around to face him, and my breath caught in my throat. Wearing a black wife beater and a pair of dark jeans, Victor was looking delicious. I shook my head, trying to rid my mind of the sexually explicit images.
"Logan came to apologize to me earlier."
Victor scrutinized me, his eyes narrowing, as he took in my appearance.
"Where are you going?"
"I'm going to meet Hank in the library."
"A little late night reading...Or something else?"
My mouth fell open. I could not believe he was implying that about me and Hank. Hank was a teacher, a brother, hell a father. I couldn't think of him that way.
Offended I spun on my heel and walked away. I was not a fool, and I knew when I was being baited.
I was halfway down the second set of stairs when I heard him running after me. I didn't stop.
"Roslyn!"
I ignored him as I entered the hallway off the stairs and headed for Charles private library. Victor's large hand grabbed my upper arm and whirled me around.
"Don't you walk away from me."
I shrugged my arm free of his crushing grip.
"I'll do anything I damn well please Mr. Creed."
He let loose a snarl, and I took a step back. I didn't have long to worry about what he was going to do, because Hank came to my rescue.
"Is something the matter Mr. Creed?"
Victor turned and I'm sure he gave Hank a look that was twice what mine was.
"Roslyn, dear, please wait in the library while I have a quick word with Mr. Creed."
"Yes Doctor."
I gave Victor wide birth as I quickly walked the short distance to where Hank was standing in the doorway to the library. Hank gave me a reassuring wink and ushered me inside. When the door was closed, I let out a breath. I had never seen anyone look at me like he just did. I shivered.
Now I'm normally a very curious person, but the table littered with papers and files, gnawed at me more than the conversation going on out in the hall. I knew what that was about, well mostly about. Curiosity piqued, I headed over to snoop. Hank isn't a fool. He wouldn't have left these out if he didn't want me to see. I took a seat at in a chair and pulled the nearest file to me. Engrossed, I was oblivious to the conversation turned argument going on outside the room. I also didn't notice when Hank re-entered the library.
"I see you have been reading yourself in."
I startled, jumping slightly.
"I'm sorry Roslyn, I did not mean to startle you."
"It's alright, I was just so caught up in this file..."
Hank leaned over and glanced at which file I was reading.
"Ah yes, Jack Farling."
From what I could gather, Jack Farling was being prosecuted for assault.
"Dr. McCoy, why are you looking into these cases?"
I wasn't an idiot. Hank was the Mutant Ambassador for the United States government, along with being the world's leading biochemist and geneticist. So why was he looking into legal cases.
"You are aware of my prowess in science, but I am also a graduate of Harvard's Law School."
I blinked a few times. Was there nothing Hank couldn't do?
"Are you taking lead on these cases then?"
"A friend of mine, Matthew Murdock has asked me in."
"Burning the candle at both ends?"
Hank smiled and pulled a chair up flush to mine.
"These cases are very important. Everyone one of the defendants is a mutant."
"Farling is accused of assault with a deadly weapon."
"The rest of these cases are of similar offenses."
"Why are they so important?"
"Matt believes it is a ruse. All of the plaintiff's in the cases have F.O.H ties."
I sat back and thought on that for a second. A ruse...Then I groaned. This could be bad.
"Tell me."
I took a deep breath.
"I'm not sure, so I'm just going to throw this out there."
Hank nodded and placed his hands together on his stomach as he leaned back.
"I only glanced at a few of the files, but from what I saw, and what you've told me, they are all being prosecuted for assault. What the file didn't say, was what they used, so I'm assuming that since they are all mutants, the weapon or weapons are their powers."
"So far so good Roslyn. What else?"
"Well..."
I licked my lips before I continued.
"If the plaintiff's all do really have ties to the F.O.H, then this could be a set up."
"How?"
"They could bait the defendants, corner them, threaten them. Force them to use their powers to defend themselves."
"And then they press charges. Exactly right Roslyn."
I could hear the pride in Hank's voice. It made me blush.
"So what's the end game?"
"Matt believes, and I do as well that this is an attempt by the F.O.H to prove to the rest of the world that mutants are dangerous."
"I think I am missing something here. Aren't the mutants claiming self defense?"
"They are, but in every case, there are credible witnesses saying they just attacked. No provocation."
"What do the witnesses look like?"
"Upstanding citizens. Police Officer's, nurses, teachers."
I sighed. So this was their way of poisoning the public.
"So much for our tolerance program."
"It gets worse."
"What?"
"We believe your mother's boyfriend is involved."
"It's not that bad. I never liked him anyway."
Hank nodded, but his look said he had more.
"What else?"
"All the defendants have records."
Hank reached over and pulled a file from the stack. He handed it to me. I opened the file and gasped.
Staring up at me was a picture of my father.
"My father is one of the defendants!"
Hank nodded his head sadly.
"They were all specifically chosen, because of their past."
"How did they find them? Mutants aren't exactly the chatty type."
"Unfortunately, we believe a another mutant sold the information to the F.O.H. Someone who had contact with each of these men. Someone who worked with them."
All the missing pieces fell into place. Victor said he picked up my scent in Vegas. Greg had been in Vegas two months before I left home. I was played from the beginning.
I picked my chair up and threw it at the door as hard as I could.
"I was HERDED!"
Hank remained seated, looking at me sadly.
"Played for months before I left home."
I was enraged. My muscles were tense, my breathing was heavy. I wanted to kill Greg, kill Victor.
"What else do you know?"
"The information was traded, not sold. You for the names."
"How could he do that to them?"
Hank blanched momentarily, and then got up and came to where I was standing. He pulled me into an embrace. I felt the first tears roll down my cheeks.
"Victor Creed gave up a long time ago. We cannot change his actions, or the actions of others around us. All we can do is try and set this right."
I nodded against his shoulder. My father, all those other mutants wrongfully accused, because Creed had no loyalty, no conscience.
"I want to help. I need to fix this."
"You can, and we will."
I eased back from Hank, and wiped my cheeks.
"I feel like such a fool."
"You are not a fool Roslyn."
"It was under my nose, the entire time."
"How on earth could you expect yourself to know what was going on? When Matt and myself just figured it out?"
"What can I do?"
"Read the files, memorize them. Your going to be my assistant, my paralegal, as it were. You'll be doing research, conducting interviews."
"Anything you need, anything."
Hank nodded and then handed me some paper work.
"What's this?"
"Fill these out. It's for legal purposes. W2's, confidentiality, etc."
I sat down and filled out all the paperwork. When I was done, I signed and dated the bottom. Hank took them with a smile.
"I have copied all the pertinent files, evidence lists, witness information. It's all over there."
I looked over, and Hank had placed all files in one of the plastic rolling boxes. It even had a handle.
"What about my schooling?"
"This is your schooling Roslyn. At any time, you may go to Charles and take your G.E.D. Test."
"I'm going in the morning then."
Hank smiled and patted me on the shoulder.
"A fine idea. I fear you will have little time in the future for anything else."
I nodded.
"I don't want to do anything else. Not until they are all acquitted."
"For now, I suggest you get some sleep. Tomorrow, I will be flying out to New York to meet with Matt and discuss the case. I expect you to be read completely in by the time I get back."
"I want to come."
"Roslyn..."
"No, I can read on the plane. If I'm going to help, then I need to be included. In everything."
Hank seemed to think it over.
"Alright. Pack an emergency bag, and be down in the hall at 7 am."
I nodded as I walked over and took the handle on my files.
"Get some sleep Roslyn. Your going to need to be at your sharpest in the morning."
"I'll sleep when this is done."
"You remind me of a young me."
"Here's hoping."
Something about the way he held his head made me think that Hank was blushing. I left the room, hell bent on fixing all of this. But not before I made a stop.
Victor's room was near mine. I pounded on the door, working out some of my anger in the process.
He flung the door open with a snarl.
"I know what you did. And I just wanted to tell you that I think you are a filthy, lowly coward. You are a exactly what everyone said you were, and I want nothing to do with you."
I turned around and left, feeling better having said my piece. Granted I had more to say, but I left before I regretted it.
Back in my room, I packed the bag Hank suggested, set my alarm, and sat down to a long night of reading.
