"Mmmm, yes. I told you last time, Amnesia, what I would do to you if you ever entered my realm again."
"You certainly did, Shadow King, but now I have a delicious new offer for you. Interested?"
"As delicious as you?"
"You had a recent run-in with my beloved daughter, and her miserable mentor Charles Xavier, did you not? I hear they sent you running with your tail between your legs." Amnesia chuckled. "Help me control Jordan, and you can have her."
"Hhmm. And I suppose for that little morsel, you wish to be forgiven our grievances?"
"Of course not. You hate me, I don't rather like you either. What I am proposing is of course something that will make us both happy. Jordan can be restrained on the Astral Plane, where I will be able to finish what we both started, breaking her mind. Once the deed is complete I will return to the physical plain, create a new entity into her shell which will then allow me to destroy Xavier. What do you say?"
Chapter 25-Kurt's Weakness
Logan and Storm left early the next morning to start their search for Mystique. Rogue had absorbed her memories and had discovered that Mystique was her adoptive mother. Professor Xavier called Jordan to his office shortly after lunch.
"I'm ready, Professor. Beast said no training, but I'm sure he just meant the danger room." Jordan said, sitting in a chair happily across from Xavier. "I'm glad we have time for this, I've been eager to get back to the one-on-one psychic sessions we were having before."
"Well, I'm sorry to disappoint you, Jordan, but we won't be training today. Or for the next few weeks, I promised Hank. No training, means no training. It means you get to rest, recuperate, get better."
"Oh. Okay, then why did you want to see me?"
"To talk. Beast and I were looking over your files last night, after you went to bed." Jordan tensed and felt the jab of pain in her side as she did so. "I wanted to talk to you about your time with Jonathan and Melissa St. John, you remember them, don't you?"
"Yes, sir."
"Do you want to talk about it, Jordan?"
Jordan shook her head, "Not a whole lot to say about them, Professor. I never really liked staying with them, but they were pretty determined to keep me there. I tried to get them to have social services take me away, that's why I got into fights at school. When that didn't work I ran away."
"I don't think that's true, Jordan. You were there for a few years. Surely you have some memories you can share."
Jordan's eyes roamed around the office, "What do you want to know about them?"
"Let's start with the car accident you and Melissa were in. You suffered a concussion, broken finger on your right hand, broken right leg, broken left arm, and two fractured ribs."
Jordan nodded, still not looking at Xavier. "Yeah, the car hit my side. But my arm was broken already, fell from a tree."
"Jordan, after reading your medical file I'm not so sure that's true."
"If you need to know, why don't you go digging for it?" Jordan snapped, meeting his eyes at last.
"I don't want to invade your privacy, Jordan…"
"What do you call reading my medical file, then?"
"I want to help you. It is very clear that you are still hurting from what happened, and if you tell me we can start to repair…"
Jordan shook her head, "I'm sorry, just stop. You have a pretty good idea of what happened, but you just want to hear it from me, is that it?"
"I certainly would prefer the truth over a lie, Jordan."
"Jonathan St. John was a jerk. I came home from school one day, he was yelling at Melissa. I got in the middle of it, he pushed me, and I hit him hard enough to break my own hand. He twisted my arm behind my back, broke it. Melissa drove us to the hospital, and she ran a stop sign and we got hit on the way there. A while after I turned thirteen, got my casts taken off, and I ran away."
"I'm very sorry to hear that…"
Jordan stood up too fast, her knees buckled and the pain jabbed in her side again. "I don't need your pity. I'm fine, and I got over it. I don't need any help, and I don't need to talk about it." Jordan groaned, holding her side as she stood up once again.
"I don't think you are over it, in fact I think you are far from it. You've just chosen to not think about it."
"And that works for me."
"You can't bear to feel other people in pain!" Charles said, blocking her exit. "But you will sit back and let those feelings fester inside of yourself. Jordan, you are not fine! You are hurting! Let me help you."
"What do you want to tell me that I already haven't heard or read?" Jordan asked. "It's not my fault I got hurt? I already knew that, I blame Jonathan. That I didn't deserve to go through what happened? I figured as much. All you are doing right now, is making me have to think about what happened. And yeah, it still hurts."
"We can help you get closure, we can press charges against him."
"And that's what I really need, Prof, have everyone know that I was a punching bag..."
"It's nothing to be ashamed of, you are the victim here…"
"And have everyone treat me like a victim! I'm not, not now and not then. Melissa never fought back for herself, I fought for her! You know he never came after me, I went after him. I was just trying to protect her, always."
"That is more than you should have to deal with. You could have reported the violence…"
"No one believed me because Melissa never backed me up. No one would believe that Jonathan could be such a bad guy. It's a screwed up circle, and I left it."
"You are still concerned for Melissa?"
Jordan shook her head, "No. When I got picked up after running away she checked in on me. She had left him, and was moving to her parents upstate."
"Have you spoken to her since then?"
"No. I'm afraid if I tried I would just find out she had moved back in with him. I figured it was just best if I didn't know." Jordan looked away, "But I do still think about her."
"Of course you do, and I'm sure she thinks about you, as well."
"It's all in the past, Professor. It…I've dealt with it my own way. I don't like it, anything about it. I don't keep it bottled up, and it's not festering inside of me. You'll just have to trust me on it."
Finally he nodded, "You are right. I do wish you were more comfortable with sharing your own feelings at times…"
Jordan started laughing, and groaned in pain as her ribs burned, "How I feel never seems relevant, because it's based on whoever is within range of me. Are we done?"
He nodded.
Jordan watched the baseball game Beast was running outside, cheering occasionally. It looked like fun, but Jordan was content to sit and watch while enjoying the sun.
And then a large shadow covered her, and Jordan watched in amazement as Angel landed in front of her. Struggling to get to her feet she felt the pinch in her side, she winced in pain and Angel put his hands on her arms to steady her. "Are you alright, Jordan?"
"I'm…I'm just surprised to see you, that's all." Jordan gasped. "What are you doing here, Angel?"
Without warning Angel pulled her into a hug which she gratefully returned. She felt an urge of anxious happiness as he did this, "How have you been? Really, I haven't heard from you in a long time."
Kurt watched from second base of the field, watching the tall and handsome blond man hug his girlfriend, her hands under the base of his wings. "I'm good! I'm okay! It's so awesome to see you! You look awesome!" Jordan stammered, pulling back from the hug and grinning at him. "What are you doing here?"
"I need to speak to Professor Xavier." He admitted, and she felt his happiness fade away.
Jordan nodded, "Yeah, yeah. No problem! Come with me inside."
Kurt watched, still on the baseball diamond, as his girlfriend along with Jean and Scott led the stranger with giant wings to the mansion. "Is that the Angel guy they saw in New York?" Kurt asked Kitty.
"Oh, it must be! He's cuter than Jordan said he was…"
"What?" Kurt croaked.
"Come on, let's see what is up!"
Jean, Scott, Beast, Professor Xavier, and Jordan met with Angel in the briefing room. "Last night someone broke into my home to steal half of a spider-stone, an ancient relic. There were three mutants, one of them was Magneto. Another one, the one who actually broke into my house, I had never seen before. He threw a card at me…and it exploded."
"Gambit." Jordan said in a low tone. "One of Magneto's friends. Was the other one really big and furry?"
"No, the last one Magneto took with him by force, definitely not a friend. He had some sort of mental blast he used on me, but his face. It was tattooed. Tribal markings, it looked like."
Jordan and Jean glanced at each other uncomfortably as Professor Xavier brought up an image of Mesmero on the monitor. "That's him!" Angel confirmed.
"Are you sure?"
"You don't forget a face like that, Professor."
"No kidding." Jordan frowned.
"You were right to come here, Angel. We've had dealings with Mesmero before." Professor Xavier said.
"But why have someone else break in for him?" Angel asked.
"Because that's what he does. He manipulates others, just as he did with Jean and Jordan in order to steal these rings." Professor Xavier brought up the three rings that Jordan didn't remember, but had been told she had a hand in stealing while she was hypnotized.
"We've now been able to determine that the rings work together to form some sort of key." Beast said. "The other half of Warren's stolen spider-stone is in a London Museum. When put together they complete the spider."
"And that spider stone may be another sort of key." Professor added.
"A key for what?" Jordan asked.
"I don't know," said Professor Xavier. "But with Magneto now involved I feel it imperative that we secure that other half before he does."
"Absolutely! Let's gear up and take care of business. X-men style." Bobby said, strutting into the room.
"Sorry, hotshot, not this time." Beast said. "I'll go prep the jet. Looks like we are going to London."
"Awesome." Jordan smiled, walking behind Jean and Scott.
"Jordan, what did I tell you last night?" Beast asked.
"No training, no riding my bike, and take it easy." Jordan recited. "You never said I couldn't go to London on the crazy chance that Angel shows up after being robbed by Gambit who is under the control of Mesmero who then gets kidnapped by Magneto and…"
"You aren't going, Jordan." Beast said.
"I can help!" Jordan said eagerly.
"Yes, you could. But I agree with Beast on this, Jordan, you really do need to finish healing. If you push yourself too hard too fast, you'll only hurt yourself more." Professor said. "Don't worry, you won't be alone in the mansion."
Angel sat with Jordan in the hanger while he waited for the others. "You got hurt?" He asked.
"Two broken ribs." Jordan admitted.
"They care about you, that's a good thing."
"Yeah, and I appreciate it. But hey, now that you've seen the place, what do you think? Will you come back more often…maybe stay?"
Angel smiled and shook his head, "No, I don't think so. I like where I am right now."
"Are you sure? Because all the girls always go for the new guy. You should have sensed what I did when you showed up." Jordan elbowed him slightly.
Angel laughed and blushed slightly, "Another thing I probably don't need right now. But the offer is still in consideration, it's just good to know you guys are here."
"Well they are coming. Have fun."
"I'll try. I hope you feel better."
Jordan rolled her eyes, "I feel fine. Except for the jabbing pain when I take too deep of a breath." Jordan winced and held her side.
Kitty and Kurt stayed behind as well, to watch over Rogue and Jordan. "So…that was Angel?" Kurt asked nonchalantly.
Jordan had been feeling his jealousy since the jet took off. "Warren, yeah. Really nice guy." Jordan was feeling her ribs tenderly, wincing as she hit the sore ones. "We used to talk all the time, sort of lost contact after the big mutant exposure thing."
"Uh huh. You never told me he was….so tall."
Jordan laughed, then moaned, and laughed again, and then fell on her side as the pain in her ribs flared up. "Kurt…stop…really. It hurts…" She couldn't help but laugh at him and cry at the pain. After getting herself under control she carefully sat back up, "Come here." She said finally. Kurt sat next to her, not finding it as funny as she did. "How can you be jealous of Angel, seriously?"
"You were hugging him!"
"I hug my Dad every day…"
"Not the same."
"I hugged Scott the other day."
"Still not the same! You are like a little sister to him."
Jordan leaned forward, "But I kiss you everyday." And with that she kissed his lips softly. She looked into his yellow eyes, holding his hand, "You don't have to be jealous of anyone. We've been through a lot, Kurt, we've been together long enough to say we have a history."
"So…you aren't going to go flying off into the sunset with Angel?"
Jordan fought back another surge of giggles, "Not a chance." Jordan put her hand behind his head, and kissed him once again. Without warning she said, "I love you." She nearly choked after saying the words, and looked at Kurt as she began to panic, unsure what his response would be.
He smiled, and returned her kiss, "I love you, too."
"Oh…you aren't going to make her eat that, are you?" Jordan said, walking into the kitchen as her stomach began to rumble with hunger.
"What? Kitty and I made the same for you, too." Kurt said, holding up a plate covered in mystery something.
"Oh, I'm sorry, hun, but I don't think so. And I don't think Rogue will eat that, even if she can figure out what it is."
"Hah, we'll see." Kurt laughed before teleporting away.
"Why don't we just order pizza?" Jordan asked, walking into the kitchen.
"They won't deliver to us anymore." Kitty said.
"Right. Okay, looks like I'm making a sandwich."
Kurt teleported back into the kitchen, "Nope, she didn't go for it. How about a jalapeño anchovy pizza?"
"No problem!" Kitty said, getting right to work.
Jordan grabbed two extra slices of bread, and finished making her sandwich plus one for Rogue. Jordan took the elevator downstairs to the infirmary, "Kitty is trying to make you a pizza." Jordan warned.
"I heard." Rogue muttered.
"I made an extra sandwich. It's no four-star meal but all I can manage."
Rogue moved her bed up and looked at her gratefully. "That's great, I'm not sure if I want to see what they are making upstairs."
"That's why I ran away." Jordan smiled while handing Rogue the plate.
"So what's happening in London?"
"Angel stopped by, he had a run-in with Mesmero and Magneto. They are off to London to stop either of them from getting the second half of a relic, which is probably connected to the rings from the last time we heard from Mesmero."
Rogue took a bite of the sandwich, "How are you feeling?"
Jordan smiled, "I'm getting sick of being asked that. I'm a little sore, but I feel fine. I feel good. The painkillers Beast have me on are awesome."
"I'm really sorry…"
Jordan shook her head and stopped her, "No, don't be. I know how it can get, feeling the weight of so many people. I can only imagine what it would feel like to have their entire personality and memories along with just their feelings."
Kurt teleported in with a plate balancing on one hand, "And here we are! Hey...we made you a pizza." Kurt looked at the half-eaten sandwich on Rogue's lap.
Kurt and Jordan left Rogue to rest, sitting in the living room and watching a movie. "I wonder how the others are." Jordan said softly, finding it hard to concentrate.
"Kitty and Amara went up to bed an hour ago, I think the rest…"
"Not them. The team in London. Wish I could have gone."
"You heard Beast…"
"I know! I know. Just getting a little stir-crazy." Jordan tightened her grip around Kurt and rested her head back on his shoulder. "But this rest and relaxing bit is nice, too."
"Yeah, I'll say." Kurt agreed, bending his neck to kiss her.
"Can't you two get a room?" Kitty asked, phasing through the wall. Jordan and Kurt's kiss broke and they looked annoyingly at Kitty.
Jordan was in the hanger when the jet arrived working on the jet simulator. Bobby was one of the first to exit, and Jordan waved to him. "You know I've been looking for you all morning?"
"You know you aren't supposed to be training?" Bobby snapped at her, walking into the mansion.
Beast was walking up to her, "I'm not doing anything, just checking out the equipment for the simulator to make sure it's okay." The look on his face made it clear he didn't believe her. "It isn't even plugged in, you can check!"
"I think I will." Beast said.
Jordan took a seat next the simulator as the others started walking up. "I have a bad feeling it didn't go well." Jordan said as Angel walked up to her.
"No, it didn't. Magneto destroyed the spider-stone."
"But…if it's destroyed then it can't be used, right?"
"But the spider-stone was a guardian, not a key. Destroying it was the key." Angel explained.
"Okay, but a key to what?" Jordan asked.
"Everyone, please meet me in the planning room." Professor Xavier announced in her head.
"Professor Xavier will fill you in. But I need to get home. It was good to see you again, Jordan."
"If you need a ride I'm sure I can borrow the van and drive you…you don't have to fly back alone."
Angel smiled, "I want to, I like to. Take care of yourself."
Jordan nodded, "You too, Angel."
Professor Xavier waited until everyone had gathered. Answers had finally been found by Xavier while they were in London. The three rings that Mesmero had enslaved Jean, Jordan, Kurt, Kitty, and Evan to steal several months ago were the first of three keys needed to open the doors that Apocalypse, who was an ancient mutant, was imprisoned in. The spider-stone was the second one, a guardian that was used to prevent Apocalypse from escaping. Mesmero had manipulated Magneto into destroying the guardian allowed the second door to now open.