Chapter 37
"Mother?!"
The woman smiled tightly and stood up, "Hello James".
"Jim" He corrected automatically, still too much in shock to say anything else.
She slowly nodded, "Jim, yes, I... I forgot".
"... What are you doing here?"
"I just got back" She explained, "We did a rescue mission on a sleeper-ship. It was a success, of course, and as a reward, we've been given a month's leave".
"So you decided to find me?" He asked incredulously, hands itching at his side as he tried his best to repress the desire to burn.
"Well, after... after Frank, I thought... they did never find him".
"He's dead" He replied unflinchingly, and she gave a sad smile, "Yes, I... I feared as much... What happened, Ja- Jim?"
"He burned" He growled, feeling the sparks leap from his fingertips, "Just like he deserved to".
"But why? Why?! What did he ever do to you that-"
She was cut off by a vicious bark of laughter and took a step back in fright as both hands suddenly caught fire.
"What did he ever do to me? What did he ever do to me?!"
Uncaring of his flaming hands, he tore at his suit, tearing off the jacket and burning through the shirt.
"What the fuck do you think he did to me?!"
And there, under the bright lights of the dorm room, and the even brighter lights of his fiery hands, the tens and hundreds and thousands of silvery white lines were impossible to miss.
Winona stared in shock, rooted into place.
"This, mother, is what he did to me!" He growled, "Night after night when he was too drunk to walk in a straight line! When he was angry, when he was upset, when he was just fucking bored!"
"I... I never knew-"
"Yes you fucking did!" He snarled, "But you didn't want to admit it. Didn't want to see it. Because if you saw it you'd have to do something, then, wouldn't you? You'd have to stop going away, stop leaving me, stop abandoning the child you never wanted in the first place because what if he turns out like his father?!"
He swung his arms out wide on either side of him, eyes burning with tears.
"Well guess what mother? I did turn out like him! A mutant! And that just gave dear ole' Frank yet another reason to beat the absolute shit out of me every single fucking day!"
She looked crestfallen but remained determined.
"So you murdered him".
Her voice was cold, cold enough to make him flinch back.
"No one deserves death, Jim, no matter what they did".
"Well that's where you're wrong" He replied quietly, voice low to conceal his emotions.
He took a step towards the door, and she did the same.
"Where are you going?"
"Anywhere but here" He said, "So get out of my way".
"No. We need to talk, properly talk about what the hell has happened over the last three years".
"And we can do all that in the morning-"
"No, Jim, we're doing this now!" She snapped, planting herself firmly in front of the door, and he snarled at her, walking closer "Get out of my way".
"No".
"Don't make me move you".
"You wouldn't dare".
"Wouldn't I?" He asked darkly, finally coming to a stop a mere foot away from her, stretching up to stand at his full height.
Which, granted, wasn't very tall, but it still made him taller than her.
Jim saw her swallow, nervous, and smirked at the simple defeat, "You're scared of me".
"You're a mutant".
"And that makes me... what? Dangerous?" He guessed, "Volatile? Unpredictable?"
"... You're still my son" Winona finally replied, and he scoffed, shaking his head incredulously, "You really have no idea, do you? I went through hell because of you. And now that I'm here, finally, finally things are starting to get better... I won't let you ruin this, mother, and I don't give a fuck how we're related".
He ignored her protests as he forcefully shoved her out of the way, flinging open his door and slamming it shut behind him, long-forgotten memories blinding his vision as they forced themselves into his thoughts. He barely registered the door being reopened and his mother stepping out, yelling after him, loudly, to come back, Jim, please, let me just explain things-
He spun on the spot and disappeared.
Quickly walking down the Academy's cold halls, Jim shivered, the shock of all that had just happened extinguishing his flames and chilling him to the core.
He didn't realise where he was going until he had stopped outside the familiar door and found his hand half raised to knock.
It was late.
Any normal person would be asleep by now.
... But he didn't have anywhere else to go.
He swallowed thickly, before bracing himself and rapping on the door twice.
McCoy grinned as he watched Spock finally sober, and inevitably recalled everything that he'd said and done in the past hour.
The Vulcan's ears suddenly flushed, "... Did I call Jim 'my beautiful petakov'?"
"Yes" He replied amused, and the younger mutant groaned, hands coming to cover his face, prompting the doctor to laugh, "Don't worry though, he can't speak Vulcan. Yet. I'm sure he has no idea that you called him cute".
"You can't tell him. He'll take it the wrong way".
"You mean he'll take it that you compared him to a kitten?" He continued to tease and Spock glared at him, "Leonard, your continuous referencing to cats is beginning to mildly irritate me".
"I know darlin'" He replied, relishing in the miniscule shudder he got in response from the nickname, "But I still just can't wait 'till the day Jim realises you purr".
"Leonard, I do not-"
*BANG-BANG-BANG*
Both men frowned and turned to face the door.
"... Did someone just knock?"
Spock nodded, "It would appear so".
"What time's it?"
"Almost midnight" He replied, and McCoy raised an eyebrow at him before stiffly standing up, walking over.
It was well past the acceptable visiting hour after all.
Sighing, he reached up and undid the chain, pulling open the chain in one swift move.
He blinked.
Standing in front of him, was a short teary-eyed and familiar-shade-of-blonde haired woman.
"Please" She said quietly, voice cracking, "You have to help me find him".
He stared at her, shocked into silence.
Who the fuck-?
He was briefly aware of Spock coming up to stand behind him, and the stranger's eyes flickered over his shoulder to glance briefly at him, before turning back to McCoy.
"I... I saw you with him, earlier on, you... you walked him back to his room and- and- and you kissed him goodnight... Is he here?"
Alarm bells immediately started blaring in his head.
"There's no one in here but us" Spock replied calmly, having only caught the end of the conversation, "Who, exactly, are you looking for?"
She turned to him the same moment McCoy could place where he saw that same shade of harvest gold blonde.
"He's missing" She said simply, "You have to help me find him".
"Who?"
Leonard swallowed thickly, knowing full well who this stranger now was.
"Jim" He replied quietly, "We have to find Jim".