A/N - PracticallyAnAvenger and X-MenOverAvengers - so glad you're enjoying the story! As a point of order, Wanda is not playing peeping witch here. She just needs to know what trouble that kid is up to in order to keep him from either burning out or making a huge mistake. They're just 17 right now, after all. PAV - Again, I laughed all the way through and hope you enjoy where this goes. But we're not there yet. There are still hurdles ... like this one.
Chapter 82 - Hellfire And Damnation
Craig had a slow morning scheduled - Scott had shifted his sessions to the evenings at the office or weekends at Avengers tower once his paranoia got the better of him. It was a shift in pattern that Craig didn't realize was purposeful until a stranger stalked into his waiting room - practically glowing in a skin-tight white pantsuit with far too low a cut to her blouse. She had dark sunglasses on, and for an instant at the threshold of the door, she looked to be perhaps just shy of thirty years old … but once she was through the threshold, Craig had to blink as he saw the difference that telepathic dampeners had when a telepath was projecting a false image.
Which was how Craig found out that Stark's lawyers had pressed hard for ending Emma's good standing with the licensing board.
She stopped, tipped her nose into the air and looked him over critically through narrowed eyes. "Who do you think you are," Emma hissed. "Dredging up false accusations against my good name?"
"Ms Frost," Craig said, not bothering to pretend like he didn't know exactly who she was with an entrance like that - and a perfect display of exactly all that James had said, too. "I'm sure you know exactly who I am. You came looking for me, after all and - my name is on my door."
"Yet I have no idea who you are," Emma said. "What gives you the right to try and tarnish my reputation?"
"I'm sorry," Craig said, standing up to his full height and looking completely unapologetic. "I was under the impression that it was my duty as a therapist to report incidences of abuse that my clients have endured, especially repeated infractions. It's not my fault you're the subject of an investigation. It's your own damn fault for your own damn actions, so don't come at me like I'm a sexual predator, Miss Frost."
Emma stared at him for a moment in sheer disbelief before she let out a hollow, mirthless laugh. "What on earth are you talking about?"
"I shouldn't have to clarify," Craig said tightly. "If you need a name, that means it's happened more than once."
"I'd like to know what insanely delusional patient you and I could possibly have shared."
"Careful, Miss Frost. Trying to break confidentiality agreements is another point against your license."
"I hadn't considered it yet," she said, eyes flashing. "But I deserve to know who it is accusing me of such blatant lies."
"Read the complaint, Miss Frost. That's all I'm legally required to tell you. And considering the nature of the complaint, I wouldn't allow you anywhere near my patient again to repeat the trauma inflicted on him or further trigger him in the midst of my treatment plan."
"I'd like to see you stop me," Emma said with her hand on her hip.
"Miss Frost, I have you in height, strength, and morality. Please don't test me."
"As if that ever meant anything," she said thickly. "And I'm going to disagree with you on at least one of those little items."
"Please, go ahead. What exactly do you think you have me in?"
"Well I'm not telling lies, for starters. You have no proof of anything." She smirked. "And if who you're insinuating is the same person I'm thinking of, you'd have to go out of your way to prove anything that may or may not have happened was off base. At all."
"Miss Frost, a therapist who pursues a relationship with a client is, by the very nature of the power dynamics of that relationship, predatory."
"I've never heard anything so ridiculous in my life."
"Yes, I know some parents don't teach consent, but it's not too late for you, even at your age, bless your heart," Craig said, his tone dripping with a sweet Southern accent that only came out that thickly when he was truly angry.
"This silly little accusation will never go anywhere."
"Then why are you here?" Craig asked, one eyebrow raised.
"Because I wanted to see who it was that was trying to ruin all that I've worked for. I'm not sure why, but I was expecting someone … more of a challenge."
Craig smirked. "Think what you will, Miss Frost. If you'd see yourself out, I'd much appreciate it. I meant to do some birthday shopping for my niece."
"Enjoy what time you have," Emma said as she did, in fact gather herself up.
"Enjoy what time you have with your license," Craig said calmly.
"Oh, that won't be a problem," Emma said over her shoulder. "Especially when there's no one to stand against me."
Craig glared after Emma and waited until long after she was gone before he let out a long sigh and reached for his phone. He didn't want to call anyone who could be directly linked to Scott, but he did have Jan's phone number (because she wanted to help him get Tony more involved in therapy), and he called her up as he pulled up his email to start setting up some out of office alerts. "Yes, I'm sorry to call without warning, but I've just had a visit from Emma Frost and would like to ask you or your husband just how deeply you're delving into her license and how credible her threats against me would therefore me," he said, still in the semi-professional voice he'd been using with Emma simply because that was the only thing he had to fall back on.
"Well," Jan said slowly. "Tony has a whole team of lawyers that have dug through every single person she's ever counseled officially, a few dozen that were off the books, conducted interviews with old students, business contacts who lost large chunks of time … I mean … there's a lot there. And as far as threats? I'd take even minor threats seriously with her. She's petty and really … way worse than the socialites that I've known. Probably because she wasn't really accepted in that group … but that'd be for someone else to untangle. Do you need assistance?"
"I'm … not entirely sure. She left of her own accord, but my impression is she's mad as a wet hen and looking for someone to blame," Craig admitted, sitting back down to run a hand through his hair.
"That sounds like her," Jan agreed. "I can send a car and we can discuss it here."
"Thanks," Craig said. "Send me a text when it gets here, please. I'm a little wary of leaving the building on my own right now. I've been informed I should enjoy the time I have left, and it's easy to dismiss that kind of threat in my office but…"
"Just keep James' little gadget on you and on," Jan said. "That very much sounds like a telepathic threat to me."
"It probably is. I'm just worried about the fact that she may escalate, since… well... " Craig sighed. "You know, this was a lot simpler when the bullies I fought for my sisters were just big and mean and cried when I kicked their knees out."
"So can we," Jan said brightly. "Escalate, that is. And it's still simple minded bullies. And she'll cry when we kick her - well. I shouldn't make plans. Get yourself together. It won't be long. Happy's on the way and believe it or not, he really is a great bodyguard."
"I believe it," Craig said. "I'm just going to send out a few emails. I only had one other client besides your friend circle, and today was supposed to be his last session."
"Alright, well … maybe we can fix you up for that, too," Jan said, already plotting out how else to help.
"I'll let you know," Craig said. "He may be fine cancelling. This was just a wrap-up." He sighed. "Alright. See you soon." With that, he hung up and then got to work, sending off the email, setting up the out-of-office alerts, and locking up. He pocketed James' device and looked around the office once more. He wasn't sure what to expect, really, so he simply headed down once he got the text that Happy was there.
He was relieved to see the car once he got out the front door, but he'd only taken a step toward it when he heard a familiar voice call his name and turned to see Anton's partner - not a bad guy but not exactly a friend either - heading his way.
At first, Craig didn't think anything of it. They knew each other. They were friendly, if not friends. But then, Craig noticed that the man wasn't smiling or cheerful in his approach and was, instead, in the process of unholstering his weapon.
And, well, Craig and his sisters knew their way around gun safety, so the second Craig realized what was happening, he stepped back into the building and was ready to take shelter - until he saw Happy in a blur of motion too.
The next thing he knew, the cop was on the ground, Happy was on top of him, and Craig ran in to get close enough to pull the gun out of reach of either of them.
By that point, however, Anton's partner was in pure shock, and he looked like he was trying to figure out what was going on. His expression was one of pure confusion - though Happy couldn't see it.
"What the hell's wrong with you, huh? Gonna shoot the doc in broad daylight for wearin' the wrong shoes? Is that what this is?" Happy was shouting - a clear outlet for how frustrated he was and how deeply in disbelief Happy was at seeing a cop step that far out of line. "What's your problem, buddy?"
"What are you talking about?" Anton's partner replied. "Get off of me!"
"I got the whole thing on video," Happy said, but he did let the cop up. "You wanna keep acting like you weren't gonna shoot a guy for no reason? No problem. My boss'll have it in the papers by morning."
Craig frowned and looked between the two of them. "Wait a minute," he told Happy. "Just…" He sighed and looked toward Anton's partner. "Just wait."
Happy waved one hand. "I'm just tryin' to get the guy to slow down long enough to think. Probably can't remember anything with someone pokin' around in his brain like that." He patted his pocket. "Kid gave me one of those bubble things too."
Anton's partner looked between both of them in pure disbelief. "You just assaulted an office, bozo."
"Oh, is that what you think this was? You wanna act like you can do whatever you want? I was savin' this guy's life is what I was doin'. So what. I was doin' my job."
"Mark, just don't," Craig told the cop. He rubbed the bridge of his nose before he handed him back his gun - which was at least enough for Mark to realize how badly off things were. "Look, I got a client whose angry ex is a telepath. Sorry she tried to use you to kill me."
Mark stared at him. "Damn."
"Like I said," Happy said toward the cop in a much more reasonable tone. "If you'd like to see the footage - for your own peace of mind and possibly to build a case - say the word."
Mark cleared his throat. "Yeah, alright."
"Just stick close to one of us,' Happy said. "I don't know how big that bubble is and I'm not in a rush to find out."
With that, the three of them took a look at the video feed Happy had in the car, and Mark simply looked pale, apologized profusely and swore up and down that he didn't remember any of it, and then backed away from both of them, still frowning.
"Let's get out of here before anything else happens," Craig muttered to Happy, feeling a bit sick himself now that his adrenaline was wearing off fast.
"Sure thing," Happy agreed, then held one hand up toward the cop. "You know where you can find me, right?"
"Yeah," Mark said. "Good luck with the crazy ex, Craig."
"It's a burden I bear," Craig said dryly. "And I don't even date."
As soon as they were on the road, Happy took a moment to gruffly check on Craig. "First time's kinda rough, huh?"
Craig had been staring out the window lost in thought until that moment and nearly jolted out of his seat before he gave Happy a tight smile. "I've - well - I've had a few unstable clients or family members or friends, but-"
"It's different when they're comin' at you with superpowers or … or robots. It's always something. They don't get even half the crap I've had to deal with into the papers."
Craig shook his head, pressing his hands against his knees in an old nervous habit. "It's funny," he said at last. "I'm a therapist in New York. I've heard every story you can think of from collateral damage from supervillains. And yet…"
"It's different when the crazy's pointed at you." Happy nodded to himself. "If there's anyone you got to call - the phone in the back is secure."
"Might want to let my brother-in-law know his partner got co-opted," Craig agreed, glad to have something to do. And, as he'd expected, Anton was not only worried about Mark but wanted to come check on Craig.
("I can tell you're not alright; your accent is worse than Evie's on a bad day," Anton had told him, which was hard to argue.)
Still, Craig was surprised to find that the car stopped sooner than he'd expected it to. But then, he was a therapist. He shouldn't have been surprised he was experiencing time in a different way when he was in a state of heightened stress.
"If you got anyone that wants to come in, give me the names and I'll make sure security lets them through," Happy told him.
Craig smirked tiredly. "Yeah, you might get invaded by concerned Southerners."
"First time for everything," Happy replied.
Craig smirked again. "Thanks," he said as he got out of the car. "Really."
"How'd it go?" Tony asked after Happy and Craig made it to the entry of the Avenger's floor.
"Had to put a cop on the ground," Happy said.
"Just the one? What? Didn't want to stress yourself?"
"Light day," Happy answered with a shrug.
Craig shook his head at the two of them, used to the teasing from Tony, at least. "I'm fine, by the way," he said.
"Of course you are," Tony said. "Happy was there." He smiled tightly. "Just sorry that he had to be. I'm sure you had other plans." He gestured openly. "Or … at least, other plans until tomorrow … or whenever you were planning to come in anyhow."
"Yes, we're lucky she decided to try to kill me on a Friday," Craig said, though saying that out loud had him stopping and frowning to himself. He'd never been in that much trouble before. It was still disconcerting and left him feeling pale.
"And if that was a coincidence, I'd eat my hat," Tony said.
Craig shrugged. "Yes, well, my brother-in-law is probably bringing his family to come check on me. His partner was the one who pulled the gun, so you can imagine how he's feeling right now."
"You need a drink, doc?" Tony asked. "Lookin' a little weary."
"If you have a good Kentucky bourbon, I wouldn't say no."
"Probably got something like that tucked away," Tony said, and Happy was already on the way to find it in the liquor cabinet. "Take a seat. No one will bother you here."
Craig smiled at Tony and thanked Happy, finally sitting down with the drink in his hand before he chuckled dryly. "Feeling a little embarrassed, to be honest," he said. "First credible, actionable death threat and I feel like I might pass out. Nothin' compared to y'all and here I am, knowin' it ain't the same…"
"Pretty sure that your reaction is the more normal one," Tony pointed out.
"Yeah." Craig took a drink and sighed. "Felt a lot braver when I had that bubble workin' for me and all Ms Frost had was impotent rage."
"Did it break?" Tony asked with a frown.
"No, no, it was fine," Craig assured him. "Just poor Mark wasn't in its range and had a gun is all. And I may have riled Ms Frost before she left, too."
Tony looked as if he truly got the full picture of the situation. "Ah. yeah. That … is a very angry connection." He rapped his knuckles on the table. "But we can handle her."
"Y'all better," Craig said. "She's already shown how willing she is to play ball to keep that license."
"Scott wouldn't like it, but the kid would be happy to go make her have a bad day for a change of pace," Tony said.
Craig shook his head. "Let's not give her reason to ruin things for him."
"I did say that Scott wouldn't go for it," Tony pointed out. "And generally speaking, that means James won't either."
Craig nodded and took another, deeper, drink. "Right. Well. If it's alright with you, I'd like to just sit here until I stop hearing my pulse in my ears, thanks."
Tony nodded. "Jan's already got a room ready for you - for the full protective section of Chez Van Dyne."
At that, Craig did finally laugh. "Thank her for me, please."
"You can do that when you get the tour," Tony said, though he did leave Craig to his thoughts and a bit of privacy. At least for as long as it took for Craig's family to get there.
Both Evie and Annie practically tackled Craig in hugs as soon as the Avengers brought in his family. Since losing their mom and then watching their dad fade away to Alzheimer's, the three siblings were all-too aware that they only had each other left, and they were tighter than ever because of it - even if Craig's job came with surprises and secrets.
As for Anton, he didn't wait for Craig's sisters to finish hugging him. Instead, he joined the hug, getting everyone upright by virtue of how tall he was, so that they all had to stretch to make him part of the hug. And then, when Anton stepped back, he put a hand on Craig's shoulder to let him know: "Mark called me after what happened. He's horrified with himself. Wanted to make sure you got home alright."
"Tell him I know it wasn't his fault," Craig said, not at all surprised to hear that Anton was already in the thick of the problem and trying to make sure both Craig and his partner were alright. "But no offense to Mark intended, I'm not exactly going to let him know where I am or when I'm home."
"Fair," Anton agreed, though by that time, both of Anton and Evie's daughters had wormed their way into the hug, clamoring for Craig's attention. Mary Beth was still young enough that she was practically trying to climb her uncle, but Leslie Ann was a teenager now and was too dignified for that - even if she was practically bouncing on her toes all the same.
"When Ms. Pryde heard what happened and who was after you, she looked like she was about to-" Leslie Ann glanced over at her father, who had one eyebrow quirked up. "-um. Do. Something. About it."
"Uh-huh," Anton said. He shook his head and turned his attention back to Craig. "Between Annie datin' Cyclops, Leslie Ann at Westchester, and you gettin' the wrong end of Emma Frost's attention, how the hell are we supposed to live our lives, Craig? And what the hell did you do to piss off a mutant advocate? I know you ain't racist, so what gives?"
Craig took a deep breath and let it out slowly. "I can't go into details, but I found out she'd been using her position to abuse a client. Her license is being challenged, and I think she's taking it personally," he added dryly, in an attempt to deflect the conversation. Annie didn't even know he'd been seeing Scott, and he didn't want her to put together Scott and Emma and the accusations Craig had leveled before Scott was ready to tell her himself. This wasn't something Annie needed to hear secondhand.
He could actually see the lightbulb go off in Annie's head, too. "Oh," she said, both eyebrows raised. "Is this what you were so mad about in church the other day?" When he simply nodded in response, she seemed to gather herself to get mad on his behalf. "Well then it's a good thing the Avengers took a shining to you. Can't believe anyone has the audacity to call themselves an advocate and come after you at the same time…"
Craig laughed out loud - really, truly laughed - for the first time since the incident with Anton's partner, letting both of his nieces lead him toward the living room while Annie got herself all worked up over the whole affair.
And then he just kept laughing when Mary Beth and Leslie Ann positively squealed in delight as Jan came to introduce herself. And just like that, the focus was off of Craig (to his relief) and onto the Avengers as they introduced themselves to their unexpected (but not at all unwelcome) guests.
Meanwhile, in Westchester, as Scott's contribution to the school day wound down, Betsy took a moment to debrief … even if Scott wasn't calling it that at all. "So," Betsy said as she sat down across from Scott just as he was packing up to head home for the weekend. "There are a few things you need to be made aware of."
"What now?" Scott asked with a sigh, knowing that Betsy had finally gone to look in on the dean of James' college.
"First of all … something is definitely up with the dean," Betsy said. "But he's not being mind controlled and whatever it is that has him upset he's got shoved down deep with some reasonably strong shields. I didn't want to damage him, so I couldn't press much further than what I did."
"So you're telling me he has telepathic shields? Does he have a telepath working for him?"
"Not exactly," she said, then paused, holding her breath as she considered how best to phrase it. "Emma Frost absolutely had a hand in his defenses … but she's not controlling him. He called her trying to help James. He reached out to her, he tried to get her assistance. She didn't come looking on her own like she claims."
Scott frowned and sat back in his chair, blinking at Betsy for a long moment. "Why would he … he's the one that allowed all of the stupid special rules to be pushed on James in the first place … why-"
"I don't know. That part of his mind is locked down tight," Betsy said. "It could be that Emma designed it that way, or it could be something he doesn't want to think about to the point of near repression."
"And he actually thought he was helping James by pulling in Emma?"
"It certainly appears to be the case." Betsy gestured openly. "For anyone else, it might have been a reasonable idea with what little the world knows about her."
"So it was a coincidence? I have trouble believing that."
"As do I, which is why I'm going to keep a close eye on things with her. I'm sure we haven't heard the last of her after that crack from James. It was a good way to stop the conversation that day, but that won't stop her."
"I know," Scott said, thinking of how much James reacted like Scott himself. "We'll just have to keep an eye on him and keep our heads down."
Betsy smirked. "That won't work for long with that boy. He has opinions. Strong ones. He just doesn't express them well yet."
"Lord help whoever it is that he ends up letting loose on," Scott said with a smirk, then got to his feet and thanked Betsy for her help. He needed to make sure that Nate was still alright, all things considered. He had a lot going on, too … not the least of which the fact that he wasn't planning to go out for basketball this season. Scott just didn't know why he was skipping the season.
"Are you headed in already?" Betsy asked, one eyebrow arched high.
"Not just yet," Scott said, then blew out a breath as he sat back. "I told Billy I'd prefer if he rode with me than to teleport in."
"Are you sure you don't want him to teleport both of you in?" Betsy asked, smiling.
"I'm not sure it'd work," Scott laughed. "Seeing as he has to want what he's casting."
Betsy smiled to herself. "He'll get over it, Scott. He just needs a target when he's not getting his way."
"I figured it'd be a good way to get to know him away from my kids' influence," Scott said. "Especially if they keep going the way they have been."
"Time will tell," Betsy said, though she didn't go into giving her opinion on things. Not when she was hedging her bets that the boys would continue come hell or high water. Especially after seeing how attached they were when the rest of the Summers clan wasn't around. And she didn't entirely believe that they weren't still fooling around every chance they got.. Just … not staying over.
But that could have repercussions of its own, too.