part 4 Air conversations.
see other parts for disclaimers and all that stuff. thanks for all the r and ring.
The plane tilted upwards and leaped into the air. Dawns knuckles were white as she held on to the hand rests.
"Don't like flying?" John asked, gazing out the window.
"Hate it. I've only done it 3 times, this is my fourth flight." Dawn replied, staring fixedly at the seat in front of her. "Now tell me about the students. Gambits the oldest, and he has freakish parents."
"They're thieves." John said. "In New Orleans, he left them to come to the school."
"Doesn't anyone have normal parents these days?" Dawn replied. "tell me about everyone."
"Ok there's Bobby, hes like my best friend, and hes the iceman," John started, but Dawn cut him off.
"What about you?" She asked, taking a deep breath.
"I'm fire. I thought i was supposed to distract you. Just listen to me talk," St. John said, "And no asking questions. There's Jubilee, who's real name is Jubilation Lee, and as far as i know, she doesn't have normal parents. She makes plasma bursts, like fireworks. Then there's Kitty, and she can walk through walls or floors, or anything really. There's the two Peters." John quickly explained their powers. "Ones from England, and the other one who is really Poitr is from Russia." The seatbelt light clicked off and the pilot made his little speech. John rolled his eyes and went on, "And then there's Rogue. I don't know anything about her parents, cause she ran away from home. She's dangerous." Dawn raised an eyebrow at him in query. "She can suck the life right out of your skin. She can't touch anyone with out gloves or protective garments."
"Creepy." Dawn tossed in, "She must be really lonely."
"What do you mean?" St. John asked, his brow furrowed as he rummaged for his candy.
"Well touch is like so important," Dawn said, remembering something Giles had said. "Skin on skin, ya know? Its part of life even. And then to not be able to do that. Only feeling cloth, where you want to feel skin, warmth. It would really suck."
"Yeah, i never really thought about it like that." St.John said.
"Now tell me about the other teachers." Dawn insisted, popping a chip into her mouth. "Who teaches what and stuff."
"Ok there's Logan, when he's around. He teaches self defense." John started.
"And what does he do?" Dawn asked, grabbing head phones for them for later.
"He heals." St. John said. "And he's got metal bones."
"Thats a freaky mental image. How does he get through airports?" Dawn asked.
"He kills the detectors." St. John said.
"How?" Dawn replied, with a grin.
"Well he's got these claws right? Made of admantium. " St. John waved his hand. "They come out here, and are really sharp."
"So hes like cat metal healing man?" Dawn asked honestly confused. St. John sighed.
"Ok I'll explain Logan when i can show him to you. " St. John said, "But then theres Ororo, and she teaches physics and math, shes like a weather witch. She's considered a goddess in her home village in Africa. The there's Scott, who teaches English, history and home ec. The professor teaches too, but not all the time."
"Did you just say that Scott teaches home ec?" Dawn asked, giggling. "Does he wear a poofy apron too?"
"He has one of those lame kiss the cook ones." St. John said absently his eyes on the tv screen before them. "Quick, put your head phones on," he said urgently, fumbling with his. Dawn quickly pulled hers on and found the station.
It was breaking news on the escape of a dangerous mutant. The prison had been devastated. Silence reigned on the Plane as everyone tuned into the news. After about 15 minutes of babble and shots of the dead guards and police men, Dawn took off her head phones and pulled out Mr. Gordo.
"When I said that it depended on the mutant," John said softly, breaking the silence. "Magneto would be a bad one. He hates humans, and thinks they are inferior. We don't all think that."
"Its just evolution." Dawn said softly.
"I'm glad you think so. Uh," John paused. "Scott might not be waiting for us at the airport now."
"Why not?" Dawn asked, snuggling with her sisters stuffed pig.
"Well the x-men, captured Magneto, and the government will more than likely want to consult with them. Scott is the mission leader." St. John explained.
"And the x-men would be who exactly?" Dawn asked, playing with the pig.
"Didn't I mention them?" St. John asked, when Dawn shook her head, he sighed. "Sorry. Ok, The x-men are a group of adult mutants who go on dangerous missions to help people."
"Like Superman?" Dawn asked, her eyes sparkling a little.
"Only there's 5 of them." St. John clarified.
"How do you get in?" Dawn asked kind of eagerly.
"Well you have to be an adult, graduated from a post secondary educational place, and i think a mutant. Everyone who's on the team is a mutant." John replied, the stewardess stopped to offer them drinks then and her eyes were black and glittering with hate at the word mutant.
"What on earth are ya'll talking about?" She asked softly, her Georgian accent thick with anger.
"Comic book," Dawn said quickly, "From the 70's. My mom used to read it. You ever hear of it?" The stewardess's face relaxed.
"No dear, I haven't, now can I get ya'll something to drink?" She asked quite cheerfully.
"Coke." Dawn ordered, adding a quick, "Please."
"Same for me please ma'm." St. John said softly. She served the drinks and wheeled the cart away. "Well, I guess we know what not to talk about." St. John said softly.
"Yeah." Dawn replied, "I guess we do. How about we talk about Self denfense? You said it was one of the classes."
"Yep, instead of gym we learn how to fight." St. Jon replied his eyes twinkling. "You know how to fight? ever take any lessons?"
"No formal lessons." Dawn replied, grinning back, just picked up self defense here and there." Her grin diminished. "Maybe we could spar? That is if you think you can go easy on me?"
"Sure that'd be cool." St. John replied confidently, "We spar with each other all the time." It was at this point that passengers at the back of the plane began screaming. St. John and Dawn both leaned to look out the window, and after a moment, a gleaming oddly shaped jet pulled up by their window. There was a large x embossed on the body. "That's the blackbird." St. John said softly, "What's it doing here?" The plane was about 200 feet away from the black bird, to far away to do much more than stare across the distance. Dawns cell phone rang.
"Hello?" She asked, expecting Willow, it was Scott.
"Dawn, there is a very bad person on your plane. Hand the phone to your seat mate." Scott instructed quietly. Dawn sighed and handed it to St. John.
"Its for you." She said unnecessarily. She watched as St. Johns face went progressively red, then white and then almost purple. After a few moments of watching this, Dawn felt a gaze on the back of her neck. As Buffy would say, 'her spidey sense was kicking in'. That was the good part about being made from a slayer. You knew when someone was watching you. So Dawn turned slowly to meet the cold gaze of an middle aged man.
"Aren't we far from home?" He asked softly.
"My home is where ever i want it to be." Dawn replied, shaken by something in his eyes.
"I'm sure it is." He replied. "Not interested in the view?"
"Its clouds and Sky." Dawn replied, looking away.
"And you don't like heights do you?" He asked.
"I'm sorry?" Dawn asked, "Do I know you?" He shook his head.
"No not really." He replied, "I knew your mother once. Joyce, sold me several beautiful things." Dawn smiled sadly.
"Thats cool. My mom loved her work." She said, St. John was still playing rainbow boy, so she decided to ignore him.
"She had an amazing collection. I hear much of it is being auctioned off," He frowned slightly, "Is she retiring perhaps?" Dawns face fell.
"My mom passed away, the collection is mine now, and its being auctioned in my name, or at least her pieces are. I kept a few of them, her favorites. But the rest are over my head." Dawn explained softly, and his face turned white. He fumbled for a handkerchief and dabbed at his eyes.
"My dear child." He said softly, "I am very sorry. Joyce was an exceptional woman. An exceptional dealer." He paused for a moment and pulled out a plain small square of paper. "If you don't mind my offering." He said and Dawn took the card. It read Conner McLeod, Antiques. "If you ever need anything, I am at your service." Dawn was oddly touched.
"Thank you Mr. McLeod." She said softly. He nodded and smiled gently.
"Are you moving to live with your older sister?" Conners gaze was friendly and concerned.
"I'm moving to live with a cousin. My sister, was in an accident, some kids tried to play a prank on her. It went really wrong." Dawn said shortly. He frowned again.
"I'm Sorry. This must be awfully hard for you." Conner said. He snatched his card back and wrote something on the back. Handing it back Dawn found two more numbers, one read Conner- cell, the other said Duncan.
"Duncan?" She asked quickly.
"My cousin. If you ever need anything, and I don't care how big or small, and you can't get a hold of me, you call him. We call him the boyscout, just tell him i sent you and what the problem is." Conner explained. "You lost your family, you just gained mine." Dawn smiled at him.
"What did my mom sell you?" She asked with a grin. "Ming vase?"
"A few Swords actually. They belonged to a kinsmen of mine once. The original Conner McLeod. I tracked them to her using family records. An idiot friend of my fathers sold them for beer money when i was a kid." Conner grinned. "It was only last year." Dawn brained popped a memory at her.
"I think she mentioned you, called you the highlander." Conner grinned and nodded at her. Dawn smiled. "She said you had a nice ass." Then she blushed and looked down. Conner was almost doubled over in his seat, laughing like a loon. After a moment he calmed down and grinned at her.
"At least she noticed me." He said. "I was in the store for at least 3 hours, chatting her up, thats how i recognized you. She had this picture of you, your sister and her. Your sister was in a smoke stained grad gown and you and your mother both were spotless." Dawn jumped as St. John poked her in the side. She turned back to him.
"What?" She asked, as he handed her the cell phone Out the window, the blackbird was veering away from the plane.
"They spotted Magneto in Dallas." St. John said quickly. "Do you know that guy?" Dawn grinned and then turned back to Conner.
"St. john, this is my new uncle Conner." She grinned at Conner's slightly stunned look, then waved a hand at St. John. "Uncle Conner, this is St. John who is one of my class mates."
"You can't just adopt strangers." St. John hissed, not to quietly at her.
"He offered, and beside he's not a stranger, he knew my mom." Dawn said primly. This shut St. Johns mouth and she turned back to Conner. The rest of the flight was spent chatting with Conner and St. John both.