Morgan's story
Part One- The Crash
Chapter One
Morgan Aurius was scared shitless.
As she glanced out the window, all she saw was the eternal blue of the ocean coming closer and closer. The plane wasn't in a nosedive, but it was as if the plane had just fallen out of the air. It wasn't sudden. The pilot, after knowing what was happening, tried to go lower so when the plane did hit the ocean, the impact wouldn't be too great.
Nonetheless, Morgan knew she was most likely going to die, but she felt she needed to make a try for her life. She got out of her seat and began the eternal, shaky walk to the door. The world seemed to go in slow motion and the sounds around her faded. The screams dissipated into the deep abyss of her thoughts and the only sound left was the high-pitched whine of the air passing the falling plane at terrifying speeds.
Morgan glanced out the window of the plane door. She watched the ocean come nearer, and it looked as if it was ready to swallow the entire plane whole. A few seconds before the plane crashed into the ocean, Morgan leapt out of the door. Just as she did, she wished she had a tube to float on.
The water was cold but she paid no regard to that as she pushed hard and fast away from the plane.
The deafening crash of the plane falling into the water was a mixture of multiple parts falling off and the plane being crushed by the impact. Morgan watched in horror as her family, along with the other passengers and crew members died a quick but most likely painful death. She was too involved watching the plane that she didn't see the chunk of metal flying towards her. It hit her head with a velocity that would have killed any ordinary person. Morgan blacked out and a head wound opened on her head that would bleed until just before she woke up.
Chapter 2
"My head...." Morgan moaned weakly. When she felt water lapping at her feet, her eyes snapped open.
She was on a tube floating in the middle of the ocean.
"Oh. My. God." Morgan said in disbelief to no one in particular. Her memory slowly went back into focus, and she remembered jumping out of the plane and watching it get swallowed by the sea, but anything after that was a blank. She had no idea how many days she had been out floating. For all Morgan knew, it could have been the same day, since it looked the same, excluding the fact that there was no crashed plane around. She had no idea how the tube had come along, nor did she have the faintest clue as to where she was. She realized that if she didn't want to fry from sunburn, she had to cover her bare arms, legs, and her face. She tucked her arms and head into her shirt and tried to curl her legs up so they weren't as exposed to the blinding sunlight. 'Now,' Morgan thought with a sigh from inside her cocoon, 'I'm on the sea's good humor.' Morgan analyzed her possibilities: she could die floating out here of starvation and dehydration, or she could wash up on shore and live a deranged life. The latter thought came to her with a slight smile. Plane crash survivors- if there had ever been any- had to have gone crazy or at least have gone senile at an early age. What person could live with the horror, sorrow, and pain of watching someone die? Morgan sighed again. Her life was in fate's hands. She had no idea which direction the shore was in. All she could do was hope for the best.
She didn't bother counting the days. She stayed in her sunburn proof cocoon during the day, and slept lightly at night. She got hungrier and hungrier, thirstier and thirstier, but refused to eat anything from the ocean, and knew already that it was terrible for one to drink saltwater. She remembered vaguely someone telling her that it was worse for you to drink saltwater than to just go thirsty. The only thing keeping Morgan sane was hope, and the knowledge that the ocean was taking her in the right direction. Until she saw the shore, though, there was always the possibility of death.
It had just been a normal day. Morgan had stayed curled up in her sunburn proof haven (which was slightly tattered by now). Night fell and she was able to stretch her stiff body across the tube in a lounging position and gaze at the uninterrupted beauty of the stars. This helped her sleep a little deeper than she had in a few days.
She woke with a jolt some time later with the sound of sand scraping against the tube.
Chapter 3
Morgan was jerked violently and fell off of the tube. She suddenly realized that the water she was laying in was shallow. Slowly, she stood up on wobbly legs and took a look around.
The lights of a seaside city twinkled not too far off.
With new confidence, Morgan grabbed her tube and walked across the sandbar until the water got deep enough for her tube. She clambered back on and paddled with all her remaining arm strength toward the shore. She was near the shore, but as she was getting ready to climb out of the tube, a wave crashed on top of her, taking Morgan by surprise, and she had to struggle out of the water, losing track of her tube. When she finally got far enough onto the shore where she could rest, she collapsed onto her stomach, coughing and wheezing. She found herself exhausted and was about to fall asleep when two people came along.
*******
Scott was laying next to Jean on the sand. After spending a long day having fun in all the other attractions nearby, the beach was quiet and peaceful. The salty air was tranquil and wonderful.
The meaningful silence was untimely ended by the sound of coughing and spluttering near the ocean. Jean and Scott sat up, alert.
"Oh my God, a kid just washed up on shore!" Scott exclaimed. The two got up and ran to the form lying in the surf, the waves lapping at her body. Jean got down and shook her gently.
"Hey..." she said. The girl coughed some more and Jean rolled her onto her back. Jean gasped at a wound in the girl's head, but said nothing. The girl coughed again.
"Where am I?" She asked in a hoarse voice.
"You're in Long Beach Island, New Jersey. What's you're name?" Scott asked gently.
"M-Morgan Aurius..." she said weakly. Jean looked over at Scott.
"We should get her to the Academy." She said urgently. "She has to be fed, given water-" she stopped when Scott hoisted the small-framed girl into his arms.
"Go on and unlock the car. Bring it here." he ordered. Jean nodded and ran off. Scott heard his car struggling over a wide break in the dunes. Soon enough, his car pulled up next to him. Scott placed Morgan in the backseat and strapped her in so she wouldn't fall off. Jean found a blanket in the trunk and covered the girl with it. Being a doctor, she climbed into the back with Morgan to make sure nothing happened. Scott hopped into the front seat and smiled to himself. He flipped a switch on the dashboard and the car turned invisible to outside viewers. Scott threw the engine into fly mode, and the car lifted off of the sand and took off for Westchester, New York.
It was 2 AM when Scott and Jean burst into the doors of Charles Xavier's School for Gifted Youngsters, Scott holding the sleeping Morgan in his arms. He turned to Jean.
"You want her down in the medical room?" he asked. Jean shook her head.
"For now, put her up in her own room. She seems fine. I'll get a few things to clean up that wound on her head." she replied, and in a flash, she was down the hall to the medical office to get some gauze. Scott sighed and went upstairs to an extra room. As he was walking down the hallway, Hank, their rather large resident, came out of his room.
"Scott?" he asked inquisitively. "Oh dear... what happened?" he asked. Scott shook his head.
"No questions for now. We'll talk tomorrow." he replied, and Hank nodded, getting the message to leave Scott alone, and went back into his room. Scott opened the door to the extra room and placed Morgan's limp form onto the bed. Jean came in behind him with a roll of bandage and medical tape. She looked at Scott.
"I'm going to have to change her clothes. The ones she's in now are filthy." she hinted. Scott, not at all interested in 14 year old girls, left the room and headed down to his own. As he passed Logan's room, he heard the familiar grunts and mumbles of Logan's nightmares, which occurred once or twice a week.
Once in his own bedroom which he shared with Jean, he changed into his pajamas and climbed into bed. He was tired, but stayed awake until Jean came in at around half an hour later.
Chapter Four
Morgan opened her eyes. Light streamed in from a window. It was then that Morgan sat up, startled. Window? There were no windows on the sea. There were no beds, either, and she was floating on one of those.
'WAKE UP!!!!!' her brain screamed. Morgan shook her head and looked around. She wasn't on the ocean. Duh. Instead, she was in an elegant looking room, on a two-person bed that her small frame barely filled.
Thirst and hunger hit her first.
"Hello?" she called. The door opened and a red haired woman came in. She smiled at Morgan, relieved almost.
"Hi, Morgan. I'm Dr. Jean Gray. We found you last night." she said with a smile. Morgan reached her hand up to touch the wound on her head, and found it bandaged.
"What kind of hospital is this?" she asked, perplexed. Jean's smile softened.
"It's not a hospital. It's a mutant academy." she said softly.
"What?! What am I doing here?" Morgan exclaimed.
"This was the only place I thought to take you."
"I'm not-" Morgan began in protest, but Jean interrupted her.
"You are a mutant. But here, it's not a bad thing. It's....welcome. We're not sure what kind of power you have. But your brainwaves- they're mutant brainwaves. But let's put that aside for now. I bet you're hungry." Jean explained.
"Rapaciously. Thirsty, too." Morgan replied bluntly. Jean nodded.
"I'll be back in a moment. Stay here." she replied. Morgan waited for about five minutes, and then Jean came back in with a tray loaded with food and two bottles of water. As Morgan began wolfing down the food, Jean looked at her inquisitively. "How did you get into the ocean?" she asked finally. Morgan gulped down a swig of water, and cleared her throat.
"I was in a plane crash." she said simply, as if it happened every day. Jean gaped at her in disbelief.
"The-the one that happened ten days ago?" she asked, total disbelief in her voice. Morgan looked at her.
"It happened ten days ago?" she asked. Jean nodded. "Oh..."
"No one survived. How is it possible that you-"
"I jumped out early. The tube.... I'm not sure where that came from. It was just under me when I woke up." Morgan explained.
"That's remarkable. You just- you just floated around for 9 days?" Jean asked. Morgan nodded as she shoveled another heaping forkful of food into her mouth.
"Jean are you- oh, hi, Morgan." Scott said, coming in. "Nice to see you're up." At the look of confusion on Morgan's face, Jean introduced Scott.
"Morgan, this is my husband Scott. He and I found you last night." she explained. Morgan nodded, recognizing Scott for the first time.
"Ooooooooh! Hi!" she replied.
"Feeling a little better?" Jean asked. Morgan nodded, since she couldn't say anything due to the enormous amount of cereal she had crammed into her mouth after her greeting to Scott. "Scott, you wanted me?" she asked, turning to Scott for the first time. Scott shook his head.
"It's not that important. I was just going to ask you if you knew where my sleeping glasses are- I need a nap." he replied. Morgan furrowed her brow, confused.
"What time is it?" she asked. Jean checked her watch.
"Oh, about three in the afternoon. Scott, I cleaned the room today and put them in the night table drawer." she replied, and Scott left the room.
"Thanks!!!" He called from down the hall.
"Wow...." Morgan mused, "three in the afternoon. Not even my friend Skyleigh sleeps that late." Jean smiled.
"Where are you from, anyway?" she asked gently.
"Well, I was coming home from my boarding school in England. So, I kind of consider that to be my home. But really, my family lives- lived in Maine." Morgan said, choking up on the last few words. Jean looked at her sympathetically.
"Maybe we should talk about this another time." she suggested, and Morgan nodded and looked away. "Just remember that all of us are here for you."
"All of us?" Morgan had to ask. Jean nodded.
"Scott and I wouldn't have this whole big mansion to ourselves, would we? Besides, we don't even own it. You'll meet everyone else later. For now, what do you say we get you downstairs for some tests?" Jean suggested, and Morgan blanched.
"What- what kind of tests?" she asked in an unnaturally high voice.
"Just some X-Rays and a painless blood test." Jean replied in a comforting voice, but Morgan sighed.
"I guess I have no choice, do I?" she said, and Jean smiled, helping the girl out of bed. They walked downstairs and headed down to the medical room.
After the X-Rays, Morgan sat in the chair, tense.
"Relax," Jean said with a smile. "All you'll feel is a little pinch. I'm just taking some DNA because mutations usually can be discovered through genetic codes." she explained. "I'm not taking a massive amount of blood and you don't have to watch if you don't want to." Morgan nodded and gulped and gasped sharply when Jean put the needle into her. Jean was watching her. Suddenly, out of nowhere, little molecules of light swirled together and formed a solid, real teddy bear floating in front of the girl. Morgan, perplexed, took the teddy bear out of the air and hugged it close.
"Did- did you do that?" she asked. Jean shook her head, surprised. She slowly took the needle out.
"I don't have that power. I think- I think it was you." she replied. "I- you're dismissed. Go on and find someone to hang out with. They'll like you a lot, Morgan." she said encouragingly. Morgan hopped off the chair with a smile and ran out of the room, still holding the teddy bear. Jean, amazed at this sudden manifestation of someone's power, turned to the needle full of blood on the counter. She put it into a sealed tube and began working on it.
Chapter Five
Morgan hadn't noticed it, but now that she was out on the mansion grounds, she saw lots of girls (and guys, to her happiness) her age around here. She had noticed some girls having a race, one so fast that it took her only a split second to reach the finish line. The other girl pouted and threw a plant at the girl using some form of telekinesis, and that was it. Morgan felt a little more at home here, though she still had no idea what her power was.
She remembered that just before the teddy bear had formed in front of her eyes, Morgan's thoughts were of how much she wanted a teddy bear or something to hold because she was so nervous. Then, somewhere in the back of her mind, she was imagining and willing the molecules in the air in front of her to form a teddy bear.
Morgan's heart stopped.
She remembered the same thing happening when she was jumping from the plane- she had wished for a tube, and what did she wake up on?
"Holy shit." she mused to herself. She concentrated hard and stared at the teddy bear. She brought the molecules to the front of her mind instead of the back, and willed and imagined the molecules dissipating and changing back into air molecules. Slowly, the teddy bear began to fade, slowly, slowly, then a light breeze blew the remaining bits off into the world.
"Some power you got there." Morgan started and looked up at the source of the deep male voice which had just spoken. He was tall, not very cleanly shaven, and had a rough expression set on his face, as if he had been through a lot in all his years. However threatening he looked, Morgan got a friendly vibe from him and stood.
"I-I...." she stuttered. She couldn't think of anything to say. "I didn't know I could do that until a few minutes ago."
"Are you the new young'un?" he asked, and Morgan nodded slowly.
"I'm Morgan Aurius." she introduced, and the man shook her hand. She noticed that the tops of his hands felt unnatural, like something was inside it, but Morgan knew better than to inquire. Who knew if he was sensitive about it or something?
"Pleased to meet you, Morgan. I'm Logan." he said with a slight smile. "You're the girl.... you're the one who survived the plane crash?" he asked. Morgan looked at him curiously.
"How did you know about that?" she asked quietly.
"Jean is telepathic. She- she was pretty amazed about it when she found out, and unintentionally sent the thought to all of us." he explained. "It is amazing that you survived." Morgan looked away.
"Kid, I'm sorry if I hurt you-" he began, but Morgan shook her head to cut him off.
"No, no... it's just, I don't know how I managed to just leave my family behind on that plane. We all knew it was going to crash. No one even made a try for it, though, besides me." she explained. "It was as if.... as if they were taken over by fate."
"It wasn't fate controlling them. It was panic. You had a clear enough head to not let it take you over." he said softly.
"I did, though!! I was terrified." she replied. Logan had to shake his head.
"Terror is different from panic. I've felt terror and panic, and they are two different things, kid." he explained.
"I still can't believe I let them die." Morgan said quietly. Logan felt a deep swell of sorrow for this girl, who was only fourteen but scarred for life. He put his arm around her.
"You didn't let them die, kid. They wouldn't have gone with you if they were panicking. You would have died yourself if you had tried to get them out." he said in a comforting voice. Morgan sniffled but Logan didn't mind. He figured that as long as he was living here, he could help Charles out a bit and give these kids a helping hand. Besides, Morgan really did need any comfort anyone could give her. She'd been through a lot. 'She's survived a plane crash, for Christ's sake.' Logan thought.
"Thank you." she said quietly, and Logan took his arm from around her.
"Morgan." someone called her name, and both Logan and Morgan looked up. A man in a wheelchair was coming toward them. "Welcome. I'm Professor Charles Xavier."
"Hello." Morgan said cheerlessly. Charles' expression softened.
*Don't worry. We can help you develop your power and through that, you'll be happier.* Morgan's eyes widened, alarmed. Charles' voice had just echoed through her head.
"How did you do that?" Morgan asked curiously. Charles smiled and it made Morgan want to smile, too, but her mood wasn't cooperating.
"I'm telepathic." he said as if it was some normal thing. Morgan's mouth dropped open.
"You can control people's mind?" she gaped, and Logan laughed at the expression on her face. Charles obtained an amused look on his face as well.
"Well, there's more to being telepathic than taking over people's minds. But yes, I can do that." he said quietly. Morgan's eyes gleamed mischievously. "However," he began sternly, "I only do that when it's absolutely necessary. I can read minds, and talk to people telepathically. "
"Amazing!" Morgan exclaimed, the dreariness gone from her voice. Logan smiled again.
"She sounds like Hank." he said, and Charles laughed.
"Indeed." he agreed calmly.
"Who's Hank?" Morgan asked. Charles smiled. Ever since his telepathic message to her, he had noticed the overwhelming curiosity which was brewing in her mind.
"We'll introduce him to you later. But for now, why don't you go and talk to a few people? I'm sure Jubilee would love to talk to you." Charles said, and Morgan nodded.
"That's all well and good, but who's Jubilee?" she asked. Logan smiled.
"What about me?" said a teenaged female voice. Morgan whirled around and found herself looking at a girl not much older than she, with black hair and a cool style. Morgan immediately loved her clothes.
"Jubes, this is Morgan. Morgan, this is Jubilee." Logan introduced them. The two girls smiled their greeting.
"Call me Jubes. Everyone calls me that." Jubilee said, and Morgan nodded. The girls watched Logan and Charles go off, Logan walking along next to Charles' wheelchair and talking to him like an old friend. Morgan then turned back to Jubilee.
"What's your power?" she asked. Jubilee smiled widely and thrust her arms to her upper left. Fireworks came out. Morgan clapped at the small display.
"That is so cool!" she exclaimed.
"Pretty much. What's yours?" Jubilee asked. Morgan smiled slightly and concentrated hard. Again, the molecules began changing- Morgan felt rather than saw this change- and a block of wood materialized slowly. Then, Morgan gave the next step a try. She willed it and imagined it happening, and sure enough, the wood slowly formed five letters to spell out Jubes. After it was finished, it dropped out of the air and Jubilee caught it.
"Whoa!" she exclaimed in pure amazement. "You can- you can just materialize anything you want?" she asked. Morgan shrugged.
"I don't know. Let me try." Morgan imagined and willed some more, but nothing happened. "Well, I obviously can't make anything human." she said disappointedly. Jubilee looked at her curiously. Morgan blushed. "I tried to form a really hot guy. It didn't work." Jubilee laughed.
"That's a really cool power." after a pause, Jubilee spoke up again. "Hey, I'm famished. Are you up for some dinner?" she asked. Morgan nodded and the girls ran into the door of the mansion as dusk fell behind them.
*******
"Her power is the ability to materialize inanimate objects out of nowhere." Jean announced to the rest of the X-Men and Charles. It was around 9:00 PM, and they were in Charles' study.
"How did she obtain this?" Ororo (Storm) asked, but Jean could only shrug.
"No idea. I've never encountered a power remotely like this before." she replied.
"I don't think anyone has, sugar." Rogue said.
"Well, we must teach her how to control it." Charles said. Logan spoke up next.
"She knows how to control it, Charles. She's just not fast enough. Like today, she made that bear disappear, but slow like." he said.
"Perhaps she can join the X-Men when she can materialize objects fast enough." Scott suggested. All the X-Men gaped at him.
"Scott! She's just a girl!" Jean said defensively, almost as if she was insulted.
"So was I when I came here. But I still joined. I think it would be good for her." Rogue agreed with Scott.
"I don't think we have any power to decide this." Hank the furry blue doctor said matter-of-factly, sensing the argument brewing. "It is strictly a matter between the Professor and Morgan herself."
"Oh yeah..." Scott realized. He rubbed the back of his neck. "Well, it was just a suggestion, Professor." he said.
"We'll see." was Charles' tired reply. "Are you done, Jean?"
"Yes." After everyone had cleared out, Jean remained with the Professor. "Go to bed, Charles. You've been working too hard." she said, and left the room. Charles could only sigh. He left the study as well, preparing to take Jean's advice and get himself to sleep.
Chapter Six
Morgan woke the next morning feeling refreshed and clean. She had taken a shower before she went to bed. She smiled to herself. She was glad that she didn't have to go to school here yet- it was July, and school didn't start until early September. Today, Jubes had promised that they'd go clothes shopping with Jean, since all of Morgan's clothes were lost on the plane.
Morgan went down to the dining hall and got some oatmeal.
"Morgan! Hey, Morgan, over here!" she heard Jubes crying. Morgan looked over and sat with her new friend. "Morgan, I'd like you to meet Kurt." she pointed to the boy sitting with them. He smiled.
"Pleased to meet you!" he said happily in a thick German accent.
"Pleasure's all mine," Morgan replied. They spent breakfast talking. At one point, Kurt made Morgan laugh so hard oatmeal almost came out of her nose.
Jubes was watching Morgan and Kurt crack jokes and laugh like crazy, and knew immediately that they would be great friends.
"Ready to go shopping?" Jubes asked Morgan, who nodded and stood.
"Kurt, I'll see you at lunch, and if I'm not back by lunchtime, I'll meet you by the front door at three, say?" Morgan requested, and Jubes almost dropped dead with surprise. She could tell that Kurt did, too. Morgan liked him enough for a date already?
*Go easy, girl!* Jubes sent Morgan a telepathic message of advice while Kurt collected himself.
*Why? I like him a lot!* came the weak reply. For a little while after dinner the previous night, Charles taught Morgan how to use telepathic ability. Morgan had caught on instantly, but her signals were still weak. Jubes was still surprised that she got a reply in the first place, but shrugged.
"Of course. Lunchtime or 3 by the front door. Have fun!" came Kurt's reply. Jubes then proceeded to pull Morgan away.
*******
It was 2:30, and Morgan had gotten home from the mall half an hour ago. She had spent the past half hour cutting tags off of the new wardrobe Jean had bought her. It made Morgan wonder why Jean and Scott didn't have a mansion of their own, but oh well. Morgan sighed and put on one of the outfits she had bought. Now, she wasn't wearing the fairly tattered outfit she had arrived in. Instead, she was wearing a deep blue tank top with a watery print and sparkly blue jeans. Jubes nodded her approval. In just two days, they had become best friends.
"Yeah, Kurt is definitely going to fall head over heels for you." she said mischievously, and Morgan pouted.
"I don't like him like that, Jubes! Honest! He's really cool and I want to get to know him some more!" she said. "I'm going to get a snack, then I'll meet Kurt. Are you coming?" Jubes shook her head.
"Not hungry. I think I'll go read a magazine." she said, hopping off of Morgan's bed and heading out behind her.
*Don't bite his head off or anything,* Jubes' thought trailed after they had parted ways.
At three, Morgan headed to the front door. She saw Kurt waiting for her already. He was standing there, looking around, when he caught sight of her coming down the stairs and he smiled brightly.
"Afternoon, Morgan," he said calmly. Morgan could tell he was nervous (about what? it's just me', she thought) but he never faltered.
"Hey, Kurt. What do you wanna do?" she asked casually. His eyes lit up.
"I want to show you something." he announced. Morgan looked at him with a wary smile but followed him out the door. "It's just beyond these trees." As they went through the thick trees, Kurt held her hand to lead her.
*Nice touch.* Jubes' voice said in an amused tone.
*GET OUT OF HERE!!!* Morgan screamed back.
*Fine, fine. Have fun.* Jubes' voice was annoyed this time, but Morgan paid no attention to that as they got over the last bunch of trees. Morgan gasped at the beauty before her.
"Oh my God.... Kurt..." she mused quietly. He had a contented smile on his face. The area they were in was shaded by trees, and a little pond was there, lined by some plants and rocks.
"It's where I go to think." he said quietly. Morgan looked up at him, amazed.
"How did you find this place?" she asked, and didn't realize that she was still holding Kurt's hand.
"I was.... I was running from some kids one day, and.... I found it." he said sheepishly, and Morgan got that tingly feeling in her stomach.
"It's beautiful," she said quietly, pushing down the butterflies and looking around. She then proceeded to take off her shoes and sit near the pond, which both of them did.
They talked for hours. It didn't matter what they had to talk about. Morgan found everything he said intensely interesting, all of his jokes funny. He had a great smile and sense of humor, and didn't treat her like a plane crash victim. He treated her like a friend, which was something Morgan had picked up on both he and Jubes immediately. To Logan, all she probably was, was a girl who needed pity because she had been in a plane crash. At one point, while going over all this in her head, Morgan shuddered. Kurt asked what was wrong, and Morgan found herself actually explaining and Kurt understanding.
Kurt noticed that Morgan talked using her hands as well as her mouth, and her fingers were long and tapered. Everything she said was beautiful, and he listened to her by drinking in her voice, the sight of her hands moving, and her lips moving. By the end of a few hours, he felt as if he was living in a wonderful reality. To say it felt like a dream would be like he didn't believe it was happening, but he did and that was one of the things Morgan loved about him. He had no doubt that what they were experiencing was real.
During a quiet moment, one of the few in the past two hours, Morgan looked over at Kurt and their eyes penetrated each other. Kurt, who had been too hurt in the past and didn't want to risk it again, searched her sapphire blue eyes for any sign of leading him on. When he found none, just true, honest feelings for him, that was when he leaned in for the kiss.
Their lips touched for only a few moments, and as lightly as butterfly wings brushing the air, but it was gentle and blissful, and Kurt sent up a joyous prayer of thanksgiving to the crazy voice in his head that had told him to do that.
"That was sublime." Morgan's only response, but one that Kurt deemed right on target.
"I guess this means...." Kurt trailed off, but Morgan put a hand on his and stared into his eyes.
"It means whatever you want it to mean." she said quietly, and Kurt immediately knew what she was asking. He kissed her again, twice, three times.
"That's what I want it to mean." he said simply with a smile that was contagious.
"I'm very happy for that." Morgan replied, catching that contagious smile and kissing him again.
*******
Jean didn't see Morgan again until dinner, and when she did, her mouth fell open. Giggling slightly, she nudged Logan, who was reading a paper, in the side.
"Hmm?" he grunted. Jean pointed to Kurt and Morgan, who were holding hands as they came in.
"Looks like Morgan's got a new- um- friend." she said, and Logan looked up. The sides of his mouth quirked upwards for a slight smile.
"I knew it would happen soon," Scott said from his seat next to Jean. Jean watched as Morgan and Kurt sat with Jubilee and her friends. "She's a gorgeous girl with a great personality. I'm glad Kurt was the one who secured her instead of one of the others around." Scott said in a fatherly voice, and Rogue couldn't help but chuckle.
"Scott, you're not her dad. And they're not getting married. Just leave it be, okay?" she asked amusedly. Scott pasted a smile on his face and continued his mash potatoes. Morgan glanced over at him with a compassionate smile, as if to say that she didn't mind.
*Don't let them get to you. Now that I don't have a dad-* the mental signal faded quickly and Scott looked over at her to make sure she was okay. She was choking up, and Kurt had noticed. He had a hand on her back, wiping away a tear. Morgan gently pushed him away after she had regained her composure, probably explaining what was happening. *Now that I don't have a dad, I kinda need a father figure in my life.* her voice said gently, and Scott and Morgan exchanged glances.
*It's a deal. Don't ever forget your past, Morgan, but sometimes you just have to put it behind you.*
~~~~~~~~~~To be continued
Morgan's Story
Part Two-Preparation
"Logan?" Morgan's gentle voice stopped Logan in his tracks as he headed down the hall. "Where are you going? It's almost four!" Logan's expression changed to sympathetic.
"Oh, darlin', I didn't wake you, did I?" he asked. Morgan looked up at him.
"Well, no, but Ororo, Scott, and Jean all running down the hall did. I'm not much of a sleeper since the- the crash." Morgan explained, and Logan sighed.
"I have some stuff to take care of. Don't worry your pretty little head. Go back to sleep and enjoy your day tomorrow." he replied, leaving Morgan to wallow in her own curiosity. But not for long. She probed his thoughts as gently and quietly as she could, but Logan picked up on it instantly. He tapped his temple and didn't even bother to turn around. "You stay outta there, darlin'." he said warningly.
"I just want to know what's going on." Morgan said innocently, and Logan turned to her.
"I'll ask Charles if I can explain it. If I can, I will tomorrow." he bargained, and Morgan bit her lip and cocked her head to the side, mulling the deal over.
"Promise?"
"Sure do."
"Fine. But don't forget!" Morgan finally agreed.
"Cross my heart. I won't forget, darlin'." he added, and then took off down the hall. Still thoroughly perplexed, Morgan headed back into her room for a restless sleep.
The next morning dawned rainy. Morgan tugged on some shorts and a tank top and headed down to breakfast.
The previous day looked like heaven against today. The sky was the color of iron and the rain was raw. But when Morgan sat down with Kurt, Jubes, and a few other of their friends, she didn't really pay attention to anything other than the conversation they were having. As soon as she was done with breakfast, she put her bowl in the cleanup area and went over to Logan.
"Hey," she said casually. He turned and looked at her. The lines in his face were deep today, and he seemed upset. "What's wrong?" Morgan asked immediately.
"I- I can't tell ya now, darlin'. I haven't asked Charles yet if I could." he replied, sounding stressed. Morgan figured it best not to pry, so she didn't.
"Fine," she said simply and went back to Jubes, Kurt, and everyone else.
The day seemed long and boring, since there was nothing to do. At one point, at around 4:00 PM, Morgan was flopped on the couch, dead-looking, watching TV through a vacuous stare. Jubes was leaning against the couch, and Kurt was off with one of his friends. Out of the corner of her eye, Morgan saw stirring movement in the doorway, sat up, and looked.
"Morgan? The Professor wants you." Scott said. Morgan and Jubes exchanged glances.
*Go ahead. It's never a bad sign.* Jubes' voice whispered in her head. Morgan nodded slightly, hopped off of the couch, and followed Scott out of the door.
The Professor's office was fairly large and well-furnished. She felt very welcome there, and sat down in one of the soft chairs in front of the desk behind which Charles was sitting. Morgan noticed that all of her future teachers were there: Rogue, Ororo, Scott, Jean, and Logan. Kurt was there as well. This suddenly made Morgan feel very uncomfortable, and she wasn't sure why.
"Morgan, I'm sure you know all these people." At a nod from Morgan, Charles continued. "What you don't know is that they are the X-Men, who fight to protect all of mankind." Morgan's mouth fell open.
"Th- these people. Fight. Even for the good of the anti-mutant people?" her question came out in a tangle of words. Charles nodded calmly.
"Ororo, also called Storm, can control weather. Rogue absorbs other mutant's powers temporarily. Scott, also known as Cyclops, can fire a type of laser from his eyes which can destroy mountains if not filtered properly. Jean, as you know, is telepathic, and telekinetic. Logan, also called Wolverine, has a healing factor which helps him heal quickly. His senses are heightened as well. Kurt is called Nightcrawler, and he can dissipate from one place to another." he explained placidly, as if this was something that was explained to teenagers every day.
"The X-Men were on a mission to fight last night, and that's what you woke up to. They fight the henchman of a man named Magneto, whose real name is Eric Lencher. He has the power to bend and control metal, and firmly believes that the human race is constantly trying to wipe out us mutants." Charles continued. Morgan sighed.
"What a mouthful." was her sole reply. Kurt smiled.
"Well, there's more." Charles said, and he sounded reluctant to tell her the rest. "Magneto and his group found about you. There's a war coming, Morgan. It's a war over you." he said quietly, and Morgan stopped picking at her shirt and looked up at Charles with wide, terrified eyes.
"What- why me?" she squeaked. Logan's expression was ominous and serious, and he explained.
"You have an extraordinary power, darlin'. They want it." he said simply.
"I will help you gain faster control of your powers so you can help resist Magneto's advances. We will protect you, Morgan, but you also have to protect yourself." Charles said with a sigh. Morgan looked up at him.
"Fine." she said quietly. The tension in the room had risen to about 400%. Morgan couldn't take it anymore. She stood up quickly, grabbing the chair so it didn't fall over, and pushed past the crowd of "X-Men" and left the office to shut herself in her room.
~~~~~~~~3 Months later~~~~~~~~~
Everything was wonderful.
Morgan had full control of her powers and could now materialize anything in the blink of an eye. She no longer saw the intriguing image of swirling molecules of light, and sometimes she missed that, but she fully enjoyed knowing the extent of her powers. She and Kurt were still going strong. They still made out by the pond, still got interrupted (either mentally or physically) by Jubes, and still made people giggle. 'Let them giggle.' Morgan had thought scornfully one day. 'He's a great guy, and nothing can come between us.'
That's when she met Deek, and her world turned upside down.
He showed up from a family that wasn't accepting of his powers and basically just dropped him at the front door of the Academy and left forever.
Morgan and Kurt were sitting outside that night, enjoying the last few days of fairly warm weather. Leaves blew across the driveway, and they watched the car pull up from their spot by the trees. Thinking it best to stay in the darkness, they watched as a boy, about Morgan's height, got out of the car, shouldered a pack, and said a brief goodbye to the people in the car, but wasn't even done with his sentence before the car peeled out and away, as if to silence his last few words. The boy looked down the driveway where the car had been for a moment, as if still processing that they had left. Then, he turned and went inside.
"Let's go," Morgan whispered. Taking Kurt's hand, she led the way and entered the Academy. The boy was standing alone in the foyer, looking around. He didn't hear the door shut behind him as Morgan and Kurt slipped in.
"Hey, can we help you?" Kurt asked. The boy turned around, and Morgan saw what he looked like for the first time. He had jet black hair which was kind of spiky. He was thin but not scrawny, and when he turned, Morgan noticed his almond eyes and smiled to herself. She had a strange fascination with Asian guys.
"Uh, yeah. My name's Deek, and I was wondering if there was someone here who could, um, help me." he said, and he sounded as if he felt awkward.
*We'll take him to Charles.* Morgan told Kurt telepathically. He looked at her and his eyes were agreeing.
"Sure, we know someone. Come with us." Kurt said in a friendly voice. He walked towards Charles' office, and Morgan followed behind, silently probing Deek's mind as gently as she could. She got the image of a year-long struggle. He had discovered his powers long ago, but had not said anything to his parents, because he knew of their growing fear and hatred of mutants. Then, they had seen him forming the flames that were his power, and brought him here.
Kurt and Morgan showed up at the office with Deek standing between them, and Charles let them enter.
"Oh, hello," he said without much of a surprised inflection in his tone.
"Um, hi, my parents just kind of left me here..." Deek trailed off stolidly. Charles nodded to Kurt and Morgan, and, receiving the hint, the pair left the room.
"What's his story?" Kurt asked as soon as they were in the living room. Morgan sighed.
"He's pyrokinetic. I saw it in my head. He.... his parents are not too fond of mutants, to say the least. He didn't want to tell them, and with good reason. But one day, they just found out and-"
"Brought me here." Deek's voice said from the doorway. Morgan jumped a mile and turned around. At the site of Deek looking not too happy, she blushed and turned away.
"I'm sorry."
"Not a problem." he replied, pack still on his shoulder.
"Um, Deek, this is my boyfriend Kurt, and I'm Morgan." Morgan introduced hastily as an icebreaker.
"Pleased to meet you both. Um... how did you do that?" he asked Morgan. She turned to Kurt.
*Maybe you better leave us alone.* she "said" to him, and Kurt looked a little hurt, so Morgan added hastily: *no need for puppy eyes. I wouldn't make out with him, Kurt. He's not sexy enough.* Kurt got up and left with a smile and Morgan patted the seat on the couch next to her, which Deek took.
"I'm... I'm telepathic. I can read people's minds and send them messages through their thoughts." Morgan explained. Deek looked fascinated.
"Send me a message." he said. Morgan detected a hint of flirtation in his voice but ignored it. After probing his mind ever so gently for a moment, she came up with an awkward feeling: he was afraid of rejection.
*Don't worry, Deek. We accept everyone here. Be yourself, and I'm sure everyone will love you.* she sent him the message in a quiet "voice" as not to be too insensitive about it, but Deek looked insulted.
"You think I'm afraid of not fitting in here, huh? What if I say that fitting in with a bunch of freaks like you is the last thing I want?" he asked angrily, but Morgan's calm expression remained.
"You wouldn't, because you'd be lying." she said serenely. Deek looked doubly insulted this time.
"Don't tell me what I will and won't do! Not like you know me, freak." he said angrily, as if it insulted Morgan in the least. As if Morgan gave a shit what he said. He got up and stormed out of the room, leaving Morgan to only watch after him.
*******
As Deek walked quickly down to the room he was assigned to, glancing at the slip of paper that the Professor had given him with the room number, Deek had only angry thoughts.
'Who is she to go nosing around in my past? She doesn't know me! She can't tell me what I'm going to do!' Deek let himself into his room and flopped down on the bed. She was right, though. Everything she had said was right on target. He sighed deeply. She was beautiful. Elegantly small, with long tapered fingers and satiny black hair, he realized that she would probably never, ever talk to him again.
'God, I am such a dick.' he thought, and sighed again. Well, he could probably find other friends. He pulled off his shirt and pants and slept in his boxers, leaving his window open a little to let in the crisp October air.
Morgan's head was leaning against the door. She didn't stir or make a sound until his light clicked off, and then she sighed silently and headed down to her room. He would never talk to her now that she had been too nosy.
She stopped dead in her tracks.
Did she actually like this guy?
How could she? She had Kurt. Kurt was wonderful. He was the best kisser in the world, knew the best jokes, and always knew the right way to make her feel elated, like she was on another planet alone with him, as if there was no one in his world but her. Deek.... she realized that he was likable in his own way. She'd definitely have to get to know him better before anything happened between them.
And she'd have to drop Kurt.
The thought pained Morgan as she let herself into her room. She remembered their first kiss by the pond, and afterward, she had asked him why he had searched her eyes. He had definitely been searching for something, and he said that he'd been looking for any intention to hurt him.
Morgan had almost cried then, how could she take actually hurting him now?
It was 10:30 and she had school the next day. Troubled and confused, Morgan drifted off to sleep, just to have nightmares of being separated from Kurt by a great valley.
Chapter Two
"Morgan! Hey, Morgan!" a male voice was calling. Morgan looked up from where she was playing poker with Jubes, betting candy and various assorted sundries. Morgan glanced up to see Deek walking towards her.
"What do you want?" she asked irritably. She thought she saw Deek's eyes darken but figured it was probably her imagination.
"Just want to talk to you really quick." he said simply with a shrug. Jubes was smirking but Morgan got up to talk to him anyway. He touched her elbow lightly to lead her away and it gave Morgan the good kind of shivers.
*He's hot. Flirt, girl, flirt!* Jubes' voice said encouragingly.
*NO.*
*Don't try to hide it. I can feel how much you want him.* was Jubes' amused mental reply.
*I'm not denying that I like him. But I'm not one to cheat on guys.* Morgan replied, and blocked out any further telepathic messages so she could devote her full attention to what Deek was saying.
"Look, I'm sorry for yelling at you the way I did last night. I guess..... I'm a little insecure about my inability to fit in." he explained, looking away. Emotion entered his voce for the last few words.
"And I'm sorry for prying into your thoughts." she said, smiling gently. Deek looked up at her.
"Read them again." he said, and Morgan sighed, afraid of what she might find. From the moment she had talked to him the night before, she had gotten a vibe of caution, and unwillingness to trust.
"Fine." she said finally. Deek waited and Morgan entered his mind.
Deek's mind was much like a labyrinth. His thoughts were shadowed in the darkness of the walls. Feelings of turmoil and anger flowed through his brain often and Morgan was startled at his bitterness.
Then, she searched his past.
She got images of horrible incidents involving his powers manifesting at the wrong times. One was inside a church that was burning to the ground. One image was particularly terrifying and stood out in Deek's mind. His house was burning down. He was in a crib, a tiny baby then. His real parents (Deek was obviously adopted) lifted him out of his crib to escape, but before they could go anywhere, fire consumed them. Morgan could feel the infantile panic that Deek had felt at that moment, slowly falling to the ground. The panic and terror was great now, and Morgan couldn't help but let a small cry escape her throat.
"What? What do you see?" Deek asked urgently, his eyes panicked. Jubes was beside him now.
"The- the house and-and your parents and- and lots of fire-" Morgan was unable to continue. She was shaking and about to cry, and Deek knew it. Jubes had an arm around her. Deek had a hand on her arm. His eyes softened as deep sorrow settled into the deep chasm of memory.
"Oh." he replied quietly, his voice shaking. "I-I have to go." he said quickly and left the room. As soon as he was gone, Morgan put her hand on her forehead and found her breath coming in sharp gasps.
"M-Morgan? You okay?" Jubes asked, sensing something very wrong. It was then that Morgan began to cry.
"Jubes, it was terrifying!" she said between frequent sobs that wracked her whole body. Jubes' face softened.
"Okay, okay, calm down, it's over now."
"Oh dear God. Morgan?" Kurt's voice said from the doorway. This only made Morgan let out an anguished sob, frustrated that no one would understand what she had just felt. He rushed over to her and took her in his arms, but not so that Jubes couldn't keep a hand on her arm. "Morgan..." he said gently, disturbed that Morgan could ever be so scared, the beautiful Morgan, the girl- no, woman- that had changed him completely and made him feel real love for the first time. Morgan buried her head on Kurt's shoulder, and cried.
"She went into Deek's memory. Apparently, he hasn't got a pleasant one." Jubes explained to Kurt, who looked perplexed as he ran his fingers through Morgan's long mane of black hair.
"There was a fire..." Morgan began, pulling away from Kurt's shoulder, her face red and tear streaked. She explained everything.
"That's- that's awful." Jubes said, real sorrow in her voice. Morgan knew she didn't understand, and that she never would, but appreciated her attempt at trying to.
"I- I felt his panic, his terror. He was only a baby. Just-a-baby...."at the last few words, Morgan exhaled, but no tears came out because there were none left to cry. Kurt brushed a hair from her face and used his fingers to gently wipe away her tears.
"It's okay, Morgan. Deek's okay now, right? Calm down. I hate to see you like this." he said with a gentle smile. Morgan looked away then looked back at him.
"No. Don't you see? He'll never be okay. At least... he won't be until he realizes that his power is something to be appreciated." she said fairly harshly, and Kurt looked hurt. "I- I have to find him." she said determinedly. Before Kurt could reach out to stop her, Morgan had left the room.
Chapter Three
Deek was crying. He hadn't cried since he was seven when he had broken his arm. But now, he cried harder than he had even then. He remembered the fire. It was his fault. He had just been laying there, and suddenly, a ball of fire came out of his arms and lit the ceiling on fire.
Choking on his own panic and sorrow, he couldn't even give permission to open the door. He doubted he would have anyway. Somehow, though, he knew it was Morgan, and even though she'd probably think he was a wuss for crying, she'd understand. Morgan came in and he covered his head with the pillow.
"Deek..." she said gently, so gently it made him want to come out from under that pillow, regardless of how disheveled his hair was, how tear-stained his face was, and grab onto her waist and pull her into him. He wanted to run his fingers through that wonderful black hair and have her tell him that everything was all right, even if it wasn't.
Morgan felt his desire, and wanted to do what he wanted her to do, but knew she couldn't.
"You don't understand what it was like." he said more crabbily than he had intended it to. Morgan looked down.
"Yes, I do." she said so quietly that Deek lifted up the pillow to look at her.
"Oh my fucking God." the expression had escaped his mouth before he knew how to stop it. Her face was red and moist from crying, he knew, and he sat up and he grasped her shoulders and read into her eyes, his eyes sorrowful. "Tell me I didn't do this to you. Tell me I didn't!" he said urgently.
"Deek... you didn't do it to me. I did it to myself by prying into your past. But my God, Deek... I'm so, so sorry." she said, turning the attention back to him. That wasn't what he wanted.
"Morgan, I..." he trailed off, unable to say anything. Morgan smiled gently, and Deek reached out tucked some hair behind her ear. He let his fingers drink in the soft luxury of her hair, but didn't hold it for longer than appropriate.
"Deek, I can't do this." she said, and he could tell she was serious. "I'm with Kurt now. I- I love Kurt" she said, and realized it was the first time those words had escaped her mouth and had meant something. Deek looked up at her.
"Look me in the eye and tell me you love him." he said bitterly. Anger flashed in Morgan's eyes, and he knew he had gone a little farther than he should have, but the damage was done. She stared straight into his eyes.
"I. Love. Kurt." she said simply. Deek took her wrists.
"Really? I don't think you do." he said quietly. Morgan gasped, insulted, and materialized a third arm and smacked him hard across the face. Deek sighed and dropped Morgan's wrists. "I'm sorry." he apologized, ashamedly rubbing his face. "I don't know what I was thinking. It's just.... we both know what we want, so why not just go for it?" he added.
Morgan was thinking how wonderful it felt to feel his skin against hers. His stubble was just enough to feel, and Morgan loved stubbly guys. She looked away as he voiced what they both wanted: each other.
*Jubes, have you been listening?* Morgan asked, panicked slightly as to what to do: not cheat on Kurt, even though what would happen would probably mean nothing, or succumb to their desires and stick her tongue into his mouth for the longest period of time she could imagine? She could even feel his fingers running through her now-untamed mane of jet black locks and down her back, and it sent a shiver of pleasure down her spine.
*Don't even go there.* Jubes warned immediately. *He'll only hurt you. I know it. Even if you say it won't mean anything, it will.*
*K, thanks.* Morgan replied. She shook herself. She was foolish to even weigh the options in the first place... or was she?
"No." she said. "I want it, Deek, but what will happen will probably mean something even if we don't want it to." she voiced what Jubes had thought. Deek nodded, laying flat on his back on the bed, mulling over what Morgan had said.
"You're right, it probably would." he finally replied.
"I want it, though." she said quietly after a pause, and Deek sighed.
"Me too."
Morgan left the room without another word.
*******
She found herself wishing that she had just taken the chance now that she was out of the room.
*No, NO, NO!!! You did the right thing. Trust me. He may be hot and all that, but guys always take everything way too seriously. He'd take it as some permanent thing.* Jubes replied to Morgan's thoughts. Morgan sighed to herself and headed to her bedroom.
Chapter Four
Her sleep wasn't a happy one. She had several nightmares, one a flashback of the plane crash. Only this time, she stayed buckled in her seat. She screamed as the plane crashed. The blood of other passengers spattered on her from all directions as the plane crushed in on her.
Morgan sat up in her bed screaming. The light in the hallway promptly turned on and Logan ran in.
"What is it?" he asked, genuine fear in his voice. Morgan looked up at him, shaking. "I know that face. A nightmare." he growled.
"They never go away, do they?" Morgan asked. Logan's eyes softened and he sat on the edge of her bed.
"No." he said almost silently. Morgan ran her hands through her hair.
"But why?" she asked, despair in her voice.
"You can't ever forget or change the past, darlin'. Until you can do that, you'll be stuck with the nightmares." Logan explained, and all Morgan could do was sigh. "I know." Logan agreed. After a moment, he looked up at her. "Feeling any better?"
"No." Morgan replied bitterly, "but I may be able to sleep now." Logan nodded.
"I understand. Go to sleep, darlin'." he said quietly, consolingly, and left the room.
*******
Deek woke up with the scream but knew he couldn't go into her room. He could already hear Logan in there, consoling her, but it was he who truly belonged in there. Not some hairy, crabby old guy. He sighed and stretched out, his back cracking as he arched it. It felt good.
He listened for a moment to the nightmares plaguing his peer, He heard Logan easing Morgan's fear, talking to her softly, gently, nicely.
'I could do all that, and more. I could kiss her.' Deek thought bitterly. As if some kiss would just fix all her fears. He almost laughed aloud at the thought of such an elegant creature taking solace in a kiss from him, a loner, and most of all, a dick. That was what Deek thought of himself now: he couldn't stand himself for being so dumb in front of Morgan, but he couldn't help it. She was too wonderful for him, and he would be lucky if she ever gave him the time of day ever again.
Deek lay in his bed staring up at the ceiling, then held up his hand in front of his face. A solid orb of fire glowed in front of him. Deek looked away, the emotions he associated with fire too great to combat right now. The orb was extinguished.
The light in the hallway, which slipped under the crack in his door, went out. He heard the creaking of Morgan's bed as she resituated herself for sleep. Deek did the same, and fell asleep way before Morgan did.
*******
The next morning was cold, raw, and rainy. Morgan dressed in a 3/4-sleeve shirt and jeans, and tied a hooded, zip-up sweatshirt around her waist just in case she decided to go outside. Breakfast that morning was oatmeal. Morgan ate with Jubes and Kurt, but Deek didn't show up. That Sunday morning, the three decided to play each other in a game of MarioKart for N64. Kurt beat them all.
~~~~~2 Months Later
Morgan packed up her homework, her brain fried from doing all of it within 2 hours, and arched her back to crack it lightly. Her thoughts turned to other things.
One was the impending matter of Christmas vacation.
Morgan hadn't informed any of her grandparents, aunts, or uncles that she was alive. Most of the reason was because she didn't want to leave this wonderful school. She knew that her aunt Penelope would try, no, force Morgan to live with her. But Morgan didn't want to leave Jubes, or Logan, or Scott or Jean, and especially not Kurt. She needed Kurt. One of her first friends when she arrived as an injured (both emotionally and physically) and reluctant girl, Kurt meant everything and more to Morgan. She had changed so much since that night five months ago, when she washed up on shore coughing and wishing she could change the past. Every resident in the school's mansion helped her greatly in putting her past behind her. And Jubes... how could Morgan leave her, too? Jubes was Morgan's best friend. If she was shipped off to Washington to live with Penelope, how could either of them deal with that? Morgan would have to make new friends that were most definitely not as accepting as Jubes and Kurt. If Morgan materialized a pen out of thin air like she so nonchalantly does in class here, how would a normal teacher react to that? These people were her family, not the Aurius' spread all over the country. Aunt Penelope and uncle Dan in Washington state, uncle Ferdinand and aunt Lily in Montana, and Morgan's grandmother, Cecilia Mae, in Georgia. All were different distances from Xavier's school, but to Morgan it meant all the same thing: she would be an outcast and a misfit if she moved.
*Just follow your heart, Morgan.* Charles' voice said calmly. Morgan sighed and flopped onto her bed.
*It's not as easy as it seems,* she sent back, her thought giving off the vibe of utmost confusion and frustration.
*I know. But it seems that you already know what you want to do.*
*What do you think I should do? I mean, I don't want to live with them or anything, but they're family, and morals and values and all that are pushing me to at least visit them.* Morgan explained, despairing as to what to do.
*You know how to flatly refuse an offer.* Charles said quietly. Morgan heaved a mental sigh.
*Yeah, but what about legal rights? Charles, I don't want to see them. Maybe just to talk to them for a while...*
*Like I said, follow your heart. It will lead you to the right place.* he said, and the young despairing girl sighed again and got up to see Kurt.
She knocked on his door once, twice.
"S'open," he mumbled, obviously engrossed in something else. Morgan opened the door. Kurt looked up and smiled at her presence, then his expression dropped when he felt the atmosphere around her. "What happened? What's the matter?" he asked, and Morgan looked at him, a confused, helpless expression on her face that made Kurt want to cry.
"I don't know what I should do this Christmas vacation." she announced. Kurt looked at her for a moment.
"That's all? For God's sake, Morsy, I thought someone died." he said quietly, and Morgan wordlessly plopped onto the foot of his bed. Kurt swiveled in his chair to face her. "....it's not just that, is it?" She shook her head, he sighed.
"I'm not sure if I should go see my family for vacation. I have a feeling they'll try to get me back. You know, they may take me away from this place." she explained, sounding as if she was having trouble finding the words. Kurt came over to where she was sitting and looked at her with a gentle smile.
"I don't want you taken from me. But if that's what must happen, then..." he trailed off. Morgan held onto his hand and looked sorrowfully into his eyes.
"But... this is where I've built a whole new life for myself. I couldn't have recovered so wonderfully if I had been anywhere else. I wouldn't have been able to discover my power... wouldn't have found you and Jubes..." she said, and it was then that Kurt put an arm around her, trying to console her.
"Don't worry. If you do get shipped off, I'll come for you. Don't fear." he said, and Morgan smiled.
"I guess you're right. Thanks a lot." she said, kissing him once, twice. He kissed back, slowly, blissfully, and it made Morgan fall in love with him all over again.
Chapter Five
When Christmas vacation did come, Morgan finally decided against going to visit family. Instead, she stuck around the mansion, and it was almost empty. It was wonderful. Only Deek remained of all her friends, and she figured that he was the best she could ask for, since Kurt and Jubes were committed to making their families happy and Deek... didn't have a family.
It was 9:00 on a Tuesday night and Morgan was up in Deek's room, sitting on his bed, and finally she asked the question:
"Deek, it hurts not having a family, right?" she asked meekly. Deek's expression softened.
"I don't know. Sometimes I want to go and get those scum sucking bastards that used to be my parents... but sometimes, I'm okay with it, because... at least they brought me here and didn't hand me over to anti-mutant authority. But.... yeah, I'd say, generally, it hurts." he explained. Morgan couldn't help but scoot a little closer to him. Sometimes, Deek was so far away from her... so different; and yet other times he was the most like her, closer than even Jubes. Sometimes.
Deek felt her come closer, and was almost intoxicated by her smell. It wasn't a special perfume, it was just.... her smell. Fresh, clean, elegant, and mysterious. His whole body was itching to reach over and pull her closer, so close her body was pressed to his, but he knew that Morgan would shy away. She loved Kurt, or so she said, and as much as Deek wanted her, needed her, he knew that all they would ever be was friends.
"It tears you up more than I thought it did." Morgan whispered. Deek looked away. She had been probing his thoughts.
"More than you will ever know." he replied quietly. He slipped his hand into hers. She looked at him with her mournful, sapphire eyes.
"Deek.... are you sure...." Her heart was racing. How could she do this to Kurt? Was she a whore or something? Dear God!!!
"Never have I been so sure of anything in my life." he replied, not eagerly but so assertively it elated Morgan and put her at ease, though Morgan had no idea why. Slowly, so she could pull away from him if she wanted to, he touched his lips to hers, and as soon as he felt her tongue gently probing his mouth, he knew that it was going to go much farther than was originally intended. However, despite his logical conclusion, he didn't pull away. Neither of them did. The kiss lasted well over thirty seconds and it was Deek who finally pulled away. His hand was on one of her hips, his other leaning on the bed to keep his balance. and her hand resting on his shoulder, her fingers brushing the back of his neck or touching a lock of his hair every now and then. She looked at him, inquisitively, as if to ask him what had just happened.
"Did I...." Morgan trailed off. Deek smiled.
"Rise and shine, princess." he replied, leaning in for another kiss.
"Deek, you're unappeasable." Morgan mused with a smile, and gave in without a fight.
30 minutes later, Morgan was regretting it. She had just pulled away from the last kiss. Somehow, it had finality to it. It felt wonderful. Deek was untrusting, and it amazed Morgan that he trusted her. He was willing to kiss her, touch her hair, wrap an arm casually around her waist and pull her into him, but he wasn't willing to do this with a girl who was available, one of the others who pined for him. That made Morgan feel amazing.
Deek, on the other hand, was equally amazed that she didn't bother hesitating after the first kiss. She "loved" Kurt, didn't she? She was the one who had said it, not someone else. It was obvious she had real feelings for Kurt, too. She held his hand when they were out and about in public, and knew him unlike anyone else. What had just happened?
"Do you think we should just...ignore what just happened?" Morgan asked quietly. Deek had to nod. Even though he had never had a kiss quite like the first one he had experienced with Morgan, he knew that to prevent any further confusion or fuck-ups they should just put it behind them. "Good." Morgan said simply, hopping off of the bed and leaving the room.
She went to bed that night long before Charles Xavier did. He was up in his office, preparing for the war that Morgan had forgot about. Little did he know that it would occur within the next week. **
Morgan's Story
Part Three- The War
Chapter One
Christmas vacation was over. Kurt was back, Jubes was back, and so was school. Deek and Morgan hadn't seen much of each other after the night they kissed. And kissed and kissed and kissed. To Morgan, Deek wasn't much of a priority at that moment. The same feeling of uneasiness existed between them. Even when they just passed each other in a hallway going to meet a friend, Morgan got the vibe of huge anxiety in him.
'Just let him get over what happened, then everything will be normal.' Morgan had thought to herself after one of these incidents.
She was right. When Kurt and everyone else returned, Deek was able to see that the making out meant nothing to her when she slipped her hand into Kurt's and kissed him three times when he returned from his vacation. Therefore, Deek found himself relaxing around her.
'She let it go. Finally.' he had thought with a smile.
*Hey, I had let it go all along. I think it was you who needed the letting go.* Morgan's voice echoed teasingly in his head. He looked over at her, alarmed, but saw her amused smile and smiled as well.
The 2nd to last evening of vacation, the four friends sat up in Morgan's room with popcorn, chips, and soda, talking.
"My parents were weirdly impressed with my powers. They always wanted to see more and stuff." Jubes was saying. "So? Anything happen to you two while we abandoned you?" Morgan swallowed her soda.
"No, nothing. It was really very boring." Morgan said stolidly. Deek was impressed. She was a better liar than he was.
*You lie, Morgan, you lie!* Jubes said in Morgan's head.
*Go ahead and look. But don't act shocked at the things you find.* Morgan replied, and listened to Kurt share about his vacation. Suddenly, Jubilee made a choking noise, and when everyone looked over at her, she smiled brightly, obviously feigning a smile.
"Um, I'm fine, go on, Kurt," she said nonchalantly. When Kurt turned back to Deek to discuss something he had seen with his family, Jubes gave Morgan an I'll-see-you-later-in-private look. Her eyes were very dark and not at all pleased. Morgan sighed deeply.
"I'm, um, tired. You guys mind going off for the night?" she asked politely. Deek and Kurt looked at her for a moment, perplexed, then figured that something was up and promptly said hasty 'goodnights' and left the room. When Jubes had shut the door, she turned and looked at Morgan, her eyes blazing.
"You cheated on him! Kurt! The guy who trusts you with all his heart?!" Jubes whispered. Her voice could only be controlled to that point, otherwise she would have screamed her head off.
"Jubes, it was just-"
"Just half a fucking hour. Half an hour. Thirty minutes spent cheating on your man that loves you." Jubilee was mad.
"No. It wasn't like that. He... he seemed so sure... and so lost at the same time..."
"Yeah, I'm sure you sticking your tongue down his throat really brought him to his senses." Jubes said bitterly.
"What the hell is your problem? Why does this bother you so much? You're the one who was telling me to flirt when he first came here!" Morgan said angrily, fed up with the antagonism.
"You know, Kurt was hurt sooooo bad by this girl named Fuega. She did the same thing as you did. Thought she could cover it up. Don't you see? The last thing he needs is to be crushed by another girl! He may lose all faith in love if he finds out!" Jubes exclaimed, dodging Morgan's response. Morgan frowned at her.
"Well maybe if you stopped yelling at me for a moment, then I'd be able to talk." she snapped, and Jubes looked down. "We decided that it meant nothing, okay? Nothing at all. I still love Kurt. Really. I'm not having an affair with Deek or anything. So please, stop yelling at me and jabbing at my faults, and get out." she said savagely. Jubes looked at her for a moment, read her eyes, and then headed out of the room.
As soon as the door was closed, Morgan flopped onto her bed.
"Guy friends suck," she muttered under her breath, covering her head with a pillow. She didn't even realize that she had fallen asleep.
"Morgan. Morgan, wake up right now, it's an emergency." Scott's voice. Shaking her gently. Morgan grunted and lifted the pillow off of her head.
"What happened?" she asked in a croaky, sleepy voice.
"The war. It's here."
Chapter Two
Morgan got up and changed into clean clothes as quickly as she could. She ran into the hallway and found the rest of the people in that corridor out in pajamas and robes, talking to each other, the mutterings of confused teenagers. Morgan hurried down the hall.
"You okay, darlin'?" Logan asked from behind her. Morgan turned.
"Well, kind of surprised. I'm not one to get woken up every night to someone telling me there's a war." she said faintly with a half-assed smile. Logan knew she was pondering things on the inside and left her alone.
'This is it. The war over me. Oh shit. How am I supposed to do this?' Morgan thought, panicked. 'God damn it, they're probably all powerful and stuff, and oh my God oh my God oh my God.'
'GET A GRIP!!!!!!!!!!!!' the other, more logical side of Morgan's brain screamed. She shook her head, as if to shake away the panic, and stepped into Charles' office. The rest of the X-Men were there, including Kurt.
"Come on, X-Men. We have a war to fight." Charles said bravely. "I'm going to send all the children into the basement. They must stay clear of all fighting. Morgan, are you ready for this?" he asked. Morgan nodded, because she couldn't talk due to her throat which had dried up considerably in the past five minutes. "Good. Let's go."
Up in the mountains was where the fighting was taking place. Morgan spotted a humanlike form (only huge) jumping out of a tree to get Logan. Without another instant's thought, Morgan materialized a clear plastic dome with spikes on it that were sharper than most knives. The creature grabbed on to a branch.
At that moment, something tackled her from the side and Morgan lost her concentration. The dome dissipated and Morgan could not see what happened to Wolverine after that, because a blue woman was on top of her, pinning her down.
"Come with me." she growled, and started to drag Morgan away.
"Not so fast, Mystique, or should I say, mother." said a thick German accent which sounded very bitter. Mystique, the blue woman, stopped walking.
"Kur- Nightcrawler...." Mystique said wistfully.
"Yes, it's me. Let the girl go." Kurt said with a ferocity that Morgan had never heard in his voice.
"Screw this." Morgan whispered to herself. *Little help?* she thought to Jubilee, who immediately turned and shot fireworks directly toward Mystique. For the next few moments, all Morgan heard was the snapping and popping of a thousand little fireworks. Mystique was startled and dropped Morgan, who landed on her back. Nightcrawler ran over to help her up. As he pulled her up, he whispered to her.
"Go fight. Help the X-Men. I'll be done with this one in a moment." Morgan nodded and ran off.
Storm was shooting lightning bolts at a human with a greenish tint.
"Toad." growled Cyclops (Scott) from beside her. He aimed his laser and fired. As Toad fell out of the sky, to make sure he was dead, Morgan materialized spikes underneath his falling body. Suddenly, though, his fall slowed down.
"No, Morgan. We're not going to kill him. Just hurt him very badly." Jean said from her position in the middle of the battlefield. Reluctantly, Morgan dissipated the spikes with a wave of her hand and Jean used her TK to lift Toad high into the air. She let go and he fell, and Morgan couldn't watch. She turned away just as she heard a bone-crunching thud on the ground.
"Get the girl!" someone was yelling. All at once, she saw a blue blur barreling towards her. Morgan held up her hand and a solid wall of fire appeared in front of her. To her surprise, though, Mystique changed into a tiger and leapt over it without difficulty. Morgan screamed as she was tackled onto the ground yet again. She cried, screamed, struggled, materializing knives out of thin air and hurling them at Mystique, but she dodged them all and pressed firmly down on Morgan's shoulders, constantly increasing the pain. Finally, Wolverine had thwarted Saber Tooth for the moment and sunk his blades deep into Mystique. The blue woman, screaming, transformed back into herself and dropped to the ground.
"Darlin'-" he said gently. "Materialize something to protect yourself." he ordered. Morgan nodded, gasping with a mixture of pain and relief. She got up and looked around. Storm was shooting lightning bolts and making wind blow at Saber Tooth, but he could not be stopped. Morgan narrowed her eyes and materialized a huge cement block that fell out of the sky and crushed him. She looked around. Rogue was helping Wolverine up from a bad fall. Scott and Jean were looking cautiously around. Jubilee was doing the same, and Nightcrawler-
'Oh shit.' Morgan thought suddenly. She whirled around.
"NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!" she screamed. Mystique, injured but with just enough power for one last transformation, had turned into Storm. Before Morgan could do anything, she had made a lightning bolt and fired it at Kurt, killing him instantly. Morgan held up a hand. With all her panic, rage, sorrow and love for Kurt, she materialized a flaming dome of fire- pyrokinesis, a power she hadn't known she had- and listened to Mystique scream and cry as she slowly burned to ashes.
That was when Morgan let reality set in.
Chapter Three
"He's dead, isn't he?" Morgan asked Scott quietly. They were gathered around his body. When Scott nodded, it was as if the whole sky came tumbling in on Morgan alone. She sank to her knees and stroked Kurt's arm, gently, as tears streaked silently down her flushed and red face.
"Darlin...." Logan said gently. "Come on, we'll bring you inside."
"Not yet." Morgan replied just as gently, choking on a sob in the middle of the sentence. She projected thoughts to him, anything to maybe get part of a response, but could get nothing. She drew in a shuddering breath and stood with the help of Logan and Scott. They helped move the body onto the X-Jet and returned to the mansion.
'cant be dead'
'wouldnt leave me'
'i loved him'
Morgan's thoughts were all out of order, a jumble of chaos. Jubes felt it through her own deep sorrow. When they got off the X-Jet, Jubes put an arm around her and that's when Morgan began to cry harder than she had when she was stroking Kurt's arm. She entered the mansion to find Deek standing in the lobby.
"D-d-deek? Didn't the professor tell you all to go to the basement?" she asked, curious. Deek's expression softened.
"I heard your mental cry. We all did. I just managed to run up here before the doors shut, regardless of what would happen." he said quietly. Morgan looked at him, biting her lip to sustain the sobbing that was wracking and aching her whole body. "Don't hold it back, Morgan." he said even more quietly. Morgan put her hands over her face and cried with full bodied sobs. Deek walked slowly towards her so that she could resist the embrace, but she seemed to welcome it. She cried onto his shoulder, holding an arm around his neck and the other around his shoulder. He stroked her hair. By then, the rest of the X-Men had departed from the scene, Jean to clean up Kurt's body, the rest of them to mourn in private.
"He was.... he was one of my best friends and now he's....now he's dead!" Morgan whispered, lifting her head from Deek's shoulder for a moment. Jubes sniffled and put a hand on one of Morgan's arms.
"I know. But he didn't experience any pain. He died before he knew what happened." she explained in a trembling voice.
"But it's Kurt.... one of our own...." Morgan replied in disbelief. "How can this happen?"
"Wolvie thought Mystique was dead. If he hadn't, then he would have killed her. Morgan, there's nothing left to say, except- except that I'm sorry and I wish I could bring him back, too." Jubes said softly. She looked at her best friend, who was all disheveled and looked as if she had been struck by lightning, only emotionally. Morgan looked back at Jubes, whose face was red from crying, her eyes still teary, and sighed, taking her arms from around Deek. He held onto her wrists, since he wasn't sure if she'd collapse or something. Morgan looked at him, and saw that he was teary as well.
"He's in a better place. Just.... I'm sorry I can't do anything." Deek said gently.
Chapter Four
The funeral was filled with close friends and Kurt's adopted family. Morgan felt almost like a widow. Something huge had been ripped out of her, and she doubted that no one person could ever fill Kurt's space in her heart. She unconsciously narrowed her eyes when she remembered Mystique.
His own mother.
"Why would she do that?" Morgan whispered without knowing that she had. Logan, who was sitting beside her, looked over at her.
"What?"
"Oh. Um, just- just wondering why Mystique would kill her own son." she replied, her eyes growing dewy again. Logan put an arm around her.
"It's crazy, I know. But Magneto and all his little henchmen are very, very evil." he replied.
"Well, at least I killed Mystique." she replied distractedly. Logan sighed.
After the funeral, the X-Men and some of Kurt's close friends, Morgan and Jubes included, took Kurt's ashes and put the urn of them near the pond. They made sure it was held down securely so no one could knock it into the pond, and walked solemnly away.
As Morgan walked away, she realized she was leaving behind a major piece of her life.