Carol came back quickly, an I told her to work on herself while I took Jean
to the doctor. She's was pretty complacent about it, but I felt bad leavin
her alone again. I mean, Carol was a pretty tough bird an all, but I'm
sure she's got some questions.
The clientele in the Doc's office gave us some queer looks as we walked in, but they mainly left us alone. We used a nom de plume on the sign in just t' be sure though. The nurse, she was pretty nice. I could see her shakin her head at the mess Jean was an I think she pulled some strings in back cus we got called up pretty quick. The doc, he was a nice guy too. Did a real thorough examination of her and then set her arm in a temporary splint and gave us some salve for the burns and drops for her eye. I think he knew who we were, but he didn't say as much. He waived the charges though, and told us he'd put it on our tab. Not enough people like him in the world.
We got back to the hotel pretty early in the evenin, but none of us are much up for goin out. Carol had dyed her hair black and was wearin some hicktown clothes. Ya know, the faded jeans and ruffled plaid shirt...kinda like what I usually wear. Kinda like what she bought for me. She took Jeannie inta the bathroom to dye her hair while I changed my clothes. I had ta laugh when I saw the outfit she bought. It was me right down to the worn out old boots and the black stetson. God it feels good ta laugh again. It feels even better to have somethin to laugh at.
The door to the bathroom opening caught my eye and I turned to face the girls as they exited. Jeannie stepped out after Carol and I couldn't believe my eyes. If I didn't know it was her I never woulda guessed her identity. She had spiked, platinum blonde hair and Carol had even gone so far as to buy some brown contacts which covered the mess her right eye had become. Carol had bought her a white, floral print dress that came ta just below her knees and some cowboy boots to top it off. We looked like a buncha hometown yanks the three of us. I guffawed at the sight we made and a smile cracked their lips. Pretty soon we were all busting a gut and the two girls fell onto the bed beside me, too weak from laughter to stand up anymore.
I know its strange...Standin in the middle of all this death we're laughin, but ya gotta understand. We see it everyday. Everyday someone dies or disappears an we're left standin there with blood around us and even on our hands. At the end of the day, sometimes all there is left is the little things..The here and now. Thats why Bobby pulls all his pranks. He needs somethin to keep his mind off the big things. The things we can't control. The laughter, it keeps us from thinkin too much and lets us let go.
When we finally caught our breath I leaned back and spread out my arms, just wantin to feel another body close ta mine, knowin they wanted the same thing. Carol curled up to my right, Jean my left and I wrapped an arm around their shoulders, holdin them close ta me, listening to their hearts reassuring me they were alive. We stayed that way all night. I don't think any of us went to sleep for more than a half hour at a time, just tryin to revel in the comfort that was human contact. Reminding ourselves we can still feel. And as the sun began to rise again in the morning and Jeannie began to cry quietly on my chest, we allowed ourselves to grieve, just a moment for the ones we'd lost.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Its obvious we gotta get a hold of the kids back home. None of em know whats goin on, but its a risk tryin to contact anyone. If we get hold o' someone at the school, Chuck'll know. Who knows who he's come in contact with so far an what he can do ta his students. I know 'Ro was away, thats the only reason she didn't come with us, but I'm not sure where she is. London near as I can remember, but my noggin's been pretty josseled. Course, even if we got hold of her I don't know if she could get us home. We need money.
Warren. He's in LA. I know he is. Now comes the problem o' gettin ahold of him. Shoot. We can't call him- it takes knowin a phone number ta do that- and Jean can't get a holda' him telepathically. Wait. Jeannie. And Carol. I keep forgettin its Carol in Rogue's body. Which is kinda crazy ta even wrap yer head around in the first place, but regardless, she's still got the same problems Rogue did, namely touchin people. I wonder if she's figured that out yet? Well, she will soon enough. Somethin tells me its like touchin a live wire - as soon as you feel the shock ya jump back.
The girls are out gettin some food. They should be back soon. Meantime I should shower myself, I'm gettin pretty ripe even for me. Nothin like havin a superior sense of smell and bein stuck around a bunch o' folks who sweat all th' time. Just gotta pray the girls go for my plan, otherwise I might be flyin back without a plane or a parachute.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
"ARE YOU FUCKIN NUTS??" "WHAT? ARE YOU CRAZY??"
Good ta know my hearin's comin back. Course, it wasn't very loud t' me, but it was pretty clear through all this buzzin. The girls are lookin at me like I crossed a couple wires....It sounded like a good idea when I thought of it.
"Yes" I grunt back, "I dunno if it'll work, but we can't stay here forever. We still gotta get back t' the kids at home" Theres a few arched eyebrows and some looks at that
"Kids?" says Carol, "The infamous, beserker rage Woverine is worried about kids?" Have I told you how weird it is t' be talkin to Rogue without the accent? I roll my eyes at that
"It ain't just about them. If Chuck's flown off the handle theres a school full o' Alpha class mutants who trust him and are ripe for the pluckin' so t' speak" I rub my face with a hand, memories of the plane startin t' filter back in, "I mean, christ, he took the elf without us even knowin. He tried t' kill us, who knows what else he's gonna do" Jean was noddin her head in agreement, but Carol's givin me that cautionary look
"Logan, I think what you're trying to do is admirable, but I don't have any experience with this" she says. Damn, I wish I could hear her tone of voice. I think she's tryin t' be calm, but I can't say fer sure.
"Carol" I reach out an take her hand, "We don't have time t' worry about that. We gotta get the job done. An Rogue...She's in there with ya somewhere. I know yer in control right now, but somewhere she knows what t' do and how t' help. You just gotta look fer it"
"Logan's right. We can't sit around and do nothing. Not only do we have a responsibility to the children, but we have a responsibility to the rest of the world. As strong as the Professor is, he can essentially take over and destroy anyone he wants to in a few days. They're just puppets back home" Thank God for Jeannie. The world can be going to hell in a handbasket an her logical brain just keeps on tickin. Carol casts a suspicious eye her way
"And you're ok with this?" she asks and Jean makes a face I can only describe as a snort. Nothin else she could be doin.
"Of course not, but its our only option. I'm no good without my telepathy, but we can't release the binds there. It would only take a minute for the Professor to find out and who knows what he'll do if he finds out we're still alive. If you touch me, Rogue's body will absorb my gift for a short while without setting off any censors. The only problem is contacting Warren. He won't expect it and all you're gonna be able to do is plant a suggestion so noone will catch on if he's not...himself... But Warren's pretty easy to manipulate. If he hears a woman's voice and a number he'll come calling" I caught most of that, but she's talkin pretty quickly. How the hell do women keep up with each other? I scowled at my inability to hear. Lord knows how many years I've had super senses and now I'm reduced t' lip reading and touch t' be able to tell what they're sayin.
I see a reluctant nod from Carol and somethin around my heart lightens up. We might have a chance now. Squeezin her hand in my own tug her around so she's starin into my eyes, "It'll be alright darlin, I wouldn't do anything t' hurt ya" She nods again, her eyes a bit wide in that frightened doe look Rogue gets sometimes. I don't think I ever saw Ms Marvel nervous before.
"Ok, lets do it" she says in what looks like a whisper. Jean turns to Carol and grabs a blue flannel covered arm in her hand, lifting it and a glove covered palm to her line of sight.
"Just relax" says Jean as she pulls the glove off. I see Carol swallow nervously and then Jean touches their hands together. I dunno if you've ever witnessed Rogue takin someone inta her skin but theres nothin in the world like it, and nothin can prepare you for it. Ever. Each time its like seein it for the first time an its really...disturbin. You're watchin her suck the life outta someone else an theres nothin else like it in the world. The expressions....Rogue can control hers now, but what Carol looks like is the way she used ta'. The utter shock and gasping, mouth agape like a fish outta water as someone else's memories flood hers and take her over. And then Jean, the look on Carol's face mirrored on her own, her eyes rollin up into her head as she lets herself go. I hate seein it. An even worse I hate bein the one to have it done t' someone else.
Jean hits the floor and Carol remains standin there for a moment, her eyes wild an crazy like she's tryin t' sort everythin out in her head. Then suddenly its like everythin clicks t'gether an she's got a hold on it. That far off look come's to her eye, the same one that Jean and the Prof get when they're usin their brains t' get hold o' somethin. I see her lips move...."Warren" they say...And then her eyes roll back in her head and she starts to shake convulsively.
I stand and move forward t' take her arms and calm her but she slaps me away and almost knocks me into Jeannie on the floor. Lordy, forgot about that. She stares at me horrified for a moment and then dashes inta the bathroom, lockin the door behind her. If only I had my hearin. Standin up I stoop over t' pick up Jean and lay her on the bed. She'll be ok in a few hours, Carol didn't get much o' her. Lets just pray she's up be'for the phone rings. Meantime, I gotta get Carol outta the bathroom an something tells me that's not gonna be an easy task.
The clientele in the Doc's office gave us some queer looks as we walked in, but they mainly left us alone. We used a nom de plume on the sign in just t' be sure though. The nurse, she was pretty nice. I could see her shakin her head at the mess Jean was an I think she pulled some strings in back cus we got called up pretty quick. The doc, he was a nice guy too. Did a real thorough examination of her and then set her arm in a temporary splint and gave us some salve for the burns and drops for her eye. I think he knew who we were, but he didn't say as much. He waived the charges though, and told us he'd put it on our tab. Not enough people like him in the world.
We got back to the hotel pretty early in the evenin, but none of us are much up for goin out. Carol had dyed her hair black and was wearin some hicktown clothes. Ya know, the faded jeans and ruffled plaid shirt...kinda like what I usually wear. Kinda like what she bought for me. She took Jeannie inta the bathroom to dye her hair while I changed my clothes. I had ta laugh when I saw the outfit she bought. It was me right down to the worn out old boots and the black stetson. God it feels good ta laugh again. It feels even better to have somethin to laugh at.
The door to the bathroom opening caught my eye and I turned to face the girls as they exited. Jeannie stepped out after Carol and I couldn't believe my eyes. If I didn't know it was her I never woulda guessed her identity. She had spiked, platinum blonde hair and Carol had even gone so far as to buy some brown contacts which covered the mess her right eye had become. Carol had bought her a white, floral print dress that came ta just below her knees and some cowboy boots to top it off. We looked like a buncha hometown yanks the three of us. I guffawed at the sight we made and a smile cracked their lips. Pretty soon we were all busting a gut and the two girls fell onto the bed beside me, too weak from laughter to stand up anymore.
I know its strange...Standin in the middle of all this death we're laughin, but ya gotta understand. We see it everyday. Everyday someone dies or disappears an we're left standin there with blood around us and even on our hands. At the end of the day, sometimes all there is left is the little things..The here and now. Thats why Bobby pulls all his pranks. He needs somethin to keep his mind off the big things. The things we can't control. The laughter, it keeps us from thinkin too much and lets us let go.
When we finally caught our breath I leaned back and spread out my arms, just wantin to feel another body close ta mine, knowin they wanted the same thing. Carol curled up to my right, Jean my left and I wrapped an arm around their shoulders, holdin them close ta me, listening to their hearts reassuring me they were alive. We stayed that way all night. I don't think any of us went to sleep for more than a half hour at a time, just tryin to revel in the comfort that was human contact. Reminding ourselves we can still feel. And as the sun began to rise again in the morning and Jeannie began to cry quietly on my chest, we allowed ourselves to grieve, just a moment for the ones we'd lost.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Its obvious we gotta get a hold of the kids back home. None of em know whats goin on, but its a risk tryin to contact anyone. If we get hold o' someone at the school, Chuck'll know. Who knows who he's come in contact with so far an what he can do ta his students. I know 'Ro was away, thats the only reason she didn't come with us, but I'm not sure where she is. London near as I can remember, but my noggin's been pretty josseled. Course, even if we got hold of her I don't know if she could get us home. We need money.
Warren. He's in LA. I know he is. Now comes the problem o' gettin ahold of him. Shoot. We can't call him- it takes knowin a phone number ta do that- and Jean can't get a holda' him telepathically. Wait. Jeannie. And Carol. I keep forgettin its Carol in Rogue's body. Which is kinda crazy ta even wrap yer head around in the first place, but regardless, she's still got the same problems Rogue did, namely touchin people. I wonder if she's figured that out yet? Well, she will soon enough. Somethin tells me its like touchin a live wire - as soon as you feel the shock ya jump back.
The girls are out gettin some food. They should be back soon. Meantime I should shower myself, I'm gettin pretty ripe even for me. Nothin like havin a superior sense of smell and bein stuck around a bunch o' folks who sweat all th' time. Just gotta pray the girls go for my plan, otherwise I might be flyin back without a plane or a parachute.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
"ARE YOU FUCKIN NUTS??" "WHAT? ARE YOU CRAZY??"
Good ta know my hearin's comin back. Course, it wasn't very loud t' me, but it was pretty clear through all this buzzin. The girls are lookin at me like I crossed a couple wires....It sounded like a good idea when I thought of it.
"Yes" I grunt back, "I dunno if it'll work, but we can't stay here forever. We still gotta get back t' the kids at home" Theres a few arched eyebrows and some looks at that
"Kids?" says Carol, "The infamous, beserker rage Woverine is worried about kids?" Have I told you how weird it is t' be talkin to Rogue without the accent? I roll my eyes at that
"It ain't just about them. If Chuck's flown off the handle theres a school full o' Alpha class mutants who trust him and are ripe for the pluckin' so t' speak" I rub my face with a hand, memories of the plane startin t' filter back in, "I mean, christ, he took the elf without us even knowin. He tried t' kill us, who knows what else he's gonna do" Jean was noddin her head in agreement, but Carol's givin me that cautionary look
"Logan, I think what you're trying to do is admirable, but I don't have any experience with this" she says. Damn, I wish I could hear her tone of voice. I think she's tryin t' be calm, but I can't say fer sure.
"Carol" I reach out an take her hand, "We don't have time t' worry about that. We gotta get the job done. An Rogue...She's in there with ya somewhere. I know yer in control right now, but somewhere she knows what t' do and how t' help. You just gotta look fer it"
"Logan's right. We can't sit around and do nothing. Not only do we have a responsibility to the children, but we have a responsibility to the rest of the world. As strong as the Professor is, he can essentially take over and destroy anyone he wants to in a few days. They're just puppets back home" Thank God for Jeannie. The world can be going to hell in a handbasket an her logical brain just keeps on tickin. Carol casts a suspicious eye her way
"And you're ok with this?" she asks and Jean makes a face I can only describe as a snort. Nothin else she could be doin.
"Of course not, but its our only option. I'm no good without my telepathy, but we can't release the binds there. It would only take a minute for the Professor to find out and who knows what he'll do if he finds out we're still alive. If you touch me, Rogue's body will absorb my gift for a short while without setting off any censors. The only problem is contacting Warren. He won't expect it and all you're gonna be able to do is plant a suggestion so noone will catch on if he's not...himself... But Warren's pretty easy to manipulate. If he hears a woman's voice and a number he'll come calling" I caught most of that, but she's talkin pretty quickly. How the hell do women keep up with each other? I scowled at my inability to hear. Lord knows how many years I've had super senses and now I'm reduced t' lip reading and touch t' be able to tell what they're sayin.
I see a reluctant nod from Carol and somethin around my heart lightens up. We might have a chance now. Squeezin her hand in my own tug her around so she's starin into my eyes, "It'll be alright darlin, I wouldn't do anything t' hurt ya" She nods again, her eyes a bit wide in that frightened doe look Rogue gets sometimes. I don't think I ever saw Ms Marvel nervous before.
"Ok, lets do it" she says in what looks like a whisper. Jean turns to Carol and grabs a blue flannel covered arm in her hand, lifting it and a glove covered palm to her line of sight.
"Just relax" says Jean as she pulls the glove off. I see Carol swallow nervously and then Jean touches their hands together. I dunno if you've ever witnessed Rogue takin someone inta her skin but theres nothin in the world like it, and nothin can prepare you for it. Ever. Each time its like seein it for the first time an its really...disturbin. You're watchin her suck the life outta someone else an theres nothin else like it in the world. The expressions....Rogue can control hers now, but what Carol looks like is the way she used ta'. The utter shock and gasping, mouth agape like a fish outta water as someone else's memories flood hers and take her over. And then Jean, the look on Carol's face mirrored on her own, her eyes rollin up into her head as she lets herself go. I hate seein it. An even worse I hate bein the one to have it done t' someone else.
Jean hits the floor and Carol remains standin there for a moment, her eyes wild an crazy like she's tryin t' sort everythin out in her head. Then suddenly its like everythin clicks t'gether an she's got a hold on it. That far off look come's to her eye, the same one that Jean and the Prof get when they're usin their brains t' get hold o' somethin. I see her lips move...."Warren" they say...And then her eyes roll back in her head and she starts to shake convulsively.
I stand and move forward t' take her arms and calm her but she slaps me away and almost knocks me into Jeannie on the floor. Lordy, forgot about that. She stares at me horrified for a moment and then dashes inta the bathroom, lockin the door behind her. If only I had my hearin. Standin up I stoop over t' pick up Jean and lay her on the bed. She'll be ok in a few hours, Carol didn't get much o' her. Lets just pray she's up be'for the phone rings. Meantime, I gotta get Carol outta the bathroom an something tells me that's not gonna be an easy task.