The phone rang four times before Wise-Son picked it up. It was three in the morning, and though he really didn't need to sleep anymore he still did out of pure habit. When he awoke, he wasn't groggy or weak, just suddenly awake. The side effect of his new invulnerability was that he rarely ever entered REM sleep – which meant no more dreams. He picked up the receiver and calmly said "Wassup?"
The voice on the other end wasn't as calm as Wise-Son. "Wise, we got trouble. Big trouble here man!" The Latin-accented voice was dripping with stress, and very haggard. The speaker almost coughed the words out, breathing hurriedly between sentences.
"Fade? What's happenin' man? What's goin' down?" Wise sat up on his bed now. A million different scenarios ran through his mind. Renegade bang-babies? New gang wars? Cordelia and Edmund? No! "Not that!" he thought, suppressing a sudden surge of fear for the people he cared about the most. Anything that could rattle the ever-calm Fade HAD to be bad.
"It's Templo. He's dead." The words hung in the air. Then, for almost a minute, there was silence. "Wise? Did you hear me? Templo's dead."
"I heard you", Wise-Son said. The fear he briefly nursed had now been exiled, replaced with anger. "What… happened?"
"It was S.H.R.E.D.!"
"Who the f*ck is SHRED?"
"S.H.R.E.D. man: Special Heavy-equipment Rapid Emergency Division. Those new anti-terrorist cops that the Feds set up in Dakota!"
"Anti-terror… BULL-SH*T! They're there cuz of bang-babies! I told you this sh*t was going to happen! How'd it go down? Are you ok?"
"I'm fine man, but we were attacked." Fade can't be hurt by much, unless he is in solid form, which isn't often. "They came in the night, about two hours ago, surrounded the building, and just started bustin' caps on everybody. No warning. Templo was the first one hit." As Fade explained the details of the midnight raid on their apartment building, his usually soothing voice gained an edge of menace to it. Wise-Son could feel the young man's rage even over the phone. The words dropped out of Fade's mouth like stone bricks, painting a very bloody picture in Wise-Son's mind. "DMZ and Third-Rail covered everybody's escape. Those S.H.R.E.D. cabrones were NOT prepared for those two guys."
"I don't get it Fade", Wise-Son said, shaking his head in disbelief, "Templo could stop bullets in mid-air. How did he get shot?"
"He was sleeping off a hangover in the front stoop of the building. Somebody else went to wake him up, but they got shot too."
"Who was it?"
"Cuca, his girlfriend. She's in the hospital, but she ain't doing well. I don't think she'll make it to the morning. Wise, what are we going to do, ese?"
"I think that's obvious homie", Wise-Son stared at the wall of his temporary living quarters. "Me and the boys are comin' home, and then the ENTIRE Blood Syndicate is gonna put some work in – lullaby those S.H.R.E.D. mutha-f*ckaz."
"Straight", said Fade, "but what do we do until then?"
"Hold it down for a day, lay low", Wise-Son answered, "Get the boys together, and I mean everybody. Set up snipers, no surprises! If any cops show their faces in Paris Island…"
"I know", said Fade, "put some heads to bed."
"Hey, Fade…"
"I know Wise, I already moved your Mom, Cordelia, and Edmund to a safe house. DMZ is with 'em. But let me tell ya, lil' Cordy is NOT a happy child when you get her up in the middle of the night."
"Thanks Fade, good choice for a bodyguard too."
"Yeah hombre, n*ggaz who can fly and juggle cars make the best baby-sitters. Yo Wise…"
"Yeah?"
"I miss ya man, we all do – especially now. N*ggaz are actin' crazy without you around. Never noticed how much you do to keep things together until you left two weeks ago."
"Yeah, I wasn't plannin' on stayin' this long. Just got a little sidetracked, figurin' out if these people were the bad guys. They're not."
"What's her name?" Fade wasn't a telepath, but some people could swear he could read minds. Wise-Son rankled at Fade's quick assessment. The Blood Syndicate members had been at Professor Xavier's School for the Gifted for close to two weeks. In that time, he and Marie had been hitting it off rather well, and unconsciously had been spending the majority of their time together. He would just happen to be in places where she was at. They would happen to be heading into town at the same time, and would carpool. They would just HAPPEN to be jogging on the outer mansion grounds in the early morning at the same time - coincidentally. It was no coincidence, however, that they've shared some deep thoughts with each other. Wise-Son even went as far as telling her that he has never been "IN" love with anyone, not even with Edmund's mother. Marie went on to share about her feelings for Logan, from the crush she had on him to the familial, secure love that they share now. It was on one of these morning walks that Wise-Son and Marie inadvertently held hands the entire time they spoke, never noticing until they had stopped talking and stared into each other's eyes in a long drawn-out moment. Wise-Son shook these images from his head and answered Fade…
"Her name is Marie…" He could almost hear Fade laughing to himself on the phone. "Do NOT tell anyone anything. Nothing will come of it. I've been living in fantasyland here, and she's just a part of it. Play time's over!"
"Life IS a b*tch, Wise", Fade said, "and in Dakota's she's in heat. But why don't you stay in fantasyland, make that reality? Take care of your sh*t here, and get your family out of this hell-hole, go somewhere nice and safe…"
"It's not that easy Fade…"
"Is it?" Fade released a deep breath. "Look Wise, you don't owe anything to Dakota, or the Paris Bloods. That oath you took is worthless. Those guys are dead or in jail. Life will go on without you…"
"I owe them something Fade. They didn't die for nothing, Templo didn't die for nothing…"
"I agree with you ese", Fade interrupted, "but what happens when it's over? When there's no one left to fight? Nothing lasts forever, not even revenge."
"The Syndicate could do a lot of good Fade, you know that. We've already run most of the drug dealers and crooks out of Paris Island…"
"And into OTHER 'hoods and barrios throughout Dakota. It's not that easy Wise. Look, you come back here, we take care of S.H.R.E.D., but after that we need to think of something else for the Syndicate. We can't stay like this forever. Just think on it, man."
"Ok Fade, I'll be back soon with the others." Wise-Son thought about Marie for a moment. "I got to kiss fantasy-land goodbye first."
**********
That morning, Wise-Son broke the news to Holocaust, Static, and Commando X. The others wanted to return immediately, that is, all except for Static – but Wise-Son told them that he had some unfinished business to take care of. He also told Static to think about it. "We won't think any less of you man, if you don't come back with us." Static didn't come from Paris Island. He wasn't a criminal gang-member. Nobody was going to hold it against him if he didn't want to take on a police agency. Deep down, Wise-Son saw that Static was heading in a different direction from the rest of them, always was. Their paths crossed at the Big Bang, but that's it. While Static always used his powers to help others, the rest of them used their powers to FIGHT others. "Whatever", he thought, and went down to work out in the school's state of the art gym. Despite the latest machines and advanced workout equipment, Wise-Son headed to the old bench-presses, slapped 600 lbs. on the bar, and started lifting.
It didn't take long before he had admirers, as most of the girls, and even some of the boys stopped to look at the black man who was treating 600 lbs. like it were 100 lbs. Wise-Son stopped for a moment, and got up off the bench. He took off his black sweatshirt, courtesy of the school, and most of his female onlookers gasped. Many a pair of teenaged eyes widened as they scanned Wise-Son's muscular chest. His body had no need for body fat, and it showed. His muscles had every definitive line that was medically possible, and looked like it weighed a ton. Actually, even though Wise-Son appeared to have the mass of a 175-pound man, he weighed in at close to 300 pounds. His ultra-dense molecular structure added to his weight and strength.
He went over to the free-weights, and picked up 200 more pounds to add to his bar. He then leaned back on his bench press, and started pumping iron again. All his male admirers went back to what they were doing, though trying harder to make their own workouts look more strenuous than they really were. The young ladies just gawked all the more, since it wasn't everyday that a super-strong, super-fit man used this gym.
It was then that Marie strolled into the gym/spa. She noticed a group of girls in full giggle-mode and wanted to see what the commotion was all about. When she made her way past the group, she let out a short gasp. She had walked and talked with the man lifting the weights, but to actually see his strength in action, and to see his musculature… it took her by surprise. She strolled over to Wise-Son's bench – which made many a young lady jealous. Marie herself took on this air of possessiveness, like she was saying "back off" and "he's mine" at the same time. She pulled up a chair and just stared at the Blood Syndicate member for a few minutes, noticing the stern look on his face, and the grim determination on his brow. She could have guessed it was because of his workout, but she knew better.
"What's the problem Hannibal", she said – letting his name roll off her lips.
Wise-Son hesitated before he brought the 800-pound weight bar back to its resting spot. He sat up on the bench press and turned his head towards Marie. "Nothing, just thinkin' about some stuff."
"What kind of stuff?"
"Syndicate stuff. Stuff I can't talk about here." He motioned to the gathering of ogling groupies. Marie stood up and gave them a "look" that might literally kill. The girls rolled their eyes in various ways, and the group dispersed.
"You were saying?"
"I was saying that this is Syndicate business. You don't need to know."
Marie looked a little hurt. In the last two weeks there hadn't been any topics that were off-limits for her. Wise-Son had opened up to her in such a transparent way that it made it difficult to put up with Logan's usual secretiveness. "Ok, if that's how you want it…" She got up to leave and Wise-Son reached out and grabbed her arm.
"No, that's not how I want it. I don't know what I want." He lowered his head. "I don't know what to do anymore."
Marie sat back down and moved closer to him. She removed her gloves, and placed a hand on his shoulder – a luxury she could only take with Wise-Son. "Wise… Hannibal… you can tell me. What's going on inside there?" She reached out and placed her hand on his face. He placed his hand on hers and slowly slid it off his face.
"A friend of mine, Templo, got killed last night." Marie sat up in astonishment. She then leaned in close again and tried soothing him.
"I'm so sorry… how did it happen?"
"He was shot by cops. Some new cops they set up to get bang-babies. Me and the guys are goin' back to Dakota to settle this up… and put those boys out of business." Wise-Son spoke through gritted teeth. The thought of police hunting bang-babies… bang-babies that THEIR deadly gas created… made him bristle. It was adding insult to an open, festering injury.
Marie picked up on his rage, and answered slowly, "What are you going to do?" She feared the answer. She could already see the words on his face. It was written clearly on his sculpted features, dripping from him like sweat.
"We're going to kill 'em. Kill 'em all. When the Blood Syndicate is through there'll be no more super cops. Nobody will ever try that sh*t ever again." Wise-Son grabbed his sweatshirt and put it on. Marie had yet to say anything, letting his words sink in. Finally, she broke her silence.
"You guys shouldn't do that Hannibal. Killing a lot of people is only going to make things worse."
"What should we do Marie? Get lawyers and sue? Hold a protest march? How about a boycott?"
"That's not what I mean. I just don't think it's right to hurt anyone. How do you know the people that you go after are the ones that killed your friend? Hannibal, you could end up hurting a lot of innocent people…"
"Nobody's INNOCENT Marie!" Wise-Son's voice had raised sharply, but he quickly gained his composure. "These people… all they understand is power. Some of them do the dirty work, but they all approve, or most don't care. That gas they used was supposed to kill us, and you know what? It did."
"But…"
"Hold up, let me finish. The Big Bang killed off all the old gangs, but we came back with power. REAL power. The only way these people dealt wit' us is force, 'n' force is where their power comes from too. But now, we turn'd the tables on 'em. Marie, you play the hand you get, and we're goin' to play this out as long as we can."
Marie shook her head in quiet disbelief. She reached out and grabbed his hand and gently held it. She leaned in so close to his face that her lips were touching his cheek. She felt him relax somewhat, and she measured her words carefully. In barely a whisper, she said, "Hannibal, what do you get if you win?"
"Huh?" He didn't know how to answer.
"What happens tomorrow… to you… to your family… (she couldn't believe she was saying this) to us?"
"There's no tomorrow, Marie. You have a future, I don't. I can't see past today. I just can't."
"Then speak to someone who CAN see. Before you leave, speak to Professor Xavier. Promise me you'll do that." She looked into his eyes. His mind was swimming behind his brown eyes, a pool of emotions and thoughts swirling together and barely discernable. He just nodded to her, and the two of them silently got up and walked out of the gym, holding hands the entire time. Maybe they didn't notice their joined hands, but everyone else in the gym did – especially Mr. Robert "Bobby" Drake.
Bobby shook his head incredulously muttering something like "I can't believe this", and walked out of the gym. He went to look for his friend, St. John Allerdyce, who was down at the basketball courts.
**********
It's a beautiful Saturday morning in Westchester, and the kids at Professor Xavier's "Mutant High" are taking full advantage of it. Some young men are playing their own brand of basketball, with various mutant powers making up for a lack of raw skill, and two teenaged lovers were sitting together on a park bench - on the far end of the grounds, away from prying eyes. They're kissing, or have been for a while, as is their customary adolescent mating ritual. However, this unlikely pair are fostering more than a passing lust for each other, more than fanciful interest.
Virgil Hawkins, a.k.a. Static, and Jubilation Lee, known to her peers as Jubilee, sat entwined together watching the world pass by - unaware that anything else existed beyond their embrace. Jubilee leaned in closer to Static's ear, giving it a quick nip, before whispering how much she has come to care for this young man. Their first two weeks together have been "more than awesome", as Kitty Pryde would put it. The two super-charged young people had spent the entire time together. Static had been in contact with his mom – who is fully aware that her son is a bang-baby/town hero (though he was initially grounded for the rest of his life when she found out he snuck out to Paris Island). Had it not been for Static thwarting a robbery attempt at her restaurant, he may still indeed be grounded to this day.
It was then that his mother, in all her wisdom, knew that this young man was destined to serve the world for the better. Though she had a distaste for the Blood Syndicate, she knew that Static was using his membership to serve a greater good. Static had informed his family that he'd accepted the offer from the School for the Gifted. His mother had thought it a wise move, since he could learn to use his powers in a greater capacity under Professor X's tutelage. The Professor had already taken care of the paperwork and school transfers at Sadler High – all that was necessary was for Static's mom to go to the school and sign them in person. In a week, Static was going back to Dakota to do that, and also to say good-bye to family and friends, and get his personal things.
Not everything had been smooth sailing for the young couple though. There had been other incidents of racial vandalism aimed at them, but it only made them more public about their love and their relationship. Had the two of them not been caught up in their romantic revelry, they would have noticed Bobby Drake run over to the basketball courts to speak to his friend St. John Allerdyce. Were they not exchanging mutual "I love you's", they would have seen the way St. John's face contorted in anger, and how he was leading a group of Mutant High's male population right towards them. It wasn't until Static felt a shift in the sunlight that he looked up from his embrace. Very suddenly, three pairs of hands violently grabbed Static by the back of his Dakota Bulls jersey, and hurled him to the ground. "What the…?"
"What the HELL are you guys doing you jerks!!! What's the matter with you?!" Jubilee was incensed at the sudden level of testosterone among her male peers.
"We're tired of gangsta-thug-garbage f*cking with our girls", shouted St. John. "In fact, we're tired of them F*CKING our girls!" And with that he shoved Jubilee, hard.
"Hold on there partner", cut in Sam Guthrie (who was the third assailant, by the way), "You told me these guys stole something from you."
"Yeah, they're trying to steal OUR women, first Jubilee, now Marie…" said Bobby.
"OUR WOMEN!?!? You don't own us Bobby Drake!" Jubilee yelled. Static was about to say (and do) something, but Jubilee piped up again, "I can do whatever I want, and you better damn well learn to grow up and deal with it!"
"Oh crap, this is over a girl?" Sam Guthrie had just had enough. "I ain't fightin' Magneto Jr. over a bunch of skirts. Later guys", he said in his Texan accent. He just turned and headed back to the basketball courts, knowing full well that something wicked this way comes. And he was right. Static stepped in front of Jubilee and had a look on his face that she'd only seen when he was around the Blood Syndicate. Static wasn't a natural killer like some of the others, but she knew he was learning a little from them – and she hated that.
"Just walk away man", he said in a low raspy tone, almost half-smiling, "do yourself a favor and get lost. No blood, no foul, right?"
"You walk away monkey-boy, this is OUR school", St. John shot back, and whipped out his trusty lighter and began flicking it. Bobby and Jubilee knew that St. John couldn't create flames, but he had complete control over them.
"St. John, put that thing away", pleaded Jubilee – fearing the worst.
"Yeah", Static said, "Put it away, before I put YOU away Captain Cracka."
"We're not scared of you tough guy", said Bobby, though he wasn't sure he believed it. Were they in over their heads here? He and St. John had powers, but he knew this guy had used his powers in combat… and fairly frequently. Jubilee, for her part, couldn't believe what was happening. Everything was happening too fast for her to react in time.
"Don't sing it, bring that sh*t, you little B*CTH", said Static –pointing to St. John. St. John flicked the lighter on, and the flame suddenly became a small fireball. It hurtled towards Jubilee and Static. Static shoved Jubilee out of the way and simultaneously erected an electro-static shield. The fireball burst apart upon impacting the electric barrier.
Bobby had enough time to say, "Oh sh*t", before a blast of electricity slammed he and St. John in the chest – hurling them 25 feet back. He was dazed and groggy, an after effect of being hit with electricity. He noticed St. John wasn't getting up. "You bastard!" He pointed a hand at Static and the air around the Blood Syndicate began to shimmer and crystallize.
"He's tryin' to freeze me", thought Static. As the crystallizing air quickly hardened around him, Static created an electro-static bubble around him. To the outside world, it looked as if he had been totally encased in ice, as was Bobby's intent. But looks can be deceiving.
"Bobby what the HELL are you doing? He'll suffocate!" Jubilee was frantic. She spread her arms forward and large glowing oblong shapes materialized from thin air. The glowing orbs floated over to Static's ice cocoon, and began to explode. But instead of the explosions shattering the ice, they merely cracked the surface. On top of that, the resultant flame bursts from the blasts subsided, reshaped into the form of bats, and actually began hovering above her. She looked on to see a now conscious St. John standing up and laughing.
"Now it's your turn to get burned, you little b*tch!" He stood up and concentrated on Jubilee, who was now taking steps back – fighting back tears.
"St. John, Bobby… don't do this…" She had to leap under the park bench as the fire bats swooped down at her in power dives. As she leapt under the bench, the bats spewed flames at her. Bobby looked a little uneasy, but St. John was loving this. Just then, the ice-ball that used to be Static began to twitch and then lifted 20 feet into the air. It hovered there for a second, and then crashed down with a mighty force. Upon impact, the ice-ball shattered into little pieces, and then organized themselves into perfect Saturn-like rings around the gang-member. Static was hovering, not standing, in the center of the ice rings. Blue electrical arcs were constantly shooting between him and the frozen pieces. His eyes were glowing blue, and his voice sounded like it was coming out of an old speaker – filled with an electrical crackle.
"Time for round two…" Bobby had barely enough time to put his hands up as a hundred icy projectiles shot out at him and St. John. The ice bits flew almost as fast as bullets, and hit him simultaneously – sending him tumbling to the ground and into the darkness of unconsciousness. St. John had enough sense to dive, but that meant that his legs and back took the brunt of the ice bullets' impact. He howled in pain as he felt fresh welts forming under his jeans. He sneered back at Static, and the fire bats turned to circle their new prey.
Static dodged the first two or three dive bombs by the fiery creatures, but when they squared up to breathe fire on him, he encased them in an electro-static bubble – cutting off their oxygen. With no oxygen to keep the flames burning, the fire bats simply disappeared. Bobby Drake was just coming to, and noticed St. John fumbling for his lighter. Bobby formed two large icy daggers that hurled themselves through the air at Static. The daggers would've been able to impale and kill the young man, had they not been shattered into a million pieces. They were struck by an electric burst that shot out from Static's eyes. Those glowing eyes then turned to St. John and an electrical crack of lighting shot across the field and caused his lighter to explode, igniting his shirtsleeves on fire, and burning his fingers. St. John cursed loudly, and commanded the flames to attack the gang member.
With that, the flames, as if alive, leapt off of the young man's arms and flew at Static with inhuman speed… only to be choked out by another electro-static bubble. "Enough of this bull-sh*t, lights out boys", Static said. He cupped his hand as if holding a baseball, and made a throwing motion. Indeed, an electrical ball-like sphere flew from his hands and landed in between St. John and Bobby Drake. St. John was about to comment that Static missed, but before Bobby could mentally register what was happening, the air began to crackle with electricity. Bobby noticed the hairs on his arms and head were standing straight up, as were St. John's. The two young men didn't even have time to exchange looks as they suddenly, and quite forcefully, hurtled through the air - towards each other, and towards that glowing electrical sphere. They collided with a sickening thud, and their arms and legs intertwined around each other in a non-discreet manner. Actually, it was their hair and clothing that were magnetically glued together by static electricity. The two were alive and well, but thoroughly incapacitated.
For all intents and purposes, this fight was over. Actually, it was over because Jean Grey and Scott Summers came running out of the school, clearing the other students away from the combatants. "What is going on here!?" Scott had his hands on his visor, ready to strike down anyone who dared continue this hostility.
Jubilee ran in front of Static and said, "Virgil just ended this thing. They (pointing at the Bobby-St. John pile) started it when they attacked US." Jean Grey walked over to the two immobile mutant boys. She quickly scanned their minds for recent memories – and got more than she bargained for.
"Scott, she's right. They started the fight… and St. John is our racial vandal."
"What?" Scott looked incredulously at the blonde mutant. "You're the one who's been defacing the school? The Professor may have wanted to let you confess on your own, but this fighting has gone too far. Jean, bring them inside… NOW!" Scott wasn't angry at Jean, and she knew it. His barked order was meant to convey his anger at the students. The two young men were lifted telekinetically and flew into the school. Jean Grey walked away towards the mansion and looked back at Scott for a moment – mentally communicating with him. "I'll be right there. Make sure those young men are in the Professor's office." With that she nodded, and continued on her way to the mansion. Scott turned to Static and Jubilee and said, "While I don't condone any violence in the school, Jean mentally filled me in on what happened. Virgil (placing a hand on his shoulder) you conducted yourself well. You never used lethal force on those two guys, and that's commendable."
"Thank you sir", answered Static, "I never try to hurt folks unless I absolutely have to… at least I TRY not to." Jubilee walked up next to him and grabbed his arm.
"I know that", said Scott. "You could've easily just electrocuted Bobby and St. John instantly… but maybe you should develop some kind of tazer-shot, so you won't have to fight these drawn out – and potentially dangerous – battles."
"A what-shot?" asked Static.
"A tazer. The Professor and I will teach you more about how to use your powers when you get back from Dakota. And Virgil…"
"Yes?"
"I'll be glad when you graduate and become an X-Man. Buddy, you've got no choice on that one!" Scott smiled at him and turned to leave to deal with the pressing matter of disciplining Mr. Drake and Mr. Allerdyce.
"No way", Static said to Jubilee, "You hear that… they want me to be an X-Man someday! My mom's going to flip!"
"Of course they want you Virgil", Jubilee pulled Static into an embrace, "You're a hero… pretending to be a gangster."
"I'm not pretending…"
"Yes you are", said Jubilee, "You try to be ruthless, but you even care for the lives of people who hate you. Those jerk-wads could've killed you, but you just stopped 'em. You're a hero Virgil… a super-duper hero…" And she kissed him passionately. When their lips parted, she whispered, "That's why I love you so much."
"I'll always be your hero… always." The two teenagers kissed once again, this time, without the fear that someone would react belligerently towards them. The world faded away as they kissed, and for these two, their worlds were completely in each other.
*********
The following Monday, news spread around the school that the Blood Syndicate was definitely leaving. Marie – who had just heard this, asked to be excused from Ms. Munro's class. Ororo could see the anguish in the girl's eyes, and let her go. Marie, known as the mutant Rogue, hurriedly left the classroom chatter. She literally ran upstairs and straight towards the room of the Blood Syndicate members. Trying the door knob, and finding the room door unlocked, she didn't even wait to knock. The young lady just burst into the room. She saw that no one was in the room, that is, until Wise-Son came out of the shower with a bathrobe on. "Didn't yo' momma teach you to knock first?"
"How dare you", Marie asked, "You said that you'd take a week to think about it! You lied to me! Have you even BEEN to see the Professor?"
"Hold up girl…", Wise-Son pulled up a chair for Marie, but she didn't sit. He shrugged and continued, "I already spoke with the Prof late yesterday. I got a plan on how to deal with S.H.R.E.D., and maybe even more than that. If it all goes down, baby, my war could be over real soon. But we got to act fast."
"And when were you planning on telling me that you were leaving?" Marie spoke, and tilted her head side-ways, not meeting his eyes. She could feel grief coming over her. She fought back a tear, but another threatened to escape.
"I was going to tell you once we were on our way. This is gonna be dangerous, real dangerous. The whole Blood Syndicate is in on it, and we're even going to get the X-Men to help us."
"But that means that I would've had to go too…"
"No Marie, I specifically asked that you stay behind." A look of utter betrayal etched on Marie's face. Before she could say anything, Wise-Son spoke again, "It's not that I don't want you along… I just don't want you to get hurt… or killed. My mom, and Cordelia and Edmund, are being flown back here to the mansion. Virgil's family too, and I want you to look after them until we get back."
"Hannibal, I can take care of myself", suddenly realizing what he just said, "Wait… you're moving your families here? Why?"
"Because if this goes down like I want, there ain't going to be a safer place for them to live. It was the Professor's idea."
"What about you?" she asked, barely a whisper.
"I don't know Marie. After this, I don't have any plans. If all goes as planned, the whole world will finally know the truth about the Big Bang… about everything. I don't know if that's gonna make it better for me, or worse. I might be on the run – who knows."
"You deserve more than that Hannibal", Marie removed her gloves, again a luxury she could only take with Wise-Son. She reached for his face, and he didn't turn away.
"I don't know if I do Marie. Static is better than the rest of us, he's ain't a monster like me and the others. The only thing I got left is making life safer for Mom, Cordy, and Edmund."
"Is that ALL you have?" asked Marie, voice pleading with a barely noticeable anguish. "Hannibal, open your eyes, and your heart. You have more to live for…"
"I can't Marie", Wise-Son shook his head. "I got to do this. It's what God made me to do. I know that now."
"Would God want you to live without love?"
"I can't love, Marie", Wise-Son blinked back his own tears, "I seen so much death… caused so much of it… I don't know HOW to love. I don't deserve anybody's love."
And then she kissed him. Marie just reached to him, placed his face in her hands, and kissed him. He pulled away at first, whispering something like "You don't want me", but she looked at his tear soaked face, and answered him sweetly:
"For the first time in my life, somethin' makes sense. Hannibal, you are the only man in the world for me. I used to curse God, wondering why I was a mutant, who couldn't touch anyone. But I always felt like I was bein' told to wait." Marie brushed her lips over his cheeks, "When I met Logan, I thought he was the answer to all my secret prayers, but Logan just gave me back the family I never had. And I'll always love him for that."
"But…"
"No", she protested, "let me finish. Logan's given me the family I never had, the fatherly, brotherly love that was stolen from me… but Hannibal, you're the man that I was made for."
"You think so?"
"I know so. I told you I use to curse God… but last night I actually prayed. And you know what… I thanked Him for you. I thanked 'im for bringing you here. (barely whispering) I… I love you Hannibal Bruce. Do you love me… Can you love me?"
"I… I love you Marie, but I don't know how", he said.
"Let me show you", she said. She leaned in close, and as her lips pressed his, they parted. His lips parted a well, and their tongues gently entwined around each other. They kissed deeply, passionately. Reality melted away, as did time. They held their kiss for eternity, as if the universe would end if they stopped. There was much to do in the coming days, but for now, for once in the lives of these two star-crossed lovers, life was finally worth living.
Author's Note: This chapter was originally going to be longer, but I decided to leave the final battle between the Blood Syndicate, the X-Men and Alva Industries till the next one. It'll be the last one. Thank you all for the critiques. I do take those to heart. The conclusion is coming soon in "All Good Things"!