Author: Lucinda
Series: Eastern Butterfly Story #2 Homecoming
rating: pg 13
main character: Psylocke
pairing Betsy/Logan
Disclaimer: I do not own Psylocke or any other characters from Marvel
Comics. People with more money & lawyers do.
Distribution: please ask first, Psyknife may have it if she wants it.
note :words between colons: represent telepathic contact.
They had collected Jubilee, who had met her before, when she was
still lavender haired. The girl had taken it easily, saying that
there was nothing wrong with a little change now and then. She hadn't
mentioned how close she had been to killing or wounding the girl in
order distract Logan, thinking that it was not the sort of thing you
say to someone that you've practically just met. Especially not if
you wanted them to like you.
There had been a few minor matters to finish up, such as the
collection of their luggage, not that any of them had been traveling
with a great deal of that. Logan arranged their travel, and they
boarded a small chartered plane, reserved for 'the Lee Family'. They
seemed to think that she and Logan were a couple, and that Jubilee was
their daughter. She was quite certain that she didn't look old enough
to have an almost fourteen year old daughter, but didn't say anything.
The idea of Logan as her husband... that gave her a very
unsettled feeling, but she couldn't exactly say that the idea bothered
her. He was loyal, resourceful, and seemed very intense. He wasn't
exactly handsome, but surely she had enough good looks that their
children wouldn't suffer for it... and now she was letting her mind
get ahead of things. She and Logan were not married, they weren't
even betrothed.. engaged... not even really a couple. They certainly
weren't planning on children, although she had a suspicion that he
would be a very good father.
She spent much of the flight back in the appearance of rest, but
her mind was searching through her recollections of the past several
months, trying to determine what had happened, how she had become the
assassin Lady Mandarin. She had a fuzzy memory of being in a tube of
something cool and slimy, of looking out and seeing a woman with six
arms. She thought that this might be important, and so she waited for
a moment when the girl was asleep, and then spoke to Logan.
"I have a bit of memory that might be a clue. I woke up, in
some sort of tube, filled with something cool and slimy. There was
this woman outside of the tube... she had six arms, and two of them
looked silver. I think I should know who she is, but I can't remember
a name for her. The next memories I have are being sent 'home' with
Mandarin...." She kept her voice low, not wanting these words to be
overheard, not wanting the girl to wake up to this conversation.
Logan looked at her, chewing on one of his cigars, which was not
lit. "Her name is Spiral. She was created by a character called
Mojo, this extra dimensional guy. Power hungry, thinks life is just
like a television station, and he keeps slaves to make his shows, and
they can live or die for all he cares, unless it affects his ratings.
Far as we know, she isn't there anymore, but... Spiral is definitely
trouble. She can alter people, make men into cyborgs. She must be
responsible for this new look of yours." His eye flickered over her,
following the line of her figure, and he smiled slightly. " I like
the new look."
Unexpectedly, she felt herself blushing. How did his simple
statement of appreciation cause so much of a reaction? When had she
become so aware of him as a man, and not simply a teammate? Suddenly,
she found herself wondering if Logan had a girlfriend, if he really
had a wife somewhere, if there was the faintest chance that this ruse
of theirs could in some day become truth.
She tried for a while to remember, and then another thought
occurred to her. She needed an answer, and unfortunately, her still
patchy memory wasn't giving her one. "Logan?"
He looked at her, apparently seeing the questions in her eyes.
"If you want to ask, go ahead. I'll answer if I can."
Taking a deep breath for courage, she spoke, uncertain what she
wanted the answer to be. "Was I dating anyone? Were you? Are there
going to be jealous people waiting for us at the airport?"
Logan chuckled, apparently not expecting to be asked about that.
"I wasn't dating anyone. You'd had a few casual dates, nobody from
the team, but nothing serious. You'd said something about a bad
breakup before you left England, and there hadn't been any serious
relationships since then. Can't say if there was anyone in particular
that you'd had your eye on, you're the telepath, not me. Nobody's
going to be meeting us at the airport, jealous or otherwise."
Feeling oddly relieved, she smiled and settled back into her
seat, content to drowse the rest of the trip.
end part 1.
Logan was speaking again as they walked towards the long term
parking garage, luggage in tow on one of the little carts that the
airport had. "After Australia, everyone sort of debated, and there
was a lot of arguing over safety considerations, and eventually, the
agreement was to come back here, to New York. We got a place here,
the mansion of Charles Xavier, and while there isn't quite the same
feel as the base down under, it blends in a bit more with the
neighborhood."
Jubilee spoke up then, clearly impressed by the mansion.
"There's a swimming pool, and a big greenhouse with all sorts of
flowers that this nice lady tends, and huge gardens. We've got a
lake, and this big wall around the property and the Professor had all
sorts of devices built into the place... it's pretty cool."
Half buried memory stirred, giving a few images to Betsy,
things that went with the description that Jubilee were giving. A
woman with dark skin and bright blue eyes and long white hair tending
deep purple flowers, a man with ice glistening over his body shaping
snowballs by a lake.. a bald man sitting in a wheelchair. She had
been there, had spent time at this place they were mentioning. There
were other images that she tried not to explore, a big blonde man with
sharp claws and pain.... a man with wings telling her that she wasn't
part of the team..
She had been to this mansion, she could remember, at least a
little bit. But she thought it might be best to get a bit of
clarification on who some of the faces in her memories were. The less
reason that they had to doubt who she was the better, which meant that
the girl, Jubilee - she must get in the habit of using her name,
should have as few reasons to question her identity as possible. But
there was a benefit to being a telepath, she would be able to ask
Logan without Jubilee hearing her.
Tentatively, she reached towards him. :Logan? Can you help me
match names to faces? I remember images from being here, but it would
be good to be certain I can use the right names...:
He twitched slightly, a movement of surprise. He hadn't been
expecting her to whisper into his mind. Startled or not, he didn't
feel angry. Words formed at the surface of his mind, but were not
placed into her thoughts. :Show me the images and I can let you know
who they are. You just read the names from my mind. I've been told
that I shouldn't try to project, it sends to much.. the Professor
called it background static, the stuff going through my mind. Gives
him or Maddie fits, worked the same for Jean.:
With a smile, she 'tossed' the images to his mind, like casting
breadcrumbs or grain to a pool with fish. Names floated up, matching
themselves to the faces. The woman with the dark skin was Ororo/Storm
and controlled the weather, the bald man was Professor Xavier, and a
powerful telepath, the founder of the X-Men. The snowball maker was
Bobby Drake, and there was a more recent image of him as well. Images
and names matched themselves, and finally, she let the image of the
clawed blonde man float to Logan's mind, part of her knowing that
Logan would know who he was.
The cascade of impressions and memory fragments that met that
image immediately showed her what the Professor had meant by
'background static' in Logan's mind. Images of the blond man in
various places, committing various violent acts, in the costume she
remembered, in normal clothing, a few fuzzed memories of him in
military combat clothing... Sabertooth/Victor Creed nogoodbastard
gonnakillhim... the scent of him and the sound of his heartbeat filled
her mind...
She pulled her mind away with a jerk, feeling an almost
overwhelming rage and desire to kill Sabertooth flooding her body.
She tried to slow her pulse, to calm her breathing. Sabertooth was not
here. She could remember now, the first time that she had met him,
the massacre of the Morlocks, how he had come to the mansion and
nearly killed her. That had been here at the mansion as well.
She had managed to calm herself by the time they arrived at the
mansion, a very respectable looking building made from red brick,
manicured grounds and a fountain spraying water into the air like
sparkling crystal.
Gathering her nerve, she got out of the car with Logan and
Jubilee, and tried to prepare herself to go inside and meet the people
that she could remember knowing.
end part 2.
Her return to the mansion brought a feeling of familiarity.
She had been here, she knew where everything was, even if she didn't
quite remember learning it all. They walked into the mansion, and
settled on a couch in a room clearly intended more for comfort than to
impress people. The furniture was still in good shape, but it showed
signs of wear, and not everything matched. There were magazines on
the table in an untidy spill, a fashion magazine, two on health,
although one was clearly a scientific publication, There was a
magazine on cars, and another on travel.. clearly, this was a room
you were supposed to feel comfortable in.
Logan settled himself on the couch, right in the middle, and
spread his arms out towards the sides, as if saying that this was his
couch. Jubilee had gleefully gone to change and enjoy the pool, so it
was just her and Logan. Smiling, she settled onto the couch, shifting
slightly so that she could rest against Logan's body. As she did so,
she discovered something wedged between the cushions of the couch.
A dozen possibilities crossed her mind about what the object
could be, and now curious, she reached in to pull out the object,
touch telling her that it was a slender book of some sort. She pulled
it out, wondering what secret volume had to be hidden from view. As
it came into the light, it took her a few seconds to process what it
was, the sideways position not helping.
It was a romance novel.
A slender, feeble plotted book whose sole purpose was to
describe perfect looking people with nice lives in picturesque
locations indulging in passionate sex. Turning it over, she saw the
cover, with a buxom blond in a green bikini smiling at a dark haired
man in a towel. This was not what she had expected. The giggles
escaped from her, mostly against her will, and she collapsed against
Logan, the book shaking slightly in her hand as she laughed. Clearly,
it had been hidden merely to save the reader from being caught at
their secret reading choice, their spot marked by a page corner folded
about two thirds of the way through the book.
Logan caught her hand, mainly to keep the swinging book from
connecting to him, and inhaled the scent, then he started laughing as
well. They were laughing so hard that their eyes were watering, and
it was relaxing them both. Such a simple, harmless amusement.
It was the sound of their laughter that caused the others to
discover their return. A sound from the doorway caused Betsy to look
up and over to the doorway to the room. Scott and Ororo and Warren
were there, staring in at the two people on the couch, their eyes wide
with surprise.
end part 3.
The first person to speak was Ororo, her voice filled with
curiosity. "Logan, who is your companion?"
Logan smiled slightly before he replied. "Let me introduce Betsy
Braddock. Seems she had a bit of a make-over while she was
elsewhere."
The resulting confusion was almost amusing. The fact that they
were mutants did increase the range of possibility, but even a mutant
makeover didn't normally change someone from a light haired Caucasian
to an Asian several inches shorter. Ororo was clearly torn between
joy to see that Betsy was alive and well and confusion as to how she
could have changed so drastically in appearance. Scott and Warren
were suspicious, she didn't look anything like the Betsy Braddock that
they had remembered. How could she be the same person? Why should
they trust this woman?
The confusion was almost amusing for a few moments, but it very
quickly lost any entertainment value that it may have had. There was
concern over how this change could have happened. Her identity was
questioned, several times. The possibility was raised that she might
simply be a spy or imposter trying to insinuate herself into their
midst, and there was speculation of who might be behind such an idea.
By this point the noise had drawn the attention of several other
people, and now Rogue and Bobby had joined into the confusion.
Finally, Logan had had enough, and he was pretty sure that Betsy
had as well. Taking a deep breath, he bellowed "ENOUGH!!"
Once everyone had stopped, now looking at him in startlement,
he continued. "This is Betsy. I don't know how she got her new look,
but it is her. Arguing about it won't accomplish anything. She isn't
here as a spy for anyone." He glared at everyone, conveying his
disapproval of their speculation quite clearly, along with an implied
threat if it were continued.
The Professor's voice carried into the room, over and through the
number of people that had spilled into the room and still blocked the
doorway. "While I can understand the reasons for a moderate degree of
concern, such questions are easy enough to solve. A simple psi-scan
should make clear weather or not this is in fact Betsy Braddock. If
the lady is willing?"
Slightly embarrassed, the Rogue and Bobby shifted, permitting
the professor to enter the room. He looked entirely respectable, and
had his hands folded in his lap, lending an impression of calm to the
situation. The assorted people were now glancing from the Professor
to Betsy, curious as to how this would resolve itself. If she was
Betsy, the psi scan would verify her identity. If she were an
imposter, she would not be able to fool the Professor, who was one of
the most powerful telepaths of the world, possibly THE most powerful.
Betsy thought about it for a few moments. If she let him look
into her mind, he would know that she was Betsy, regardless of her
altered appearance. But if he looked, he would also know.. he would
learn that she had spent a few months as the Lady Mandarin, something
that she did not want to be discovered. Which decision to make...
"Fine. Scan me." Her voice didn't shake.
She felt the touch of his mind, like being enfolded with warmth
and a scent like freshly cut grass, and she could feel her life,
memories and images flickering by as he touched into the deepest parts
of her mind, not truly reading her thoughts, but testing the feeling
of her memories, trying to determine if she was in fact Betsy
Braddock. His careful probing felt like a warm touch in her mind,
touching and poking into dark corners, throwing open the shuttered
areas that she couldn't see, allowing her past to flood out, cascading
over them both, nearly loosing them in the past of Betsy Braddock.
She saw her childhood, the only girl trying to keep up with her older
brother Jamie and her twin Brian. She saw/felt herself, hair dyed
lavender, walking down a runway, displaying a sparkling gown. She
relived the fear and pain of her encounter with Sabertooth, saw
again the Siege Perilous, the ominous flickering lights beckoning...
Madripor, with it's flickering lights and mingled culture, leaping at
Logan, her mind clashing with his, and his recognition...
Betsy gave a little gasp, and collapsed against Logan, her
form draping over him, her arms encircling his chest, and held
tightly, trying to keep from shaking with the force of all the
released memories of her life, the intensity of he Professor's scan.
She felt as if she were a carving of wax left to long in the sun, and
her limbs felt heavy and weak, trembling with... something.
"There can be no doubt, from what I saw in her mind and
memories. This IS Betsy Braddock. Welcome home." The Professor's
voice filled the room again, settling the question.
end part 4
The Professor's judgment had made it official. She had returned
to a place that had been home, was once more welcomed among the X-Men. She
could once more join them on missions, to defend those who needed it, to
rescue people in distress, to fight against the hatred and fear that
mutants were met with. She was part of the team again, something that she
knew she had worked hard to earn.
It was taking some time, but the others were accepting the idea
that she was Betsy. Her new fighting skills were proving most useful, and
had actually impressed many of the team. Logan had already discovered
them, back in Madripor. To her relief, he didn't hold that against her,
and he was willing to listen any time she wanted someone to talk to.
Someone that understood having your life turned inside out, not knowing
what had been done to you.
Logan would listen anytime she needed a kind ear, and he would
tell her that while she couldn't change what had been done, if she wanted
to look for answers, he would help. His choice had been to simply move on,
to make a present and future instead of worrying about his past, but, as he
put it, his rebuilding had been long enough ago that everyone involved had
probably died anyhow. Somehow, they also found themselves discussing other
things. They would talk about the either, about books that they had read,
opinions of current political debates...
They went running together in the early mornings, when the mists
still hung over the lake, and the trees were shrouded in fog and twilight,
making the place feel as if it were set apart from the world. He had
offered to give her some help when she redecorated her room, offering the
use of his jeep and his lifting power, and had even gone with her to buy a
new wardrobe. She had teased him that he was simply hoping to see her
model the lingerie, and to her surprise, he had just blushed.
She had designed herself a new costume, one that would work well
with her new fighting style, one that would fit her new body properly. It
was in deep blue, and left her complete freedom of movement. She was
simply waiting for the perfect time to bring it forth, to show her new look
to everyone. Her chance came on Tuesday, when Scott had a report of a
problem with a mutant holding some people hostage. He asked for Rogue,
Betsy and Warren to handle the matter, and to try to be discrete in it.
Jaws had dropped when she stepped into the briefing room in her
new costume. Most of her arms and legs were covered, although it was by
gloves and boots. She could see the expressions of surprise on their
faces, and several looks of pure appreciation. She smiled slightly, and
sat for the briefing.
On the way out, she stopped in front of Logan, a small, hopeful
smile playing across her face. "Can I get a kiss for luck before I go?"
His response was to wrap one hand around her waist and another
behind her shoulders, his fingers tangling in her hair. Pulling her close
to him, his lips met hers in the most intense kiss the room had ever been
the location for. There was passion and desire and his hopes that she
would return safely, and Betsy had several thoughts go through her mind of
interesting things that they could do once she returned, and she wasn't
quite certain if they were the product of her mind or of his.
The kiss broke eventually, to scattered whistles from the others,
who had been watching with wide eyes. Logan reluctantly released her, his
hands sliding over her hip and arm as she stepped back from him, her cheeks
darkening as she realized that they were now the center of attention.
"Come back safe."
end part 5. End Homecoming.
Series: Eastern Butterfly Story #2 Homecoming
rating: pg 13
main character: Psylocke
pairing Betsy/Logan
Disclaimer: I do not own Psylocke or any other characters from Marvel
Comics. People with more money & lawyers do.
Distribution: please ask first, Psyknife may have it if she wants it.
note :words between colons: represent telepathic contact.
They had collected Jubilee, who had met her before, when she was
still lavender haired. The girl had taken it easily, saying that
there was nothing wrong with a little change now and then. She hadn't
mentioned how close she had been to killing or wounding the girl in
order distract Logan, thinking that it was not the sort of thing you
say to someone that you've practically just met. Especially not if
you wanted them to like you.
There had been a few minor matters to finish up, such as the
collection of their luggage, not that any of them had been traveling
with a great deal of that. Logan arranged their travel, and they
boarded a small chartered plane, reserved for 'the Lee Family'. They
seemed to think that she and Logan were a couple, and that Jubilee was
their daughter. She was quite certain that she didn't look old enough
to have an almost fourteen year old daughter, but didn't say anything.
The idea of Logan as her husband... that gave her a very
unsettled feeling, but she couldn't exactly say that the idea bothered
her. He was loyal, resourceful, and seemed very intense. He wasn't
exactly handsome, but surely she had enough good looks that their
children wouldn't suffer for it... and now she was letting her mind
get ahead of things. She and Logan were not married, they weren't
even betrothed.. engaged... not even really a couple. They certainly
weren't planning on children, although she had a suspicion that he
would be a very good father.
She spent much of the flight back in the appearance of rest, but
her mind was searching through her recollections of the past several
months, trying to determine what had happened, how she had become the
assassin Lady Mandarin. She had a fuzzy memory of being in a tube of
something cool and slimy, of looking out and seeing a woman with six
arms. She thought that this might be important, and so she waited for
a moment when the girl was asleep, and then spoke to Logan.
"I have a bit of memory that might be a clue. I woke up, in
some sort of tube, filled with something cool and slimy. There was
this woman outside of the tube... she had six arms, and two of them
looked silver. I think I should know who she is, but I can't remember
a name for her. The next memories I have are being sent 'home' with
Mandarin...." She kept her voice low, not wanting these words to be
overheard, not wanting the girl to wake up to this conversation.
Logan looked at her, chewing on one of his cigars, which was not
lit. "Her name is Spiral. She was created by a character called
Mojo, this extra dimensional guy. Power hungry, thinks life is just
like a television station, and he keeps slaves to make his shows, and
they can live or die for all he cares, unless it affects his ratings.
Far as we know, she isn't there anymore, but... Spiral is definitely
trouble. She can alter people, make men into cyborgs. She must be
responsible for this new look of yours." His eye flickered over her,
following the line of her figure, and he smiled slightly. " I like
the new look."
Unexpectedly, she felt herself blushing. How did his simple
statement of appreciation cause so much of a reaction? When had she
become so aware of him as a man, and not simply a teammate? Suddenly,
she found herself wondering if Logan had a girlfriend, if he really
had a wife somewhere, if there was the faintest chance that this ruse
of theirs could in some day become truth.
She tried for a while to remember, and then another thought
occurred to her. She needed an answer, and unfortunately, her still
patchy memory wasn't giving her one. "Logan?"
He looked at her, apparently seeing the questions in her eyes.
"If you want to ask, go ahead. I'll answer if I can."
Taking a deep breath for courage, she spoke, uncertain what she
wanted the answer to be. "Was I dating anyone? Were you? Are there
going to be jealous people waiting for us at the airport?"
Logan chuckled, apparently not expecting to be asked about that.
"I wasn't dating anyone. You'd had a few casual dates, nobody from
the team, but nothing serious. You'd said something about a bad
breakup before you left England, and there hadn't been any serious
relationships since then. Can't say if there was anyone in particular
that you'd had your eye on, you're the telepath, not me. Nobody's
going to be meeting us at the airport, jealous or otherwise."
Feeling oddly relieved, she smiled and settled back into her
seat, content to drowse the rest of the trip.
end part 1.
Logan was speaking again as they walked towards the long term
parking garage, luggage in tow on one of the little carts that the
airport had. "After Australia, everyone sort of debated, and there
was a lot of arguing over safety considerations, and eventually, the
agreement was to come back here, to New York. We got a place here,
the mansion of Charles Xavier, and while there isn't quite the same
feel as the base down under, it blends in a bit more with the
neighborhood."
Jubilee spoke up then, clearly impressed by the mansion.
"There's a swimming pool, and a big greenhouse with all sorts of
flowers that this nice lady tends, and huge gardens. We've got a
lake, and this big wall around the property and the Professor had all
sorts of devices built into the place... it's pretty cool."
Half buried memory stirred, giving a few images to Betsy,
things that went with the description that Jubilee were giving. A
woman with dark skin and bright blue eyes and long white hair tending
deep purple flowers, a man with ice glistening over his body shaping
snowballs by a lake.. a bald man sitting in a wheelchair. She had
been there, had spent time at this place they were mentioning. There
were other images that she tried not to explore, a big blonde man with
sharp claws and pain.... a man with wings telling her that she wasn't
part of the team..
She had been to this mansion, she could remember, at least a
little bit. But she thought it might be best to get a bit of
clarification on who some of the faces in her memories were. The less
reason that they had to doubt who she was the better, which meant that
the girl, Jubilee - she must get in the habit of using her name,
should have as few reasons to question her identity as possible. But
there was a benefit to being a telepath, she would be able to ask
Logan without Jubilee hearing her.
Tentatively, she reached towards him. :Logan? Can you help me
match names to faces? I remember images from being here, but it would
be good to be certain I can use the right names...:
He twitched slightly, a movement of surprise. He hadn't been
expecting her to whisper into his mind. Startled or not, he didn't
feel angry. Words formed at the surface of his mind, but were not
placed into her thoughts. :Show me the images and I can let you know
who they are. You just read the names from my mind. I've been told
that I shouldn't try to project, it sends to much.. the Professor
called it background static, the stuff going through my mind. Gives
him or Maddie fits, worked the same for Jean.:
With a smile, she 'tossed' the images to his mind, like casting
breadcrumbs or grain to a pool with fish. Names floated up, matching
themselves to the faces. The woman with the dark skin was Ororo/Storm
and controlled the weather, the bald man was Professor Xavier, and a
powerful telepath, the founder of the X-Men. The snowball maker was
Bobby Drake, and there was a more recent image of him as well. Images
and names matched themselves, and finally, she let the image of the
clawed blonde man float to Logan's mind, part of her knowing that
Logan would know who he was.
The cascade of impressions and memory fragments that met that
image immediately showed her what the Professor had meant by
'background static' in Logan's mind. Images of the blond man in
various places, committing various violent acts, in the costume she
remembered, in normal clothing, a few fuzzed memories of him in
military combat clothing... Sabertooth/Victor Creed nogoodbastard
gonnakillhim... the scent of him and the sound of his heartbeat filled
her mind...
She pulled her mind away with a jerk, feeling an almost
overwhelming rage and desire to kill Sabertooth flooding her body.
She tried to slow her pulse, to calm her breathing. Sabertooth was not
here. She could remember now, the first time that she had met him,
the massacre of the Morlocks, how he had come to the mansion and
nearly killed her. That had been here at the mansion as well.
She had managed to calm herself by the time they arrived at the
mansion, a very respectable looking building made from red brick,
manicured grounds and a fountain spraying water into the air like
sparkling crystal.
Gathering her nerve, she got out of the car with Logan and
Jubilee, and tried to prepare herself to go inside and meet the people
that she could remember knowing.
end part 2.
Her return to the mansion brought a feeling of familiarity.
She had been here, she knew where everything was, even if she didn't
quite remember learning it all. They walked into the mansion, and
settled on a couch in a room clearly intended more for comfort than to
impress people. The furniture was still in good shape, but it showed
signs of wear, and not everything matched. There were magazines on
the table in an untidy spill, a fashion magazine, two on health,
although one was clearly a scientific publication, There was a
magazine on cars, and another on travel.. clearly, this was a room
you were supposed to feel comfortable in.
Logan settled himself on the couch, right in the middle, and
spread his arms out towards the sides, as if saying that this was his
couch. Jubilee had gleefully gone to change and enjoy the pool, so it
was just her and Logan. Smiling, she settled onto the couch, shifting
slightly so that she could rest against Logan's body. As she did so,
she discovered something wedged between the cushions of the couch.
A dozen possibilities crossed her mind about what the object
could be, and now curious, she reached in to pull out the object,
touch telling her that it was a slender book of some sort. She pulled
it out, wondering what secret volume had to be hidden from view. As
it came into the light, it took her a few seconds to process what it
was, the sideways position not helping.
It was a romance novel.
A slender, feeble plotted book whose sole purpose was to
describe perfect looking people with nice lives in picturesque
locations indulging in passionate sex. Turning it over, she saw the
cover, with a buxom blond in a green bikini smiling at a dark haired
man in a towel. This was not what she had expected. The giggles
escaped from her, mostly against her will, and she collapsed against
Logan, the book shaking slightly in her hand as she laughed. Clearly,
it had been hidden merely to save the reader from being caught at
their secret reading choice, their spot marked by a page corner folded
about two thirds of the way through the book.
Logan caught her hand, mainly to keep the swinging book from
connecting to him, and inhaled the scent, then he started laughing as
well. They were laughing so hard that their eyes were watering, and
it was relaxing them both. Such a simple, harmless amusement.
It was the sound of their laughter that caused the others to
discover their return. A sound from the doorway caused Betsy to look
up and over to the doorway to the room. Scott and Ororo and Warren
were there, staring in at the two people on the couch, their eyes wide
with surprise.
end part 3.
The first person to speak was Ororo, her voice filled with
curiosity. "Logan, who is your companion?"
Logan smiled slightly before he replied. "Let me introduce Betsy
Braddock. Seems she had a bit of a make-over while she was
elsewhere."
The resulting confusion was almost amusing. The fact that they
were mutants did increase the range of possibility, but even a mutant
makeover didn't normally change someone from a light haired Caucasian
to an Asian several inches shorter. Ororo was clearly torn between
joy to see that Betsy was alive and well and confusion as to how she
could have changed so drastically in appearance. Scott and Warren
were suspicious, she didn't look anything like the Betsy Braddock that
they had remembered. How could she be the same person? Why should
they trust this woman?
The confusion was almost amusing for a few moments, but it very
quickly lost any entertainment value that it may have had. There was
concern over how this change could have happened. Her identity was
questioned, several times. The possibility was raised that she might
simply be a spy or imposter trying to insinuate herself into their
midst, and there was speculation of who might be behind such an idea.
By this point the noise had drawn the attention of several other
people, and now Rogue and Bobby had joined into the confusion.
Finally, Logan had had enough, and he was pretty sure that Betsy
had as well. Taking a deep breath, he bellowed "ENOUGH!!"
Once everyone had stopped, now looking at him in startlement,
he continued. "This is Betsy. I don't know how she got her new look,
but it is her. Arguing about it won't accomplish anything. She isn't
here as a spy for anyone." He glared at everyone, conveying his
disapproval of their speculation quite clearly, along with an implied
threat if it were continued.
The Professor's voice carried into the room, over and through the
number of people that had spilled into the room and still blocked the
doorway. "While I can understand the reasons for a moderate degree of
concern, such questions are easy enough to solve. A simple psi-scan
should make clear weather or not this is in fact Betsy Braddock. If
the lady is willing?"
Slightly embarrassed, the Rogue and Bobby shifted, permitting
the professor to enter the room. He looked entirely respectable, and
had his hands folded in his lap, lending an impression of calm to the
situation. The assorted people were now glancing from the Professor
to Betsy, curious as to how this would resolve itself. If she was
Betsy, the psi scan would verify her identity. If she were an
imposter, she would not be able to fool the Professor, who was one of
the most powerful telepaths of the world, possibly THE most powerful.
Betsy thought about it for a few moments. If she let him look
into her mind, he would know that she was Betsy, regardless of her
altered appearance. But if he looked, he would also know.. he would
learn that she had spent a few months as the Lady Mandarin, something
that she did not want to be discovered. Which decision to make...
"Fine. Scan me." Her voice didn't shake.
She felt the touch of his mind, like being enfolded with warmth
and a scent like freshly cut grass, and she could feel her life,
memories and images flickering by as he touched into the deepest parts
of her mind, not truly reading her thoughts, but testing the feeling
of her memories, trying to determine if she was in fact Betsy
Braddock. His careful probing felt like a warm touch in her mind,
touching and poking into dark corners, throwing open the shuttered
areas that she couldn't see, allowing her past to flood out, cascading
over them both, nearly loosing them in the past of Betsy Braddock.
She saw her childhood, the only girl trying to keep up with her older
brother Jamie and her twin Brian. She saw/felt herself, hair dyed
lavender, walking down a runway, displaying a sparkling gown. She
relived the fear and pain of her encounter with Sabertooth, saw
again the Siege Perilous, the ominous flickering lights beckoning...
Madripor, with it's flickering lights and mingled culture, leaping at
Logan, her mind clashing with his, and his recognition...
Betsy gave a little gasp, and collapsed against Logan, her
form draping over him, her arms encircling his chest, and held
tightly, trying to keep from shaking with the force of all the
released memories of her life, the intensity of he Professor's scan.
She felt as if she were a carving of wax left to long in the sun, and
her limbs felt heavy and weak, trembling with... something.
"There can be no doubt, from what I saw in her mind and
memories. This IS Betsy Braddock. Welcome home." The Professor's
voice filled the room again, settling the question.
end part 4
The Professor's judgment had made it official. She had returned
to a place that had been home, was once more welcomed among the X-Men. She
could once more join them on missions, to defend those who needed it, to
rescue people in distress, to fight against the hatred and fear that
mutants were met with. She was part of the team again, something that she
knew she had worked hard to earn.
It was taking some time, but the others were accepting the idea
that she was Betsy. Her new fighting skills were proving most useful, and
had actually impressed many of the team. Logan had already discovered
them, back in Madripor. To her relief, he didn't hold that against her,
and he was willing to listen any time she wanted someone to talk to.
Someone that understood having your life turned inside out, not knowing
what had been done to you.
Logan would listen anytime she needed a kind ear, and he would
tell her that while she couldn't change what had been done, if she wanted
to look for answers, he would help. His choice had been to simply move on,
to make a present and future instead of worrying about his past, but, as he
put it, his rebuilding had been long enough ago that everyone involved had
probably died anyhow. Somehow, they also found themselves discussing other
things. They would talk about the either, about books that they had read,
opinions of current political debates...
They went running together in the early mornings, when the mists
still hung over the lake, and the trees were shrouded in fog and twilight,
making the place feel as if it were set apart from the world. He had
offered to give her some help when she redecorated her room, offering the
use of his jeep and his lifting power, and had even gone with her to buy a
new wardrobe. She had teased him that he was simply hoping to see her
model the lingerie, and to her surprise, he had just blushed.
She had designed herself a new costume, one that would work well
with her new fighting style, one that would fit her new body properly. It
was in deep blue, and left her complete freedom of movement. She was
simply waiting for the perfect time to bring it forth, to show her new look
to everyone. Her chance came on Tuesday, when Scott had a report of a
problem with a mutant holding some people hostage. He asked for Rogue,
Betsy and Warren to handle the matter, and to try to be discrete in it.
Jaws had dropped when she stepped into the briefing room in her
new costume. Most of her arms and legs were covered, although it was by
gloves and boots. She could see the expressions of surprise on their
faces, and several looks of pure appreciation. She smiled slightly, and
sat for the briefing.
On the way out, she stopped in front of Logan, a small, hopeful
smile playing across her face. "Can I get a kiss for luck before I go?"
His response was to wrap one hand around her waist and another
behind her shoulders, his fingers tangling in her hair. Pulling her close
to him, his lips met hers in the most intense kiss the room had ever been
the location for. There was passion and desire and his hopes that she
would return safely, and Betsy had several thoughts go through her mind of
interesting things that they could do once she returned, and she wasn't
quite certain if they were the product of her mind or of his.
The kiss broke eventually, to scattered whistles from the others,
who had been watching with wide eyes. Logan reluctantly released her, his
hands sliding over her hip and arm as she stepped back from him, her cheeks
darkening as she realized that they were now the center of attention.
"Come back safe."
end part 5. End Homecoming.
