Disclaimer: I do not own, nor am I making any money from, the X-Men
characters. Also thank you to my good friend Corrinth for the use of her
creation Ilehana Xavier, aka Vixen.
A/N: Don't forget to review please!
Scene Five
**I miss you. **
**I miss you too petite. ** She believed him, wondering how again she had wandered into this dream that felt so real.
**Mon Ami, please come find me... It's safe here I promise, we can be together again. ** Blaze felt his temptation; he could, if he wanted to. She also felt his will strengthen, he had to do this first...**Where are you? ** She asked; trying to push beyond the parameters of the dream and see for herself what was so important it kept her best friend from her.
**Don't do that. ** He gently blocked her out, but not before she had the impression of somewhere grey, bland and claustrophobic. She couldn't place it though.
**But they won't be able to do anything, we could be together and they couldn't touch you, or me. Mon Ami? **
**Non. Ce'st impossible. ** The dream was fading, but for a moment as she woke it was as though his finger's brushed her cheek. Opening her eyes she reached up to her face, hopeful, but she found only tears.
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The refrigerator door slammed shut with a satisfying thud as its contents rattled. Blaze added chocolate milk and a tub of yoghurt to her pile of supplies and headed for the rec. room. Another hour session with Xavier had again been unfruitful, she was tired and grouchy and absolutely famished.
The redhead threw herself down into a big chair, scattering her snacks over the coffee table in front of her. Storm raised an eyebrow at the pile from her position sat in front of the TV. Nightcrawler was the only other person in the room, engrossed in a big brown tome, perched on top on, rather than sat in, another chair away by the window. From a pocket Blaze produced a pack of cards and began shuffling them with ease but in frustration.
"Do you play?" Another man had entered the room, Scott Summers known as Cyclops. Blaze had had little to do with him in her month-long stay at the academy. Looking at him now as he addressed her, she could see the very grief at loosing his lover wrought on his face. This man was still suffering, three months after loosing Jean Grey. Blaze had an uncomfortable feeling that it was driving Cyclops over the edge.
"Not really," She tried to keep her voice passive, hoping he would take his broken heart elsewhere. He didn't.
"Oh really? Could've fooled me." He pulled up a stool, and in a quiet voice said "Come on, hit me."
Sighing, recognising a gambler when she met one, Blaze put the deck on the table and cleared a space between the chocolate bars and the doughnuts. She took the top four cards and spread them face-up in the gap.
"Four cards, the point is to try and 'splat the jack'." She indicated the jack of hearts. "I'll shuffle them, place them here face down and you tell me where the jack is. Total luck, one in four chance of getting it right."
"Yeah right..." Cyclops smiled slyly, they both knew she'd ripped people off with this trick. Blaze swept up the cards and shuffled them, spread them out again and looked at Scott. "Um... Lets see..." He was too into this, she didn't like it. "That one." Blaze flicked the card he'd pointed to over. The seven of diamonds glinted at him.
"Bad luck."
"Fair enough." Cyclops commented, leaning back and knowing it hadn't been. "But how about we make this more interesting?" He pulled out a dollar bill and put it on the table.
"No."
"Why not?" He was angry, but trying to hide it.
"Because I will beat you."
"I don't care! Hit me!"
"Scott?" Storm was getting out of her seat; Nightcrawler was looking at them both carefully. Outside the door some of the smaller children peered in at the sound of raised voices. Nightcrawler teleported outside and shut the door behind him, this was not something the children should see. "Scott, calm down..."
"BLAZE!" The door flew open, and the Wolverine marched in. Blaze shook her head, this just wasn't her day. Oh how she longed to curl up in bed...
"Logan." She acknowledged him, leaning back in her chair and shuffling her cards again. "What can I do for you?"
"Do you find it funny to steal from kids? From the people who took you in and cared for you? What's your game here, thief?"
Slowly Blaze looked from Logan, to Nightcrawler and back again. Nightcrawler shook his head, in shock.
"I did not say anything, I promise..."
"I overheard you confiding in our blue friend here." If Logan really were a wolverine, Blaze would have been savaged by now, she was sure. Ilehana, Bobby and Rogue came up behind Logan, looking confused. "What have you done with the stuff you've taken, you thieving..."
"I've not taken anything!"
"No? Not Rogue's bracelet? Not Cameron's watch? Jubilee's CD player thing? Storm's pendant?" With every accusation Logan took another step towards Blaze, until he was standing over her and Scott like a man possessed. Blaze turned to Storm.
"You've had a pendant stolen?"
"I don't know about stolen, but yes, one has gone missing."
"And you Rogue?" The younger girl nodded her head. Next to her Bobby looked like a gaping fish. Blaze didn't want to know what her two friends were thinking right now.
"Logan, would you kindly tell me what is going on here?" Professor Xavier entered the room, authority ringing in his voice. Almost as if he had had the wind sucked out of his sails, Logan replied in a sulky voice.
"Things have been taken from a whole load of people. And Blaze has admitted to being a thief by profession. So I was just asking her..."
"Accusing me! And I didn't do anything! But give me one night and I will have your precious stuff back Wolverine, count on it!" Blaze stormed off, leaving the X-men exchanging worried looks.
"Logan, next time you feel you have to accost one of our guests about something, please come and speak to me about it first." Xavier's voice was calm, but Logan could tell he was annoyed. He hung his head.
"Professor, do you know who did steal the things?" Storm enquired.
"Of course. But I think Blaze wants this chance to prove that she deserves a little more of your respect." Xavier turned his wheelchair around and left. Bobby and Rogue followed him out, talking in hushed voices. Ilehana, the Vixen, addressed the Wolverine.
"If you're that bored that you have to start a witch hunt, I'm sure I could find you something to do." She, too, turned to leave. "I'll be in the garage if you need me..."
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Both Logan and Kurt left shortly afterwards, though not together. Storm approached Scott with a worried expression.
"Are you okay?"
"I don't know what's wrong with me Storm. I mean, who cares if some kid has stolen some stuff? Jean is dead, and nothing else is important to me anymore." He sounded exhausted. Storm wished she could understand what he was going through, wished she could do more to help him. "If anybody asks where I am, I'll be at Diego's" He stood to leave, Diego's was his favourite dive these days, he was there more days than he wasn't. And if Blaze wouldn't accept his bets, he knew a college football fanatic who would give him a good price on this afternoon's game.
"No, Scott, don't go." Storm desperately tried to stop him, but he brushed her aside and was gone.
A/N: Don't forget to review please!
Scene Five
**I miss you. **
**I miss you too petite. ** She believed him, wondering how again she had wandered into this dream that felt so real.
**Mon Ami, please come find me... It's safe here I promise, we can be together again. ** Blaze felt his temptation; he could, if he wanted to. She also felt his will strengthen, he had to do this first...**Where are you? ** She asked; trying to push beyond the parameters of the dream and see for herself what was so important it kept her best friend from her.
**Don't do that. ** He gently blocked her out, but not before she had the impression of somewhere grey, bland and claustrophobic. She couldn't place it though.
**But they won't be able to do anything, we could be together and they couldn't touch you, or me. Mon Ami? **
**Non. Ce'st impossible. ** The dream was fading, but for a moment as she woke it was as though his finger's brushed her cheek. Opening her eyes she reached up to her face, hopeful, but she found only tears.
xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
The refrigerator door slammed shut with a satisfying thud as its contents rattled. Blaze added chocolate milk and a tub of yoghurt to her pile of supplies and headed for the rec. room. Another hour session with Xavier had again been unfruitful, she was tired and grouchy and absolutely famished.
The redhead threw herself down into a big chair, scattering her snacks over the coffee table in front of her. Storm raised an eyebrow at the pile from her position sat in front of the TV. Nightcrawler was the only other person in the room, engrossed in a big brown tome, perched on top on, rather than sat in, another chair away by the window. From a pocket Blaze produced a pack of cards and began shuffling them with ease but in frustration.
"Do you play?" Another man had entered the room, Scott Summers known as Cyclops. Blaze had had little to do with him in her month-long stay at the academy. Looking at him now as he addressed her, she could see the very grief at loosing his lover wrought on his face. This man was still suffering, three months after loosing Jean Grey. Blaze had an uncomfortable feeling that it was driving Cyclops over the edge.
"Not really," She tried to keep her voice passive, hoping he would take his broken heart elsewhere. He didn't.
"Oh really? Could've fooled me." He pulled up a stool, and in a quiet voice said "Come on, hit me."
Sighing, recognising a gambler when she met one, Blaze put the deck on the table and cleared a space between the chocolate bars and the doughnuts. She took the top four cards and spread them face-up in the gap.
"Four cards, the point is to try and 'splat the jack'." She indicated the jack of hearts. "I'll shuffle them, place them here face down and you tell me where the jack is. Total luck, one in four chance of getting it right."
"Yeah right..." Cyclops smiled slyly, they both knew she'd ripped people off with this trick. Blaze swept up the cards and shuffled them, spread them out again and looked at Scott. "Um... Lets see..." He was too into this, she didn't like it. "That one." Blaze flicked the card he'd pointed to over. The seven of diamonds glinted at him.
"Bad luck."
"Fair enough." Cyclops commented, leaning back and knowing it hadn't been. "But how about we make this more interesting?" He pulled out a dollar bill and put it on the table.
"No."
"Why not?" He was angry, but trying to hide it.
"Because I will beat you."
"I don't care! Hit me!"
"Scott?" Storm was getting out of her seat; Nightcrawler was looking at them both carefully. Outside the door some of the smaller children peered in at the sound of raised voices. Nightcrawler teleported outside and shut the door behind him, this was not something the children should see. "Scott, calm down..."
"BLAZE!" The door flew open, and the Wolverine marched in. Blaze shook her head, this just wasn't her day. Oh how she longed to curl up in bed...
"Logan." She acknowledged him, leaning back in her chair and shuffling her cards again. "What can I do for you?"
"Do you find it funny to steal from kids? From the people who took you in and cared for you? What's your game here, thief?"
Slowly Blaze looked from Logan, to Nightcrawler and back again. Nightcrawler shook his head, in shock.
"I did not say anything, I promise..."
"I overheard you confiding in our blue friend here." If Logan really were a wolverine, Blaze would have been savaged by now, she was sure. Ilehana, Bobby and Rogue came up behind Logan, looking confused. "What have you done with the stuff you've taken, you thieving..."
"I've not taken anything!"
"No? Not Rogue's bracelet? Not Cameron's watch? Jubilee's CD player thing? Storm's pendant?" With every accusation Logan took another step towards Blaze, until he was standing over her and Scott like a man possessed. Blaze turned to Storm.
"You've had a pendant stolen?"
"I don't know about stolen, but yes, one has gone missing."
"And you Rogue?" The younger girl nodded her head. Next to her Bobby looked like a gaping fish. Blaze didn't want to know what her two friends were thinking right now.
"Logan, would you kindly tell me what is going on here?" Professor Xavier entered the room, authority ringing in his voice. Almost as if he had had the wind sucked out of his sails, Logan replied in a sulky voice.
"Things have been taken from a whole load of people. And Blaze has admitted to being a thief by profession. So I was just asking her..."
"Accusing me! And I didn't do anything! But give me one night and I will have your precious stuff back Wolverine, count on it!" Blaze stormed off, leaving the X-men exchanging worried looks.
"Logan, next time you feel you have to accost one of our guests about something, please come and speak to me about it first." Xavier's voice was calm, but Logan could tell he was annoyed. He hung his head.
"Professor, do you know who did steal the things?" Storm enquired.
"Of course. But I think Blaze wants this chance to prove that she deserves a little more of your respect." Xavier turned his wheelchair around and left. Bobby and Rogue followed him out, talking in hushed voices. Ilehana, the Vixen, addressed the Wolverine.
"If you're that bored that you have to start a witch hunt, I'm sure I could find you something to do." She, too, turned to leave. "I'll be in the garage if you need me..."
xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
Both Logan and Kurt left shortly afterwards, though not together. Storm approached Scott with a worried expression.
"Are you okay?"
"I don't know what's wrong with me Storm. I mean, who cares if some kid has stolen some stuff? Jean is dead, and nothing else is important to me anymore." He sounded exhausted. Storm wished she could understand what he was going through, wished she could do more to help him. "If anybody asks where I am, I'll be at Diego's" He stood to leave, Diego's was his favourite dive these days, he was there more days than he wasn't. And if Blaze wouldn't accept his bets, he knew a college football fanatic who would give him a good price on this afternoon's game.
"No, Scott, don't go." Storm desperately tried to stop him, but he brushed her aside and was gone.
