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"Descent of the Phoenix" By: Wicked-Wytch
Disclaimer: You know the drill. I don't own Xmen comics, toons, or movies. Nor do I own Marvel. Nor do I own Stan Lee (the bastard refused to adopt me... how bout that?)
R/R and Enjoy! (Please review!)*Does the 'I luv reviewers' dance*
Note- I suppose I should have studied for Physics a lil more... but then again I passed so I'm happy. ANyway, it's much more important to please the readers and reviewers, i Say!
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(Still right outside the Sanctuary)
"I am Emma Frost. But right now, I'm your savior."
John looked at the woman skeptically. "Really?" He crossed his arms over his chest and threw her an apathetic look that told her he didn't believe her at all. "What the hell do you want?" Emma blinked for a moment, as if pushing away her annoyance.
"Well, why don't we get away from these brutes," she spoke gently, her hand waving in the direction of the frozen officers who stood behind them. "It will be more pleasant if I can spend all of my energy on you." In one graceful movement, she swung her hand in front of them, a polite gesture which told John to lead the way out of the alley.
"Fine," John said walking stiffly. Clearly he did not trust the woman, but she seemed to not be bothered by this. She turned and began to walk beside him, completely ignoring Merci, who was trailing the two.
Emma raised a hand toward the police officers and they were immediately unfrozen. They seemed to take a disoriented moment before pointing their weapons at Merci and shouting at her to be still. All of the police officers seemed not to notice John or Emma.
"Wait!" Merci cried, her hands up in the air. At the sound of her voice, John stopped but did not turn. There was a question in his eye but he said nothing. Emma, noticing his curiosity explained softly in his ear.
"I have telekinetic powers," there was a smile on the woman's pink lips. "I've used them to keep the law from seeing us. They can only see the girl." A soft pearl of laughter escaped from the woman's throat.
John, trying not to look concerned, turned to see Merci standing in the police light, her hands high over her head. She was facing him and there was a pleading look in her eye. Her dark hair was windblown. John knew in the back of his head that with all the guns that were pointed at her, she was bound to be shot soon. He doubted that many of the cops were very compassionate for his kind. Despite his attempt to mask his face, he couldn't help but look at her with a mix of pity and concern.
"Dammit," she pleaded, "Don't leave me here!...Please." Her words and looks were pleading, but in the back of her mind, Merci was really yelling at the fire throwing boy, mentally telling him that he had better not leave. She knew he was her only hope. There was no chance that her power over water would do much to the officers. Maybe if she had been at full power, she would have been able to throw a wave in their direction. But after wasting much too much energy earlier, she knew she wouldn't be able to call up that much water quick enough.
Emma, seeing the storm of emotion behind his eyes, gently offered, "Would you like me to save her?" John kept silent and Emma continued, "I know you'd rather use your powers," Emma's cool blue eyes focused on his Zippo lighter and how his fist was tightly gripped around it, "but that'll only get her hurt. Even you cannot make a flame large enough to take them all out at once."
John was silent, as he decided what to do. Did he care enough about this girl to save her? Was she really worth it? As she pleaded, he simply stared at her thoughtfully.
Merci watched him carefully. Her life hung in the balance. And as he opened his mouth, she began to do something that she almost never did. She prayed.
~~~~~
(A few blocks from the Sanctuary)
Lita, Bobby and Rogue were still running down the street when Logan finally caught up with them.
"You're back," Bobby spoke in a low voice.
"Are you ok?" Rogue and Lita asked at the same moment. The older woman moved over to Logan to inspect him lightly. When she had decided that he was without a scratch, Lita nodded.
"What did ya do to the cop?" Rogue asked softly. She kept Logan's gaze until he answered.
"Took care of him."
"Oh," Rogue responded quietly. For a moment, silence fell upon the group as each imagined just how the officer had been 'taken care of'. "Well," Rogue finally broke the quiet spell, looking up at Lita. "Thanks for helping us out. Guess this is where we part."
"Yeah," Lita returned in a reluctant voice. "I've got to go and meet my friend Merci down by a park we go to on 79th street."
Logan, picking up on something in Lita's voice questioned her before she started to walk away, "Got a place to stay during the day?"
"Well..." Lita tried to grin easily, "My place was destroyed- I had a small apartment above the club." Quickly, she tried to brush this aside, "But I think Merci and I can scrape up enough money that we'll be able to rent a small apartment." *A really small one,* she added mentally.
"Come with us," Bobby offered quite suddenly. He hadn't really spoken with this woman before, but he couldn't help but feel a surge of sympathy for her. He'd never been without a home before, but he imagined it couldn't have been a good thing.
"Yeah," Rogue chimed in, though she didn't sound as enthusiastic.
"You all live together?" Lita looked the three up and down and then to Logan, asked, "Are you an older brother of one of them?"
"No," Logan laughed loudly, "We live in a school."
"Institute for the Gifted, really," Bobby corrected.
"Whatever, kid." He muttered before turning his attention back to a smiling Lita, "It's a really big place in Weschester. I'm sure there's an extra room around somewhere. You'd probably have to go and see the guy who's in charge, but he's nice enough. It'd be a place you can stay until you can get a real apartment." After a short pause, he added with a smile, "And it's for mutants, so you'd fit right in." He remembered how the woman had acted back in the bar when he had asked if she was a mutant.
"Thank you," Lita said, a gracious smile on her face. "I'll take you up on your offer... but first I have to meet up with Merci."
"Alright," Logan said. "I'll go with you." He turned to Bobby and Rogue, "You two head back to the school. The sun's going to rise soon and people are going to be noticing that you're missing."
"Can we take the car?" Rogue asked, her eyes brightening greatly.
"Aw damn, I forgot about the car." Logan paused to think.
"I can drive," Bobby stated proudly. Rogue seemed to nod happily behind him, her hand on his shoulder.
"You have a learner's permit. You need an adult with you in the car." Logan said.
"I won't get caught." Bobby persisted, "You've seen me drive before, I drive better than some of the X-men." For a moment, Bobby and Rogue both gave Logan the saddest looks they could muster.
"If you get a ticket," Logan warned, stepping closer to Bobby, "I will flay you." To add emphasis, he retracted his claws suddenly, causing the Iceman to jump slightly. "If you crash..."
"He won't," Rogue interrupted him cheerfully, "Promise. And if we get caught, we promise to keep you out of it." She smiled, "If Scott finds out about it, we will both take the credit for stealing his car. Happy?"
"Alright," Logan said after a moment to consider this. "Just be careful."
"We will," the two young mutants spoke together, already dashing down the street. The car had been parked two blocks past the Sanctuary and they'd have to walk a few blocks around the club so that they wouldn't interrupt the multitude of police officers whom were milling about the scene.
Once alone, Lita spoke quietly as the two made their way to the park, "Hey, Logan, how are we going to get the school?"
"Didn't think about that," he responded lightly, shrugging, "Guess we'll take a cab."
~~~~~
(Canada)
As Jean Grey awoke from her sleep, her mind active with thoughts and fears, the Phoenix watched behind shared eyes. She was laying in wait, a small figure in the back of Jean's subconscious mind. Jean didn't know her, nor did she feel her, but she was there, nonetheless, waiting patiently for her time to take control.
Patience, the Phoenix knew, would be an important virtue if she planned to live long among humans. So far, things had gone well enough that the Phoenix had been able to keep her patience. But she realized that she would quickly take control if the occasion arose.
Jean woke up uneasily, crying out Scott's name. The dream had been a lot for her, and she tried to recall if the images she had seen had been memories (which were what she felt they were). As Jean sat up in bed, reeling from her dream, she turned and looked at Jason, who was asleep beside her. Paralyzed in fear, Jean felt as though a scream was making its way up her throat. The man lying beside her couldn't have been Jason. This man was pale and shrunken, ugly with patchy black hair and a long scar along his right cheek. Jason looked the exact opposite of this.
After a few silent seconds of staring at this stranger, Jean finally let out the scream that hadn't been able to escape due to frozen vocal cords.
Jason's eyes opened instantly, sitting up and staring confused at Jean. Then, as if recognizing what was wrong, he turned around and reached for the lamp that sat on the table beside the bed. Jean fell silent as she saw that the man who was in the room with her was Jason. She must have been mistaken.
"Jean, what's wrong?" His handsome features focused on her.
"I had a dream..." She paused, gasping for breath, "And then I saw... it was dark... must have been that."
"What did you dream about and what did you see?" There was suspicion in Jason's eyes, but Jean mistook this for concern. As he waited for her answer, he walked over to a small mahogany dresser and reached inside, pulled out a t-shirt, and threw it to Jean. Realizing she was naked, Jean blushed and quickly put on the shirt.
"Well..." Dressed but still blushing Jean slowly remembered her dream, "I was in a place... a huge building. I think I've been there before. And then there were these two men... I know them both."
"I see," Jason muttered in a low voice, "Well... we all have strange dreams sometimes." He grinned at her in an attempt to lighten her mood. But then he darkened as he asked, "What did you see?"
"Well..." Jean chuckled nervously, "I must have been half asleep and it was dark. But, your face... it was different."
"Weird," Jason smiled brightly, trying to hide the spooked look in his eye. "Would you like something warm to drink? The sun'll be up in less than an hour."
"Sure. Tea, please?"
"No problem." As Jason rose, Jean put her head back down on the pillow. She wasn't tired, but she wasn't ready to wake completely either. While Jason went into the other room, she focused on her dream.
Jason walked casually into the bathroom. He made a mental note to make sure to go to the kitchen later on. After making sure the door was locked, Jason pulled his cell phone from his pocket. Rapidly, he dialed a phone number and waited for a response. To his disappointment, he only got voice mail.
"Emma," he said in a hushed voice, "It's me. I'm going to need your help soon. She's remembering things. We both know that can't happen. Call me back as soon as you get this. You'll be needing to stop by for a visit sometime soon."
~~~~~
"Do it," John muttered in a voice that was nearly inaudible. He kept eye contact with Merci. Emma's pink lips curled once again into a smile and the police officers were frozen again. Relieved, Merci lowered her hands and walked towards the two.
John watched as she made her way over. Part of him was watching her face, the other part of him was lost in thought.
He wondered why he had chosen to help her. It wasn't as though she meant anything to him. She was just another stranger he had met in a bar. Besides, she was one of the most annoying women he'd come across.
Maybe, he reasoned, it was because of all the lessons of goodness and compassion that had been pounded into his head back at Xavier's school. Back when he had lived there, he had barely missed a day when he had been taught about kindness and being nice. It had been sickening. Was that it, John wondered. Was it just some lingering bit of compassion?
It could have been, though John tried to deny it by pushing the thought from his mind, that she reminded him so much of Rogue. Though this girl didn't resemble Rogue physically, she seemed to have the same tone of voice. Merci had a way of being so forceful and bitchy. Rogue had been the same way with him. She had never wavered, even when John had been at his most menacing. Merci did the same. In fact, the girl even had the same manner of putting her hand on her hip and giving John a dark look whenever she was annoyed. It was ridiculous, John knew, to think this. He had known the girl for no more than a few hours. And, he knew, it was stupid to transfer feelings that he had for one woman to another.
No, he thought. It must have been that he had felt as though he owed her something. After all, he *had* tried to kill her and she had still saved him from the cops. Even though John was one of the 'bad guys', he had his own sense of justice and his own set of rules. He hated being in debt to people, and often found that paying them back satisfied him greatly.
Yes, he thought to himself, that had to be it- he was simply repaying a debt. As he walked down the street, slowly following Emma with Merci on his side, John Allerdyce tried to convince himself that that was all there was to it.
~~~~~
(Somewhere in Manhattan)
Logan and Lita walked side by side at a casual pace. The first rays of sunlight were just rising above the horizon and the sky was quickly brightening. The two were standing in an abandoned park, watching the sky. Lita sat in an old swing, swaying back and forth in the wind. Logan stood, leaning on a fence, his eyes surprisingly light.
"So what is this girl to you exactly?" Logan asked softly, his curiosity getting the better of him.
"Merci," Lita smiled, "She's like a little sister to me. I took her in when she was a scrawny homeless kid. Her parents had disowned her because of her mutation and she had no where to go. So I offered her my place, got her a job, and looked after her." Lita looked down at the sandy ground and sighed in worry, "I hope she's ok."
"Hopefully she is," Logan muttered, trying to sound comforting. He looked up at her quickly, taking in her brown hair and deep eyes of the same shade. She smiled at him and he returned the gesture. But quickly, her face dropped. Clearly, she was preoccupied with thoughts about her friend.
Together, they waited in silence as the sun slowly rose.
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Hope you all enjoyed this! The next chapter has us jumping a lil forward in time (a few hours at most). I need daylight! Also, we find out what Scott's upto, we see a few new X-Students (can we say Colossus and Gambit?? ^_^), and more.
Reviewers: *doing the 'I'm Oh-so-grateful for my reviewers' dance*
* *- Thanks! I always try to keep you readers in suspense. I have a few more cards up my sleeves and the ending should (hopefully) be a surprise. *shutting up right now so i don't give anything away*
*x-girl*- Hehe. Your mental powers are too much for me. *chuckle chuckle* We'll see later on if want you want happens or not.
*RogueCajun*- Thanks so much! I will try my absolute best (i'm almost sure i can) to put remy in it for a small cameo (like mention his name and such). It might happen next chappy! . Isn't Remy a cutie? ^_^
*Imogen262*- hehe I figured there were some Scott fans somewhere. I think X2 is still in theatres, but I'm really anxious for it to come out on DVD so that I can watch it for hours on end until I am knocked unconcious by Wolvie's blindingly handsome light. hehe
*drama-nerd016*- *chuckle chuckle* not only did you compliment me, you said that one of my characters was slutty. I feel honored. lol. Here's a cute fact I learned when searching for Xmen info- Emma wears a dominatrix type outfit in the comic (all in white of course). So, I am trying to get her to seem a *lil* slutty... just not too much. The story's Pg-13 after all... for now. ^_~
*Eadha Ohn*- There's a mass conspiracy, I say! hehe.. actually, I noticed the same thing. Xavier did seem sorta... preoccupied at the end of the movie. And no worries, you haven't given anything away really. I'll explain more about what Xavier was sensing later on. Glad you reviewed! You must get the truth out for all to see, my friend! *reminicing about my xfile days when I used to go around spouting the conspiracy theories*
*Ali*- But it's so fun to build up the anticipation and make u kind readers wait. *grin* btw.... how do you know that Scott and Phoenix ever do actually meet up??? ^_^
*SaiyanGoddessBX*- Haunt me all u want, my hentai friend. I have the patience of a saint, they say and can take mass amounts of bullshit. *grins* from friends, at least. And hey! I'm only like 10 reviews behind u, so I'm quickly catching up. *Can u smell the competition*?
*Superwoman007*- ^_^ Hope this is up to par. I so enjoy being the teacher. hehe I'm waiting for ur next chappy soon, btw.
Til my next update, folks ~Wicked
"Descent of the Phoenix" By: Wicked-Wytch
Disclaimer: You know the drill. I don't own Xmen comics, toons, or movies. Nor do I own Marvel. Nor do I own Stan Lee (the bastard refused to adopt me... how bout that?)
R/R and Enjoy! (Please review!)*Does the 'I luv reviewers' dance*
Note- I suppose I should have studied for Physics a lil more... but then again I passed so I'm happy. ANyway, it's much more important to please the readers and reviewers, i Say!
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
(Still right outside the Sanctuary)
"I am Emma Frost. But right now, I'm your savior."
John looked at the woman skeptically. "Really?" He crossed his arms over his chest and threw her an apathetic look that told her he didn't believe her at all. "What the hell do you want?" Emma blinked for a moment, as if pushing away her annoyance.
"Well, why don't we get away from these brutes," she spoke gently, her hand waving in the direction of the frozen officers who stood behind them. "It will be more pleasant if I can spend all of my energy on you." In one graceful movement, she swung her hand in front of them, a polite gesture which told John to lead the way out of the alley.
"Fine," John said walking stiffly. Clearly he did not trust the woman, but she seemed to not be bothered by this. She turned and began to walk beside him, completely ignoring Merci, who was trailing the two.
Emma raised a hand toward the police officers and they were immediately unfrozen. They seemed to take a disoriented moment before pointing their weapons at Merci and shouting at her to be still. All of the police officers seemed not to notice John or Emma.
"Wait!" Merci cried, her hands up in the air. At the sound of her voice, John stopped but did not turn. There was a question in his eye but he said nothing. Emma, noticing his curiosity explained softly in his ear.
"I have telekinetic powers," there was a smile on the woman's pink lips. "I've used them to keep the law from seeing us. They can only see the girl." A soft pearl of laughter escaped from the woman's throat.
John, trying not to look concerned, turned to see Merci standing in the police light, her hands high over her head. She was facing him and there was a pleading look in her eye. Her dark hair was windblown. John knew in the back of his head that with all the guns that were pointed at her, she was bound to be shot soon. He doubted that many of the cops were very compassionate for his kind. Despite his attempt to mask his face, he couldn't help but look at her with a mix of pity and concern.
"Dammit," she pleaded, "Don't leave me here!...Please." Her words and looks were pleading, but in the back of her mind, Merci was really yelling at the fire throwing boy, mentally telling him that he had better not leave. She knew he was her only hope. There was no chance that her power over water would do much to the officers. Maybe if she had been at full power, she would have been able to throw a wave in their direction. But after wasting much too much energy earlier, she knew she wouldn't be able to call up that much water quick enough.
Emma, seeing the storm of emotion behind his eyes, gently offered, "Would you like me to save her?" John kept silent and Emma continued, "I know you'd rather use your powers," Emma's cool blue eyes focused on his Zippo lighter and how his fist was tightly gripped around it, "but that'll only get her hurt. Even you cannot make a flame large enough to take them all out at once."
John was silent, as he decided what to do. Did he care enough about this girl to save her? Was she really worth it? As she pleaded, he simply stared at her thoughtfully.
Merci watched him carefully. Her life hung in the balance. And as he opened his mouth, she began to do something that she almost never did. She prayed.
~~~~~
(A few blocks from the Sanctuary)
Lita, Bobby and Rogue were still running down the street when Logan finally caught up with them.
"You're back," Bobby spoke in a low voice.
"Are you ok?" Rogue and Lita asked at the same moment. The older woman moved over to Logan to inspect him lightly. When she had decided that he was without a scratch, Lita nodded.
"What did ya do to the cop?" Rogue asked softly. She kept Logan's gaze until he answered.
"Took care of him."
"Oh," Rogue responded quietly. For a moment, silence fell upon the group as each imagined just how the officer had been 'taken care of'. "Well," Rogue finally broke the quiet spell, looking up at Lita. "Thanks for helping us out. Guess this is where we part."
"Yeah," Lita returned in a reluctant voice. "I've got to go and meet my friend Merci down by a park we go to on 79th street."
Logan, picking up on something in Lita's voice questioned her before she started to walk away, "Got a place to stay during the day?"
"Well..." Lita tried to grin easily, "My place was destroyed- I had a small apartment above the club." Quickly, she tried to brush this aside, "But I think Merci and I can scrape up enough money that we'll be able to rent a small apartment." *A really small one,* she added mentally.
"Come with us," Bobby offered quite suddenly. He hadn't really spoken with this woman before, but he couldn't help but feel a surge of sympathy for her. He'd never been without a home before, but he imagined it couldn't have been a good thing.
"Yeah," Rogue chimed in, though she didn't sound as enthusiastic.
"You all live together?" Lita looked the three up and down and then to Logan, asked, "Are you an older brother of one of them?"
"No," Logan laughed loudly, "We live in a school."
"Institute for the Gifted, really," Bobby corrected.
"Whatever, kid." He muttered before turning his attention back to a smiling Lita, "It's a really big place in Weschester. I'm sure there's an extra room around somewhere. You'd probably have to go and see the guy who's in charge, but he's nice enough. It'd be a place you can stay until you can get a real apartment." After a short pause, he added with a smile, "And it's for mutants, so you'd fit right in." He remembered how the woman had acted back in the bar when he had asked if she was a mutant.
"Thank you," Lita said, a gracious smile on her face. "I'll take you up on your offer... but first I have to meet up with Merci."
"Alright," Logan said. "I'll go with you." He turned to Bobby and Rogue, "You two head back to the school. The sun's going to rise soon and people are going to be noticing that you're missing."
"Can we take the car?" Rogue asked, her eyes brightening greatly.
"Aw damn, I forgot about the car." Logan paused to think.
"I can drive," Bobby stated proudly. Rogue seemed to nod happily behind him, her hand on his shoulder.
"You have a learner's permit. You need an adult with you in the car." Logan said.
"I won't get caught." Bobby persisted, "You've seen me drive before, I drive better than some of the X-men." For a moment, Bobby and Rogue both gave Logan the saddest looks they could muster.
"If you get a ticket," Logan warned, stepping closer to Bobby, "I will flay you." To add emphasis, he retracted his claws suddenly, causing the Iceman to jump slightly. "If you crash..."
"He won't," Rogue interrupted him cheerfully, "Promise. And if we get caught, we promise to keep you out of it." She smiled, "If Scott finds out about it, we will both take the credit for stealing his car. Happy?"
"Alright," Logan said after a moment to consider this. "Just be careful."
"We will," the two young mutants spoke together, already dashing down the street. The car had been parked two blocks past the Sanctuary and they'd have to walk a few blocks around the club so that they wouldn't interrupt the multitude of police officers whom were milling about the scene.
Once alone, Lita spoke quietly as the two made their way to the park, "Hey, Logan, how are we going to get the school?"
"Didn't think about that," he responded lightly, shrugging, "Guess we'll take a cab."
~~~~~
(Canada)
As Jean Grey awoke from her sleep, her mind active with thoughts and fears, the Phoenix watched behind shared eyes. She was laying in wait, a small figure in the back of Jean's subconscious mind. Jean didn't know her, nor did she feel her, but she was there, nonetheless, waiting patiently for her time to take control.
Patience, the Phoenix knew, would be an important virtue if she planned to live long among humans. So far, things had gone well enough that the Phoenix had been able to keep her patience. But she realized that she would quickly take control if the occasion arose.
Jean woke up uneasily, crying out Scott's name. The dream had been a lot for her, and she tried to recall if the images she had seen had been memories (which were what she felt they were). As Jean sat up in bed, reeling from her dream, she turned and looked at Jason, who was asleep beside her. Paralyzed in fear, Jean felt as though a scream was making its way up her throat. The man lying beside her couldn't have been Jason. This man was pale and shrunken, ugly with patchy black hair and a long scar along his right cheek. Jason looked the exact opposite of this.
After a few silent seconds of staring at this stranger, Jean finally let out the scream that hadn't been able to escape due to frozen vocal cords.
Jason's eyes opened instantly, sitting up and staring confused at Jean. Then, as if recognizing what was wrong, he turned around and reached for the lamp that sat on the table beside the bed. Jean fell silent as she saw that the man who was in the room with her was Jason. She must have been mistaken.
"Jean, what's wrong?" His handsome features focused on her.
"I had a dream..." She paused, gasping for breath, "And then I saw... it was dark... must have been that."
"What did you dream about and what did you see?" There was suspicion in Jason's eyes, but Jean mistook this for concern. As he waited for her answer, he walked over to a small mahogany dresser and reached inside, pulled out a t-shirt, and threw it to Jean. Realizing she was naked, Jean blushed and quickly put on the shirt.
"Well..." Dressed but still blushing Jean slowly remembered her dream, "I was in a place... a huge building. I think I've been there before. And then there were these two men... I know them both."
"I see," Jason muttered in a low voice, "Well... we all have strange dreams sometimes." He grinned at her in an attempt to lighten her mood. But then he darkened as he asked, "What did you see?"
"Well..." Jean chuckled nervously, "I must have been half asleep and it was dark. But, your face... it was different."
"Weird," Jason smiled brightly, trying to hide the spooked look in his eye. "Would you like something warm to drink? The sun'll be up in less than an hour."
"Sure. Tea, please?"
"No problem." As Jason rose, Jean put her head back down on the pillow. She wasn't tired, but she wasn't ready to wake completely either. While Jason went into the other room, she focused on her dream.
Jason walked casually into the bathroom. He made a mental note to make sure to go to the kitchen later on. After making sure the door was locked, Jason pulled his cell phone from his pocket. Rapidly, he dialed a phone number and waited for a response. To his disappointment, he only got voice mail.
"Emma," he said in a hushed voice, "It's me. I'm going to need your help soon. She's remembering things. We both know that can't happen. Call me back as soon as you get this. You'll be needing to stop by for a visit sometime soon."
~~~~~
"Do it," John muttered in a voice that was nearly inaudible. He kept eye contact with Merci. Emma's pink lips curled once again into a smile and the police officers were frozen again. Relieved, Merci lowered her hands and walked towards the two.
John watched as she made her way over. Part of him was watching her face, the other part of him was lost in thought.
He wondered why he had chosen to help her. It wasn't as though she meant anything to him. She was just another stranger he had met in a bar. Besides, she was one of the most annoying women he'd come across.
Maybe, he reasoned, it was because of all the lessons of goodness and compassion that had been pounded into his head back at Xavier's school. Back when he had lived there, he had barely missed a day when he had been taught about kindness and being nice. It had been sickening. Was that it, John wondered. Was it just some lingering bit of compassion?
It could have been, though John tried to deny it by pushing the thought from his mind, that she reminded him so much of Rogue. Though this girl didn't resemble Rogue physically, she seemed to have the same tone of voice. Merci had a way of being so forceful and bitchy. Rogue had been the same way with him. She had never wavered, even when John had been at his most menacing. Merci did the same. In fact, the girl even had the same manner of putting her hand on her hip and giving John a dark look whenever she was annoyed. It was ridiculous, John knew, to think this. He had known the girl for no more than a few hours. And, he knew, it was stupid to transfer feelings that he had for one woman to another.
No, he thought. It must have been that he had felt as though he owed her something. After all, he *had* tried to kill her and she had still saved him from the cops. Even though John was one of the 'bad guys', he had his own sense of justice and his own set of rules. He hated being in debt to people, and often found that paying them back satisfied him greatly.
Yes, he thought to himself, that had to be it- he was simply repaying a debt. As he walked down the street, slowly following Emma with Merci on his side, John Allerdyce tried to convince himself that that was all there was to it.
~~~~~
(Somewhere in Manhattan)
Logan and Lita walked side by side at a casual pace. The first rays of sunlight were just rising above the horizon and the sky was quickly brightening. The two were standing in an abandoned park, watching the sky. Lita sat in an old swing, swaying back and forth in the wind. Logan stood, leaning on a fence, his eyes surprisingly light.
"So what is this girl to you exactly?" Logan asked softly, his curiosity getting the better of him.
"Merci," Lita smiled, "She's like a little sister to me. I took her in when she was a scrawny homeless kid. Her parents had disowned her because of her mutation and she had no where to go. So I offered her my place, got her a job, and looked after her." Lita looked down at the sandy ground and sighed in worry, "I hope she's ok."
"Hopefully she is," Logan muttered, trying to sound comforting. He looked up at her quickly, taking in her brown hair and deep eyes of the same shade. She smiled at him and he returned the gesture. But quickly, her face dropped. Clearly, she was preoccupied with thoughts about her friend.
Together, they waited in silence as the sun slowly rose.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Hope you all enjoyed this! The next chapter has us jumping a lil forward in time (a few hours at most). I need daylight! Also, we find out what Scott's upto, we see a few new X-Students (can we say Colossus and Gambit?? ^_^), and more.
Reviewers: *doing the 'I'm Oh-so-grateful for my reviewers' dance*
* *- Thanks! I always try to keep you readers in suspense. I have a few more cards up my sleeves and the ending should (hopefully) be a surprise. *shutting up right now so i don't give anything away*
*x-girl*- Hehe. Your mental powers are too much for me. *chuckle chuckle* We'll see later on if want you want happens or not.
*RogueCajun*- Thanks so much! I will try my absolute best (i'm almost sure i can) to put remy in it for a small cameo (like mention his name and such). It might happen next chappy! . Isn't Remy a cutie? ^_^
*Imogen262*- hehe I figured there were some Scott fans somewhere. I think X2 is still in theatres, but I'm really anxious for it to come out on DVD so that I can watch it for hours on end until I am knocked unconcious by Wolvie's blindingly handsome light. hehe
*drama-nerd016*- *chuckle chuckle* not only did you compliment me, you said that one of my characters was slutty. I feel honored. lol. Here's a cute fact I learned when searching for Xmen info- Emma wears a dominatrix type outfit in the comic (all in white of course). So, I am trying to get her to seem a *lil* slutty... just not too much. The story's Pg-13 after all... for now. ^_~
*Eadha Ohn*- There's a mass conspiracy, I say! hehe.. actually, I noticed the same thing. Xavier did seem sorta... preoccupied at the end of the movie. And no worries, you haven't given anything away really. I'll explain more about what Xavier was sensing later on. Glad you reviewed! You must get the truth out for all to see, my friend! *reminicing about my xfile days when I used to go around spouting the conspiracy theories*
*Ali*- But it's so fun to build up the anticipation and make u kind readers wait. *grin* btw.... how do you know that Scott and Phoenix ever do actually meet up??? ^_^
*SaiyanGoddessBX*- Haunt me all u want, my hentai friend. I have the patience of a saint, they say and can take mass amounts of bullshit. *grins* from friends, at least. And hey! I'm only like 10 reviews behind u, so I'm quickly catching up. *Can u smell the competition*?
*Superwoman007*- ^_^ Hope this is up to par. I so enjoy being the teacher. hehe I'm waiting for ur next chappy soon, btw.
Til my next update, folks ~Wicked
