Hey there, yes, I'm back. I've been busy lately with seeing all these specialists for my chronic nausea and stuff so that's why I haven't been updating much so I'm sorry if that's inconvenient for any of you.
Boredom. The silent killer. Unless of course your so board that you start humming songs completely at random then it really isn't a silent killer any more. At any rate, since Magneto had been killed only about a week earlier, there really wasn't that much to do anymore. They weren't getting paid to work for him, so the Acolytes were pretty much stuck where they were. Gambit could probably get back to New Orleans if he tried hard enough, but there was no way that Pyro or Colossus could hitchhike back to Australia or Russia so that was a bit of a problem.
For seemingly endless days, they had done nothing but mope. Occasionally, Pyro would disappear somewhere to go watch Magneto die and his hysterical laughing could be heard throughout the entire base. All three of them used to go out into the city and wander around for awhile but since that little "incident" regarding one the former X-men Spyke and that group of kids, that really wasn't one of the safest activities anymore.
Today, there was no hysterical laughter, no wandering, heck, nobody really bothered to say anything either.
Gambit, Pyro and Colossus sat in the living room area. Pyro sat on the chair, his legs dangling over the armrest. He absentmindedly flicked a silver lighter open then shut, creating a new animal, person, or thing every time. Truth be told, he was running out of ideas. Lying down on the couch, Colossus sketched a drawing of his little sister Illyana, and the rest of his family. Sometimes he would stop and smile softly at the picture. Sitting on the floor with his back against the couch, Gambit quietly shuffled his cards over and over again, chuckling as he drew the queen of hearts from the top of the deck.
"Hey, I was just thinking'" Pyro said swinging his legs over the armrest. "Why don't we just go live with the X-men?" The confused and surprised looks from the others begged for an explanation.
"Just think about it mates. We'd be living in a mansion, there are plenty of pretty sheilas to look at—"
"Amen to dat Johnny boy!" Gambit said with a grin.
"And we would only have to stay until we find a way back home."
"Well den, let's git packin' boys!"
***
It had been a week since the professor started telling Rogue that she was no longer able to participate in competitive activities. Oh hell, it was driving her completely insane!! She had no idea how much longer she could last before she jumped off a cliff. She was very glad that there were a lot of cliffs close to the mansion. Sigh, the convenience of the location of the mansion. Desperate times called for desperate acts of desperateness. She'd be thrilled if someone would play chess with her…and she hated chess!
Sitting alone on the widow sill, she did her best to sort out her thoughts. Besides, she could swear to God that there was something going on between her brother and Wanda. She wasn't accusing him of cheating or anything but he and Amanda had started drifting apart over the past month or so. Wanda, she wondered how she and Pietro were taking Magneto's death. She knew that Wanda's real memories were altered but she still had to worry and wonder. And what ever became of the Acolytes? Wait; hold on…why she was worrying about them for?! They nearly got her killed when they first fought! And that guy, Remy, had kidnapped her and used her to save his father. Well, unlike her late mother he used her for a good reason. Besides, it made her feel better. Pulling her wallet out of her back pocket, she opened it and looked at the card he had given her. The queen of hearts, clique but sweet.
***
Professor Xavier sat in front of Cerebro, the helmet on his head. His eyebrows furrowed in dismay as he searched for David. Well, at least he wasn't the only one dealing with this kind of emotional stress.
Gabrielle had called earlier, asking if he had any information on David. He answered with an honest and saddened "no". He could hear her choking back tears. In hopes that it might cheer her up, he invited her over to the Mansion. She had been a little nervous about the idea of living in the same house with him and his mutant students but she eventually agreed, liking the idea that she would be better informed if she did stay. Ororo and Logan were to pick her up at the airport in an hour.
This wasn't just going to be uncomfortable for her, but for the students as well. Jean and Scott had told the others about Gabrielle and there had been an uneasy tension hovering over the students. They just couldn't believe that the Professor had been married and had a son. Further more, a son that was more or less insane.
Wheeling out of the Cerebro room, he rubbed his temples, sending out a quick message to Rogue, telling her to meet him at the gazebo for her session. As cruel as it sounds, this was quite the confidence booster. Rogue had personality problems of her own, and far worse then those David had. Unlike David, she was unable to remove them from her mind, now she was sharing her head with the X-men, New Mutants, Brotherhood, and the Acolytes. Xavier was impressed that she had managed to keep control for so long.
Still, learning how to keep it that way would be long and difficult. There was really no promise that she would be able to in the first place. She was under a lot of pressure right now and the isolation from the rest of her team wouldn't go over well with her emotional state. She had isolated herself on her own when her power first manifested, making her cold and defensive. This wasn't good and he worried that this new situation would only make it worst.
***
Planes were taking off and landing, and the airport was packed with people. Different languages whirled around on the air like a swarm of locus. People were pushing and shoving as they tried their best to retrieve their bags and get their families onto the buses into the city. Although, this didn't come as much of a surprise, the New York international airport had always been busy.
Lost among the nameless faces, Ororo and Logan pushed forward until they couldn't go any further because of heightened security. Stepping up on the tips of her toes, Ororo did her best to try to see over the crowd.
"Ms. Haller!" Ororo shouted with a wave. "Ms. Gabrielle Haller!"
A woman with short brown hair was looking around in all directions, occasionally being pushed and shoved by other people. A leather purse hung from her shoulder and she pulled a forest green rolling suitcase behind her. Looking up, she caught sight of Ororo and walked briskly up to her.
"It-it's good to see you again Ms. Monroe" She said a little nervously.
"Please, call me Ororo. This is Logan, another one of our teachers at the Xavier Institute."
"Thank you for allowing me to stay, I hope that I may be of some help in finding my son"
"Don't worry, we'll find him, and help him. You'll get your son David back, I promise" said Ororo with a smile.
***
The pain was unbearable. The harder Rogue worked, the less she seemed to accomplish. The voices were driving her insane and the power inside was stirring again. She didn't know how long she had been trying to summon up Pietro's speed but it seemed like hours. Images, hopes, dreams, fears, memories, they flashed before her eyes until her legs began to buckle beneath her.
"Rogue! You may stop," said the professor. She sank to the ground, sweat dripping down her face.
"Professah, this just ain't workin', Ah can't do this!" She yelled, frustrated.
"This is going to take time Rogue, you mustn't rush this. You have to gain control, and the longer you try, the stronger your control."
"Yes sir" She sighed. "Ah think Ah need to lie down."
***
The taxi pulled up to the corner, just outside of the hotel. Gambit grinned and threw his stuff into the trunk followed by Pyro and Colossus. Climbing into the cab, they told the driver to go to the Xavier Mansion. The man looked at little stunned but just shrugged his shoulders and drove off.
Buildings whooshed passed and people walking by became blurs as they left New York.
Bayville was actually a lot larger then they thought it was. It obviously wasn't as large as New York but it was still big none the less. But since the X-men made their home here, it didn't come as much as a surprise when they noticed the anti-mutant graffiti on the walls. Something within the Acolytes made them feel miserable at seeing it. When Magneto had told them about the X-men, he had shown them pictures along with a summary of their powers. Some of their smiles had been bright and happy. They probably didn't smile that way anymore.
"I hope you boys don't attend Bayville like the others," said the driver, "them Xavier kids were run outta school just last week."
"Remy didn't hear 'bout dat!" he said in alarm.
"You don't say? It was all over the news. The teachers said that the students threw trash at the muties and were beating them up until some girl used her power and turned her body to metal. They left after that"
"Dat's interesting…" Remy trailed off shooting a glance at Piotr. Piotr shrugged and shook his head, he couldn't understand why Rogue could still use his powers. She hadn't taken them since that time when Apocalypse was first released.
Their minds were still flooded with questions as they stopped just outside the Mansion gates.
Author's Note: Sorry for the wait folks.