Scott listens to the quiet, even breathing of his wife before slipping from the bed and dressing quickly. He opens the door a little, then farther as Jean simply turns over in their bed; he walks out before he changes his mind and pulls the door closed. He walks toward the office that he'd almost forgotten where it was located, but finds the route no diffrent from four years ago. Has it really been that long?he wonders, knocking carefully on the door. "Come in, Scott..." He opens the door and steps in, closing the door behind him. Xavier doesn't look away from the window he was staring out. His voice is tired and more that of an old man, then it's old casual self when he next speaks. "You asked me earlier why I was afraid for Jean...I couldn't answer there, but I'll answer now....." Scott moves to stand at his side and looks out over the shadowed grounds. "I thought Jean couldn't red your thoughts, Professor? Has something changed?" "It was not my thought's, Scott, but rather yours. You have a right to know.."
"Know what?"he questions, scanning the outer edge of the mansion grounds; Xavier seems to be looking at something and he tries to see it, too. This fails. "Something's changing in her, Scott. She's barely there at all and I can no longer sense her like I can the others...." "Isn't it possible that she can control her thoughts to block them from you? You learned it...why are you worried?" Xavier turns away aburptly. "It's the way with which she's done it. It's almost as if she's pushing everyone away." Scott sighs,"She's been doing that since we lost the baby. There's no diffrence in her behavior then and her behavior now. Is there?" "Actually there is, Scott. The thing that troubles me is the few feelings I can get from her aren't good...something's wrong with her and I don't want to see her hurt anymore then you do,"Xavier explains, steepling his hands together. Scott scowls and walks to the door. "If something was wrong I'd know. I'd know if she was in danger or if something was wrong. I'd know! Not you, not Logan, not anyone..." "Scott.." His words fall on deaf ears as Scott slams the door and something crashes to the floor inside the office. Xavier closes his eyes. "Oh, my children..."
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"Very good, Scott. You would know if something was wrong, wouldn't you?" She stares at the wall listening to the thoughts of the many mansion residents. Scott's were easiest to pick up. It's not true. I'd know if something was wrong with Jean or if something was bothering her. She laughs quietly,"No, you wouldn't, dear husband." She returns to listening to the thoughts of others. Several minds were all thinking of one person-Landon. I wonder... She scans the mind of the first person she'd sensed with the thoughts. The memories weren't pleasant. They began with being part of a circus as a child, being hurt, joining the brotherhood, meeting this Landon, changing to the x-men, and the last most vivid one she found was of an explosion, then emptiness again. "An interesting child, Marie,"she says aloud, refusing to acknowledge the girl, no, woman's codename,"She may prove useful." She scans the others thoughts another member was angry and taking her anger out on training while the others seem either content or asleep. There wasn't anything from Marie and Logan within the mansion. "It won't be long, Marie. Not long at all.."
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"It's not polite to stare, Rogue. You could just speak." Landon takes a drag off the cigarette balancing between two fingers without looking at her. "I was biding my time, Landon. Why'd you leave again?" He listens and recognizes two foot falls instead of just one; he tenses, noticing the second was heavier. He shrugs. "Did you come to tell me Tara's worse or has she died?" A sharp breathe comes from Rogue's company. "Damn, kid's saddistic..." "I am not,"Landon scowls, flicking the cigarette butt at the man with her over his shoulder. He only knew him as Logan, but didn't like him already. "Logan, shut up. Landon, she's not worse or dead....she's out of the coma and wanted you. It's taken this long to find you." "Ain't gone nowhere except here since Vik's welcome home present...hurt like hell waiting for things to heal. Did you know if you break your arm in three places it takes five hours to heal?"he questions, turning and allowing the two to see the limp way his left arm hangs. Rogue steps forward and touches it, drawing a hiss of breathe from him. "It didn't heal? Why didn't you set it?"
Landon laughs. "Have you ever tried to set your own arm when it's broken? It's not easy and before you ask..I can't go back, Rogue. Not now..." "Why not? It seems like this kid really wants you back,"Logan replies, shoving his hands deeper into the pockets of his jacket as a breeze blows up. He shakes his head. "You don't get it, Logan. I've ruined her life twice, once with the brotherhood and now with our alliance. I destroyed my only remaining family three years ago and I have to live with being a screw-up who does nothing right....You don't understand about needing to leave." Rogue shakes her head. "I think this is over my head. I'm going to wait over there..." She points toward a vacant shadowed spot on the roof and walks to it, looking down at the ground. She's abandoning me with this guy? Now I know I'm in trouble...maybe this time I'll actually get to die. Landon lights a second cigarette and replaces it in his mouth, taking a drag from it. Logan studies him silent, then moves up to stand beside him.
"Don't understand about needing to leave? Kid, I invented the term. I've been leaving since I became...this, a mutant. Before that I left. Leaving your problems doesn't do any good kid. It makes them worse and it's better to deal with it head-on rather then wait four years and come back." "Is that why you left before? You couldn't deal with things head-on so you're trying to fix your mistakes through a screwed-up mutant?"he questions, drawing another drag from the cigarette and blowing out smoke. It circles around his head and he looks up at it. Logan growls. "I ain't trying to fix no mistake, Landon. This is a once in a lifetime thing. My advice. Take it or leave it....you have a hell of a thing going at that institute and you know it,"he says, moving off toward Rogue,"Let's go, Marie. Kid's got a decision to make." Landon watches her, silently, as the two walk away from him and back in the direction he guessed the institute was. He doesn't move.
"What if he doesn't come back, Logan?" Logan recognizes the slight tremor in her voice and stops, putting his arm around her. "I think he will....if he doesn't he's no better then me.." Rogue laughs and buries her face against his shoulder, forgetting for a moment that they were in the middle of town, late at night, after a night spent searching for an eighteen-year-old mutant. In her mind they were just two people sharing a moment, a moment that hadn't happened for four years. "You're not as bad as you or anyone else thinks, Logan,"she whisphers, not moving her head from his shoulder,"I know now why you abandoned me...us...everything. You needed to, but I need you now and you're here." Logan tightens his arms around her, instinctivly. I need you, too, Marie. More then you know....
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Will Landon ever return to the X-men or is he no better then Logan? What's going on with Scott and Jean? Any idea who the mysterious woman is? If you don't know now you will have to face the horror of my stopping the updates.....THE HORROR.
"Know what?"he questions, scanning the outer edge of the mansion grounds; Xavier seems to be looking at something and he tries to see it, too. This fails. "Something's changing in her, Scott. She's barely there at all and I can no longer sense her like I can the others...." "Isn't it possible that she can control her thoughts to block them from you? You learned it...why are you worried?" Xavier turns away aburptly. "It's the way with which she's done it. It's almost as if she's pushing everyone away." Scott sighs,"She's been doing that since we lost the baby. There's no diffrence in her behavior then and her behavior now. Is there?" "Actually there is, Scott. The thing that troubles me is the few feelings I can get from her aren't good...something's wrong with her and I don't want to see her hurt anymore then you do,"Xavier explains, steepling his hands together. Scott scowls and walks to the door. "If something was wrong I'd know. I'd know if she was in danger or if something was wrong. I'd know! Not you, not Logan, not anyone..." "Scott.." His words fall on deaf ears as Scott slams the door and something crashes to the floor inside the office. Xavier closes his eyes. "Oh, my children..."
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"Very good, Scott. You would know if something was wrong, wouldn't you?" She stares at the wall listening to the thoughts of the many mansion residents. Scott's were easiest to pick up. It's not true. I'd know if something was wrong with Jean or if something was bothering her. She laughs quietly,"No, you wouldn't, dear husband." She returns to listening to the thoughts of others. Several minds were all thinking of one person-Landon. I wonder... She scans the mind of the first person she'd sensed with the thoughts. The memories weren't pleasant. They began with being part of a circus as a child, being hurt, joining the brotherhood, meeting this Landon, changing to the x-men, and the last most vivid one she found was of an explosion, then emptiness again. "An interesting child, Marie,"she says aloud, refusing to acknowledge the girl, no, woman's codename,"She may prove useful." She scans the others thoughts another member was angry and taking her anger out on training while the others seem either content or asleep. There wasn't anything from Marie and Logan within the mansion. "It won't be long, Marie. Not long at all.."
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"It's not polite to stare, Rogue. You could just speak." Landon takes a drag off the cigarette balancing between two fingers without looking at her. "I was biding my time, Landon. Why'd you leave again?" He listens and recognizes two foot falls instead of just one; he tenses, noticing the second was heavier. He shrugs. "Did you come to tell me Tara's worse or has she died?" A sharp breathe comes from Rogue's company. "Damn, kid's saddistic..." "I am not,"Landon scowls, flicking the cigarette butt at the man with her over his shoulder. He only knew him as Logan, but didn't like him already. "Logan, shut up. Landon, she's not worse or dead....she's out of the coma and wanted you. It's taken this long to find you." "Ain't gone nowhere except here since Vik's welcome home present...hurt like hell waiting for things to heal. Did you know if you break your arm in three places it takes five hours to heal?"he questions, turning and allowing the two to see the limp way his left arm hangs. Rogue steps forward and touches it, drawing a hiss of breathe from him. "It didn't heal? Why didn't you set it?"
Landon laughs. "Have you ever tried to set your own arm when it's broken? It's not easy and before you ask..I can't go back, Rogue. Not now..." "Why not? It seems like this kid really wants you back,"Logan replies, shoving his hands deeper into the pockets of his jacket as a breeze blows up. He shakes his head. "You don't get it, Logan. I've ruined her life twice, once with the brotherhood and now with our alliance. I destroyed my only remaining family three years ago and I have to live with being a screw-up who does nothing right....You don't understand about needing to leave." Rogue shakes her head. "I think this is over my head. I'm going to wait over there..." She points toward a vacant shadowed spot on the roof and walks to it, looking down at the ground. She's abandoning me with this guy? Now I know I'm in trouble...maybe this time I'll actually get to die. Landon lights a second cigarette and replaces it in his mouth, taking a drag from it. Logan studies him silent, then moves up to stand beside him.
"Don't understand about needing to leave? Kid, I invented the term. I've been leaving since I became...this, a mutant. Before that I left. Leaving your problems doesn't do any good kid. It makes them worse and it's better to deal with it head-on rather then wait four years and come back." "Is that why you left before? You couldn't deal with things head-on so you're trying to fix your mistakes through a screwed-up mutant?"he questions, drawing another drag from the cigarette and blowing out smoke. It circles around his head and he looks up at it. Logan growls. "I ain't trying to fix no mistake, Landon. This is a once in a lifetime thing. My advice. Take it or leave it....you have a hell of a thing going at that institute and you know it,"he says, moving off toward Rogue,"Let's go, Marie. Kid's got a decision to make." Landon watches her, silently, as the two walk away from him and back in the direction he guessed the institute was. He doesn't move.
"What if he doesn't come back, Logan?" Logan recognizes the slight tremor in her voice and stops, putting his arm around her. "I think he will....if he doesn't he's no better then me.." Rogue laughs and buries her face against his shoulder, forgetting for a moment that they were in the middle of town, late at night, after a night spent searching for an eighteen-year-old mutant. In her mind they were just two people sharing a moment, a moment that hadn't happened for four years. "You're not as bad as you or anyone else thinks, Logan,"she whisphers, not moving her head from his shoulder,"I know now why you abandoned me...us...everything. You needed to, but I need you now and you're here." Logan tightens his arms around her, instinctivly. I need you, too, Marie. More then you know....
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Will Landon ever return to the X-men or is he no better then Logan? What's going on with Scott and Jean? Any idea who the mysterious woman is? If you don't know now you will have to face the horror of my stopping the updates.....THE HORROR.