We don't own anything, if we did we'd be rolling in money and making film
rather than fiction, but work with us. It's based one month after the
events of the movie, with a combo of evo and movie characters.
In the fading daylight a passenger helicopter disturbs the serenity of the surrounding landscape, as it lands briefly to allow a single girl to disembark. She clears the rotating propellers and waves to it as it takes off and leaves her in this all to familiar landscape.
She turns down the road with her floor length white coat whipping around her in the remaining breeze, and walks slowly towards a large old mansion in the distance, once this place was her home. She can make out the edges of the gardens, trimmed to their usual perfection, the trees she once played amongst, all so familiar. The sign next to the large gates reading, 'The Xavier Institute for Youngsters'.
Portia stood with her back to the fading sunlight as she inspected the house that had once held all of her happiest memories, for two long years it had stood for everything she had come to resent, loath and hate. But that was the past, the death of Jean Grey in her absence had taught her that. She would never see her again her beloved childhood mentor, the sweet Jean, one of the many people she had run away from.
She knew what she needed to do.
She leant down and retrieved her suitcase and shoulder bag and began to walk towards the house. She was slightly above average height, about 5'8, with a perfectly sculptured body and ethereally beautiful face that was often described as breath taking, with her waist length thick blonde hair and ice-blue eyes she was desired by most, held in awe by all. Her white linen suit beneath her coat giving her an air of authority. She passes through the gates of the school a smile played across her lips and she pauses in the middle of the road.
"I wonder", she muses to herself as she focuses her mind and allows it to wash over the school telepathically. She located her beloved childhood mentors Ororo Munroe and Scott Summers. She found her best friend in the entire world, Sable O'Connor, and then she found the one she was looking for. He was in his office. She would find him in her own time. She withdrew before she was sensed and opened her eyes.
She let out a reminiscent sigh and began to wander aimlessly across the grounds. "I miss this place, " she admitted to herself as she sat down on a bench below her favourite tree. She tries to hold the memories at bay but they come rushing in, she is a toddler, taking her first steps. She is playing in the leaves as a young child. She closes her eyes and remembers curling up on her fathers lap under this tree, reading books and talking. She is on the verge of her teen years, swinging on the swing, talking to her mom about boys, and then she is a teen, sharing her first kiss right there. She is sixteen cursing god, her father and herself for taking her mother away. She opens her eyes to take away the images but they are still there. She sighs.
"Who are you?" came a voice from behind Portia, startling her.
She turns around to confront the new voice, only to discover it was in fact two girls, one was about her age and Asian in appearance, the other a young girl with flaming red hair.
"Excuse me?" she replied, for loss of what else to say. In her plan she didn't encounter anyone until she was actually inside the mansion and it was too late to stop her.
"Tell me who you are, and why you're here or I'll call the headmaster," threatened the older girl, and without thinking Portia replied jokingly "That would probably save me the time of hunting him down myself".
Only once the words had left her mind did she realise how damning they were. No one threatened the precious headmaster around here and got away with it, no matter if it was joking. The older girl pushed the younger one behind her and advanced on Portia.
"Don't be foolish, I don't want to hurt you," she threatened, but it made no difference. The younger girl began to scream, but it was no ordinary scream. Pain rippled through Portia's mind. She had difficulty clearing it enough to raise a hand and throw a twin stream of bioelectrical energy, somewhat similar to lightning at both girls, shocking them into unconsciousness. As both girls fell, Portia held her head. This was not going to plan at all. If that girl's power had any range at all, they would know she was here now, she had lost the element of surprise.
She looked down at her hand, electrical currents still snaking around her fingers, tingling her skin. This power was new to her, having manifested as a corporeal form of her advanced telepathy mingling with her other power, the one she had inherited from her mother, Eokinesis - the control of ice.
Portia was still pondering what to do about this situation when she noticed three people coming across the lawns towards her. She very quickly took account of them, watching them as they approached, her training telling her they weren't her to chat, it was in the way they walked, and, she had to admit, it might have something to do with the unconscious bodies at her feet. She noticed the possessiveness of the taller guy, the one with the dark blonde hair and blue eyes over the girl. She saw the other guy pull out a lighter and flick at the lid, and as such she figured out what to do just as they approached her powers range. She raised a hand and using telepathy she screamed mentally, creating a vortex of pain exclusively in the girls head. It had the desired effect, both boys ran to the girl, before the older on turned on her, realising who was causing her pain and advancing on Portia.
Portia was about to attack when a thought that had been niggling in the back of her mind came clear and it occurred to her, she knew this guy! She remembered Bobby Drake from years ago; he was a lot taller and angrier but it was he!
Because Portia was distracted by her revelation she was unable to prepare correctly for the attack, when he threw a hurting ball of ice energies at her chest, she was only able to absorb it. Still, with him thinking he hurt her she had enough time to create a massive ball of ice energies half his and half hers to throw back at him, like a wall of ice. It smashed around him, as he took control of it with his ice powers but it gave Portia a window of time to focus on the other guy. With a single flick of his lighter he was holding a massive ball of fire. "If you want to play serious" she said and threw two balls of energy in fast concession at him, the first equalising his flame the second freezing him, encasing him in an icy tomb.
She turned away from him a moment too late to as she saw Bobby right in front of her. She lost her control through fear and sent an enormous stream of lighting into his chest, throwing him up, back and away from her, slamming into a tree, unconscious. Portia saw that the other guy was free and that the girl had reached bobby's side before she calmly walked over retrieved her suitcase and walked once more over the grounds. They came rushing over the grounds, as she knew they would. Storm, Scott and an unknown hairy guy she didn't recognise. As they approached she ranted under her breath, "What are the odds I get blamed for this, as usual. Who cares that they attacked first, No, it had to have been Portia."
Then she saw Scott's face close up for the first time since she had arrived and it was as though all her hopes of Jeans death being a hoax were crushed into dust. He was mourning. It was over.
In her desperation she turned to him and with tears blurring her vision begged, "Tell me it's not true, Scott, tell me they are all lying. Tell me she's alive. TELL ME" she screamed at him.
Scott was lost for words. He tried to reach out for Portia but she shrugged him off, dropped her suitcase and ran. She ran as though there was evil at her heels, she took the all to familiar path to the office on the fourth floor. She slammed the door shut when she arrived, only slightly before the others, and sealed it shut with ice. She knew it wouldn't hold them off, but it would give her time. She knew the man seated behind the desk would keep them away. She knew him. She knew Charles Xavier.
She paused before turning around gracefully to add, "Oh, Hello Daddy."
The people in her class were rude enough to have spent the whole time Miss Munroe was out of the room chatting, distracting Sable O'Connor from the game of Pokemon Sapphire she was totally absorbed in on her Game boy Advance. She was curious as to the whereabouts of Ororo, because never to Sables knowledge had she ever left her class unattended to before.
'Oh well', she mumbled to herself in her soft Irish voice, 'it was probably just Theresa screaming'.
It was then that Ororo rushed back into the classroom. Sable stealthily hid the game boy under her desk, as she knew she was not allowed to play it during class, she was well acquainted with this rule as she was constantly being reminded that she was breaking it.
Ororo addressed the class, "You are allowed the rest of the day to study for the upcoming exams, although you are all restricted to the upstairs common rooms or bedrooms, am I understood?"
When everyone had nodded Ororo hastily left the classroom. Sable let out a silent 'yessss' and packed her stuff to go upstairs. She caught sight of Ororo as she left the classroom, at the end of the hall. With practised ease Sable slipped through the crowd and followed Ororo muttering under her breath "I am sneaky, very, very sneaky." It was only when she had reached her destination did she realise she was being led to the Medical Room. Sable slipped though the door just in time to see Ororo disappear into the office of the nurse on the opposite wall.
She took a look for the first time at the disgruntled group in the beds in front of her. John Allerdyce sat shivering as the nurse heaped blankets on top of him, fumingly angry by the looks of him, and sneezing quite a lot. Rogue was in bed with a cold compress on her forehead and her eyes closed as if in pain, wincing at loud noises, and Theresa and Jubilee were in beds at the far end, seemingly unconscious.
Sable walked over to Bobby, as he seemed to be the only one who was in the mood, or for that case even able to talk to her. He was lying in between John and Rogue, who's gloved hand he was holding as the nurse addressed the deep bruising formulating on his bare chest.
"What happened?" she asked gently when Bobby attempted to smile at her.
The smile disappeared from his face and he said simply, "she's back".
"Who?"
"Portia."
Sable suddenly flashed back to four years ago when she had first met Portia Xavier. Sable was a scared runaway, no possessions to her named being offered no other option but to trust the tall white haired lady who took her away from her home in Ireland to come live in America. Dressed in clothes not her own and resenting it as such Sable had been taken into a classroom full of kids her own age.
"This is our new student Sable O'Connor, would someone like to show her the ropes?" Sable was sure no one would want to show around the freak with wings, so she turned to walk out and show herself around.
"I will Ororo." came the feminine reply still fresh in her mind. It was as simple as that. Portia Xavier had shown her around the school, talking to no end and introducing her to everyone, as though she was an equal, something she hadn't felt she had been in a very long time. It had taken her a while to learn her way around the school, but every time she was lost, Portia seemed to magically just be there, gently pushing her in the right direction.
The two were soon inseparable best friends. Sable got along well with Portia's mother too, Emma Frost, the Ice Queen, who treated Sable as though she was just another daughter.
"Are you Sure, really sure?" She asked Bobby, needing the answer more than anything else.
"She hit me with that fast ice energy of hers, I got hit by enough of them when we used to train together to recognise her energy patterns anywhere. Her powers have advanced though, " he said as he gestured to his chest, "She's got some wicked oomph"
"What happened to the others though, surely she didn't take you all on?"
"Yeah, John got frozen, bad combination fire and ice." John obliged the story with a sneeze and a loud moan, "And she hit Rogue with that little trick of hers, but id say it advanced a lot too." Disregarding the pain of flexing his chest he reached down to kiss Rogues gloved hand.
Sable sucked in a breath and winced in sympathy pain, she had been on the receiving end of one of Portia's telepathic screams. She was glad, guiltily, that she wasn't in Rogues shoes, but it was Bobby's next comment that shocked Portia.
"And poor Theresa and Jubilee, they got electrocuted"
Sable's brow furrowed as she said, "what the hell do you mean electr."
"Sable O'Connor, didn't I say that you were to be in the upstairs common room and NO WHERE ELSE!!!" Ororo stood just inside the nurse's office door.
"Um, yes miss." Sable mumbled, as she scooped up her dropped bag and rushed for the exit.
As she entered the upstairs common rooms Sable looked around and spotted Kurt unfolding himself from the cushy armchair he had been sitting in reading a book.
"Where were you?" he demanded in his thick German accent, "I've been worried sick about you, but do you care, no you just."
Sable shut him up by primly answering, "I was down in the med room."
"WHAT!" Kurt grabbed Sables arm and immediately began searching for nicks or imperfections," What did you do to yourself this time?"
"I'm fine, but five other students aren't" Sable said yanking her arm back to herself.
"What happened?"
"Well, lets just say an old student. came back."
"Who?"
Sable smiled to herself, "Her name is Portia."
"And when did this, Portia, go to the School?" Kurt asked with obvious interest.
"When we were best friends." Sable commented. Kurt could see that she was lost deep in thoughts . "Tell me", he urged gently, "its not like we've go anything else of more importance to attend to."
Sable took a deep breath and began to tell the story she hadn't told to anyone in the longest time. "I was born in Ireland, as is pretty obvious from the cooky accent. When I was five I was in a train accident with my mum and dad. There was the horrible sound of metal on metal and then I was alone. I was one of only four survivors of the wreck." Sable stopped and slowly clarified, "My parents weren't."
"I woke up in hospital with nurses surrounding me, looking down at me like something pitiful. I hated them for that pity, because in my heart I already knew what had happened. I had no family to take me, only grandma and grandpa, my mother's parents, but they were much too old to take me, they were already living in a home. I was sent to an orphanage.
"Branded as a weirdo and treated like a freak I was a magnet for the bullies and teasers. Then one day, when I was 13, they were being particularly heinous and I changed for the first time. It was like fire in my back, and then I stood there, with wings and fire coming out of my hands. I lost concentration and turned back almost immediately but it was too late. The teachers and kids all screamed and I ran. I ran for days until I was in an unknown city, somewhere where no one knew what I had become. After that I lived on the streets. I had to become almost nocturnal to avoid people, and was stealing my food from bins when the Professor sent Ororo and Scott to find me. When they offered me the choice of going to school and having a home or staying where I was I took the chance. I thought I knew it wouldn't turn out so at least I would get a free ride to America.
"Anyway," sable laughed at her assumption "When I got here with them it was like my dreams were coming true, a home, with people like me. But I didn't think they would accept me. I was very negative", she added with a small laugh. "Ororo took me to a classroom and asked if anyone would show me around, and I though no one would, me having dirty great wings and all. But one girl said she would. She didn't even ask me about my wings. She was my best friend from that day on. We were like Siamese twins. She was Portia Xavier."
Kurt gasped as he heard the alien yet oddly familiar combination of the name, " The Prof. has a daughter?"
"Yeah would you believe it? His wife was Emma. She treated me like a daughter. I was so happy for two whole years, I had the family I had always craved and I fit in. Then when I was 16 there was an accident in one of the labs where Emma was teaching and she died. I was in the classroom and I went a little nuts when I found her body and I lost control. I became something I never want to be again. The third stage of mutation is scary, and I can't control it. I become the dragon, in essence a killing machine."
Kurt looked as though someone had hit him in the stomach. "But I've never seen these wings you speak about, how could you become something so. dark?"
"Some things are better left alone." Sable continued, "I didn't actually hurt anyone, I was stopped before then, but no one knew how to push back the draconic psyche and find me again. I've never used my mutation past first level because I'm scared if I ever changed again no one would be able to find me. Portia came back then. She screamed into my head at such intensity that she almost killed me, but it pushed back the dragon. She saved me." Sable smiled to herself. "And now she's back."
Kurt was rapidly trying to process what he was hearing. His friend. was a killing machine? The Prof had a wife and daughter? Sable had wings?!?. He looked at her small Oval face, her emerald eyes and short black hair. "So this Portia, she must have strong powers to have done this, and now she has put five people in the hospital wing. But you said she has come back, from where?"
Sable's smile faded and she seemed hesitant to continue. "Portia found out while she was in my head that the explosion causing her mothers death wasn't so much an unavoidable accident as her father had told her, but rather some guys in the class being stupid. She got so angry, she blamed the students, blamed the school, and she blamed everyone. Especially herself. She thought that if she had just been there she could have combined her ice powers with her mothers and she could have saved Emma. She left. We never knew where she went, or even if she was okay."
When it became obvious that was all Sable was going to say, Kurt gently pulled her to her feet. "I think we need to do something highly naughty and extremely risky to occupy your mind."
Sable grinned, her infectious Irish giggle rising in her throat. "Your mission should you choose to accept it is to get all the way downstairs and into the med room. You're not to be seen, or caught by a teacher. No teleporting. You must use every little sneaky trick you have."
"See you there" he yelled as he headed for the stairs. He bumped into Ororo on the top one. "Oh, hello professor, why look these are the stairs going down stairs, not. the door to. my room?" Kurt put in lamely.
Sable was laughing so hard she had to sit down. Ororo raised an eyebrow and calmly announced that students were once again allowed downstairs, and that lucky for them, classes were able to continue after lunch, all except Xavier's advanced Maths and Physics classes.
Sable stopped laughing quickly. Damn, she wished she were in advanced classes. Damn.
One good thing, she knew Portia must be speaking to her father, at least she knew she hadn't left again.
"Portia, I've been expecting you" Professor Charles Xavier said most calmly, although his mind raced at a thousand thoughts a minute. Was his daughter finally returning to him? Why did she choose to return, when last time he had seem her she had sworn she would rather die than set foot in this place. He didn't even know how long he had to ask these questions.
"Expecting me? For how long?" Portia asked quietly, but Charles instantly recognised it as a loaded question. She was too poised, too unemotional, what was going on in her mind?
"I've always expected you, even if at times it seemed to be nothing but desperate hope."
"You knew I had arrived then?"
"No, I didn't sense you, I still cant, rather I was alerted to your presence by Theresa's screams."
Portia walked around the outer perimeter of her father's office. This was not going well. She had to remain unattached from this situation. 'Remember the others, I'm their Ice Princess. I'm missing them already' She knew she wasn't convincing herself. Portia fingered the books in the shelves. There was an awkward silence when neither knew what to say. Portia thought of Jean and suddenly the grief washed over her. In the month since Jeans death she had refused to think of it, refused to accept it, now she had to believe. "Was, was she in pain when she... when she." Portia chocked out.
Charles went to his daughter and simply held out his arms, unsure wether she would accept his comfort.
"I'm sorry I stayed away so long. I should have been here." She stumbled to him and curled up in his lap the same way she always had when she was growing, and he stroked her hair.
"Jean was at peace" was all Xavier had to say, opening a floodgate in Portia. She cried until there were no tears left, finally falling asleep from emotional exhaustion. Charles held the sleeping form of his daughter and for the first time in two years he felt at peace. Her head leant on his shoulder; he looked intently down at her sleeping face. Even in her sleep, he could not break through the barriers she had built up around her mind.
She was so beautiful, the image of her mother. He allowed himself one more moment of peace before reaching out to contact Ororo and Scott, asking them to take the dust covers off the furniture in Portia's Room and see to the making of her bed. He asked Scott to come in, as he was still waiting outside the office. He silently came in and lifted the form of the girl from Charles arms, taking her out of the office and up the stairs.
Irrationality Charles felt as though he was loosing her again. His reluctance to let her out of his sight didn't surprise him, although he knew he would have more moments with Portia. She had returned.
Portia opened her eyes and was for a moment taken back in time. Morning sunshine came streaming into the room from the east and she looked up to see the transparent lace netting above her bed was drawn back behind the bed head. She knew where she was; this was her bedroom. Her parents had had this part of the manor converted into a sort of home when the news that Portia was to be born came. The high ceiling bedroom was white with sky blue edgings and furniture. She slowly swung her feet to the floor and tested her feet in the thick carpet, moving slowly over too her dresser. Set between two enormous arched windows, one with a glass door leading onto a small balcony. Reaching out a hand, Portia trailed it down the gauzy curtains, down the side of the intricate mirror. She trailed it across the glass jars of perfumes and cosmetics resting on the dressers top, across the crystal jewellery box she had gotten for her sixteenth birthday from Jean and Scott. She grinned as she picked up Mr. Bunnysworth the powder blue bunny she had been so attached to as a child.
She placed him down and slowly walked over to her closet and flung open the door. All of her clothing hung inside, including the things she had brought with her. She discovered to her great joy, as she opened her drawers and doors that her room was exactly as she had left it. Portia wriggled out of her crumpled suit and dragged out some clean clothing to change into. She took out one of her favourite dresses (knee length and white), some underwear and moved into the bathroom.
All in powder blue and white marble, she removed the last of her clothes and stepped under the luxurious spray of the shower, she instinctively reached out to where she always kept her favourite body wash and was delighted to find it was still there. She got out, dried herself with a fluffy towel and put on the tight, long-sleeved dress. She put on some moisturiser and lip-gloss, and walked out into her room with her hair thrown into a bun till she could dry it and shoved her feet into some strappy heels.
Portia was sitting on the side of her bed doing so when light glinting off glass caught her eye. There were four pictures hanging on the wall. There was one of her in a talent quest, with the 2nd place sash hanging from the frame, one of her with her parents on their special beach when she was fifteen. One was of a five-year-old version herself, a tiny little thing, posing with her 'big brothers and sisters'. She had tucked mementos into the frame over the years. A dried rose, symbolic of Ororo. A playing card, the ace of hearts, had been a gift from Remy. There was a page from Hans Christian Andersen's, 'The little Mermaid', a memory of Hank, rolled and tied with a ribbon and a seashell she had found with Scott. Lastly a silver and diamante musical note, emblematic of the beauty of Jean Grey.
Her gaze fell on the last photo, it was of her and Sable O'Connor. She had to find her.
She ran to the door and whipped it open to find herself staring up at the familiar smiling face of Bobby. She gasped then caught her chest with a giggle. "Hey Bobby", she smiled.
"I didn't know whether you remembered me or not," bobby smiled back at her, "I know I didn't recognise you yesterday, well at first."
"Umm, yeah about that, I uh, well you see. sorry, I didn't hurt you did I?"
"Nah, I just got a little bruise, there was some headaches and I mighty cold."
"Ah, the fire guy. Thought it might slow him down for a while. I assume he survived?"
Bobby smiled a cheeky sort of little smile. "John was on his way to maths last time I saw him, ranting and raving about the 'evil ice bitch', sneezing like mad, so yeah, I guess he will live."
One of Portia's eyebrows rose. "He called me what now?"
Bobby just laughed and said "Never mind, look, I've got to go to Maths or Ororo will have my hide."
Portia released her hair and grabbed the ends, freezing the water particles on the surface and shaking them free, leaving her with almost dry hair. Grabbing a pair of silver sunglasses she slipped them on and followed Bobby down the hall. "Do you know where I can find daddy or Sable?"
"Prof is in the dining hall until next period, enjoying the sunshine, and Sable is in class. She's in room 2a this period, speaking of which, I've got to get to class before Ororo kills me. Can I walk you downstairs?"
A few minutes later Portia walked into the dining hall and found her father sitting in the sunshine on the far side of the hall. She slowly walked over and stood before him. "Dad, just need to say. I was gone, but now I'm back. If you ask me where I've been, ill have to leave. The past is the past. Lets remember the now."
Charles looked up at his daughter. He still could not reach into her mind, which perplexed him; the only other person to ever deny him access was Eric Lehnsherr with his helmet. So many questions raced to the tip of his tongue, but he knew not to push her for the answers now, she was after all his daughter, he knew her need for personal privacy all to well. She looked so much like her mother; she was so beautiful, his heart swelled with pride.
He gestured to the chair opposite his own and lifted the silver teapot, "Tea Darling?"
Portia smiled and sat to join her father in breakfast. Any outsider to witness the two would simply see a father and his child enjoying a moment together in the morning sunshine.
Sable was yet again focused entirely on her game boy. Since yesterday it had in a way become her lifeline, the one thing keeping her from tearing the house to pieces searching for Portia. When they were young Sable and Portia had been so close that Portia had taught Sable how to project her thoughts loud enough for Portia to hear her. They had held fantastic conversations in their minds, with no one to tell them to be quiet or to listen more in class.
On more than one occasion in class Sable had started to laugh hysterically for what seemed to be no particular reason. Usually Portia, being honest, would eventually admit to have told her a joke or having made her see dancing Leprechauns.
Sable had stayed up all night trying to reach Portia, but she was still alone. And in Maths of all the hellish places to be. Maths was the root of all evil.
"Sable I have warned you about this before!" Ororo's voice sliced through her thoughts.
Sable sat there and tried in vain to look as innocent as possible while she slipped her game boy into her pencil case, she'd just play it when Ororo was busy again, she was after all Miss Sneaky.
Luckily at this moment Bobby Drake entered the classroom. "Bobby Drake why are you late?" She asked.
"Showing someone where to find her father" Bobby said with a knowing smile.
Ororo smiled, nodded her head and softly said, "Thankyou. Take your seat."
Sable just stared with her mouth open and when Bobby took the seat and Ororo continued with the class. First off, he got away with something that would have gotten her detention for a year, missing half a lesson; secondly, he had SEEN PORTIA!
When Bobby took his seat next to Rogue, directly behind Sable who was next to john. She immediately scribbled a note to him 'How could you go see her without me! I could have come! Where is she! What the hell is going on!''
When Bobby got the note Sable heard him chuckle and he wrote back, 'What shall I answer first?'
Sable grinned and wrote back furiously, 'Answer them all before I tell Ororo your distracting me writing notes!'
As she passed the note back to Bobby she got a note from John saying 'She's the evil ice bitch isn't she?' with an arrow pointing in the general direction of the door where a resounding knock echoed through the room.
And there stood Portia. Sable did a double take when she saw her. She remembered her as a shortish, curvy girl with short curly blonde hair and an infectious smile. The girl before her was tall, with long straight blonde hair, which was pulled back at the nape of her neck. She was wearing white, which gave her serene smile an ethereal air.
Ororo walked over and spoke quietly to Portia who in turn gave her a hug and asked loudly "Ororo may I please borrow Sable for. the day"
Ororo grinned and said "Of course"
Sable had her things packed lightning fast and ran for the door. The minute she cleared the door and it closed behind her, Sable launched herself at Portia, oblivious to the books and papers flying everywhere.
"You don't call, you don't write" She rambled, trying really hard not to cry, "And damn it you bitch, your taller than me!"
Portia smiled, suppressing a giggle and let go of her friend, she raised her eyebrows and stated blandly, "Its not very hard to be taller than you, you only, what 5'4?"
"5'5" conceded Sable grinning, suddenly the grin disappeared, "Portia, you've been gone so long, and we all missed you so much. Are you home?" She asked warily. Sable didn't think she could handle loosing Portia again now, after she had only just returned.
Portia saw the look of pain flicker across Sables face. Home. Portia had a new home, a place where she would have to return. She suddenly thought maybe it would have been better if she had never returned, hurting Sable was the last thing she ever wanted to do. "I'm here now" was all she said, smiling down on her friend.
"Yay!" Sable grinned, reminding Portia of just how Irish she was, "c'mon girlie, we've got some catching up to do!"
Five minutes later found the two girls strolling around the grounds together, Sable rambling at the speed of light, filling Portia in on all the gossip of the last two years. They stopped and sat under the very tree that Portia had encountered her 'welcoming party' yesterday. Movement from on of the windows in the manor caught Portia's attention and she looked up to see Bobby and Rogue standing in front of the window, Bobby waving enthusiastically. Rogue didn't look too enthused at all. Portia decided to do some damage control. She turned to Sable and gestured up to the window and Sable felt the all to familiar sensation run down her back, Portia was bringing her into a mind conversation.
*Rogue, Please don't freak out, this is Portia, I'm sorry about yesterday, I was unprepared and my training took over, I didn't mean to hurt you. * Portia smiled in the direction of the window.
Rogues hesitant voice responded *Uh, Hello? Can you hear me? Its okay, no harm done, hello? *
Sables voice responded *Rogue, just think loud, and we can hear it ok? *
Rogues voice again, but this time louder and more distinct said *Oh, this is just too cool! Bobby can hear me too! This is the neatest trick Portia! * Rogue was grinning now, and Portia was glad to have had made friends with the girl. She seemed nice, genuine.
*Well, thanks for forgiving me so readily, but I'm going to grovel some more just to prove my point! * Portia added with a laugh.
*And I'm going to let you! * Rogue laughed as Portia cut off the link.
A tinkling of a bell in the far off distance caused Sable to suddenly jump up and squeal, "Lunch time, come on then, I got to show you off."
Portia rose slowly. She was unsure about making acquaintances. It would just mean hurting new people when she left. She looked up at Sable. "Cant we just grab some food and eat out here in the sunshine?" She asked hopefully.
Sable's smile dropped, and her bottom lip jutted out. "But I wanted to introduce you to my gang!"
Portia couldn't help it; she began to laugh gleefully and loudly. "Your in a gang? Where, in the Westside, yo' my homie?"
Sable tried her darnedest but she too could not resist laughing. She pretended to pout, "What else am I supposed to call them?"
Portia straightened and said in a calm manner, "What about 'group', or 'friends'?"
Sable thought for a second and had to concede, "well fine then."
The two began to walk towards the schools main building. Anyone to see them would have been struck by their contrasts. Portia, tall and pale, Sable, so petite with her unique darkness.
Portia continued the conversation. "So, has there been anyone special since I left?"
Sable blushed to her very roots and said in a very husky voice, "No, of course not, no, why?"
Portia divined a name from Sables mind. Oh! She liked him! "So who's this Kurt then hmm?"
Sable only got redder. "He's a friend."
Portia gasped, "OH MY GOSH! He's blooming' blue!!!"
Sable muttered under her breath in annoyance the whole way to the dining room, "Damn telepath."
When the two eventually entered the dining hall, though Sables grumpiness dissipated and she began to grin infectiously once more. She gestured to table at the far side of the room where sunshine was pouring in on a group of people who were laughing at something a Bobby had said. To Bobby's right Rogue was sitting and beside her was Jubilation Lee, or Jubilee. She was an eccentric Asian American, with Almond shaped eyes and long black hair. On Bobby's other side sat a giggling John Allerdyce, Sable knew him to be a cocky one, at the best of times, with a huge ego. A month back, after the thing at Alkali Lake, John had gone missing for a few days, and when he came back he didn't tell the group where he had been. Next to John was Kurt.
Sable blushed a beetroot colour and made a beeline for the available seat next to Kurt's. She wanted that seat and she would have it dammit! She eased into the chair and tasted sweet victory and success. "Hey Kurt what you doing?"
Portia stood rooted to the spot. 'Oh crap, its half the people I fought yesterday.' She looked desperately around for some sort of escape route, and spotting her Father sitting with the hairy guy from yesterday, she began to walk hastily towards them. Suddenly, out of nowhere she heard a thickly accented "Portia?" and strong arms lifted her up and swung her around in the air.
Sable heard the call just as she began to notice that Portia was absent from the table. She had assumed Portia would just follow her to the table, but was shocked to spot Portia being swung around in the air and then ferociously hugging the most revered senior in the school. Poiter Rasputin.
Portia threw her arms around Poiter's neck and gave a half chocked little giggle when he hugged her back. The two immediately broke into a rapid intensive conversation, in Russian. Sable approached the pair very cautiously. "Um, hello? Portia, are you going to be eatin' today?"
Portia turned and laughed at this. She could see why Poiter had always been more comfortable in the company of adults and very close friends. His Sheer size, at just over seven foot, and his aura of self control and power and his 'man of Steel' Mutation meant that most people were intimidated by him, or tried to impress him. Portia knew a different Poiter. He was kind. Sweet, with a huge heart and a fierce loyalty and protectiveness. He was a nice guy.
She gave Poiter one last hug and told him to come have lunch with her when he got a chance, then followed Sable to her table to meet the 'Gang'. She approached cautiously and said in a small voice, "Uh.hi.uh. yeah."
"Hey, I'm Jubilee, nice to meet ya!" came the exuberant reply from the black haired girl sitting next to rogue. She moved up a chair and pulled Portia down between Rogue and herself. "Im told you've already chatted to Rogue, and you know Sable and Bobster. The guy over there sulking is John, he's got an ego and you dented it and that's Kurt, the only one you've never seen before"
"Oh he's the on that Sable OUCH!" Portia received a swift kick from Sable under the table.
*Hey bitch! I was just going to say 'that's the one Sable told me about' *
Sable blushed again under her black bangs and concentrated on her salad and chicken.
*Although he is rather cute when he's all human like, hang on, he's got a tail?!? This just gets better and better! *
*I think the tail is cute! *
*You would! I mean, imagine all the kinky things he could do with that thing? *
Sable choked and had to get Kurt to pass her the water. She was only just able to breath when Kurt asked her "Sable what's wrong?"
"Ummm. Cramp?"
Sable and Portia looked at one another, grinning. Sable was still uneasy, but now she had Portia back, things were going to be great!
Portia looked at Sable, she loved her, and hurting her when she left in two weeks would be hell.
Hey everyone! This is our first fic together and it's a combo of the Xmen movie and Cartoon. Just work with it, you'll pick up on who's from where as we go along, if you have trouble sorting it out, go to our author page, we lay it all out there. Brotherhood coming soon, but look out for the next chapter.
In the fading daylight a passenger helicopter disturbs the serenity of the surrounding landscape, as it lands briefly to allow a single girl to disembark. She clears the rotating propellers and waves to it as it takes off and leaves her in this all to familiar landscape.
She turns down the road with her floor length white coat whipping around her in the remaining breeze, and walks slowly towards a large old mansion in the distance, once this place was her home. She can make out the edges of the gardens, trimmed to their usual perfection, the trees she once played amongst, all so familiar. The sign next to the large gates reading, 'The Xavier Institute for Youngsters'.
Portia stood with her back to the fading sunlight as she inspected the house that had once held all of her happiest memories, for two long years it had stood for everything she had come to resent, loath and hate. But that was the past, the death of Jean Grey in her absence had taught her that. She would never see her again her beloved childhood mentor, the sweet Jean, one of the many people she had run away from.
She knew what she needed to do.
She leant down and retrieved her suitcase and shoulder bag and began to walk towards the house. She was slightly above average height, about 5'8, with a perfectly sculptured body and ethereally beautiful face that was often described as breath taking, with her waist length thick blonde hair and ice-blue eyes she was desired by most, held in awe by all. Her white linen suit beneath her coat giving her an air of authority. She passes through the gates of the school a smile played across her lips and she pauses in the middle of the road.
"I wonder", she muses to herself as she focuses her mind and allows it to wash over the school telepathically. She located her beloved childhood mentors Ororo Munroe and Scott Summers. She found her best friend in the entire world, Sable O'Connor, and then she found the one she was looking for. He was in his office. She would find him in her own time. She withdrew before she was sensed and opened her eyes.
She let out a reminiscent sigh and began to wander aimlessly across the grounds. "I miss this place, " she admitted to herself as she sat down on a bench below her favourite tree. She tries to hold the memories at bay but they come rushing in, she is a toddler, taking her first steps. She is playing in the leaves as a young child. She closes her eyes and remembers curling up on her fathers lap under this tree, reading books and talking. She is on the verge of her teen years, swinging on the swing, talking to her mom about boys, and then she is a teen, sharing her first kiss right there. She is sixteen cursing god, her father and herself for taking her mother away. She opens her eyes to take away the images but they are still there. She sighs.
"Who are you?" came a voice from behind Portia, startling her.
She turns around to confront the new voice, only to discover it was in fact two girls, one was about her age and Asian in appearance, the other a young girl with flaming red hair.
"Excuse me?" she replied, for loss of what else to say. In her plan she didn't encounter anyone until she was actually inside the mansion and it was too late to stop her.
"Tell me who you are, and why you're here or I'll call the headmaster," threatened the older girl, and without thinking Portia replied jokingly "That would probably save me the time of hunting him down myself".
Only once the words had left her mind did she realise how damning they were. No one threatened the precious headmaster around here and got away with it, no matter if it was joking. The older girl pushed the younger one behind her and advanced on Portia.
"Don't be foolish, I don't want to hurt you," she threatened, but it made no difference. The younger girl began to scream, but it was no ordinary scream. Pain rippled through Portia's mind. She had difficulty clearing it enough to raise a hand and throw a twin stream of bioelectrical energy, somewhat similar to lightning at both girls, shocking them into unconsciousness. As both girls fell, Portia held her head. This was not going to plan at all. If that girl's power had any range at all, they would know she was here now, she had lost the element of surprise.
She looked down at her hand, electrical currents still snaking around her fingers, tingling her skin. This power was new to her, having manifested as a corporeal form of her advanced telepathy mingling with her other power, the one she had inherited from her mother, Eokinesis - the control of ice.
Portia was still pondering what to do about this situation when she noticed three people coming across the lawns towards her. She very quickly took account of them, watching them as they approached, her training telling her they weren't her to chat, it was in the way they walked, and, she had to admit, it might have something to do with the unconscious bodies at her feet. She noticed the possessiveness of the taller guy, the one with the dark blonde hair and blue eyes over the girl. She saw the other guy pull out a lighter and flick at the lid, and as such she figured out what to do just as they approached her powers range. She raised a hand and using telepathy she screamed mentally, creating a vortex of pain exclusively in the girls head. It had the desired effect, both boys ran to the girl, before the older on turned on her, realising who was causing her pain and advancing on Portia.
Portia was about to attack when a thought that had been niggling in the back of her mind came clear and it occurred to her, she knew this guy! She remembered Bobby Drake from years ago; he was a lot taller and angrier but it was he!
Because Portia was distracted by her revelation she was unable to prepare correctly for the attack, when he threw a hurting ball of ice energies at her chest, she was only able to absorb it. Still, with him thinking he hurt her she had enough time to create a massive ball of ice energies half his and half hers to throw back at him, like a wall of ice. It smashed around him, as he took control of it with his ice powers but it gave Portia a window of time to focus on the other guy. With a single flick of his lighter he was holding a massive ball of fire. "If you want to play serious" she said and threw two balls of energy in fast concession at him, the first equalising his flame the second freezing him, encasing him in an icy tomb.
She turned away from him a moment too late to as she saw Bobby right in front of her. She lost her control through fear and sent an enormous stream of lighting into his chest, throwing him up, back and away from her, slamming into a tree, unconscious. Portia saw that the other guy was free and that the girl had reached bobby's side before she calmly walked over retrieved her suitcase and walked once more over the grounds. They came rushing over the grounds, as she knew they would. Storm, Scott and an unknown hairy guy she didn't recognise. As they approached she ranted under her breath, "What are the odds I get blamed for this, as usual. Who cares that they attacked first, No, it had to have been Portia."
Then she saw Scott's face close up for the first time since she had arrived and it was as though all her hopes of Jeans death being a hoax were crushed into dust. He was mourning. It was over.
In her desperation she turned to him and with tears blurring her vision begged, "Tell me it's not true, Scott, tell me they are all lying. Tell me she's alive. TELL ME" she screamed at him.
Scott was lost for words. He tried to reach out for Portia but she shrugged him off, dropped her suitcase and ran. She ran as though there was evil at her heels, she took the all to familiar path to the office on the fourth floor. She slammed the door shut when she arrived, only slightly before the others, and sealed it shut with ice. She knew it wouldn't hold them off, but it would give her time. She knew the man seated behind the desk would keep them away. She knew him. She knew Charles Xavier.
She paused before turning around gracefully to add, "Oh, Hello Daddy."
The people in her class were rude enough to have spent the whole time Miss Munroe was out of the room chatting, distracting Sable O'Connor from the game of Pokemon Sapphire she was totally absorbed in on her Game boy Advance. She was curious as to the whereabouts of Ororo, because never to Sables knowledge had she ever left her class unattended to before.
'Oh well', she mumbled to herself in her soft Irish voice, 'it was probably just Theresa screaming'.
It was then that Ororo rushed back into the classroom. Sable stealthily hid the game boy under her desk, as she knew she was not allowed to play it during class, she was well acquainted with this rule as she was constantly being reminded that she was breaking it.
Ororo addressed the class, "You are allowed the rest of the day to study for the upcoming exams, although you are all restricted to the upstairs common rooms or bedrooms, am I understood?"
When everyone had nodded Ororo hastily left the classroom. Sable let out a silent 'yessss' and packed her stuff to go upstairs. She caught sight of Ororo as she left the classroom, at the end of the hall. With practised ease Sable slipped through the crowd and followed Ororo muttering under her breath "I am sneaky, very, very sneaky." It was only when she had reached her destination did she realise she was being led to the Medical Room. Sable slipped though the door just in time to see Ororo disappear into the office of the nurse on the opposite wall.
She took a look for the first time at the disgruntled group in the beds in front of her. John Allerdyce sat shivering as the nurse heaped blankets on top of him, fumingly angry by the looks of him, and sneezing quite a lot. Rogue was in bed with a cold compress on her forehead and her eyes closed as if in pain, wincing at loud noises, and Theresa and Jubilee were in beds at the far end, seemingly unconscious.
Sable walked over to Bobby, as he seemed to be the only one who was in the mood, or for that case even able to talk to her. He was lying in between John and Rogue, who's gloved hand he was holding as the nurse addressed the deep bruising formulating on his bare chest.
"What happened?" she asked gently when Bobby attempted to smile at her.
The smile disappeared from his face and he said simply, "she's back".
"Who?"
"Portia."
Sable suddenly flashed back to four years ago when she had first met Portia Xavier. Sable was a scared runaway, no possessions to her named being offered no other option but to trust the tall white haired lady who took her away from her home in Ireland to come live in America. Dressed in clothes not her own and resenting it as such Sable had been taken into a classroom full of kids her own age.
"This is our new student Sable O'Connor, would someone like to show her the ropes?" Sable was sure no one would want to show around the freak with wings, so she turned to walk out and show herself around.
"I will Ororo." came the feminine reply still fresh in her mind. It was as simple as that. Portia Xavier had shown her around the school, talking to no end and introducing her to everyone, as though she was an equal, something she hadn't felt she had been in a very long time. It had taken her a while to learn her way around the school, but every time she was lost, Portia seemed to magically just be there, gently pushing her in the right direction.
The two were soon inseparable best friends. Sable got along well with Portia's mother too, Emma Frost, the Ice Queen, who treated Sable as though she was just another daughter.
"Are you Sure, really sure?" She asked Bobby, needing the answer more than anything else.
"She hit me with that fast ice energy of hers, I got hit by enough of them when we used to train together to recognise her energy patterns anywhere. Her powers have advanced though, " he said as he gestured to his chest, "She's got some wicked oomph"
"What happened to the others though, surely she didn't take you all on?"
"Yeah, John got frozen, bad combination fire and ice." John obliged the story with a sneeze and a loud moan, "And she hit Rogue with that little trick of hers, but id say it advanced a lot too." Disregarding the pain of flexing his chest he reached down to kiss Rogues gloved hand.
Sable sucked in a breath and winced in sympathy pain, she had been on the receiving end of one of Portia's telepathic screams. She was glad, guiltily, that she wasn't in Rogues shoes, but it was Bobby's next comment that shocked Portia.
"And poor Theresa and Jubilee, they got electrocuted"
Sable's brow furrowed as she said, "what the hell do you mean electr."
"Sable O'Connor, didn't I say that you were to be in the upstairs common room and NO WHERE ELSE!!!" Ororo stood just inside the nurse's office door.
"Um, yes miss." Sable mumbled, as she scooped up her dropped bag and rushed for the exit.
As she entered the upstairs common rooms Sable looked around and spotted Kurt unfolding himself from the cushy armchair he had been sitting in reading a book.
"Where were you?" he demanded in his thick German accent, "I've been worried sick about you, but do you care, no you just."
Sable shut him up by primly answering, "I was down in the med room."
"WHAT!" Kurt grabbed Sables arm and immediately began searching for nicks or imperfections," What did you do to yourself this time?"
"I'm fine, but five other students aren't" Sable said yanking her arm back to herself.
"What happened?"
"Well, lets just say an old student. came back."
"Who?"
Sable smiled to herself, "Her name is Portia."
"And when did this, Portia, go to the School?" Kurt asked with obvious interest.
"When we were best friends." Sable commented. Kurt could see that she was lost deep in thoughts . "Tell me", he urged gently, "its not like we've go anything else of more importance to attend to."
Sable took a deep breath and began to tell the story she hadn't told to anyone in the longest time. "I was born in Ireland, as is pretty obvious from the cooky accent. When I was five I was in a train accident with my mum and dad. There was the horrible sound of metal on metal and then I was alone. I was one of only four survivors of the wreck." Sable stopped and slowly clarified, "My parents weren't."
"I woke up in hospital with nurses surrounding me, looking down at me like something pitiful. I hated them for that pity, because in my heart I already knew what had happened. I had no family to take me, only grandma and grandpa, my mother's parents, but they were much too old to take me, they were already living in a home. I was sent to an orphanage.
"Branded as a weirdo and treated like a freak I was a magnet for the bullies and teasers. Then one day, when I was 13, they were being particularly heinous and I changed for the first time. It was like fire in my back, and then I stood there, with wings and fire coming out of my hands. I lost concentration and turned back almost immediately but it was too late. The teachers and kids all screamed and I ran. I ran for days until I was in an unknown city, somewhere where no one knew what I had become. After that I lived on the streets. I had to become almost nocturnal to avoid people, and was stealing my food from bins when the Professor sent Ororo and Scott to find me. When they offered me the choice of going to school and having a home or staying where I was I took the chance. I thought I knew it wouldn't turn out so at least I would get a free ride to America.
"Anyway," sable laughed at her assumption "When I got here with them it was like my dreams were coming true, a home, with people like me. But I didn't think they would accept me. I was very negative", she added with a small laugh. "Ororo took me to a classroom and asked if anyone would show me around, and I though no one would, me having dirty great wings and all. But one girl said she would. She didn't even ask me about my wings. She was my best friend from that day on. We were like Siamese twins. She was Portia Xavier."
Kurt gasped as he heard the alien yet oddly familiar combination of the name, " The Prof. has a daughter?"
"Yeah would you believe it? His wife was Emma. She treated me like a daughter. I was so happy for two whole years, I had the family I had always craved and I fit in. Then when I was 16 there was an accident in one of the labs where Emma was teaching and she died. I was in the classroom and I went a little nuts when I found her body and I lost control. I became something I never want to be again. The third stage of mutation is scary, and I can't control it. I become the dragon, in essence a killing machine."
Kurt looked as though someone had hit him in the stomach. "But I've never seen these wings you speak about, how could you become something so. dark?"
"Some things are better left alone." Sable continued, "I didn't actually hurt anyone, I was stopped before then, but no one knew how to push back the draconic psyche and find me again. I've never used my mutation past first level because I'm scared if I ever changed again no one would be able to find me. Portia came back then. She screamed into my head at such intensity that she almost killed me, but it pushed back the dragon. She saved me." Sable smiled to herself. "And now she's back."
Kurt was rapidly trying to process what he was hearing. His friend. was a killing machine? The Prof had a wife and daughter? Sable had wings?!?. He looked at her small Oval face, her emerald eyes and short black hair. "So this Portia, she must have strong powers to have done this, and now she has put five people in the hospital wing. But you said she has come back, from where?"
Sable's smile faded and she seemed hesitant to continue. "Portia found out while she was in my head that the explosion causing her mothers death wasn't so much an unavoidable accident as her father had told her, but rather some guys in the class being stupid. She got so angry, she blamed the students, blamed the school, and she blamed everyone. Especially herself. She thought that if she had just been there she could have combined her ice powers with her mothers and she could have saved Emma. She left. We never knew where she went, or even if she was okay."
When it became obvious that was all Sable was going to say, Kurt gently pulled her to her feet. "I think we need to do something highly naughty and extremely risky to occupy your mind."
Sable grinned, her infectious Irish giggle rising in her throat. "Your mission should you choose to accept it is to get all the way downstairs and into the med room. You're not to be seen, or caught by a teacher. No teleporting. You must use every little sneaky trick you have."
"See you there" he yelled as he headed for the stairs. He bumped into Ororo on the top one. "Oh, hello professor, why look these are the stairs going down stairs, not. the door to. my room?" Kurt put in lamely.
Sable was laughing so hard she had to sit down. Ororo raised an eyebrow and calmly announced that students were once again allowed downstairs, and that lucky for them, classes were able to continue after lunch, all except Xavier's advanced Maths and Physics classes.
Sable stopped laughing quickly. Damn, she wished she were in advanced classes. Damn.
One good thing, she knew Portia must be speaking to her father, at least she knew she hadn't left again.
"Portia, I've been expecting you" Professor Charles Xavier said most calmly, although his mind raced at a thousand thoughts a minute. Was his daughter finally returning to him? Why did she choose to return, when last time he had seem her she had sworn she would rather die than set foot in this place. He didn't even know how long he had to ask these questions.
"Expecting me? For how long?" Portia asked quietly, but Charles instantly recognised it as a loaded question. She was too poised, too unemotional, what was going on in her mind?
"I've always expected you, even if at times it seemed to be nothing but desperate hope."
"You knew I had arrived then?"
"No, I didn't sense you, I still cant, rather I was alerted to your presence by Theresa's screams."
Portia walked around the outer perimeter of her father's office. This was not going well. She had to remain unattached from this situation. 'Remember the others, I'm their Ice Princess. I'm missing them already' She knew she wasn't convincing herself. Portia fingered the books in the shelves. There was an awkward silence when neither knew what to say. Portia thought of Jean and suddenly the grief washed over her. In the month since Jeans death she had refused to think of it, refused to accept it, now she had to believe. "Was, was she in pain when she... when she." Portia chocked out.
Charles went to his daughter and simply held out his arms, unsure wether she would accept his comfort.
"I'm sorry I stayed away so long. I should have been here." She stumbled to him and curled up in his lap the same way she always had when she was growing, and he stroked her hair.
"Jean was at peace" was all Xavier had to say, opening a floodgate in Portia. She cried until there were no tears left, finally falling asleep from emotional exhaustion. Charles held the sleeping form of his daughter and for the first time in two years he felt at peace. Her head leant on his shoulder; he looked intently down at her sleeping face. Even in her sleep, he could not break through the barriers she had built up around her mind.
She was so beautiful, the image of her mother. He allowed himself one more moment of peace before reaching out to contact Ororo and Scott, asking them to take the dust covers off the furniture in Portia's Room and see to the making of her bed. He asked Scott to come in, as he was still waiting outside the office. He silently came in and lifted the form of the girl from Charles arms, taking her out of the office and up the stairs.
Irrationality Charles felt as though he was loosing her again. His reluctance to let her out of his sight didn't surprise him, although he knew he would have more moments with Portia. She had returned.
Portia opened her eyes and was for a moment taken back in time. Morning sunshine came streaming into the room from the east and she looked up to see the transparent lace netting above her bed was drawn back behind the bed head. She knew where she was; this was her bedroom. Her parents had had this part of the manor converted into a sort of home when the news that Portia was to be born came. The high ceiling bedroom was white with sky blue edgings and furniture. She slowly swung her feet to the floor and tested her feet in the thick carpet, moving slowly over too her dresser. Set between two enormous arched windows, one with a glass door leading onto a small balcony. Reaching out a hand, Portia trailed it down the gauzy curtains, down the side of the intricate mirror. She trailed it across the glass jars of perfumes and cosmetics resting on the dressers top, across the crystal jewellery box she had gotten for her sixteenth birthday from Jean and Scott. She grinned as she picked up Mr. Bunnysworth the powder blue bunny she had been so attached to as a child.
She placed him down and slowly walked over to her closet and flung open the door. All of her clothing hung inside, including the things she had brought with her. She discovered to her great joy, as she opened her drawers and doors that her room was exactly as she had left it. Portia wriggled out of her crumpled suit and dragged out some clean clothing to change into. She took out one of her favourite dresses (knee length and white), some underwear and moved into the bathroom.
All in powder blue and white marble, she removed the last of her clothes and stepped under the luxurious spray of the shower, she instinctively reached out to where she always kept her favourite body wash and was delighted to find it was still there. She got out, dried herself with a fluffy towel and put on the tight, long-sleeved dress. She put on some moisturiser and lip-gloss, and walked out into her room with her hair thrown into a bun till she could dry it and shoved her feet into some strappy heels.
Portia was sitting on the side of her bed doing so when light glinting off glass caught her eye. There were four pictures hanging on the wall. There was one of her in a talent quest, with the 2nd place sash hanging from the frame, one of her with her parents on their special beach when she was fifteen. One was of a five-year-old version herself, a tiny little thing, posing with her 'big brothers and sisters'. She had tucked mementos into the frame over the years. A dried rose, symbolic of Ororo. A playing card, the ace of hearts, had been a gift from Remy. There was a page from Hans Christian Andersen's, 'The little Mermaid', a memory of Hank, rolled and tied with a ribbon and a seashell she had found with Scott. Lastly a silver and diamante musical note, emblematic of the beauty of Jean Grey.
Her gaze fell on the last photo, it was of her and Sable O'Connor. She had to find her.
She ran to the door and whipped it open to find herself staring up at the familiar smiling face of Bobby. She gasped then caught her chest with a giggle. "Hey Bobby", she smiled.
"I didn't know whether you remembered me or not," bobby smiled back at her, "I know I didn't recognise you yesterday, well at first."
"Umm, yeah about that, I uh, well you see. sorry, I didn't hurt you did I?"
"Nah, I just got a little bruise, there was some headaches and I mighty cold."
"Ah, the fire guy. Thought it might slow him down for a while. I assume he survived?"
Bobby smiled a cheeky sort of little smile. "John was on his way to maths last time I saw him, ranting and raving about the 'evil ice bitch', sneezing like mad, so yeah, I guess he will live."
One of Portia's eyebrows rose. "He called me what now?"
Bobby just laughed and said "Never mind, look, I've got to go to Maths or Ororo will have my hide."
Portia released her hair and grabbed the ends, freezing the water particles on the surface and shaking them free, leaving her with almost dry hair. Grabbing a pair of silver sunglasses she slipped them on and followed Bobby down the hall. "Do you know where I can find daddy or Sable?"
"Prof is in the dining hall until next period, enjoying the sunshine, and Sable is in class. She's in room 2a this period, speaking of which, I've got to get to class before Ororo kills me. Can I walk you downstairs?"
A few minutes later Portia walked into the dining hall and found her father sitting in the sunshine on the far side of the hall. She slowly walked over and stood before him. "Dad, just need to say. I was gone, but now I'm back. If you ask me where I've been, ill have to leave. The past is the past. Lets remember the now."
Charles looked up at his daughter. He still could not reach into her mind, which perplexed him; the only other person to ever deny him access was Eric Lehnsherr with his helmet. So many questions raced to the tip of his tongue, but he knew not to push her for the answers now, she was after all his daughter, he knew her need for personal privacy all to well. She looked so much like her mother; she was so beautiful, his heart swelled with pride.
He gestured to the chair opposite his own and lifted the silver teapot, "Tea Darling?"
Portia smiled and sat to join her father in breakfast. Any outsider to witness the two would simply see a father and his child enjoying a moment together in the morning sunshine.
Sable was yet again focused entirely on her game boy. Since yesterday it had in a way become her lifeline, the one thing keeping her from tearing the house to pieces searching for Portia. When they were young Sable and Portia had been so close that Portia had taught Sable how to project her thoughts loud enough for Portia to hear her. They had held fantastic conversations in their minds, with no one to tell them to be quiet or to listen more in class.
On more than one occasion in class Sable had started to laugh hysterically for what seemed to be no particular reason. Usually Portia, being honest, would eventually admit to have told her a joke or having made her see dancing Leprechauns.
Sable had stayed up all night trying to reach Portia, but she was still alone. And in Maths of all the hellish places to be. Maths was the root of all evil.
"Sable I have warned you about this before!" Ororo's voice sliced through her thoughts.
Sable sat there and tried in vain to look as innocent as possible while she slipped her game boy into her pencil case, she'd just play it when Ororo was busy again, she was after all Miss Sneaky.
Luckily at this moment Bobby Drake entered the classroom. "Bobby Drake why are you late?" She asked.
"Showing someone where to find her father" Bobby said with a knowing smile.
Ororo smiled, nodded her head and softly said, "Thankyou. Take your seat."
Sable just stared with her mouth open and when Bobby took the seat and Ororo continued with the class. First off, he got away with something that would have gotten her detention for a year, missing half a lesson; secondly, he had SEEN PORTIA!
When Bobby took his seat next to Rogue, directly behind Sable who was next to john. She immediately scribbled a note to him 'How could you go see her without me! I could have come! Where is she! What the hell is going on!''
When Bobby got the note Sable heard him chuckle and he wrote back, 'What shall I answer first?'
Sable grinned and wrote back furiously, 'Answer them all before I tell Ororo your distracting me writing notes!'
As she passed the note back to Bobby she got a note from John saying 'She's the evil ice bitch isn't she?' with an arrow pointing in the general direction of the door where a resounding knock echoed through the room.
And there stood Portia. Sable did a double take when she saw her. She remembered her as a shortish, curvy girl with short curly blonde hair and an infectious smile. The girl before her was tall, with long straight blonde hair, which was pulled back at the nape of her neck. She was wearing white, which gave her serene smile an ethereal air.
Ororo walked over and spoke quietly to Portia who in turn gave her a hug and asked loudly "Ororo may I please borrow Sable for. the day"
Ororo grinned and said "Of course"
Sable had her things packed lightning fast and ran for the door. The minute she cleared the door and it closed behind her, Sable launched herself at Portia, oblivious to the books and papers flying everywhere.
"You don't call, you don't write" She rambled, trying really hard not to cry, "And damn it you bitch, your taller than me!"
Portia smiled, suppressing a giggle and let go of her friend, she raised her eyebrows and stated blandly, "Its not very hard to be taller than you, you only, what 5'4?"
"5'5" conceded Sable grinning, suddenly the grin disappeared, "Portia, you've been gone so long, and we all missed you so much. Are you home?" She asked warily. Sable didn't think she could handle loosing Portia again now, after she had only just returned.
Portia saw the look of pain flicker across Sables face. Home. Portia had a new home, a place where she would have to return. She suddenly thought maybe it would have been better if she had never returned, hurting Sable was the last thing she ever wanted to do. "I'm here now" was all she said, smiling down on her friend.
"Yay!" Sable grinned, reminding Portia of just how Irish she was, "c'mon girlie, we've got some catching up to do!"
Five minutes later found the two girls strolling around the grounds together, Sable rambling at the speed of light, filling Portia in on all the gossip of the last two years. They stopped and sat under the very tree that Portia had encountered her 'welcoming party' yesterday. Movement from on of the windows in the manor caught Portia's attention and she looked up to see Bobby and Rogue standing in front of the window, Bobby waving enthusiastically. Rogue didn't look too enthused at all. Portia decided to do some damage control. She turned to Sable and gestured up to the window and Sable felt the all to familiar sensation run down her back, Portia was bringing her into a mind conversation.
*Rogue, Please don't freak out, this is Portia, I'm sorry about yesterday, I was unprepared and my training took over, I didn't mean to hurt you. * Portia smiled in the direction of the window.
Rogues hesitant voice responded *Uh, Hello? Can you hear me? Its okay, no harm done, hello? *
Sables voice responded *Rogue, just think loud, and we can hear it ok? *
Rogues voice again, but this time louder and more distinct said *Oh, this is just too cool! Bobby can hear me too! This is the neatest trick Portia! * Rogue was grinning now, and Portia was glad to have had made friends with the girl. She seemed nice, genuine.
*Well, thanks for forgiving me so readily, but I'm going to grovel some more just to prove my point! * Portia added with a laugh.
*And I'm going to let you! * Rogue laughed as Portia cut off the link.
A tinkling of a bell in the far off distance caused Sable to suddenly jump up and squeal, "Lunch time, come on then, I got to show you off."
Portia rose slowly. She was unsure about making acquaintances. It would just mean hurting new people when she left. She looked up at Sable. "Cant we just grab some food and eat out here in the sunshine?" She asked hopefully.
Sable's smile dropped, and her bottom lip jutted out. "But I wanted to introduce you to my gang!"
Portia couldn't help it; she began to laugh gleefully and loudly. "Your in a gang? Where, in the Westside, yo' my homie?"
Sable tried her darnedest but she too could not resist laughing. She pretended to pout, "What else am I supposed to call them?"
Portia straightened and said in a calm manner, "What about 'group', or 'friends'?"
Sable thought for a second and had to concede, "well fine then."
The two began to walk towards the schools main building. Anyone to see them would have been struck by their contrasts. Portia, tall and pale, Sable, so petite with her unique darkness.
Portia continued the conversation. "So, has there been anyone special since I left?"
Sable blushed to her very roots and said in a very husky voice, "No, of course not, no, why?"
Portia divined a name from Sables mind. Oh! She liked him! "So who's this Kurt then hmm?"
Sable only got redder. "He's a friend."
Portia gasped, "OH MY GOSH! He's blooming' blue!!!"
Sable muttered under her breath in annoyance the whole way to the dining room, "Damn telepath."
When the two eventually entered the dining hall, though Sables grumpiness dissipated and she began to grin infectiously once more. She gestured to table at the far side of the room where sunshine was pouring in on a group of people who were laughing at something a Bobby had said. To Bobby's right Rogue was sitting and beside her was Jubilation Lee, or Jubilee. She was an eccentric Asian American, with Almond shaped eyes and long black hair. On Bobby's other side sat a giggling John Allerdyce, Sable knew him to be a cocky one, at the best of times, with a huge ego. A month back, after the thing at Alkali Lake, John had gone missing for a few days, and when he came back he didn't tell the group where he had been. Next to John was Kurt.
Sable blushed a beetroot colour and made a beeline for the available seat next to Kurt's. She wanted that seat and she would have it dammit! She eased into the chair and tasted sweet victory and success. "Hey Kurt what you doing?"
Portia stood rooted to the spot. 'Oh crap, its half the people I fought yesterday.' She looked desperately around for some sort of escape route, and spotting her Father sitting with the hairy guy from yesterday, she began to walk hastily towards them. Suddenly, out of nowhere she heard a thickly accented "Portia?" and strong arms lifted her up and swung her around in the air.
Sable heard the call just as she began to notice that Portia was absent from the table. She had assumed Portia would just follow her to the table, but was shocked to spot Portia being swung around in the air and then ferociously hugging the most revered senior in the school. Poiter Rasputin.
Portia threw her arms around Poiter's neck and gave a half chocked little giggle when he hugged her back. The two immediately broke into a rapid intensive conversation, in Russian. Sable approached the pair very cautiously. "Um, hello? Portia, are you going to be eatin' today?"
Portia turned and laughed at this. She could see why Poiter had always been more comfortable in the company of adults and very close friends. His Sheer size, at just over seven foot, and his aura of self control and power and his 'man of Steel' Mutation meant that most people were intimidated by him, or tried to impress him. Portia knew a different Poiter. He was kind. Sweet, with a huge heart and a fierce loyalty and protectiveness. He was a nice guy.
She gave Poiter one last hug and told him to come have lunch with her when he got a chance, then followed Sable to her table to meet the 'Gang'. She approached cautiously and said in a small voice, "Uh.hi.uh. yeah."
"Hey, I'm Jubilee, nice to meet ya!" came the exuberant reply from the black haired girl sitting next to rogue. She moved up a chair and pulled Portia down between Rogue and herself. "Im told you've already chatted to Rogue, and you know Sable and Bobster. The guy over there sulking is John, he's got an ego and you dented it and that's Kurt, the only one you've never seen before"
"Oh he's the on that Sable OUCH!" Portia received a swift kick from Sable under the table.
*Hey bitch! I was just going to say 'that's the one Sable told me about' *
Sable blushed again under her black bangs and concentrated on her salad and chicken.
*Although he is rather cute when he's all human like, hang on, he's got a tail?!? This just gets better and better! *
*I think the tail is cute! *
*You would! I mean, imagine all the kinky things he could do with that thing? *
Sable choked and had to get Kurt to pass her the water. She was only just able to breath when Kurt asked her "Sable what's wrong?"
"Ummm. Cramp?"
Sable and Portia looked at one another, grinning. Sable was still uneasy, but now she had Portia back, things were going to be great!
Portia looked at Sable, she loved her, and hurting her when she left in two weeks would be hell.
Hey everyone! This is our first fic together and it's a combo of the Xmen movie and Cartoon. Just work with it, you'll pick up on who's from where as we go along, if you have trouble sorting it out, go to our author page, we lay it all out there. Brotherhood coming soon, but look out for the next chapter.