Again, it's a rather short chapter, but my brain is slowly starting to
erode. The next couple of chapters may take me a while because I'm not so
good at battle scenes seeing as how I've never written them before.
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Mystique appeared just behind Cyclops. He was still too sunk in his grief to even notice her. She shook her head; it seemed to her that Cyclops had also descended into madness. At least this was a madness she hoped to snap him out of.
"Cyclops?" Mystique called softly fully expecting him to ignore her.
So sure was she that Cyclops was going to disregard her presence, she was completely surprised when he jumped up and whirled to face her. He started screaming, " HOW DARE YOU SHOW YOUR FACE TO ME! You traitorous bitch!" He stepped forward with every word, and when he finally finished he was almost nose-to-nose with her.
Mystique blinked, but she did show any signs of fear. Instead, she slapped him hard across the face. "I can understand your anger, but if you ever even think of insulting me in such a way again I will not be responsible for what I will do to you." Cyclops actually stepped back at the fierce look in her eyes. "I have betrayed no one save my fallen husband."
Cyclops's expression turned to confusion. "Betrayed your husband?"
Mystique nodded, "I wouldn't be here if I wasn't." Again Cyclops looked confused. "Shut you mouth," Mystique said with a laugh. "You're letting flies in."
Cyclops shut his mouth with an audible snap before replying, "Why are you here?"
"That is quite a story," she said, and began to tell him everything that had happened since his self-imposed exile. When she got to the part about Jean's decent into insanity she expected Cyclops to want to rush off to save her. Again her expectations were cruelly shattered. He simply remained still, as if he had not heard a word she had spoken.
When she finally finished telling Cyclops everything she knew, he still did not respond. "Cyclops?"
Slowly his head rose, "It's all my fault. Everything."
Mystique gave a small smile, "Hon, you're going to have to fight me for all that guilt, 'cause I'm entitled to some of it."
Cyclops stared at her, his mouth slack in disbelief. Mystique gave a weak chuckle, "Catching flies again?"
Cyclops shook his head, "Wha.huh?"
Mystique smiled, "Question?"
Cyclops visibly pulled himself together, "How can you say this isn't all my fault? I am responsible for Archangel's behavior, I killed Morph, I wasn't there for Jean when she needed me." He sighed, "I've been so wrapped up in my own grief that I forgot about those who mattered to me."
"At least you can admit you've been a fool," Mystique told him caustically.
"Hey!"
"Now you're saying you haven't been a fool? Look, this situation was as much my fault as it is yours. I have been foolish too. I foolishly thought that my love for my husband and his love for me was enough to keep things from going this far. I know better now. He isn't the man I fell in love with anymore, but I still won't give up on him. I can't," she sighed. "As much as I want to."
"That's brave," Cyclops said wistfully.
"I think it's more idiotic than brave to be honest," Mystique snorted. "Now you have a chance to do something brave. Save your wife and your children. They need you."
"What if I can't?"
Mystique sighed. She briefly wondered if she got the short end of the stick when it came to jobs in this plan of the Fates.
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Archangel sat back on his throne with a sigh of contentment. Everything was going as planned; his armies were now following Jean out of his realm and right into the arms of those weak insects that paraded around as the Pantheon.
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Storm was the first one to spot the opening portal that had formed in the ethereal planes where the Palace of the Gods was held. "Uh, what's that?" she asked pointing to the large, gaping hole that was cutting into the sky.
Her fellow Gods came to her where she was standing at the spot where Jean had destroyed the wall. "Ah don' know," Rogue said with a slight frown.
Standing a little ways back from the rest Nightcrawler answered, "It's a portal from Archangel's realm."
All those assembled turned to look at the God of Demons. It was Psylocke who finally broke the uncomfortable silence, "Don't you usually control the demons?"
Nightcrawler shook his head ruefully, "Archangel has them convinced that he is a more worthy lord to follow. They have renounced me as their leader. I am a God of nothing."
"Better a God of nothing, than an enemy of ours," Colossus said, his steel- plated eyes glowing.
"Damn straight," Polaris added.
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Mystique appeared just behind Cyclops. He was still too sunk in his grief to even notice her. She shook her head; it seemed to her that Cyclops had also descended into madness. At least this was a madness she hoped to snap him out of.
"Cyclops?" Mystique called softly fully expecting him to ignore her.
So sure was she that Cyclops was going to disregard her presence, she was completely surprised when he jumped up and whirled to face her. He started screaming, " HOW DARE YOU SHOW YOUR FACE TO ME! You traitorous bitch!" He stepped forward with every word, and when he finally finished he was almost nose-to-nose with her.
Mystique blinked, but she did show any signs of fear. Instead, she slapped him hard across the face. "I can understand your anger, but if you ever even think of insulting me in such a way again I will not be responsible for what I will do to you." Cyclops actually stepped back at the fierce look in her eyes. "I have betrayed no one save my fallen husband."
Cyclops's expression turned to confusion. "Betrayed your husband?"
Mystique nodded, "I wouldn't be here if I wasn't." Again Cyclops looked confused. "Shut you mouth," Mystique said with a laugh. "You're letting flies in."
Cyclops shut his mouth with an audible snap before replying, "Why are you here?"
"That is quite a story," she said, and began to tell him everything that had happened since his self-imposed exile. When she got to the part about Jean's decent into insanity she expected Cyclops to want to rush off to save her. Again her expectations were cruelly shattered. He simply remained still, as if he had not heard a word she had spoken.
When she finally finished telling Cyclops everything she knew, he still did not respond. "Cyclops?"
Slowly his head rose, "It's all my fault. Everything."
Mystique gave a small smile, "Hon, you're going to have to fight me for all that guilt, 'cause I'm entitled to some of it."
Cyclops stared at her, his mouth slack in disbelief. Mystique gave a weak chuckle, "Catching flies again?"
Cyclops shook his head, "Wha.huh?"
Mystique smiled, "Question?"
Cyclops visibly pulled himself together, "How can you say this isn't all my fault? I am responsible for Archangel's behavior, I killed Morph, I wasn't there for Jean when she needed me." He sighed, "I've been so wrapped up in my own grief that I forgot about those who mattered to me."
"At least you can admit you've been a fool," Mystique told him caustically.
"Hey!"
"Now you're saying you haven't been a fool? Look, this situation was as much my fault as it is yours. I have been foolish too. I foolishly thought that my love for my husband and his love for me was enough to keep things from going this far. I know better now. He isn't the man I fell in love with anymore, but I still won't give up on him. I can't," she sighed. "As much as I want to."
"That's brave," Cyclops said wistfully.
"I think it's more idiotic than brave to be honest," Mystique snorted. "Now you have a chance to do something brave. Save your wife and your children. They need you."
"What if I can't?"
Mystique sighed. She briefly wondered if she got the short end of the stick when it came to jobs in this plan of the Fates.
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Archangel sat back on his throne with a sigh of contentment. Everything was going as planned; his armies were now following Jean out of his realm and right into the arms of those weak insects that paraded around as the Pantheon.
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Storm was the first one to spot the opening portal that had formed in the ethereal planes where the Palace of the Gods was held. "Uh, what's that?" she asked pointing to the large, gaping hole that was cutting into the sky.
Her fellow Gods came to her where she was standing at the spot where Jean had destroyed the wall. "Ah don' know," Rogue said with a slight frown.
Standing a little ways back from the rest Nightcrawler answered, "It's a portal from Archangel's realm."
All those assembled turned to look at the God of Demons. It was Psylocke who finally broke the uncomfortable silence, "Don't you usually control the demons?"
Nightcrawler shook his head ruefully, "Archangel has them convinced that he is a more worthy lord to follow. They have renounced me as their leader. I am a God of nothing."
"Better a God of nothing, than an enemy of ours," Colossus said, his steel- plated eyes glowing.
"Damn straight," Polaris added.