Disclaimer: I do not own, nor am I making any money from, the X-Men movie-
verse. Duncan and Hana belong to Corrinth, as does Ilehana Xavier should
she be mentioned. Star owns Golan, should he be mentioned too. All other
OCs belong to me, especially Blaze and Jessie.
A/N: Post X2 spoilers, and spoilers for Corrinth's Guardians of Destiny, which incidentally is excellent so go read it! This chapter overlaps with Corrinth's Guardians of Destiny and I have pinched a paragraph from there with her kind permission. Reviews always appreciated.
Scene 02
The Wolverine looked tenderly down into the cot, stroking the white hair of the child who lay there with the back of his large rough hand. It was times like this he regretted that he wasn't the stay at home type. Logan smiled as his daughter mumbled softly in her sleep, remembering the day that had changed his life, the day his baby girl had been born...
"I always remember how stressed Scott and Gambit were, pacing the corridor outside the hospital room waiting for news." The telepath Jean left her son's bedside on the other side of the nursery and came to stand by Logan. "Even as concerned as we were, Blaze and I had trouble keeping straight faces..." Jean glanced from Logan to the sleeping Hana.
"She's a lucky kid." Logan muttered, not wanting to speak too loud in case he woke either toddler. "With one huge family of doting aunts and uncles..."
"And a pair of fantastic parents." Jean finished for him, smiling. "Come on, Storm will be worrying that you're having problems up here." She guided her friend out of the darkened nursery; glad he was home at last however briefly that might be. "And there's still things that need to be done before tomorrow night, if you feel up to it?"
"Sure." Lagan affirmed, a heavy weight settling back on his shoulders. However glad he was to see his daughter, her mother Storm and all the other inhabitants of the Xavier School, he was here in truth for a much sadder duty. Four years had past since the school had lost its founder, its essence, Charles Xavier, and it still struggled to feel whole without him. And to make that wound all the more raw and painful, only a year later Xavier's daughter Ilehana had too given up her human life... Wolverine shook his head to himself sadly, comforted by the fact that with every day that had gone by since, he felt the loss of his love as utterly as he had that fateful day. While he had found some brief solace in Storm's arms, they both knew that his heart would forever be the Vixen's.
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They were gathered together, all the teachers and the pupils, even some mutants from outside Xavier's School for Gifted Youngsters, on the lawn beyond the gazebo. The spring air was cool, but the light and heat of Blaze's fireballs that edged the lawn provided more than just an outer warmth. The chatter was low, quiet, as if they were all waiting for something or someone to arrive, but they were not.
Havoc felt a little uncomfortable. He'd not known either Xavier well, but his brother Scott and sister-in-law Jean had wanted him to come tonight, so traipse down here he had. Still at least his nephew Duncan was pleased to see him. And there were always other benefits to being friendly with the X- Men... Alex's eyes drifted past where his nephew was parading his collection of toy cars for his uncle's perusal, focusing on where his old university roommate Bobby Drake stood talking amicably with the eye- catching Kitty Pride...
"I know it's hard to come to terms with, even after three and four years..." Blaze, the foreign languages teacher at the school, was walking across the grass with her arm comfortingly wrapped around one of her students. "But only in accepting how much their departing hurt us will we be able to keep their memories alive, do you understand?"
"I guess so..." The teenager replied, wiping away a stubborn tear. Blaze smiled at her student and let go of her.
"Good. Now you'd better go hit the snack table before I get over there and scoff the lot." The student did as she was asked, leaving Blaze in the company of Havoc and young Duncan.
"Um, Blaze?" Alex asked the redhead as Duncan drove a truck over Alex's shoe, making engine noises. "Would you mind watching the terror for me a while? Only I really wanted to talk to Bobby while I'm here."
"Of course," The Englishwoman replied knowingly, seeing Havoc watching Kitty. "Come on short stuff..." She plucked the distracted Duncan up, truck and all and heaved him onto her hip. "You've grown again little one."
"Thanks." Havoc stood himself and brushed grass cuttings off his trousers and wandering purposefully over to Bobby and Kitty just as Bobby's girlfriend Rogue appeared with drinks in hand.
Blaze sighed as she felt Duncan wrap sticky toddler's fingers around a chunk of her long red hair and looked around hastily for some support. Logan and Storm were entertaining little Hana; Scott and Jean talking in subdued tones to Hank McCoy and Jubilation Lee; Gambit, Nightcrawler and the four-armed Golan made an odd picture over by the gazebo...
"So what do you want to do then, Duncan Charles Summers?" She asked the toddler who was now driving his truck up and down Blaze's arm and kicking his heels against her leg. "Who shall we go see?"
"Hana." Duncan replied with certainty, pointing out his young playmate.
"Okey dokey, Hana it is then. Maybe Uncle Logan'll take you off my hands, even if it does mean you're passed from pillar to post for the millionth time this evening."
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Duncan successfully offloaded; Blaze took a walk away from her gathered friends, gloom set hard on her heart. Tears for departed friends filled her eyes, the people she'd loved and had to say goodbye to in her life, her parents, the Xaviers, and the one person who meant more to her than anyone else in the world... She hoped the student she'd counselled earlier would take comfort in her words, for Blaze could find none for herself.
"There you is Chere." The Cajun approached her from behind. "Gambit thought you be ready for some food 'bout now."
"Thanks Ami." She turned smiling sadly to take a plate off him. He knew her too well; the plate was heavily laden with a whole manner of fatty and sweet foods, packed with the energy she needed to keep so many tiny fireballs dancing in the darkness.
"You ain't gonna like Gambit for sayin' this," He began, coming to stand besides her with his own plate, a hint of teasing in his voice. "But it kinda suit you, luggin' les petite enfants about."
"You're an idiot." She sniped back quickly, trying to cover the lump that rose in her throat as his words struck home too deep. He didn't notice the strain in her voice, taking her insult with a grin.
"An' you wouldn't have it any other ways."
They ate in silence for a while, before abandoning the empty plates on a nearby bench. Blaze brushed her curls back out of her face, grimacing.
"Its no good, I'm gonna have to get this mop cut, I've got toddler goo in my hair again." Gambit said nothing, he liked her hair long but she'd only take offence at anything he could say on the matter. Instead he wrapped an arm round her tiny waist and squeezed her to him sideways. Her matter of fact "Aw" made him let go again quickly, confused.
"What's wrong Petite?"
"Um, maybe this isn't the best time to be telling you this..." She met his eyes, restored to her old self a little by the worry that she saw there. This could be fun... "But I was with Kurt earlier, you know, talking... And, well, things got a little carried away..."
"Kurt?" He was incredulous; Blaze forced herself to turn her back on him before she laughed out loud. Hesitantly she lifted the edge of her top, as Gambit charged a single playing card to light what it was she wanted to show him. He didn't know what it was he was expecting to see, but an intricate design of elegant black lines was not it. "A tattoo?"
"Yep." Blaze nodded, trying and failing to turn her head far enough over her shoulder to see the design on the lower left portion of her back. "What did you think I was going to show you?"
Gambit refused to answer, examining the pictures Nightcrawler had inscribed forever on Blaze's soft skin. A wolf's head stared balefully out from the base of a tormented fire, supported by an older man's hand extended palm upwards in friendship. On his palm, below his thumb, an X-insignia was emblazoned. To the left there were old-fashioned crossed keys, to the right a heart drawn simply as a child might. Gambit brushed the heart with a finger gently as Blaze stifled another grunt of pain.
"Fire for you, Guardian, an' your parents." He spoke softly, wondering if he knew her well enough to translate all of the symbols that obviously meant a lot to her. "The wolf's Ilehana, gave everythin' so you could be stronger." Blaze nodded, holding still. "The hand the Professor's, givin' you the X-Men. Gambit was Ilehana's Key, the keys for me?"
"Yes." She replied softly, hoping her best friend of so many years would approve. "I don't know why, but I always thought it fitting that the thief became the Key."
"But not the keys to your heart, eh Chere?" He pocketed the card, letting darkness descend again thickly. Carefully Blaze lowered her top back over the new tattoo and turned to meet Gambit's eyes that were only half teasing. "Your heart there don't have no lock. So who it for?"
"I dunno, maybe Duncan, give him twenty years." She smiled. He knew she was holding back, but tonight wasn't the night to be bringing up old arguments about her keeping secrets from him.
"So new haircut, tattoo, what's next little one? Maybe get your belly button pierced again?" He put an arm casually around her shoulder and steering her back to their friends, students and colleagues.
"Nah, been there, done that Rem. What do you think of tongue piercings?" He looked at her quickly, taking her laughter at his expression as clue that she had only been joking.
A/N: Post X2 spoilers, and spoilers for Corrinth's Guardians of Destiny, which incidentally is excellent so go read it! This chapter overlaps with Corrinth's Guardians of Destiny and I have pinched a paragraph from there with her kind permission. Reviews always appreciated.
Scene 02
The Wolverine looked tenderly down into the cot, stroking the white hair of the child who lay there with the back of his large rough hand. It was times like this he regretted that he wasn't the stay at home type. Logan smiled as his daughter mumbled softly in her sleep, remembering the day that had changed his life, the day his baby girl had been born...
"I always remember how stressed Scott and Gambit were, pacing the corridor outside the hospital room waiting for news." The telepath Jean left her son's bedside on the other side of the nursery and came to stand by Logan. "Even as concerned as we were, Blaze and I had trouble keeping straight faces..." Jean glanced from Logan to the sleeping Hana.
"She's a lucky kid." Logan muttered, not wanting to speak too loud in case he woke either toddler. "With one huge family of doting aunts and uncles..."
"And a pair of fantastic parents." Jean finished for him, smiling. "Come on, Storm will be worrying that you're having problems up here." She guided her friend out of the darkened nursery; glad he was home at last however briefly that might be. "And there's still things that need to be done before tomorrow night, if you feel up to it?"
"Sure." Lagan affirmed, a heavy weight settling back on his shoulders. However glad he was to see his daughter, her mother Storm and all the other inhabitants of the Xavier School, he was here in truth for a much sadder duty. Four years had past since the school had lost its founder, its essence, Charles Xavier, and it still struggled to feel whole without him. And to make that wound all the more raw and painful, only a year later Xavier's daughter Ilehana had too given up her human life... Wolverine shook his head to himself sadly, comforted by the fact that with every day that had gone by since, he felt the loss of his love as utterly as he had that fateful day. While he had found some brief solace in Storm's arms, they both knew that his heart would forever be the Vixen's.
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They were gathered together, all the teachers and the pupils, even some mutants from outside Xavier's School for Gifted Youngsters, on the lawn beyond the gazebo. The spring air was cool, but the light and heat of Blaze's fireballs that edged the lawn provided more than just an outer warmth. The chatter was low, quiet, as if they were all waiting for something or someone to arrive, but they were not.
Havoc felt a little uncomfortable. He'd not known either Xavier well, but his brother Scott and sister-in-law Jean had wanted him to come tonight, so traipse down here he had. Still at least his nephew Duncan was pleased to see him. And there were always other benefits to being friendly with the X- Men... Alex's eyes drifted past where his nephew was parading his collection of toy cars for his uncle's perusal, focusing on where his old university roommate Bobby Drake stood talking amicably with the eye- catching Kitty Pride...
"I know it's hard to come to terms with, even after three and four years..." Blaze, the foreign languages teacher at the school, was walking across the grass with her arm comfortingly wrapped around one of her students. "But only in accepting how much their departing hurt us will we be able to keep their memories alive, do you understand?"
"I guess so..." The teenager replied, wiping away a stubborn tear. Blaze smiled at her student and let go of her.
"Good. Now you'd better go hit the snack table before I get over there and scoff the lot." The student did as she was asked, leaving Blaze in the company of Havoc and young Duncan.
"Um, Blaze?" Alex asked the redhead as Duncan drove a truck over Alex's shoe, making engine noises. "Would you mind watching the terror for me a while? Only I really wanted to talk to Bobby while I'm here."
"Of course," The Englishwoman replied knowingly, seeing Havoc watching Kitty. "Come on short stuff..." She plucked the distracted Duncan up, truck and all and heaved him onto her hip. "You've grown again little one."
"Thanks." Havoc stood himself and brushed grass cuttings off his trousers and wandering purposefully over to Bobby and Kitty just as Bobby's girlfriend Rogue appeared with drinks in hand.
Blaze sighed as she felt Duncan wrap sticky toddler's fingers around a chunk of her long red hair and looked around hastily for some support. Logan and Storm were entertaining little Hana; Scott and Jean talking in subdued tones to Hank McCoy and Jubilation Lee; Gambit, Nightcrawler and the four-armed Golan made an odd picture over by the gazebo...
"So what do you want to do then, Duncan Charles Summers?" She asked the toddler who was now driving his truck up and down Blaze's arm and kicking his heels against her leg. "Who shall we go see?"
"Hana." Duncan replied with certainty, pointing out his young playmate.
"Okey dokey, Hana it is then. Maybe Uncle Logan'll take you off my hands, even if it does mean you're passed from pillar to post for the millionth time this evening."
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Duncan successfully offloaded; Blaze took a walk away from her gathered friends, gloom set hard on her heart. Tears for departed friends filled her eyes, the people she'd loved and had to say goodbye to in her life, her parents, the Xaviers, and the one person who meant more to her than anyone else in the world... She hoped the student she'd counselled earlier would take comfort in her words, for Blaze could find none for herself.
"There you is Chere." The Cajun approached her from behind. "Gambit thought you be ready for some food 'bout now."
"Thanks Ami." She turned smiling sadly to take a plate off him. He knew her too well; the plate was heavily laden with a whole manner of fatty and sweet foods, packed with the energy she needed to keep so many tiny fireballs dancing in the darkness.
"You ain't gonna like Gambit for sayin' this," He began, coming to stand besides her with his own plate, a hint of teasing in his voice. "But it kinda suit you, luggin' les petite enfants about."
"You're an idiot." She sniped back quickly, trying to cover the lump that rose in her throat as his words struck home too deep. He didn't notice the strain in her voice, taking her insult with a grin.
"An' you wouldn't have it any other ways."
They ate in silence for a while, before abandoning the empty plates on a nearby bench. Blaze brushed her curls back out of her face, grimacing.
"Its no good, I'm gonna have to get this mop cut, I've got toddler goo in my hair again." Gambit said nothing, he liked her hair long but she'd only take offence at anything he could say on the matter. Instead he wrapped an arm round her tiny waist and squeezed her to him sideways. Her matter of fact "Aw" made him let go again quickly, confused.
"What's wrong Petite?"
"Um, maybe this isn't the best time to be telling you this..." She met his eyes, restored to her old self a little by the worry that she saw there. This could be fun... "But I was with Kurt earlier, you know, talking... And, well, things got a little carried away..."
"Kurt?" He was incredulous; Blaze forced herself to turn her back on him before she laughed out loud. Hesitantly she lifted the edge of her top, as Gambit charged a single playing card to light what it was she wanted to show him. He didn't know what it was he was expecting to see, but an intricate design of elegant black lines was not it. "A tattoo?"
"Yep." Blaze nodded, trying and failing to turn her head far enough over her shoulder to see the design on the lower left portion of her back. "What did you think I was going to show you?"
Gambit refused to answer, examining the pictures Nightcrawler had inscribed forever on Blaze's soft skin. A wolf's head stared balefully out from the base of a tormented fire, supported by an older man's hand extended palm upwards in friendship. On his palm, below his thumb, an X-insignia was emblazoned. To the left there were old-fashioned crossed keys, to the right a heart drawn simply as a child might. Gambit brushed the heart with a finger gently as Blaze stifled another grunt of pain.
"Fire for you, Guardian, an' your parents." He spoke softly, wondering if he knew her well enough to translate all of the symbols that obviously meant a lot to her. "The wolf's Ilehana, gave everythin' so you could be stronger." Blaze nodded, holding still. "The hand the Professor's, givin' you the X-Men. Gambit was Ilehana's Key, the keys for me?"
"Yes." She replied softly, hoping her best friend of so many years would approve. "I don't know why, but I always thought it fitting that the thief became the Key."
"But not the keys to your heart, eh Chere?" He pocketed the card, letting darkness descend again thickly. Carefully Blaze lowered her top back over the new tattoo and turned to meet Gambit's eyes that were only half teasing. "Your heart there don't have no lock. So who it for?"
"I dunno, maybe Duncan, give him twenty years." She smiled. He knew she was holding back, but tonight wasn't the night to be bringing up old arguments about her keeping secrets from him.
"So new haircut, tattoo, what's next little one? Maybe get your belly button pierced again?" He put an arm casually around her shoulder and steering her back to their friends, students and colleagues.
"Nah, been there, done that Rem. What do you think of tongue piercings?" He looked at her quickly, taking her laughter at his expression as clue that she had only been joking.