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! Reviews always appreciated.
Scene 12
A weary Logan with sagging shoulders and road-dusty boots marched into the mansion as Jessica was being more or less marched out of it by people Wolverine could only assume were the kid's adoptive parents. Instantly on his guard as he sniffed fear on the air, Logan addressed the child rather than the adults.
"You quittin' kid?"
"Nope, got pulled out and I don't want to go." The girl's red-on-black eyes flashed angrily and she answered back too fast. "And I can't find Gambit and I need to tell him something and........." The girl's words were stopped short by Lila's hand on her shoulder. The woman ignored Wolverine as sharply as he had ignored her to talk to her child.
"Jessie we haven't got all day, our flight check in closes soon........."
"I just want to say goodbye Mom!" Jess squealed. "This is so dweeby, I can't believe you're doin' this to me!"
"You t'ink I let you leave without sayin' bye Petite?" A familiar accent caused Jessica's angry scowl to drop from her face as she ran to hug her mentor. Lila and Mark were forced to wait, luggage in hand, as Gambit squeezed his daughter back. "What you got to tell me?"
"Um, I wanted to say sorry." The child stuttered as the X-Man let her go.
"There nothin' to apologise about. This not your fault Jess."
"No, I know." Jess shot an unguarded evil glance back over her shoulder at Lila and Mark before turning back to Remy. "Its not that. I told some of the other kids about you and Blaze, you know. I swear I didn't mean to, it just kinda slipped out." Gambit smiled and was rewarded by a slight grin from Jessie in return.
"Don't worry about it, Petite, nothin' stays secret round here forever. And don't worry about leavin' either, we'll see you again soon." He tweaked her button nose, making her laugh. "Now how 'bout a hug for Blaze and Logan too before you head off, eh?"
Logan had to credit Gambit's guise. There were only the three X-Men present, and Blaze looked as if she would burn the place down at the click of her fingers if she didn't get chance to say this goodbye. But if Gambit had included her and not Logan, Jessica would have only gotten to wondering why. Still, Logan wished Gambit hadn't been so thoughtful; this was really not Logan's scene.........
"Bye Blaze." Jessica hugged the woman for a moment as Blaze knelt on the cold floor to accept her daughter's parting gesture whist fighting hot tears.
"Bye Jessica, take care of yourself okay?" It sounded lame to Blaze's ears, but what else was she supposed to say? Jessie was already detaching herself and offering her goodbyes to Wolverine.
"You'll be nice to them wont you?" The child asked the gruff man. "Don't tease them too much 'bout bein' all soppy and in love?"
"Hey I don't know nothin' about this, and I don't promise anythin' before I know what I'm getting myself into." Jessica grinned; she'd expected little else. A shallow hug and she went to Mark and Lila's side, picking up her bag from the floor and following them out to the car with many a backwards glance.
"Sounds like you two been havin' fun." Logan offered, not looking at his colleagues who came to stand besides him in the doorway, Gambit's muscular arm round Blaze's shoulders as the Price's hire car pulled out of the drive.
"Gambit." Scott interrupted the conversation before either Blaze or Remy could reply. Only Logan looked back over his shoulder to where the team- leader stood obviously fuming. Just behind Scott, a hassled looking Jean rubbed her neck with one hand, concerned eyes matching Wolverine's. Scott didn't wait for Remy's acknowledgement to continue to speak.
"What you did there was stupid, Gambit, and you know it. I can't trust you to follow orders and that means I can't afford to have you on the team, not with lives in the balance........." Cyclops made as if to continue his tirade, but the look Gambit shot him on turning cut off his train of thought. Never had such a cold, venomous look been used by the Cajun, a look to drop Cyclops into his grave.
"I had it workin' for you, Cyclops. I suggest you get someone to knock some sense into you and soon, before any more of the X-Men reach the same conclusion I have." Gambit didn't even take his arm from around Blaze's shoulder as they both watched Cyclops' blood boil before walking out the door to Gambit's waiting motorcycle.
Blaze held Gambit's helmet for him as he checked the few pieces of luggage he was taking were properly stowed, climbed on board and revved the engine. He met Laura's eyes briefly as he finally took the helmet from her, hating to leave his love behind. She shook her head slightly, setting bobbed curls bouncing, a simple gesture beyond words to say don't worry, you're not really leaving me.........
Blaze watched feeling cold and shallow as the motorbike drove away before turning and striding back into the dark mansion as if to face her doom. Passing Logan he muttered something about no goodbye kiss from her for the Cajun?
"Who said this was goodbye?" Blaze quipped back quickly; eyes meeting the Wolverine's to let her friend know that something was brewing here. Blaze held up her hand to stop Scott's next tirade, turning her head slowly and staring him down.
"You already know I'm leaving too Cyclops," She began watching Scott carefully, calculating. "But I have too much respect for my students to just up and go with Gambit. Consider this me working my notice. When I'm done here you wont see me for dust."
And with that the Englishwoman strode down the corridor and disappeared. Logan pursed his lips in a silent exclamation before heading off to dump his stuff in his attic room. Scott was left alone with Jean, but it still took him a few moments of uneasy silence to work out what he wanted to say to his loving wife.
"Jean, you would tell me if Blaze and Gambit were plotting something stupid, wouldn't you?" He only met her eyes when his words were spoken, dreading a negative answer.
"All I know is," Jean began, and then wondered how much of what she knew she should share. What had got her thinking this way that she needed to mince words with her husband? "All I know is that Blaze is very, very angry at you." Cyclops began to speak but Jean cut him off. "No Scott, listen. Think of it her way, you've just sent away inside an hour her only child and the man she loves. But I sense no deceit in what she said to you, she really does just want the chance to close things with her students, particularly those she's mentoring. Other than that I know she means no harm to any of the X-Men, even you."
"That's good to know." Sarcasm weighed heavily on Scott's words, his hurt oozing through the air and beating on Jean's telepathic skill like a terrible drum roll. "But you've not answered my question Jean. Are you planning on betraying me twice in one day?"
Jean stuttered and spluttered as she sensed now how deeply angry he was at her. Instead of trying to persuade him, she **showed** him. Flooding his mind with the images and feelings she'd sensed from Blaze and Gambit, Jessica and even the Prices, she held nothing back.
Jessica was still oblivious as to her importance to so many people. All she knew was that she was sick of being passed around and was worried about what the kids at her old school would have to say about her mutation when she got back to California. However the Prices were both terrified of something, of losing Jessica forever. Without prying more into their unsuspecting and unprotected minds Jean couldn't tell why, but to do so would have been a violent breach of telepathic conduct. Scott accepted this with a tired sigh, willing Jean to believe as he did that they only feared the words of a confused doctor. They would relax as Jessie grew into her powers and did not go blind.
**I hope you're right, my love. ** Jean offered with feeling. **But Blaze feels, no its stronger than that, she senses that something is gravely wrong here. And Gambit trusts her intuition, he wont just let all this rest......... **
**Intuition? Senses? Blaze is no telepath Jean, what you're saying doesn't make any sense. ** He preceded her back into his office, seating himself heavily like a punctured football with all the energy sucked out of him. Jean didn't sit, but perched on the edge of the desk with worry lines framing her beautiful eyes and creasing her brow in furrows.
**She's a mother, Scott. She carried Jessica inside of her for nine months; it's the same intuition I get when I wake moments before Duncan when he has a nightmare. Blaze knows like a truth that something is wrong. **
**You're saying I should put the X-Men on this? Babysitting a little girl because her parents pull her out of the school suddenly and a non-telepath has an intuition she may be in danger? Have you thought that maybe Blaze and Gambit want there to be something wrong? Want the Prices not to be good enough for Jessica so they can claim her back? No, Jean, I can't do that. And if Gambit is fool enough to try and take Jessica from her parents, the X-Men will have to stop him.........**
A/N: Post X2 spoilers, and spoilers for Corrinth's Guardians of Destiny, which incidentally is excellent so go read it! Reviews always appreciated.
Scene 12
A weary Logan with sagging shoulders and road-dusty boots marched into the mansion as Jessica was being more or less marched out of it by people Wolverine could only assume were the kid's adoptive parents. Instantly on his guard as he sniffed fear on the air, Logan addressed the child rather than the adults.
"You quittin' kid?"
"Nope, got pulled out and I don't want to go." The girl's red-on-black eyes flashed angrily and she answered back too fast. "And I can't find Gambit and I need to tell him something and........." The girl's words were stopped short by Lila's hand on her shoulder. The woman ignored Wolverine as sharply as he had ignored her to talk to her child.
"Jessie we haven't got all day, our flight check in closes soon........."
"I just want to say goodbye Mom!" Jess squealed. "This is so dweeby, I can't believe you're doin' this to me!"
"You t'ink I let you leave without sayin' bye Petite?" A familiar accent caused Jessica's angry scowl to drop from her face as she ran to hug her mentor. Lila and Mark were forced to wait, luggage in hand, as Gambit squeezed his daughter back. "What you got to tell me?"
"Um, I wanted to say sorry." The child stuttered as the X-Man let her go.
"There nothin' to apologise about. This not your fault Jess."
"No, I know." Jess shot an unguarded evil glance back over her shoulder at Lila and Mark before turning back to Remy. "Its not that. I told some of the other kids about you and Blaze, you know. I swear I didn't mean to, it just kinda slipped out." Gambit smiled and was rewarded by a slight grin from Jessie in return.
"Don't worry about it, Petite, nothin' stays secret round here forever. And don't worry about leavin' either, we'll see you again soon." He tweaked her button nose, making her laugh. "Now how 'bout a hug for Blaze and Logan too before you head off, eh?"
Logan had to credit Gambit's guise. There were only the three X-Men present, and Blaze looked as if she would burn the place down at the click of her fingers if she didn't get chance to say this goodbye. But if Gambit had included her and not Logan, Jessica would have only gotten to wondering why. Still, Logan wished Gambit hadn't been so thoughtful; this was really not Logan's scene.........
"Bye Blaze." Jessica hugged the woman for a moment as Blaze knelt on the cold floor to accept her daughter's parting gesture whist fighting hot tears.
"Bye Jessica, take care of yourself okay?" It sounded lame to Blaze's ears, but what else was she supposed to say? Jessie was already detaching herself and offering her goodbyes to Wolverine.
"You'll be nice to them wont you?" The child asked the gruff man. "Don't tease them too much 'bout bein' all soppy and in love?"
"Hey I don't know nothin' about this, and I don't promise anythin' before I know what I'm getting myself into." Jessica grinned; she'd expected little else. A shallow hug and she went to Mark and Lila's side, picking up her bag from the floor and following them out to the car with many a backwards glance.
"Sounds like you two been havin' fun." Logan offered, not looking at his colleagues who came to stand besides him in the doorway, Gambit's muscular arm round Blaze's shoulders as the Price's hire car pulled out of the drive.
"Gambit." Scott interrupted the conversation before either Blaze or Remy could reply. Only Logan looked back over his shoulder to where the team- leader stood obviously fuming. Just behind Scott, a hassled looking Jean rubbed her neck with one hand, concerned eyes matching Wolverine's. Scott didn't wait for Remy's acknowledgement to continue to speak.
"What you did there was stupid, Gambit, and you know it. I can't trust you to follow orders and that means I can't afford to have you on the team, not with lives in the balance........." Cyclops made as if to continue his tirade, but the look Gambit shot him on turning cut off his train of thought. Never had such a cold, venomous look been used by the Cajun, a look to drop Cyclops into his grave.
"I had it workin' for you, Cyclops. I suggest you get someone to knock some sense into you and soon, before any more of the X-Men reach the same conclusion I have." Gambit didn't even take his arm from around Blaze's shoulder as they both watched Cyclops' blood boil before walking out the door to Gambit's waiting motorcycle.
Blaze held Gambit's helmet for him as he checked the few pieces of luggage he was taking were properly stowed, climbed on board and revved the engine. He met Laura's eyes briefly as he finally took the helmet from her, hating to leave his love behind. She shook her head slightly, setting bobbed curls bouncing, a simple gesture beyond words to say don't worry, you're not really leaving me.........
Blaze watched feeling cold and shallow as the motorbike drove away before turning and striding back into the dark mansion as if to face her doom. Passing Logan he muttered something about no goodbye kiss from her for the Cajun?
"Who said this was goodbye?" Blaze quipped back quickly; eyes meeting the Wolverine's to let her friend know that something was brewing here. Blaze held up her hand to stop Scott's next tirade, turning her head slowly and staring him down.
"You already know I'm leaving too Cyclops," She began watching Scott carefully, calculating. "But I have too much respect for my students to just up and go with Gambit. Consider this me working my notice. When I'm done here you wont see me for dust."
And with that the Englishwoman strode down the corridor and disappeared. Logan pursed his lips in a silent exclamation before heading off to dump his stuff in his attic room. Scott was left alone with Jean, but it still took him a few moments of uneasy silence to work out what he wanted to say to his loving wife.
"Jean, you would tell me if Blaze and Gambit were plotting something stupid, wouldn't you?" He only met her eyes when his words were spoken, dreading a negative answer.
"All I know is," Jean began, and then wondered how much of what she knew she should share. What had got her thinking this way that she needed to mince words with her husband? "All I know is that Blaze is very, very angry at you." Cyclops began to speak but Jean cut him off. "No Scott, listen. Think of it her way, you've just sent away inside an hour her only child and the man she loves. But I sense no deceit in what she said to you, she really does just want the chance to close things with her students, particularly those she's mentoring. Other than that I know she means no harm to any of the X-Men, even you."
"That's good to know." Sarcasm weighed heavily on Scott's words, his hurt oozing through the air and beating on Jean's telepathic skill like a terrible drum roll. "But you've not answered my question Jean. Are you planning on betraying me twice in one day?"
Jean stuttered and spluttered as she sensed now how deeply angry he was at her. Instead of trying to persuade him, she **showed** him. Flooding his mind with the images and feelings she'd sensed from Blaze and Gambit, Jessica and even the Prices, she held nothing back.
Jessica was still oblivious as to her importance to so many people. All she knew was that she was sick of being passed around and was worried about what the kids at her old school would have to say about her mutation when she got back to California. However the Prices were both terrified of something, of losing Jessica forever. Without prying more into their unsuspecting and unprotected minds Jean couldn't tell why, but to do so would have been a violent breach of telepathic conduct. Scott accepted this with a tired sigh, willing Jean to believe as he did that they only feared the words of a confused doctor. They would relax as Jessie grew into her powers and did not go blind.
**I hope you're right, my love. ** Jean offered with feeling. **But Blaze feels, no its stronger than that, she senses that something is gravely wrong here. And Gambit trusts her intuition, he wont just let all this rest......... **
**Intuition? Senses? Blaze is no telepath Jean, what you're saying doesn't make any sense. ** He preceded her back into his office, seating himself heavily like a punctured football with all the energy sucked out of him. Jean didn't sit, but perched on the edge of the desk with worry lines framing her beautiful eyes and creasing her brow in furrows.
**She's a mother, Scott. She carried Jessica inside of her for nine months; it's the same intuition I get when I wake moments before Duncan when he has a nightmare. Blaze knows like a truth that something is wrong. **
**You're saying I should put the X-Men on this? Babysitting a little girl because her parents pull her out of the school suddenly and a non-telepath has an intuition she may be in danger? Have you thought that maybe Blaze and Gambit want there to be something wrong? Want the Prices not to be good enough for Jessica so they can claim her back? No, Jean, I can't do that. And if Gambit is fool enough to try and take Jessica from her parents, the X-Men will have to stop him.........**