Just a Girl – Who I am
"What? Is there something on my face?" Anne remained positioned in the doorway as she became uncomfortable at the shocked looks from the other two women.
Jean stared in shock at the young woman in the door way: was fate playing a cruel joke on her and Ororo? This girl looked just like Marianne! Just a little older and her hair was a bit shorter.
"Marianne?" Ororo rose to her feet and moved towards the young woman.
"What did you call me?" Anne's eyes narrowed, as she allowed the white haired woman to approach her.
"Marianne, you're Marianne! My god! You're alive!" Jean shook herself awake and hugged Anne tightly.
"Miss! Miss! Air supply is a big issue for me!" Anne objected against the hug.
"You don't remember, you honestly don't remember," Jean let go and clasped her hand over her mouth.
Michael rose to his feet: "Tim, Sander, take the kids out. The rest, sit down."
"Yes sir!" Tim, a punker with a neon orange mohawk mock saluted before taking the kids out with Sander. The rest quickly sat down.
"Now, why did you call Anne Marianne and what happened to Marianne that made you think she died?" Michael remained standing, while fixing his eyes on Jean and Ororo.
"Two years ago, a girl came to live with us, her name was Marianne Jong. She had the power to create tangible or untangible illusions, without a lot of control. She staid with us for several months. We went on a mission, early January, she came along because she had medical training. It was a base where mutants were kept for experimenting, it exploded while she was inside, we thought she had died," Ororo quietly explained.
"Anne, tell them your story, baby," Michael squatted in front of her and squeezed her hand.
"Mutant Underground found me somewhere, I had nearly died, I was in a coma for three months. I couldn't remember anything, well, something that sounded like 'Anne', so we made that my name," Anne spoke up softly, keeping her eyes on her hands.
Jean gasped: how could she have made such a mistake, Marianne could really have died because she saw her comatose unresponsiveness as death!
"You are saying you have no memories from before you woke up?" Ororo looked a the young woman, feeling a confusing mix between relief and sadness.
"I... I get flashes sometimes, but they're always so fast that I can't make heads or tales out of it, and nightmares, but I always forget them too," Anne looked up, "I'm sorry, I'm so sorry."
"Child, you are not to be sorry, we are happy that you are alive, how or why is not important. You are, that is what matters," Ororo spoke soothingly.
"This has been a bit much for her," Michael said when he realised Anne had withdrawn into herself, "if you would all excuse us, I'll get her to bed." He got up with her in his arms and carried her upstairs. Leaving a very confused Joey behind with Ororo and Jean.
"So our Anne was a member of the X-Men?! I can't believe it!" Joey blinked a couple of times.
"I have to call the professor, tell him the news! Everyone at home will be so happy," Jean made a move for her cellphone, but Ororo stopped her.
"No, we can do that tomorrow, we have to know if she wishes to know her former life. As I see it, she has a good life here, perhaps she would rather not know," Ororo reasoned.
~*Upstairs*~
"I can't believe it," Anne whispered as she sat down onto her bed, "I called for the kids, and they are my lost past!"
"I know, I know, but this can be a good thing. It just goes to show that you have nothing to worry about: you were a very good person back then, as you are now," Michael sat down next to her.
"But... but X-men fight! I do not fight! You fight but I, most certainly, DO NOT fight!" Anne's head snapped up to face him.
"I know that, and I have no doubt they know that too, now, go to sleep. You've been running yourself ragged for the last couple of months," Michael let a gentle smile flash over his face.
"Michael, don't let them leave without me, I wanna know who I am, or who I was," Anne whispered as she curled herself up in the bed.
"I won't, baby, I won't," Michael softly whispered as he left the room. Outside, he pulled his frown back in place. He was quite temperemental, and not to let his powers just about kill anyone he was angry with, was with keeping his temper under constant check.
"Anne, or Marianne, asked you to not leave without her, and I will be coming with her," Michael stated as he came back into the room.
"I'm just gonna go to Max's now, see if I can charm some food outta 'r kitchen," Joey decided it would be best to leave, if they wanted to get any decent food this evening. The only one in the house who could cook up anything edible was Anne, or was he supposed to call her Marianne now? Man, things always got complicated. It never could be easy, could it?
He wondered if, when Anne regained her memory again, she would leave them. Anne coming to live with them had been a blessing. A man could only handle so much take-out from one tacky place or another, and he was about to try and take up cooking lessons himself when Anne was sent to them. Not only her cooking abilities were impressive, but also her getting them to actually clean up and get Michael out of his constant grouchiness, even if it involved him following Anne around when she went on dates. That had been the most annoying four months of his life.
"What? Is there something on my face?" Anne remained positioned in the doorway as she became uncomfortable at the shocked looks from the other two women.
Jean stared in shock at the young woman in the door way: was fate playing a cruel joke on her and Ororo? This girl looked just like Marianne! Just a little older and her hair was a bit shorter.
"Marianne?" Ororo rose to her feet and moved towards the young woman.
"What did you call me?" Anne's eyes narrowed, as she allowed the white haired woman to approach her.
"Marianne, you're Marianne! My god! You're alive!" Jean shook herself awake and hugged Anne tightly.
"Miss! Miss! Air supply is a big issue for me!" Anne objected against the hug.
"You don't remember, you honestly don't remember," Jean let go and clasped her hand over her mouth.
Michael rose to his feet: "Tim, Sander, take the kids out. The rest, sit down."
"Yes sir!" Tim, a punker with a neon orange mohawk mock saluted before taking the kids out with Sander. The rest quickly sat down.
"Now, why did you call Anne Marianne and what happened to Marianne that made you think she died?" Michael remained standing, while fixing his eyes on Jean and Ororo.
"Two years ago, a girl came to live with us, her name was Marianne Jong. She had the power to create tangible or untangible illusions, without a lot of control. She staid with us for several months. We went on a mission, early January, she came along because she had medical training. It was a base where mutants were kept for experimenting, it exploded while she was inside, we thought she had died," Ororo quietly explained.
"Anne, tell them your story, baby," Michael squatted in front of her and squeezed her hand.
"Mutant Underground found me somewhere, I had nearly died, I was in a coma for three months. I couldn't remember anything, well, something that sounded like 'Anne', so we made that my name," Anne spoke up softly, keeping her eyes on her hands.
Jean gasped: how could she have made such a mistake, Marianne could really have died because she saw her comatose unresponsiveness as death!
"You are saying you have no memories from before you woke up?" Ororo looked a the young woman, feeling a confusing mix between relief and sadness.
"I... I get flashes sometimes, but they're always so fast that I can't make heads or tales out of it, and nightmares, but I always forget them too," Anne looked up, "I'm sorry, I'm so sorry."
"Child, you are not to be sorry, we are happy that you are alive, how or why is not important. You are, that is what matters," Ororo spoke soothingly.
"This has been a bit much for her," Michael said when he realised Anne had withdrawn into herself, "if you would all excuse us, I'll get her to bed." He got up with her in his arms and carried her upstairs. Leaving a very confused Joey behind with Ororo and Jean.
"So our Anne was a member of the X-Men?! I can't believe it!" Joey blinked a couple of times.
"I have to call the professor, tell him the news! Everyone at home will be so happy," Jean made a move for her cellphone, but Ororo stopped her.
"No, we can do that tomorrow, we have to know if she wishes to know her former life. As I see it, she has a good life here, perhaps she would rather not know," Ororo reasoned.
~*Upstairs*~
"I can't believe it," Anne whispered as she sat down onto her bed, "I called for the kids, and they are my lost past!"
"I know, I know, but this can be a good thing. It just goes to show that you have nothing to worry about: you were a very good person back then, as you are now," Michael sat down next to her.
"But... but X-men fight! I do not fight! You fight but I, most certainly, DO NOT fight!" Anne's head snapped up to face him.
"I know that, and I have no doubt they know that too, now, go to sleep. You've been running yourself ragged for the last couple of months," Michael let a gentle smile flash over his face.
"Michael, don't let them leave without me, I wanna know who I am, or who I was," Anne whispered as she curled herself up in the bed.
"I won't, baby, I won't," Michael softly whispered as he left the room. Outside, he pulled his frown back in place. He was quite temperemental, and not to let his powers just about kill anyone he was angry with, was with keeping his temper under constant check.
"Anne, or Marianne, asked you to not leave without her, and I will be coming with her," Michael stated as he came back into the room.
"I'm just gonna go to Max's now, see if I can charm some food outta 'r kitchen," Joey decided it would be best to leave, if they wanted to get any decent food this evening. The only one in the house who could cook up anything edible was Anne, or was he supposed to call her Marianne now? Man, things always got complicated. It never could be easy, could it?
He wondered if, when Anne regained her memory again, she would leave them. Anne coming to live with them had been a blessing. A man could only handle so much take-out from one tacky place or another, and he was about to try and take up cooking lessons himself when Anne was sent to them. Not only her cooking abilities were impressive, but also her getting them to actually clean up and get Michael out of his constant grouchiness, even if it involved him following Anne around when she went on dates. That had been the most annoying four months of his life.