SNOW! SNOW! SNOW! I woke up this morning and there was SNOW in the
backyard!!! Unfortunaly not enough to stop school, but that's okay. Don't
ya just love snow? Sorry. I get carried away with my snow wanting, like
Crocker from Fairly Oddparents. Anyone watch that? Anyways . . . sorry for
the wait, here's chapter . . . um . . . fifteen I think.
* * *
"I'm lost." John said.
"Me too." Blaze added.
They both looked at Rogue and Bobby.
"Don't look at us," They said in unison.
The four teens looked at Marie.
"Bobby always made me an ice rose . . . it was kind of our thing," Marie explained, blushing slightly.
"Too gushy for me," John muttered, but then stopped when Marie gave him a deadly look.
"But why would that is in a disk hidden in a library with Marie and Iceman's love affair on it?" Blaze asked.
"It's not an affair," Marie pouted, "Being married is not having an affair! Plus, who cares about what we did?"
"We do." Everyone said in unison.
"No one answered my question," Blaze said.
"It IS strange . . . we'll work on it," Jean said, popping the disk out of the computer.
Suddenly Marie let out a gasp. "Today's the day that . . . he died . . ." she trailed off, suddenly looking sad.
If anyone watched those cartoons, remember when a character has an idea usually a light bulb clicks open over his/her head? Well, that's the type of thing that happened to Marie, except minus the light bulb.
"What is it, Marie?" Jean asked, confused.
". . . On Bobby's tombstone . . . he wanted a rose on it . . ." Marie said.
Blaze got it first. "And Bobby must have been the one to write those words on that disk . . . so the message might have something to do with him wanting a rose on his grave!"
Marie nodded. "That's right. I was going to go to the cemetery today anyway . . . you three might as well come along."
"Marie . . . can I come too?" Blaze asked, feeling slightly nervous. But she had a feeling that she needed to be there too.
Marie was silent for a moment. Then, she repeated, "You four might as well come along."
Blaze smiled, and then rubbed her casted arm, wincing slightly.
* * *
They arrived at the cold, windy cemetery a half an hour later. Blaze and John were both very uncomfortable, due to the fact they were both pyros. Of course, Bobby didn't feel it at all. Rogue was all bundled up and covered, so she was warm as well. Marie had only a jacket on and her gloves, but she didn't seem to notice the cold once her eyes landed on the grave of Robert Drake.
Marie had brought red roses with her. She kneeled down next to her love and set the roses down, arranging them so they looked nice.
The four teens looked slightly uncomfortable, thinking that they were barging in on her private time, but Rogue stepped forward stiffly and examined the tombstone. Her fingers outlined the letter that made up "Robert 'Bobby' Drake", hoping that something would happen. Nothing did.
"The rose, remember, Rogue?" Bobby's icy breath breathed into Rogue's ear. His breath would seem cold to anyone else, but to Rogue it was all it took to send a shiver through her spine, and then warm her heart.
"Oh, yeah, right." Rogue ran her gloved fingers against the rose. Nothing happened.
"Maybe this isn't what that message meant," John suggested.
"Maybe it is," Blaze retorted.
"Well, it's not working, is it?" John snapped, annoyed at his fellow firestarter.
"She's probably not doing it right. Not everything's all plain and out in the open for idiots. There's obviously a secret, and he had to hide it," Blaze said a matter of factly.
"Want to test your theory in a fire throwing contest?" John suggested.
"Think you can beat a girl who can only throw fire with one arm?"
"Shut up!" Bobby snapped.
Both firestarters stared at Iceman, shocked. Bobby doesn't snap.
"We're trying to figure out how to work this thing, and you two fighting isn't really helping!" Bobby continued, "So unless you two have something to say that will help us, shut it!"
They were quiet.
Marie glanced over to where the couple was getting frustrated. She took off her glove and moved Rogue's hand gently aside. Then, with her bare hand, she touched the center of the rose. To Marie's surprise, she felt the sensation of taking someone's life force. Then, the air above the center of the rose wavered, like a hologram, and the invisibility that had cloaked it disappeared. What was beneath the hologram was a button. Marie nervously pressed it, her heart beating hard.
Everyone around gave a universal gasp as a holographic figure of Bobby Drake appeared before them.
Bobby stared goggle eyed at his future self. Now he was pretty sure he knew what Rogue had felt when she saw Marie standing over here, an equally surprised expression on her face. But the older Bobby had an almost sad look in his eyes. They were serious. It looked like Bobby, except with facial hair stubs and taller. His blonde hair was also longer. Older Bobby also had a long slash scar next to his right eye. Ouch. Whatever slashed him must have hurt.
"Hi everyone." Older Bobby said confidently. "Rogue, John, Blaze, myself, and . . . Marie." His voice was slightly more affectionate when he spoke Marie's name.
"I bet you're wondering why I put a secret message in my tombstone, and why you three . . . and Blaze . . . are here at all," Bobby began.
"Duh." John said, rolling his eyes, pretending not to be affected by the Bobby he later on murders. But in fact, the whole thing creeped him out.
Rogue elbowed him in the ribs.
"Jean probably already told you the science behind it. But you were meant to come here, because you four are the key to changing this future this . . . mess of a world and society."
"Me?" Blaze spoke up, surprised, "But I'm from this time. I can't do anything in the past, I'm wouldn't be allowed to go to the past and change things."
Hologram Bobby still spoke ahead, but addressing Blaze, "She told me you'd be surprised. You do something that can affect those three's decision. Believe me; you especially have an important part in all this." He addressed John, "John . . ."
John looked away and looked uncomfortable.
". . . you will kill me. She saw that too. It's something that can't be avoided. I saw the Seer, Destiny, and she told me about your coming, about everything. I plotted all the pieces of place. Now . . . in order to fix this, the three of you need to be able to get back to your own time. I had some people create a time portal. And ironically, the last thing I would ask John was to keep it safe in the brotherhood hideout. No one would suspect that I'd ask him to keep it there, especially if John was the one to kill me. I knew he still had some humanity in him, and he would feel bad about my death and accept my request."
"So you had yourself KILLED to make sure some stupid machine we could have hidden was SAFE?!" Marie shrieked suddenly, tears streaming down her face. Her face was red, and she was angry.
"Destiny said you'd react like that, Marie. I'm sorry! How could I tell you ahead of time, 'Sorry, Marie, but I'm going to die soon, good-bye?' I loved you, and I loved all the little mutant kids Jubilee picked off the streets! Changing the past was the only way to really do some damage to this society. If certain things never happened . . . if certain events were never to happen . . . we could all have a better life, including Blaze! She could have had maybe parents who weren't so radical! And John would never have become the way he is now, and I would not have to have to die!"
John never looked at the hologram the entire speech, but he finally found the courage to stare at his older best friend.
Older Bobby cleared his throat and blushed slightly from his outburst, but then he said, "I love you, Marie, and always will. Good luck to you five."
Then Bobby Drake fizzled out of sight, and the button that had activated him disappeared.
The silence between them took hold for a while. Blaze still looked slightly surprised and stunned. John just stared at his feet, an unusual thing to do, due to his usual confident personality. Bobby and Marie looked at each other. Marie stared at that spot where Bobby had floated with a longing in her eyes. Then, Marie said, "I guess we should go to the Brotherhood's, and claim the Time Portal from Pyro."
* * *
"I'm lost." John said.
"Me too." Blaze added.
They both looked at Rogue and Bobby.
"Don't look at us," They said in unison.
The four teens looked at Marie.
"Bobby always made me an ice rose . . . it was kind of our thing," Marie explained, blushing slightly.
"Too gushy for me," John muttered, but then stopped when Marie gave him a deadly look.
"But why would that is in a disk hidden in a library with Marie and Iceman's love affair on it?" Blaze asked.
"It's not an affair," Marie pouted, "Being married is not having an affair! Plus, who cares about what we did?"
"We do." Everyone said in unison.
"No one answered my question," Blaze said.
"It IS strange . . . we'll work on it," Jean said, popping the disk out of the computer.
Suddenly Marie let out a gasp. "Today's the day that . . . he died . . ." she trailed off, suddenly looking sad.
If anyone watched those cartoons, remember when a character has an idea usually a light bulb clicks open over his/her head? Well, that's the type of thing that happened to Marie, except minus the light bulb.
"What is it, Marie?" Jean asked, confused.
". . . On Bobby's tombstone . . . he wanted a rose on it . . ." Marie said.
Blaze got it first. "And Bobby must have been the one to write those words on that disk . . . so the message might have something to do with him wanting a rose on his grave!"
Marie nodded. "That's right. I was going to go to the cemetery today anyway . . . you three might as well come along."
"Marie . . . can I come too?" Blaze asked, feeling slightly nervous. But she had a feeling that she needed to be there too.
Marie was silent for a moment. Then, she repeated, "You four might as well come along."
Blaze smiled, and then rubbed her casted arm, wincing slightly.
* * *
They arrived at the cold, windy cemetery a half an hour later. Blaze and John were both very uncomfortable, due to the fact they were both pyros. Of course, Bobby didn't feel it at all. Rogue was all bundled up and covered, so she was warm as well. Marie had only a jacket on and her gloves, but she didn't seem to notice the cold once her eyes landed on the grave of Robert Drake.
Marie had brought red roses with her. She kneeled down next to her love and set the roses down, arranging them so they looked nice.
The four teens looked slightly uncomfortable, thinking that they were barging in on her private time, but Rogue stepped forward stiffly and examined the tombstone. Her fingers outlined the letter that made up "Robert 'Bobby' Drake", hoping that something would happen. Nothing did.
"The rose, remember, Rogue?" Bobby's icy breath breathed into Rogue's ear. His breath would seem cold to anyone else, but to Rogue it was all it took to send a shiver through her spine, and then warm her heart.
"Oh, yeah, right." Rogue ran her gloved fingers against the rose. Nothing happened.
"Maybe this isn't what that message meant," John suggested.
"Maybe it is," Blaze retorted.
"Well, it's not working, is it?" John snapped, annoyed at his fellow firestarter.
"She's probably not doing it right. Not everything's all plain and out in the open for idiots. There's obviously a secret, and he had to hide it," Blaze said a matter of factly.
"Want to test your theory in a fire throwing contest?" John suggested.
"Think you can beat a girl who can only throw fire with one arm?"
"Shut up!" Bobby snapped.
Both firestarters stared at Iceman, shocked. Bobby doesn't snap.
"We're trying to figure out how to work this thing, and you two fighting isn't really helping!" Bobby continued, "So unless you two have something to say that will help us, shut it!"
They were quiet.
Marie glanced over to where the couple was getting frustrated. She took off her glove and moved Rogue's hand gently aside. Then, with her bare hand, she touched the center of the rose. To Marie's surprise, she felt the sensation of taking someone's life force. Then, the air above the center of the rose wavered, like a hologram, and the invisibility that had cloaked it disappeared. What was beneath the hologram was a button. Marie nervously pressed it, her heart beating hard.
Everyone around gave a universal gasp as a holographic figure of Bobby Drake appeared before them.
Bobby stared goggle eyed at his future self. Now he was pretty sure he knew what Rogue had felt when she saw Marie standing over here, an equally surprised expression on her face. But the older Bobby had an almost sad look in his eyes. They were serious. It looked like Bobby, except with facial hair stubs and taller. His blonde hair was also longer. Older Bobby also had a long slash scar next to his right eye. Ouch. Whatever slashed him must have hurt.
"Hi everyone." Older Bobby said confidently. "Rogue, John, Blaze, myself, and . . . Marie." His voice was slightly more affectionate when he spoke Marie's name.
"I bet you're wondering why I put a secret message in my tombstone, and why you three . . . and Blaze . . . are here at all," Bobby began.
"Duh." John said, rolling his eyes, pretending not to be affected by the Bobby he later on murders. But in fact, the whole thing creeped him out.
Rogue elbowed him in the ribs.
"Jean probably already told you the science behind it. But you were meant to come here, because you four are the key to changing this future this . . . mess of a world and society."
"Me?" Blaze spoke up, surprised, "But I'm from this time. I can't do anything in the past, I'm wouldn't be allowed to go to the past and change things."
Hologram Bobby still spoke ahead, but addressing Blaze, "She told me you'd be surprised. You do something that can affect those three's decision. Believe me; you especially have an important part in all this." He addressed John, "John . . ."
John looked away and looked uncomfortable.
". . . you will kill me. She saw that too. It's something that can't be avoided. I saw the Seer, Destiny, and she told me about your coming, about everything. I plotted all the pieces of place. Now . . . in order to fix this, the three of you need to be able to get back to your own time. I had some people create a time portal. And ironically, the last thing I would ask John was to keep it safe in the brotherhood hideout. No one would suspect that I'd ask him to keep it there, especially if John was the one to kill me. I knew he still had some humanity in him, and he would feel bad about my death and accept my request."
"So you had yourself KILLED to make sure some stupid machine we could have hidden was SAFE?!" Marie shrieked suddenly, tears streaming down her face. Her face was red, and she was angry.
"Destiny said you'd react like that, Marie. I'm sorry! How could I tell you ahead of time, 'Sorry, Marie, but I'm going to die soon, good-bye?' I loved you, and I loved all the little mutant kids Jubilee picked off the streets! Changing the past was the only way to really do some damage to this society. If certain things never happened . . . if certain events were never to happen . . . we could all have a better life, including Blaze! She could have had maybe parents who weren't so radical! And John would never have become the way he is now, and I would not have to have to die!"
John never looked at the hologram the entire speech, but he finally found the courage to stare at his older best friend.
Older Bobby cleared his throat and blushed slightly from his outburst, but then he said, "I love you, Marie, and always will. Good luck to you five."
Then Bobby Drake fizzled out of sight, and the button that had activated him disappeared.
The silence between them took hold for a while. Blaze still looked slightly surprised and stunned. John just stared at his feet, an unusual thing to do, due to his usual confident personality. Bobby and Marie looked at each other. Marie stared at that spot where Bobby had floated with a longing in her eyes. Then, Marie said, "I guess we should go to the Brotherhood's, and claim the Time Portal from Pyro."
