Disclaimer: The X-Men belong to Marvel, Ilehana Xavier to Corrinth, Blaze
and all other OCs to me.
A/N: All reviews greatly appreciated.
06
Gambit spoke up then, mostly to break up the uncomfortable silence that threatened to break into violence as both young women scowled at each other.
"You all done with the doggy comparisons? I know you ladies can be real bitc........."
"Shut up!" Both young women turned their anger on him, forcing him to hold up his hands appeasingly and stop talking. They both ignored his attempt at a contagious smile.
"You don't have a choice." Ilehana continued, looking back at Blaze. "You're losing control again, aren't you? Without me or my Dad to help, your powers are taking over." Some of the coldness dropped out of Ilehana's voice as she stepped forward to her friend. "I've seen you struggling with them, through Cerebro, like when that blue-haired mutant accosted you?"
"You've been spying on me telepathically?" Blaze stepped back from her friend, unfolding her arms. "Why does it not surprise me? I was sick of feeling guilty when I hadn't been caught."
"It won't take much for the X-Men to accept you back again." Ilehana pressed on with more confidence than she felt on the subject. One step at a time, Vixen, she counselled herself. "A promise that you'll make an effort, play by the rules........."
"Stop it." Blaze snapped. She could feel her terrible powers tugging at her, distracting her. It was always there these days, but now it was building to an inferno. Did Vixen really want to push Blaze over the edge? Would Ilehana be willing to pay the highest price to be proved right, Blaze was struggling to remain in control of her powers? Blaze walked away quickly, throwing open the sliding glass door to the balcony outside, pushing down on her troublesome, murderous powers and gulping fresh air as though it would cool the dragon's fire inside her. Ilehana let her go, she'd run out of things to say to her friend and she would not let Blaze think Vixen might have used telepathy to convince the younger girl. Gambit however did not find himself so tongue-tied.
Blaze was stood on the balcony, hands resting elegantly over the railing, long hair lifted slightly in the soft breeze. The low dawn light was politely hiding her tears, but he didn't need to see them to know she was crying. He resisted the temptation first to walk away, then to go and comfort her. So he just stood there, waiting, until she turned around to face him.
"You wanna go back Petite," He began gently. "Or you wouldn't have come see Vixen at all. You don't wanna be a thief no more."
"Once a thief, always a thief." Blaze replied sullenly, knowing that to him at least those words needed no explanation. "Besides, I can't go back. You heard Ilehana; she wants me to promise to keep the other X-Men safe. I can't do that, can't promise that I wont do the same thing all over again........." The same thing, he thought, did she mean protecting him or turning against the X-Men? "How would you feel," She continued more nastily, "If after all this I went back only to get your precious Rogue killed? Would this trip have been worth it?"
The spite in Blaze's words as she once again brought up Gambit feelings for Rogue threw Gambit a little. His own tone was angrier than he'd meant it to be when he replied.
"You t'ink this all about Rogue?" He asked, his outrage making Blaze meet his eyes, shocked. He'd never spoken to her like this before. "It your life you put in danger, it you the X-Men are worried you might get killed! At least when you in Bayville, they got a chance to protect you, an' I can keep an eye on you........." He walked to her, put his hands on each of her shoulders as she dropped her eyes. She was shaking, Remy realised, and she really didn't think that she could just go back. What did she want, a passage of fire? "Amie?"
She didn't reply, knowing at that moment she could either accept the friendly hug he offered her, or turn and walk away. She knew what she wanted to do, but instead she pulled away and headed back inside.
"I can't go back." Blaze began, raising her hand to stop Vixen's next tirade before she could start. "Not right now at least. The war between the two mutant gangs I've been dealing with is about to spill onto the streets. They're being driven to it, fighting for the approval of someone else, a third party.........."
"Do you know who?" Vixen asked, awe in her voice now as she realised Blaze hadn't been playing these dangerous games without a reason. Suddenly she felt a little guilty, the animal-metamorph should have had more respect for her friend than that.
"I have an idea." Blaze answered sternly, turning now to Remy. "Does your boss know you're here, or had he already left before Ilehana recruited you?"
"He'd already left." Gambit answered unwillingly. This did not sound good to him.........
"Magneto's not in Bayville?" Ilehana was shocked. "Then where is he? And how did you know before the X-Men, Blaze?"
"I joined the X-Men more than partially to get my own back on that scumbag." Blaze pointed out by way of explanation. "He's here, making the gangs of mutants fight for the right to work for him. I have no doubt he's hoping to show the world that the mutant population runs way beyond Bayville, and is way more dangerous than a bunch of school children. And I have to stop him."
A/N: All reviews greatly appreciated.
06
Gambit spoke up then, mostly to break up the uncomfortable silence that threatened to break into violence as both young women scowled at each other.
"You all done with the doggy comparisons? I know you ladies can be real bitc........."
"Shut up!" Both young women turned their anger on him, forcing him to hold up his hands appeasingly and stop talking. They both ignored his attempt at a contagious smile.
"You don't have a choice." Ilehana continued, looking back at Blaze. "You're losing control again, aren't you? Without me or my Dad to help, your powers are taking over." Some of the coldness dropped out of Ilehana's voice as she stepped forward to her friend. "I've seen you struggling with them, through Cerebro, like when that blue-haired mutant accosted you?"
"You've been spying on me telepathically?" Blaze stepped back from her friend, unfolding her arms. "Why does it not surprise me? I was sick of feeling guilty when I hadn't been caught."
"It won't take much for the X-Men to accept you back again." Ilehana pressed on with more confidence than she felt on the subject. One step at a time, Vixen, she counselled herself. "A promise that you'll make an effort, play by the rules........."
"Stop it." Blaze snapped. She could feel her terrible powers tugging at her, distracting her. It was always there these days, but now it was building to an inferno. Did Vixen really want to push Blaze over the edge? Would Ilehana be willing to pay the highest price to be proved right, Blaze was struggling to remain in control of her powers? Blaze walked away quickly, throwing open the sliding glass door to the balcony outside, pushing down on her troublesome, murderous powers and gulping fresh air as though it would cool the dragon's fire inside her. Ilehana let her go, she'd run out of things to say to her friend and she would not let Blaze think Vixen might have used telepathy to convince the younger girl. Gambit however did not find himself so tongue-tied.
Blaze was stood on the balcony, hands resting elegantly over the railing, long hair lifted slightly in the soft breeze. The low dawn light was politely hiding her tears, but he didn't need to see them to know she was crying. He resisted the temptation first to walk away, then to go and comfort her. So he just stood there, waiting, until she turned around to face him.
"You wanna go back Petite," He began gently. "Or you wouldn't have come see Vixen at all. You don't wanna be a thief no more."
"Once a thief, always a thief." Blaze replied sullenly, knowing that to him at least those words needed no explanation. "Besides, I can't go back. You heard Ilehana; she wants me to promise to keep the other X-Men safe. I can't do that, can't promise that I wont do the same thing all over again........." The same thing, he thought, did she mean protecting him or turning against the X-Men? "How would you feel," She continued more nastily, "If after all this I went back only to get your precious Rogue killed? Would this trip have been worth it?"
The spite in Blaze's words as she once again brought up Gambit feelings for Rogue threw Gambit a little. His own tone was angrier than he'd meant it to be when he replied.
"You t'ink this all about Rogue?" He asked, his outrage making Blaze meet his eyes, shocked. He'd never spoken to her like this before. "It your life you put in danger, it you the X-Men are worried you might get killed! At least when you in Bayville, they got a chance to protect you, an' I can keep an eye on you........." He walked to her, put his hands on each of her shoulders as she dropped her eyes. She was shaking, Remy realised, and she really didn't think that she could just go back. What did she want, a passage of fire? "Amie?"
She didn't reply, knowing at that moment she could either accept the friendly hug he offered her, or turn and walk away. She knew what she wanted to do, but instead she pulled away and headed back inside.
"I can't go back." Blaze began, raising her hand to stop Vixen's next tirade before she could start. "Not right now at least. The war between the two mutant gangs I've been dealing with is about to spill onto the streets. They're being driven to it, fighting for the approval of someone else, a third party.........."
"Do you know who?" Vixen asked, awe in her voice now as she realised Blaze hadn't been playing these dangerous games without a reason. Suddenly she felt a little guilty, the animal-metamorph should have had more respect for her friend than that.
"I have an idea." Blaze answered sternly, turning now to Remy. "Does your boss know you're here, or had he already left before Ilehana recruited you?"
"He'd already left." Gambit answered unwillingly. This did not sound good to him.........
"Magneto's not in Bayville?" Ilehana was shocked. "Then where is he? And how did you know before the X-Men, Blaze?"
"I joined the X-Men more than partially to get my own back on that scumbag." Blaze pointed out by way of explanation. "He's here, making the gangs of mutants fight for the right to work for him. I have no doubt he's hoping to show the world that the mutant population runs way beyond Bayville, and is way more dangerous than a bunch of school children. And I have to stop him."