Disclaimer: I do not own any of the X-Men movie characters.
Title: Unforgivable Sinners
By: Cmdr. Gabe E.
Note: This fanfiction occurs entirely in the X-Men movie-verse . Characters' unspoken thoughts are enclosed in .
= = = = = = = = = = = =
Uber thanks to SKETTY24, PEETS96 AND TOPWITCH for the wonderful reviews o!!! Thank you thank you thank you so much !!!! It's great to know that you like how the story's going ! Well, here's more of it o!
= = = = = = = = = = = =
Chapter 36: Three's company
He ran his fingers through his hair then he looked at Stryker. He looked at Rogue and she nodded at him. He couldn't believe what he was about to do. He was going to invite a former mutant-hating, torturous and murderous man to dinner. What next? Magneto will step through the mansion's front door and volunteer for humanitarian efforts? The world could never get any crazier than what was happening now.
"Hey William!" He shouted as he looked at Stryker.
Stryker's eyes widened when he heard Bobby call his name. "Yes?" He asked softly. His hands were still clasped together. He hoped it was about the food on the table.
Bobby motioned his hand towards the seat on the opposite side of the table. "Sit there." He said abruptly.
He still didn't feel comfortable at the thought of Stryker dining with them. He couldn't even look at him in the eye. Whenever he saw him, he wanted to make him pay for what he did to the school. If it weren't for Rogue's persuasion, he would have already thrown him out of the kitchen.
Stryker exhaled, then he straightened his suit. He looked at Bobby and Bobby raised his eyebrows at them in a questioning way.
"What are you waiting for? Aren't you hungry? Sit." Bobby said imposingly. Why did Stryker just stand there? He thought he wanted something to eat.
"Okay." Stryker said with a hint of uncertainty in his voice.
He found it quite odd that Rogue and Bobby were letting him sit with them. When a while ago, they looked at him with so much anger and hate. He hoped they weren't planning on doing something to him. After all, he just came back from the operating room. The last thing he needed were more mutants who wanted him dead.
He slowly walked towards the chair and sat on it. He placed his elbows on the table and clasped his hands together as he looked at Rogue and Bobby. He felt so awkward being that close to them, and he knew they did too.
"Are you going to eat or what?" Bobby asked. He still couldn't believe that man sitting in front of him was William Stryker. He didn't even look close to menacing.
Stryker tapped his fingers on the table as he looked at the loaf of bread that was right in front of Rogue. It was the only food on the table that looked delectable to him.
Rogue saw Stryker eyes, and then she slid the loaf of bread closer to him. She didn't want to admit it, but he did seem different. His eyes look so innocent and naive. How could a monstrous man suddenly turn into something like that?
Bobby moved his chair closer to Rogue's. He wanted to stay close to her, just in case Stryker did something questionable.
Stryker quickly grabbed three slices of bread and hungrily bit on them. His breaths were fast and hard as he heartily chewed on the bread. His mouth wasn't even empty yet when he shoved the last half of them into his mouth. He was gorging on them like there was no tomorrow.
Rogue and Bobby had dumbfounded looks on their faces as they looked at Stryker. He really wasn't kidding when he told them that he hadn't eaten for two days. In fact, he looked like he hadn't eaten for a week. It was as if he could finish the entire loaf.
His eyes darted at the jar of peanut butter and he quickly grabbed it. He twisted the lid open and he looked at the jar's creamy, brown content.
Bobby couldn't believe what he was seeing. The man looked like he was willing to eat anything. He stood up and walked to the kitchen counter, where the kitchen utensils were. He picked up a spoon and showed it to Stryker.
"Uh...You might want to use this." He said with his eyebrows furrowed.
He tossed the spoon at Stryker, but it slipped from Stryker's hands and landed on the floor.
"I'll get it." Stryker said as he pointed at the spoon.
He bent down and picked the spoon from the floor. Then he sat up and scooped a heaping tablespoon of peanut butter from the jar. Rogue watched in horror as he stuck the peanut butter-filled spoon in his mouth.
She leaned close to Bobby with a scared look on her face. "Remind me to buy another jar." She told him in a whisper.
She cringed as she watched Stryker pull the spoon from his lips. The spoon now had little traces of peanut butter on it. His lips slightly moved up and down, as he swirled the peanut butter in his mouth it in his mouth. He looked at the spoon and furrowed his eyebrows. He knew he had tasted it somewhere before.
His eyes suddenly widened as he looked at Rogue and Bobby. "Peanut butter." He said matter-of-factly.
Bobby arched an eyebrow as he looked back at him. "Uh...yeah. That's what it says on the cover." He said as he moved the open jar close to Stryker.
"You should consider eating it with bread next time." Rogue said with a disgusted look on her face.
Bobby nudged Rogue with his elbow and looked at her from the corner of his eye. "Hey, you sometimes eat peanut butter off the spoon too. You even lick it." He said in a joking way. He chuckled and Rogue gave him a soft, playful push. "Shut up, Bobby." She said firmly.
Stryker grabbed two pieces of bread and shoved it in his mouth. He was definitely going to make up for those two days without food. He would eat everything on the table if he had to. He didn't even care if he looked ridiculous.
Bobby placed his elbows on the table and slightly leaned towards Stryker. "So...you really don't remember anything?" He asked with narrowed eyes.
Stryker stopped chewing and looked at him. His mouth was still full as he shook his head from side to side. "No. I don't." He said abruptly. The words were garbled as it escaped from his lips. He could barely say anything with the amount of food in his mouth.
Bobby arched an eyebrow and nodded in an all-knowing way. "Oh." He said softly.
Stryker suddenly stood up and the two almost jumped off their seats. They thought he was about to do something devious. Even if they now believed that he was truly incapable of inflicting harm, they still didn't trust him completely.
"Where are you going?" Bobby asked curiously. He really had no idea why Stryker suddenly stood up like that.
Stryker pointed at the drinking glasses on the kitchen counter. "I'm going to get a glass of water." He said with his mouth half-full.
Bobby suddenly had a sly grin on his face and he looked at Rogue. Rogue's eyebrows furrowed as she saw Bobby's trademark juvenile grin.
He looked at Stryker and smiled. "Sit down. I'll get it for you."
Rogue knew he was up to no good. Bobby was a kind and nice guy, but he had a playful and naughty side that usually gets them in trouble.
Bobby stood up and walked to the kitchen counter. He took a drinking glass, then he turned his head to look at Stryker. "I bet you want ice cold water."
"Yes please." Stryker said as he bit on another piece of bread.
Bobby went to the water dispenser and placed the glass under the 'lukewarm' water outlet. He smiled as lukewarm water filled the glass right up to its brim.
/"He is going to be in for a big surprise."/ He thought to himself.
He took the glass from the water dispenser, and then he sat down beside Rogue. She saw what he did and she glared at him.
"What?" He asked with an innocent look on his face. "I'm just trying to be nice." He handed the glass to Stryker and smiled. "No hard feelings about earlier, okay?"
Stryker took the glass and smiled back. "No problem, Bobby. Thanks for the food and the drink." He said as he raised the glass. "Gotta make sure the food goes down right, eh?"
He drank from the glass and was surprised to feel the warm water against his lips. He thought Bobby got him cold water. Bobby made a little wave, and Stryker suddenly felt the warm water turn into ice-cold water. His eyes opened wide as he saw ice cubes forming inside the glass, and the glass itself was already too cold to the touch. He could even see little traces of ice on its smooth surface. He impulsively pulled the glass away from his lips, and its contents spilled on his pants.
His eyes suddenly opened wide as he felt the freezing water seeping on his lap. He also couldn't stop his lips from shivering. He knew Bobby had something up his sleeve. He just seemed like the kind of mutant kid who would do something like that. He looked down and saw his pants all soaked. Of all the places, why did he have to get freezing water down there?
Bobby covered his face as he snickered. His shoulders quickly shook up and down, as his snickering grew louder. He moved his hand away from his face and then he looked at Stryker. He couldn't hide the devious smile on his lips.
"A little bit too cold down there, huh?" He asked, trying to hold his laughter back.
Rogue glared at him and nudged him with her elbow. "Bobby!" She said with her eyebrows furrowed. She couldn't believe what Bobby just did. If the professor were there, he would have probably scolded him.
Stryker looked back at him with his lips still shivering and his eyes still wide open. "Uh huh. Pretty cold." He whimpered. "Very cold."
Quick breaths escaped from his clenched teeth as he brushed the melting ice cubes from his lap. Then he pulled the soaked cloth away from his skin. He could slowly feel himself warming up now.
He raised his eyebrows and exhaled. "That wasn't very nice." He said as he looked at Bobby. He had to speak his mind. If he was going to stay in the mansion for a couple of days, then he might as well be honest with the people who lived in it.
Bobby looked away and had a serious expression on his face. Then he looked back at Stryker and stared at him coldly. "Well I don't remember you being nice when you infiltrated this school." He felt his jaw tighten. "Many of us could have died that night." He said with an angry tone in his voice.
He knew that it happened in the past and that they should all forget about it, but who could forget a night when your very own home was invaded and your very own friends' lives were put to risk? And ironically, the man who was responsible for that was seated right in front of him.
Stryker sighed and looked away. He bowed his head down, and then he looked at Bobby. "You're right, you know?" He said softly. "I wasn't nice. I'm never nice. No matter how hard I try, I could never change, can I? No matter how much I want to become someone else, I will always be me."
Rogue and Bobby could feel the sincerity in his voice. But the fact still remained, that what he did, had already been done. And they could still feel its effects until now, especially with Jean dead. Thanks to Stryker, they would never see her again.
Stryker tapped his hands on the table, and then he slowly stood up. He looked at them and nodded. "Thanks for the company. And the food. It was nice." He said abruptly. He forced a faint smile on his lips, and then he turned around and walked away.
Bobby watched as Stryker walked out of the kitchen. He couldn't help but feel a bit of guilt for what he had done. Perhaps Stryker really did want to change. And he could have helped him. They could have helped him become a new person. But instead, he had pushed Stryker further back into the past.
Rogue saw the look on Bobby's eyes. She knew he felt guilty. She sighed and placed her head on his shoulder. Perhaps in time, all wounds would heal, everything would be forgiven, and all pasts would be forgotten.
= = = = = = = = =
Title: Unforgivable Sinners
By: Cmdr. Gabe E.
Note: This fanfiction occurs entirely in the X-Men movie-verse . Characters' unspoken thoughts are enclosed in .
= = = = = = = = = = = =
Uber thanks to SKETTY24, PEETS96 AND TOPWITCH for the wonderful reviews o!!! Thank you thank you thank you so much !!!! It's great to know that you like how the story's going ! Well, here's more of it o!
= = = = = = = = = = = =
Chapter 36: Three's company
He ran his fingers through his hair then he looked at Stryker. He looked at Rogue and she nodded at him. He couldn't believe what he was about to do. He was going to invite a former mutant-hating, torturous and murderous man to dinner. What next? Magneto will step through the mansion's front door and volunteer for humanitarian efforts? The world could never get any crazier than what was happening now.
"Hey William!" He shouted as he looked at Stryker.
Stryker's eyes widened when he heard Bobby call his name. "Yes?" He asked softly. His hands were still clasped together. He hoped it was about the food on the table.
Bobby motioned his hand towards the seat on the opposite side of the table. "Sit there." He said abruptly.
He still didn't feel comfortable at the thought of Stryker dining with them. He couldn't even look at him in the eye. Whenever he saw him, he wanted to make him pay for what he did to the school. If it weren't for Rogue's persuasion, he would have already thrown him out of the kitchen.
Stryker exhaled, then he straightened his suit. He looked at Bobby and Bobby raised his eyebrows at them in a questioning way.
"What are you waiting for? Aren't you hungry? Sit." Bobby said imposingly. Why did Stryker just stand there? He thought he wanted something to eat.
"Okay." Stryker said with a hint of uncertainty in his voice.
He found it quite odd that Rogue and Bobby were letting him sit with them. When a while ago, they looked at him with so much anger and hate. He hoped they weren't planning on doing something to him. After all, he just came back from the operating room. The last thing he needed were more mutants who wanted him dead.
He slowly walked towards the chair and sat on it. He placed his elbows on the table and clasped his hands together as he looked at Rogue and Bobby. He felt so awkward being that close to them, and he knew they did too.
"Are you going to eat or what?" Bobby asked. He still couldn't believe that man sitting in front of him was William Stryker. He didn't even look close to menacing.
Stryker tapped his fingers on the table as he looked at the loaf of bread that was right in front of Rogue. It was the only food on the table that looked delectable to him.
Rogue saw Stryker eyes, and then she slid the loaf of bread closer to him. She didn't want to admit it, but he did seem different. His eyes look so innocent and naive. How could a monstrous man suddenly turn into something like that?
Bobby moved his chair closer to Rogue's. He wanted to stay close to her, just in case Stryker did something questionable.
Stryker quickly grabbed three slices of bread and hungrily bit on them. His breaths were fast and hard as he heartily chewed on the bread. His mouth wasn't even empty yet when he shoved the last half of them into his mouth. He was gorging on them like there was no tomorrow.
Rogue and Bobby had dumbfounded looks on their faces as they looked at Stryker. He really wasn't kidding when he told them that he hadn't eaten for two days. In fact, he looked like he hadn't eaten for a week. It was as if he could finish the entire loaf.
His eyes darted at the jar of peanut butter and he quickly grabbed it. He twisted the lid open and he looked at the jar's creamy, brown content.
Bobby couldn't believe what he was seeing. The man looked like he was willing to eat anything. He stood up and walked to the kitchen counter, where the kitchen utensils were. He picked up a spoon and showed it to Stryker.
"Uh...You might want to use this." He said with his eyebrows furrowed.
He tossed the spoon at Stryker, but it slipped from Stryker's hands and landed on the floor.
"I'll get it." Stryker said as he pointed at the spoon.
He bent down and picked the spoon from the floor. Then he sat up and scooped a heaping tablespoon of peanut butter from the jar. Rogue watched in horror as he stuck the peanut butter-filled spoon in his mouth.
She leaned close to Bobby with a scared look on her face. "Remind me to buy another jar." She told him in a whisper.
She cringed as she watched Stryker pull the spoon from his lips. The spoon now had little traces of peanut butter on it. His lips slightly moved up and down, as he swirled the peanut butter in his mouth it in his mouth. He looked at the spoon and furrowed his eyebrows. He knew he had tasted it somewhere before.
His eyes suddenly widened as he looked at Rogue and Bobby. "Peanut butter." He said matter-of-factly.
Bobby arched an eyebrow as he looked back at him. "Uh...yeah. That's what it says on the cover." He said as he moved the open jar close to Stryker.
"You should consider eating it with bread next time." Rogue said with a disgusted look on her face.
Bobby nudged Rogue with his elbow and looked at her from the corner of his eye. "Hey, you sometimes eat peanut butter off the spoon too. You even lick it." He said in a joking way. He chuckled and Rogue gave him a soft, playful push. "Shut up, Bobby." She said firmly.
Stryker grabbed two pieces of bread and shoved it in his mouth. He was definitely going to make up for those two days without food. He would eat everything on the table if he had to. He didn't even care if he looked ridiculous.
Bobby placed his elbows on the table and slightly leaned towards Stryker. "So...you really don't remember anything?" He asked with narrowed eyes.
Stryker stopped chewing and looked at him. His mouth was still full as he shook his head from side to side. "No. I don't." He said abruptly. The words were garbled as it escaped from his lips. He could barely say anything with the amount of food in his mouth.
Bobby arched an eyebrow and nodded in an all-knowing way. "Oh." He said softly.
Stryker suddenly stood up and the two almost jumped off their seats. They thought he was about to do something devious. Even if they now believed that he was truly incapable of inflicting harm, they still didn't trust him completely.
"Where are you going?" Bobby asked curiously. He really had no idea why Stryker suddenly stood up like that.
Stryker pointed at the drinking glasses on the kitchen counter. "I'm going to get a glass of water." He said with his mouth half-full.
Bobby suddenly had a sly grin on his face and he looked at Rogue. Rogue's eyebrows furrowed as she saw Bobby's trademark juvenile grin.
He looked at Stryker and smiled. "Sit down. I'll get it for you."
Rogue knew he was up to no good. Bobby was a kind and nice guy, but he had a playful and naughty side that usually gets them in trouble.
Bobby stood up and walked to the kitchen counter. He took a drinking glass, then he turned his head to look at Stryker. "I bet you want ice cold water."
"Yes please." Stryker said as he bit on another piece of bread.
Bobby went to the water dispenser and placed the glass under the 'lukewarm' water outlet. He smiled as lukewarm water filled the glass right up to its brim.
/"He is going to be in for a big surprise."/ He thought to himself.
He took the glass from the water dispenser, and then he sat down beside Rogue. She saw what he did and she glared at him.
"What?" He asked with an innocent look on his face. "I'm just trying to be nice." He handed the glass to Stryker and smiled. "No hard feelings about earlier, okay?"
Stryker took the glass and smiled back. "No problem, Bobby. Thanks for the food and the drink." He said as he raised the glass. "Gotta make sure the food goes down right, eh?"
He drank from the glass and was surprised to feel the warm water against his lips. He thought Bobby got him cold water. Bobby made a little wave, and Stryker suddenly felt the warm water turn into ice-cold water. His eyes opened wide as he saw ice cubes forming inside the glass, and the glass itself was already too cold to the touch. He could even see little traces of ice on its smooth surface. He impulsively pulled the glass away from his lips, and its contents spilled on his pants.
His eyes suddenly opened wide as he felt the freezing water seeping on his lap. He also couldn't stop his lips from shivering. He knew Bobby had something up his sleeve. He just seemed like the kind of mutant kid who would do something like that. He looked down and saw his pants all soaked. Of all the places, why did he have to get freezing water down there?
Bobby covered his face as he snickered. His shoulders quickly shook up and down, as his snickering grew louder. He moved his hand away from his face and then he looked at Stryker. He couldn't hide the devious smile on his lips.
"A little bit too cold down there, huh?" He asked, trying to hold his laughter back.
Rogue glared at him and nudged him with her elbow. "Bobby!" She said with her eyebrows furrowed. She couldn't believe what Bobby just did. If the professor were there, he would have probably scolded him.
Stryker looked back at him with his lips still shivering and his eyes still wide open. "Uh huh. Pretty cold." He whimpered. "Very cold."
Quick breaths escaped from his clenched teeth as he brushed the melting ice cubes from his lap. Then he pulled the soaked cloth away from his skin. He could slowly feel himself warming up now.
He raised his eyebrows and exhaled. "That wasn't very nice." He said as he looked at Bobby. He had to speak his mind. If he was going to stay in the mansion for a couple of days, then he might as well be honest with the people who lived in it.
Bobby looked away and had a serious expression on his face. Then he looked back at Stryker and stared at him coldly. "Well I don't remember you being nice when you infiltrated this school." He felt his jaw tighten. "Many of us could have died that night." He said with an angry tone in his voice.
He knew that it happened in the past and that they should all forget about it, but who could forget a night when your very own home was invaded and your very own friends' lives were put to risk? And ironically, the man who was responsible for that was seated right in front of him.
Stryker sighed and looked away. He bowed his head down, and then he looked at Bobby. "You're right, you know?" He said softly. "I wasn't nice. I'm never nice. No matter how hard I try, I could never change, can I? No matter how much I want to become someone else, I will always be me."
Rogue and Bobby could feel the sincerity in his voice. But the fact still remained, that what he did, had already been done. And they could still feel its effects until now, especially with Jean dead. Thanks to Stryker, they would never see her again.
Stryker tapped his hands on the table, and then he slowly stood up. He looked at them and nodded. "Thanks for the company. And the food. It was nice." He said abruptly. He forced a faint smile on his lips, and then he turned around and walked away.
Bobby watched as Stryker walked out of the kitchen. He couldn't help but feel a bit of guilt for what he had done. Perhaps Stryker really did want to change. And he could have helped him. They could have helped him become a new person. But instead, he had pushed Stryker further back into the past.
Rogue saw the look on Bobby's eyes. She knew he felt guilty. She sighed and placed her head on his shoulder. Perhaps in time, all wounds would heal, everything would be forgiven, and all pasts would be forgotten.
= = = = = = = = =