The Transcendentals

Apocalyptic Muse & Doyle's Angel

3

The Tale of Two Mall Rats

Mica, Jadyn, Logan, Kurt, and Ororo entered one of the numerous malls in the area; Kurt and Mica being adorned with the latest technology at the mansion: image inducers. Jadyn wondered why exactly Wolverine was along. She didn't see him as a shopping type. Maybe he had been told to look after them. That had to be it. He didn't look too happy that he was there.

That wasn't bothering her as much as being in the presence of the one and only Kurt Wagner. She had made a complete idiot of herself every time she had been in his company today. He probably thought she was a complete idiot. No, of course he wouldn't think that. Yet, she did get the feeling he thought everything was funny. The one thing she didn't want was that comment hanging over her head the whole time she was here. She wanted to kick herself.

"He's mine," she muttered to herself, "stupid, stupid, Jadyn."

"What?" He looked at her.

"Huh? I didn't say anything." He probably heard that, too. What's wrong with you, Jadyn Griffin!

"Professor Xavier gave me one thousand dollars, five hundred for each of you," Ororo informed, handing the girls the money. "We meet back here at the food court in two hours. Logan and I will be with you, Mica, and Kurt, will you please go with Jadyn."

"I would be very please to accompany the lovely lady." Kurt said, smiling at Jadyn. She felt her heart twist and she felt even dumber. She had a feeling that he was making fun of her, which was one of the most absurd ideas in the world. She couldn't ever really see him being mean to anyone like that. Still… She felt utterly helpless and vulnerable as she split off from her sister.

- X -

Mica frowned as she split off from Jadyn to go with Storm and Logan. She couldn't believe this was happening. She briefly wondered why it hadn't happened two months ago when she wanted to disappear so badly, when Ben and Sarah had humiliated her. She hadn't told Jadyn what her long time boyfriend and "best friend" had done to her. Jadyn would only say "I told so" after Mica was done crying.

What had happened was one of reasons Mica went to live with Jadyn, though she supposed if things hadn't happened the way they had she wouldn't be here. So maybe she should thank Ben for this. She grinned wickedly at the thought of thanking Ben for this. Ben and Sarah had always acted like her love of all things X-men was childish. It had been on the long list of things Ben had explained to her when she'd found him and Sarah…Mica shook her head. This was pointless, she was in the X-men universe a whole world away from all that and she was thinking of Ben.

"So where do you want to go first?" Storm broke into Mica's thoughts.

Mica frowned as she considered, she wanted to check out the arcade and see if it was Jadyn would kill her for playing without her so Mica decided to play it safe. Grinning she turned to her chaperones, "Hot Topic!"

- X -

Jadyn was trying to decide on a blue and red striped baby tee and a emerald green tank top when a voice cut through her thoughts. "Having any trouble, Fraulein?" She turned to meet Kurt's smiling eyes. "You have been here for quite a while."

"Have I?" She hadn't realized it. She looked at the watch she had borrowed from Jean. "You're right. I can't believe I've been in this same store for the last half hour." It usually didn't take her very long to find something to wear. Yet, she hadn't completely been concentrating on clothes.

She had been going through her and Mica's situation in her head, trying to make sense of it. She wanted to know why they were there, and how they had arrived? Why that moment, or was the timing even important at all? Did they have a purpose, or was it just some big mistake? Was she just dreaming all this? She sighed. To make matters worse she had probably made one of the worst first impressions ever. She shook her head.

"Is everything all right, Miss Griffin?" Kurt asked, his face suddenly melting into worry.

"Please, call me Jadyn." She waved her hand, "and I - -" She laughed softly, brushing her hair back in a nervous gesture. She felt strange admitting this, but she had to get it out of her head. "I guess I feel a little dumb about what happened this morning."

"Oh, that." The German mutant was smiling again.

"Yeah, that." Jadyn replied. "I think I'll have to give some explanation to that."

"Oh?" His eyes seemed to be dancing with amusement. She had never known anyone else who could smile like that without annoying someone. On another person it would have looked condescending, on Kurt - - it was just charming and adorable.

She cleared her throat and then gathered her thoughts. "Yeah, you see Mica and I have this habit where what one says the other has to disagree with. So naturally, when she made her statement, I countered with one of my own."

"Just whatever came out of your head, ja?" He didn't believe her, but he wasn't going to tell her that.

"Yes." She nodded.

"Also about this morning," Kurt said seriously, "I must apologize for my own ways. I think I might have been making you very uncomfortable, but you see, I was curious about the two of you."

"That is all right. This has been an interesting day for everyone. How about we start over and forget about all that stupid stuff." This time Jadyn was smiling.

"Very well." Kurt agreed, and abruptly, and quite dramatically, dropped into a gentlemanly bow. "I," He began, "am Kurt Wagner, also known as the incredible Nightcrawler." He stood straight again, his eyes briefly meeting hers. Even though the image inducer hid his true appearance Jadyn could still see his brilliant golden eyes and she grinned despite herself.

She made her best curtsy, "It is a pleasure to meet you Herr Wagner, and may I introduce myself. I am Thalia Jadyn Griffin."

He laughed, and then she found herself laughing with him. She felt a lot better now that things were cleared. She realized that regardless of the circumstances she and Mica were facing, she was enjoying herself. She was in a world that, until that day, had been fantasy. They were a part of something bigger than themselves, and while she knew she should have been frightened of what was to come she found herself, for the first time that day, truly excited.

- X -

Mica patted her bags, $300 worth of Hot Topic merchandise. The sales person's eyes almost popped out of her head. Not to mention how beat red Logan had turned when he saw the bra and panties sets she'd bought.

"Now where?" Storm asked.

"God only knows!" Logan muttered.

Mica turned around so she was walking backwards, "Oh don't worry, I'm just going to get some jeans at the Rave."

"Fully intact, normal jeans?" Logan asked suspiciously.

Mica smirked, "Wouldn't you like to know!" Mica turned so that she was walking forward. However, when she did she ran smack into a "wall." Mica stumbled back but her new found grace allowed her to remain standing. Mica peered up at the "wall" she ran into and nearly gasped.

"What do you want?" Logan's voice was like ice.

John smirked, "It's a free country, for now anyways." he said. John slowly raked his eyes down Mica's body and back up again. "What kind of field trip comes to the mall?"

"None," Mica said quietly, "I'm here to get clothes."

"You take students shopping now, Logan?" John smirk became tad eviler.

"I'm 19!" Mica said glaring.

John smiled, "Good to know…" He leaned forward and whispered, "They have a lot of rules." He pulled back slightly when Logan let out a low growl, "My new group doesn't have so many."

Mica grinned wickedly, "Oh, I don't mind rules so long as I don't have to obey them."

Logan rolled his eyes, "Let's go."

John pulled his lighter out of his pocket as they walked away. He grinned and clicked it open, "I'll call you."

Mica turned and hesitated then she smiled, "You can try."

- X -

"I am glad you bought the striped one, Jadyn." Kurt was commenting as they made their way through the mall. "The colors look good on you. And I trust that you did find everything you needed."

"Well, there's one more place I want to go and I have about forty dollars left, but for the most part, yes, I have found everything. And I want to thank you, I had a lot of fun today. This is a little hard to deal with, Mica and mine being here and you've made it a bit more tolerable."

He smiled softly, that smile he had that carried shyness in it. That's the one Jadyn adored the most. When he smiled like that he looked a little vulnerable and very, very cute. It was as if he didn't quite know what to say, "well, you're very welcome, Miss Griffin. It has also been a good day for me. You've broken the monotony. So where are we going?"

"The music store. I have a feeling Mica and I are going to be here a while, and I have to have my favorite music, at least I hope some of my favorite bands are here, too." She flashed him a look. "Even if not I could find some new bands." She smiled.

"You like music a lot?"

"Yeah. Always have. I think it's because Mom raised us on it. I mean my sister's a freaking break dancer." She laughed. "When I was a kid I was in my school's band. I always enjoyed making music, and have a great respect for those who write it. I like the way the different layers of sound come together to make something so amazing."

She shook her head a little embarrassed that she was rattling on like this, but she noticed Kurt was listening intently to her words and it made her feel better that he was interested. "It's like the notes are a team, and together this team makes wonderful things happen." Then she added, "and in the same, I guess that makes the X-Men like music, a veritable masterpiece. And without one note it would not be complete."

"I have never heard that analogy before, but it is a very good one." Kurt said, then rewinded. "Why do you think you'll be here a long time."

Jadyn sighed. "I didn't think about it at first, and I don't think Mica has thought about it at all, but I find this trip odd."

"Do you?" He asked as they entered FYE.

"Yes. I don't get why Professor Xavier would give us one thousand dollars. Maybe a couple hundred each, but Five hundred? It's almost like this is just the beginning, too. I think he knows more about us than he's telling, and I think he knows we're staying here. And another thing, when we were back in his office this morning he looked at us and I swear he recognized us, like he had expected us."

"So you think this may not be a mistake, that someone made it so that you two specifically would be here, at this time?"

"Yes, but the question is why. Why me and Mica. We're nothing special back home. We're normal girls, obsessive ones," she joked, "but normal ones."

"Somehow I doubt that." Kurt said, and Jadyn had to keep from smiling and blushing again. "And anyway, then maybe you don't have any special abilities in your world, but here… you might be very special."

"I didn't think of that. I just miss home." She sighed.

"Maybe you are home." He commented.

"Do you mean you think we're from here?"

"Could be, aren't the two of you adopted? And no one knows where you came from."

"How did you know that?" Jadyn stopped, regarding him suspiciously.

"Well, didn't you say something about that, or no, maybe it was the Professor."

"Should have known." Jadyn said. "That's what I'm talking about. He knows more about us than we've told him. Then again, he's probably read our minds or something like that. I don't mind it, it just confuses matters." She sighed again. "Anyway, let's just get my CDs and get back to the Food Court before they have a fit, I think we're already late." She glanced at her watch again. "But knowing Mica, they're going to be late, too."

They went to the back where Jadyn saw the Rock section. She began sifting through the albums. "I hope they have Linkin Park." She said. "They are the coolest band. I love their music, and I have every one of their albums back home."

"Here." Kurt handed her a couple CDs. Linkin Park.

"Why, thank you." She smiled. "Hey, what's that?" She pointed to an extra bag. "That's not mine."

"Oh, uh, nothing." He answered quickly.

"Doesn't look like nothing. Out with it, let's see it." She said, to which he gave her a look. "Oh, come on. It's like you're hiding it." She poked him in the arm, before reaching around and grabbing the bag.

"Hey!" He cried, and reached for her, but she had already hopped over to the other side of the aisle, grinning in victory. He crossed his arms and waited, leveling his eyes at her and trying to look as serious as possible. She knew he was faking.

"A shirt." Jadyn said, pulling it from the bag. "A very nice shirt." She unfolded it. It was one of those tee shirts with faded letters across it, and was a dark yellow that was almost the shade of his eyes. She held it up and pictured his true form in her mind.

"What?"

"I've never seen you in a tee shirt," she said. "I'm trying to see it."

"To be technical you have not really seen me in anything until today."

"Very fun, sir." She said, pretend glaring.

"Well? What do think?"

"I think it will look great on you." She told him. "It will bring out your eyes beautifully." He gave her that smile again and looked at the floor. He probably didn't have any idea just how sweet he was. "Let's get goin' before Storm sends out a search party."

Hey again, we're back sooner than we thought we would be. We didn't want to go ahead and put up the next chapter so quickly, but we had a pow-wow (dude, did I just say pow-wow - - did I just say dude? Anyway...) and decided to go ahead and put up chapter three for your enjoyment. Hope you enjoyed. Thank you for the reviews so far. We're glad you like it.

Next Chapter: Questions and Answers. Not as answery as it sounds.... Oh well.

For now, farewell. Muse & Angel. ==