Chapter Nine
Disclaimer: foiahta9pw
A/n: Happy birthday, Healer!!!!!!!!!!!!!! : -D
A/N2: I have no idea if there're any White Spots in the US, so... um, yeah. If there's not, just pretend!!!!!!!!
*^*^*^
Ororo sat on the bed in the hotel room she was sharing with Scott. They had decided, that, considering the jet would have to scan for their Mutant signatures to find them, it would make it easier on the searchers if they stayed in one place. The sleeping arrangements were not exactly appropriate, she knew, but she was too tired to care. The hotel had had three two-bed rooms, and one one-bed room. This, needless to say, produced some problems. At first, it was thought that William and Remy, who had become friends, would share a two-bed room, as would Scott and Joseph. That left all five women to cram into enough room meant for three. Scott and Joseph started fighting before the sleeping arrangements for the women could be made, and Mia promptly dragged Joseph off into a two-bed room, slamming the door. Daniela and Sanina had immediately pounced on the larger room, carrying Chandra's inert form with them, setting up a bed of blankets on the floor for one of them, both of them laughing manically. Ororo had wondered how they could be so cheerful when their friend was in danger, but then she realized that there were many ways of suppressing fear, and large amounts of sugar and caffeine seemed to be these people's. That had left Scott and Ororo standing uncomfortably in front of the one- person room, staring at each other. Finally, Scott sighed, and headed off to get blankets from the desk assistant to make a bed on the floor of the room.
The hotel was clean, she gave it that, but forcing her into such a comparable position with Scott...it just wasn't fair! She glared at the small TV set in the corner, and tapped on the screen. The standard welcome message began to play, and she pulled up the menu. The message that flashed across her screen dragged her opinion of the hotel down. *We are sorry to report that our cable has been down because of unexplained interference. We hope to have it up and running as soon as possible. Thank you, and we apologize for the inconvenience.
She clicked the device off, and curled into a ball on the queen-sized bed. She felt herself drifting off to sleep, and welcomed the rest. The loud slamming of the door, and a low, constant muttered string of curses jerked her back to full consciousness a few minutes later. Scott stood in the doorway, hands clenched at his sides.
"What is it, Scott?" she asked, sitting up.
He began pacing, jaw hard. "Damn....idiotic...stupid...worthless...merde...unbelievable..."
She arched an eyebrow, but remained silent, sort of finding his anger amusing. Finally he spun to face her and demanded, "How the *hell* does a hotel not have blankets?!"
She couldn't hold her laughter in any longer, and her shoulders shook with mirth. He glared at her. "Yes, yes, I'm sure you find this greatly amusing..."
She could only nod helplessly. He dropped on the bed beside her, resting his head in his hands.
"The television doesn't work, either," she aid casually, "And I think Daniela and Sanina had some kind of iced coffee concoction when they got into their room. I envy Chandra right now, being unconscious..."
"Goddamnit!" Scott was shaking now.
Ororo turned away, trying to hide the fact that she was laughing hysterically. After about five minutes, Scott snapped. "Would you please shut the hell up?! Just because my life is completely messed up right now, I don't need someone making a mockery out of it!" But when she turned an apologetic gaze to him, he was smiling slightly.
"I am sorry, Scott, but I have been under a lot of stress, and I couldn't help it..." she shrugged.
Scott nodded understandingly. "I completely know what you mean. It's ok, I don't really mind," he flopped backwards on the bed.
Ororo stayed sitting, ramrod straight, wondering what had caused her outburst, and subsequent confession of stress. It was disturbing. She hardly ever let the other teachers see that side of her, let alone the students. Remy was the only person who could say that he had truly seen Ororo Munroe fully.
The hands of the clock on the night table slowly crawled past 17:00, and she wondered what they were going to occupy themselves with for the time until the others were able to locate them. Suddenly, a long, strong arm pulled her back onto the bed, and Scott grinned at her. "You've been just sitting there for the last hour. Your back must be soar, and it was starting to make mine hurt."
There was a sharp reprimand on the tip of her tongue, but for some reason, she was unable to utter it. Instead, she settled for a stern glance. Scott seemed not to notice or not to care, as he returned his gaze to the ceiling.
She rested beside him, mind whirling with unanswerable questions until Mia and Joseph knocked at the door.
She rolled to her feet, Scott close behind.
Opening the door, she met the two visitors.
"Heya, Ororo, Scott," said Mia, "We were just headed out for some dinner. We were wondering if you wanted to come with us."
Ororo noticed that Joseph did not look thrilled, and from Scott's tensed muscles as he stood beside her, she could tell that he wasn't either. However, it was becoming monotonous just staring at the ceiling, so she readily agreed.
"We'd like that," she answered, smiling. She and Scott slipped on their shoes, and the foursome headed outside. The night was cold, and snow lay in a thick blanket across the streets and grass. There was a White Spot right across the street, however, and they all walked in companionable silence to the restaurant.
Arriving, they were shown to a seat almost as soon as they walked in the door. The interior was warm, compared to the chilly air outside, and Ororo shivered. They were lead to a booth, and Mia and Joseph slipped in together, snuggling up against each other. Ororo and Scott sat awkwardly beside each other, not willing to make any physical contact. They ordered their food, and Ororo decided that the silence had now crossed the line into uncomfortable.
"So, Mia, Joseph, when did your powers first manifest?" Their booth was isolated from the rest of the restaurant, so she figured it would be safe to discuss anything.
Mia shrugged. "Well, my mom and I had just finished dinner, and I was washing the dishes, and, well, I started to get really ticked at the water, because our drain plug wasn't working properly, and it kept draining. Then, it stopped draining. The plug hadn't magically fixed itself, and I soon understood that *I* was controlling the water, and holding it in the sink. After a while, I figured out to control this power at will and I can do a lot more with it than hold up some dishwater."
"You had no help in learning to control your powers?" asked Scott, looking surprised.
"Not really, no. When Chandra, Joseph and I first started the Phoenix Force, all three of us were a kind of support group for each other, and if any of us needed help with anything the other two would be there, but we all had our powers pretty much under control."
"Amazing," murmured Ororo, the expression of wonder on her face reflecting her emotions.
"What about you?" Scott asked Joseph. Ororo silently congratulated him on making an attempt at a civil conversation.
"I'd rather not talk about it," Joseph said quietly, eyes burning into Scott's glasses until Scott looked away.
"So," Mia switched topics, "Tell us about some of the people at this school.
Ororo smiled. "There's Professor Xavier, who runs the school. He is a very powerful telepath, and he runs everything, as well as owning the mansion where the school is located. Aside from myself, there are two other teachers, Mr. Logan, and Dr. Henry McCoy. There are also about ten to twenty students, all Mutants."
"Mmm..." Mia nodded thoughtfully.
"Scott and another girl, Jean, were the Professor's first students. There are a wide variety of races and appearances at the school, as well as a large difference in temperament for each student."
"I see," Mia smiled. She rose to her feet. "Excuse me, I have to go to the ladies' room..."
Ororo stood up to join her. Glancing back at the two young men, glaring at each other across the table, she sighed. "Don't kill each other while we are gone," she warned. Scott gave her a reassuring glance, and Joseph smiled warmly at her. Joseph really was a nice person, Ororo decided, he seemed quiet, but with an inner strength that many people lacked. He was reserved, but not to the point of being stiff or cold.
As Ororo stood before the mirror, adjusting her long white hair into something slightly stylish, she watched Mia from the corner of her eye. The young woman carefully applied lip-gloss, and straightened her shirt.
"So, when're you going to tell him?" asked Mia suddenly.
Ororo's eyebrows shot up. "Tell who what?"
Mia rolled her eyes. "You know exactly what I'm talking about. Tell Remy how you really feel!"
Ororo's jaw dropped open. "Excuse me?!"
Mia drew in a long, deep breath. "It's not that obvious, don't worry, I think it's only me and Scott who've noticed. Although, I'd say that Scott's a little pissed about the fact..."
"Whaaa....Scott? I....huh?" Ororo silently berated herself for her oh so brilliant answer.
Mia turned to face the windrider fully. "Ok. Look. I really didn't think I'd have to do this for you, but I'm going to spell it out. You are in love with Remy. Remy is too busy flirting with Daniela to notice, and Danny's quite happy to return the favor. Scott is in love with you, and you feel a little more than friendship towards him, too. I'm guessing that you think that because you think you can never have Remy, you'll settle for Scott. But from what I've overheard, Scott already has a girlfriend, back at the school, who is currently ill. He's worried like hell over her, but you're not so well yourself, not sleeping, and trying to be strong for everyone, so Scott feels the urge to care for you. He can't do anything for Jean, and he cares about you, so he's trying to watch out for you instead of Jean. And I'm pretty sure that it's going to go a lot farther than just replacing Jean, a lot faster than you think. Follow?"
Ororo blinked rapidly. "Honestly, no," she admitted. "And how could you know all of this, anyway?"
"I'm a good judge of character," Mia explained, turning back to the mirror. "One has to be when one is a leader."
Ororo nodded in understanding. "I will think about what you said, Mia."
Mia grinned, and headed towards the door. "That's all I ask, Ororo."
When they returned to the table, the stare-off between Joseph and Scott had not changed a bit. Their food arrived at the same time the two women got back to the table, so there was no any uncomfortable pauses in the conversation could be covered by the need to eat. Ororo and Mia did most of the talking, with Joseph and Scott throwing in the occasional comment.
When they left the restaurant, it was 20:30, and no one wanted to return to the hotel right then. They walked along the streets, not really caring where they went. After about half an hour of walking, they saw a brightly lit building up ahead.
"Hey!" Mia grinned. "Looks like this town isn't as out of it as we thought!" It was a dance club, filled with people from about sixteen years of age to twenty-five. The group entered, Ororo flashing back to all the clubs she had been at with Remy. The music was loud, and their was a bar in a corner, where all one had to do to get alcohol was show their I.D.
"My God, it's insane in here!" Joseph yelled over the music. Scott and Mia nodded their agreement.
"We should dance," Mia called, grabbing Joseph's hand and dragging him off into the throngs of people. Scott looked at Ororo. Ororo looked at Scott.
"God help us," she thought she heard Scott mutter, but she could have been mistaken.
*
Mia found a relatively clear spot on the dance floor, and grinned up at Joseph. He returned the smile warmly. The song changed, and Mia wrapped her arms around him.
"All the leaves are brown,
And the sky is gray,"
She rocked in his arms, resting her head on his shoulder, feeling his warm embrace.
"I've been for a walk,
On a winters day,"
Slowly, her mind began to wonder, back to when she first met Joseph. How she had practically kicked him out of her house, and how he had explained everything to her, and she had slowly accepted him.
"I'd be safe and warm,
If I was in LA,"
She remembered how he had comforted her when her powers had gone out of control, and she had frozen the water pipes of over fifty houses, and caused a little girl to almost die of hypothermia.
"California dreamin',
On such a winters day."
She remembered how he had been the only person to accept Sammy, even when Mia hadn't trusted the girl. And he had turned out to be right, of course, when Sammy ended up saving Mia's life.
"Stopped in to a church,
I passed along the way,"
She remembered the first time they had kissed. The soft, gentle, tentative starts to something surpassing friendship, and that he had been just as nervous as she at the time.
"Well, I got down on my knees,
And I began to pray,"
And she clearly remembered the betrayal in his eyes when he found out that she and the rest of the Gold subteam had been hiding the existence of the spacestation, and her own self-hatred when she looked back on their selfish reasons for doing so.
"You know the preacher likes the cold,
He knows I'm gonna stay,"
And now they were here, together in each other's arms, and everything felt so right. She smiled, a warm feeling of contentment washing over her.
"California dreamin',
On such a winters day.
All the leaves are brown,
And the sky is gray,
I've been for a walk,
On a winters day.
If I didn't tell her,
I could leave today,
California dreamin',
On such a winters day."
*
The song ended, and Ororo glared up at the ceiling. She and Scott were still standing, uncertainly by the doors, not quite sure what to do. The DJ came up to the microphone, and called for everyone to find themselves a partner. A medium built man, with short red hair and dark brown eyes came up to Ororo. He was staggering slightly, and it wasn't hard to tell that he was drunk.
"Hey...ya wanna dansh with me?" he asked her, leering openly. Ororo opened her mouth, but before she could speak the scathing remark that was on the tip of her tongue, Scott stepped in, firmly grasping her arm and turning her towards himself.
"I'm afraid she already has a partner," he said calmly to the drunk man. "Why don't you go find someone else?" The man glared at Scott, but staggered off in search of another dance partner.
"Thank you, Scott," Ororo smiled relievedly.
Scott shrugged, looking embarrassed. "Ya..." he shrugged.
And then the music started. Ororo's mind went into overdrive, then cut out altogether, and she found herself spinning around the dance floor with Scott, his arms tight about her one minute, twirling her away the next, their bodies pressing up against each other, then moving apart, and she couldn't care less about the fact that he was a student, and she a teacher, for they were of such close age, that it didn't seem to matter. The music drowned out all, and her mind spun in a sort of limbo, everything just a wonderful, exhilarating blur...
"We go where we like
We got over time
We get paid to rattle our chains
We go in the back
Paint our money black
Spend it on the enemy
Sleeping in the church
Riding in the dirt
Put a banner over my grave
Make a body work
Make a beggar hurt
Sell me something big and untamed
Now our time
Real good time
Now our time
NOW OUR TIME
A real good time
IT'S A REALLY GOOD TIME!
Baaaaaaabe, you're mine
We know how to pray
Party everyday
Make our desillation unsafe
Riding in a rut
Till' the powers cut
We don't even have a good name
Sleeping in the church
Riding in the dirt
Put a banner over my grave
Make a body work
Make a begger hurt
Sell me something big and untamed
Now our time
Real good time
Now our time
Real good time
Now our time
NOW OUR TIME
A real good time
IT'S A REALLY GOOD TIME!
yeah yeah yeah
Baaaaaaabe, you're mine
Doo doo doo doo...baby...I can fly...yeah
Sell me something big and untamed
Now our time
now our time...
Real good time
real good time...
Now our time
NOW OUR TIME!
Real good time
IT'S A REALLY GOOD TIME!
Now our time
NOW OUR TIME)
A real good time
IT'S A REALLY GOOD TIME!
Feel good
Real good, It's the same old same
Real good
Feel good, don't got no more brains (x2)
Baaaaaaabe, you're mine...
Ororo, Scott, Mia and Joseph stumbled out of the club about an hour later. They were all laughing, and from somewhere behind them music still pounded.
"This is my heart,
This is my cause,
This is my hit,
It's better than yours..."
None of them had touched the alcohol, but they may as well have, from the way they were acting. Mia and Joseph were leaning against each other, arms wrapped around each other, snatching kisses whenever they had the chance. Scott's arm was about Ororo, and she had her head resting on his shoulder. The wild, hazy insanity of the club was still with them, and they made the walk back to the hotel as if in some crazy, wonderful dream. Arriving in the lobby, laughing hysterically at a joke *someone* had told, the group split off to their separate rooms, calling cheerful good nights to each other.
When they arrived in the room, Ororo collapsed on the bed, only taking time to kick off her shoes and pull down the first blanket. Half a moment later, Scott slipped in beside her. Under any other circumstances, they would have both been very, very uncomfortable with this, but at that moment, the exhaustion of the day finally catching up with them, they couldn't give a damn where they were lying, or with who. Scott's arm somehow found it's way about Ororo again, and they drifted off to sleep to the sound of Daniela and Sanina laughing and singing along with music in the next room.
*^*^*^
A/N3: There! You see? Longness!!! And two chapters in one night! (
So, please, please, please review!!!!!!!!!!!!! Loooooooooooooooter
Disclaimer: foiahta9pw
A/n: Happy birthday, Healer!!!!!!!!!!!!!! : -D
A/N2: I have no idea if there're any White Spots in the US, so... um, yeah. If there's not, just pretend!!!!!!!!
*^*^*^
Ororo sat on the bed in the hotel room she was sharing with Scott. They had decided, that, considering the jet would have to scan for their Mutant signatures to find them, it would make it easier on the searchers if they stayed in one place. The sleeping arrangements were not exactly appropriate, she knew, but she was too tired to care. The hotel had had three two-bed rooms, and one one-bed room. This, needless to say, produced some problems. At first, it was thought that William and Remy, who had become friends, would share a two-bed room, as would Scott and Joseph. That left all five women to cram into enough room meant for three. Scott and Joseph started fighting before the sleeping arrangements for the women could be made, and Mia promptly dragged Joseph off into a two-bed room, slamming the door. Daniela and Sanina had immediately pounced on the larger room, carrying Chandra's inert form with them, setting up a bed of blankets on the floor for one of them, both of them laughing manically. Ororo had wondered how they could be so cheerful when their friend was in danger, but then she realized that there were many ways of suppressing fear, and large amounts of sugar and caffeine seemed to be these people's. That had left Scott and Ororo standing uncomfortably in front of the one- person room, staring at each other. Finally, Scott sighed, and headed off to get blankets from the desk assistant to make a bed on the floor of the room.
The hotel was clean, she gave it that, but forcing her into such a comparable position with Scott...it just wasn't fair! She glared at the small TV set in the corner, and tapped on the screen. The standard welcome message began to play, and she pulled up the menu. The message that flashed across her screen dragged her opinion of the hotel down. *We are sorry to report that our cable has been down because of unexplained interference. We hope to have it up and running as soon as possible. Thank you, and we apologize for the inconvenience.
She clicked the device off, and curled into a ball on the queen-sized bed. She felt herself drifting off to sleep, and welcomed the rest. The loud slamming of the door, and a low, constant muttered string of curses jerked her back to full consciousness a few minutes later. Scott stood in the doorway, hands clenched at his sides.
"What is it, Scott?" she asked, sitting up.
He began pacing, jaw hard. "Damn....idiotic...stupid...worthless...merde...unbelievable..."
She arched an eyebrow, but remained silent, sort of finding his anger amusing. Finally he spun to face her and demanded, "How the *hell* does a hotel not have blankets?!"
She couldn't hold her laughter in any longer, and her shoulders shook with mirth. He glared at her. "Yes, yes, I'm sure you find this greatly amusing..."
She could only nod helplessly. He dropped on the bed beside her, resting his head in his hands.
"The television doesn't work, either," she aid casually, "And I think Daniela and Sanina had some kind of iced coffee concoction when they got into their room. I envy Chandra right now, being unconscious..."
"Goddamnit!" Scott was shaking now.
Ororo turned away, trying to hide the fact that she was laughing hysterically. After about five minutes, Scott snapped. "Would you please shut the hell up?! Just because my life is completely messed up right now, I don't need someone making a mockery out of it!" But when she turned an apologetic gaze to him, he was smiling slightly.
"I am sorry, Scott, but I have been under a lot of stress, and I couldn't help it..." she shrugged.
Scott nodded understandingly. "I completely know what you mean. It's ok, I don't really mind," he flopped backwards on the bed.
Ororo stayed sitting, ramrod straight, wondering what had caused her outburst, and subsequent confession of stress. It was disturbing. She hardly ever let the other teachers see that side of her, let alone the students. Remy was the only person who could say that he had truly seen Ororo Munroe fully.
The hands of the clock on the night table slowly crawled past 17:00, and she wondered what they were going to occupy themselves with for the time until the others were able to locate them. Suddenly, a long, strong arm pulled her back onto the bed, and Scott grinned at her. "You've been just sitting there for the last hour. Your back must be soar, and it was starting to make mine hurt."
There was a sharp reprimand on the tip of her tongue, but for some reason, she was unable to utter it. Instead, she settled for a stern glance. Scott seemed not to notice or not to care, as he returned his gaze to the ceiling.
She rested beside him, mind whirling with unanswerable questions until Mia and Joseph knocked at the door.
She rolled to her feet, Scott close behind.
Opening the door, she met the two visitors.
"Heya, Ororo, Scott," said Mia, "We were just headed out for some dinner. We were wondering if you wanted to come with us."
Ororo noticed that Joseph did not look thrilled, and from Scott's tensed muscles as he stood beside her, she could tell that he wasn't either. However, it was becoming monotonous just staring at the ceiling, so she readily agreed.
"We'd like that," she answered, smiling. She and Scott slipped on their shoes, and the foursome headed outside. The night was cold, and snow lay in a thick blanket across the streets and grass. There was a White Spot right across the street, however, and they all walked in companionable silence to the restaurant.
Arriving, they were shown to a seat almost as soon as they walked in the door. The interior was warm, compared to the chilly air outside, and Ororo shivered. They were lead to a booth, and Mia and Joseph slipped in together, snuggling up against each other. Ororo and Scott sat awkwardly beside each other, not willing to make any physical contact. They ordered their food, and Ororo decided that the silence had now crossed the line into uncomfortable.
"So, Mia, Joseph, when did your powers first manifest?" Their booth was isolated from the rest of the restaurant, so she figured it would be safe to discuss anything.
Mia shrugged. "Well, my mom and I had just finished dinner, and I was washing the dishes, and, well, I started to get really ticked at the water, because our drain plug wasn't working properly, and it kept draining. Then, it stopped draining. The plug hadn't magically fixed itself, and I soon understood that *I* was controlling the water, and holding it in the sink. After a while, I figured out to control this power at will and I can do a lot more with it than hold up some dishwater."
"You had no help in learning to control your powers?" asked Scott, looking surprised.
"Not really, no. When Chandra, Joseph and I first started the Phoenix Force, all three of us were a kind of support group for each other, and if any of us needed help with anything the other two would be there, but we all had our powers pretty much under control."
"Amazing," murmured Ororo, the expression of wonder on her face reflecting her emotions.
"What about you?" Scott asked Joseph. Ororo silently congratulated him on making an attempt at a civil conversation.
"I'd rather not talk about it," Joseph said quietly, eyes burning into Scott's glasses until Scott looked away.
"So," Mia switched topics, "Tell us about some of the people at this school.
Ororo smiled. "There's Professor Xavier, who runs the school. He is a very powerful telepath, and he runs everything, as well as owning the mansion where the school is located. Aside from myself, there are two other teachers, Mr. Logan, and Dr. Henry McCoy. There are also about ten to twenty students, all Mutants."
"Mmm..." Mia nodded thoughtfully.
"Scott and another girl, Jean, were the Professor's first students. There are a wide variety of races and appearances at the school, as well as a large difference in temperament for each student."
"I see," Mia smiled. She rose to her feet. "Excuse me, I have to go to the ladies' room..."
Ororo stood up to join her. Glancing back at the two young men, glaring at each other across the table, she sighed. "Don't kill each other while we are gone," she warned. Scott gave her a reassuring glance, and Joseph smiled warmly at her. Joseph really was a nice person, Ororo decided, he seemed quiet, but with an inner strength that many people lacked. He was reserved, but not to the point of being stiff or cold.
As Ororo stood before the mirror, adjusting her long white hair into something slightly stylish, she watched Mia from the corner of her eye. The young woman carefully applied lip-gloss, and straightened her shirt.
"So, when're you going to tell him?" asked Mia suddenly.
Ororo's eyebrows shot up. "Tell who what?"
Mia rolled her eyes. "You know exactly what I'm talking about. Tell Remy how you really feel!"
Ororo's jaw dropped open. "Excuse me?!"
Mia drew in a long, deep breath. "It's not that obvious, don't worry, I think it's only me and Scott who've noticed. Although, I'd say that Scott's a little pissed about the fact..."
"Whaaa....Scott? I....huh?" Ororo silently berated herself for her oh so brilliant answer.
Mia turned to face the windrider fully. "Ok. Look. I really didn't think I'd have to do this for you, but I'm going to spell it out. You are in love with Remy. Remy is too busy flirting with Daniela to notice, and Danny's quite happy to return the favor. Scott is in love with you, and you feel a little more than friendship towards him, too. I'm guessing that you think that because you think you can never have Remy, you'll settle for Scott. But from what I've overheard, Scott already has a girlfriend, back at the school, who is currently ill. He's worried like hell over her, but you're not so well yourself, not sleeping, and trying to be strong for everyone, so Scott feels the urge to care for you. He can't do anything for Jean, and he cares about you, so he's trying to watch out for you instead of Jean. And I'm pretty sure that it's going to go a lot farther than just replacing Jean, a lot faster than you think. Follow?"
Ororo blinked rapidly. "Honestly, no," she admitted. "And how could you know all of this, anyway?"
"I'm a good judge of character," Mia explained, turning back to the mirror. "One has to be when one is a leader."
Ororo nodded in understanding. "I will think about what you said, Mia."
Mia grinned, and headed towards the door. "That's all I ask, Ororo."
When they returned to the table, the stare-off between Joseph and Scott had not changed a bit. Their food arrived at the same time the two women got back to the table, so there was no any uncomfortable pauses in the conversation could be covered by the need to eat. Ororo and Mia did most of the talking, with Joseph and Scott throwing in the occasional comment.
When they left the restaurant, it was 20:30, and no one wanted to return to the hotel right then. They walked along the streets, not really caring where they went. After about half an hour of walking, they saw a brightly lit building up ahead.
"Hey!" Mia grinned. "Looks like this town isn't as out of it as we thought!" It was a dance club, filled with people from about sixteen years of age to twenty-five. The group entered, Ororo flashing back to all the clubs she had been at with Remy. The music was loud, and their was a bar in a corner, where all one had to do to get alcohol was show their I.D.
"My God, it's insane in here!" Joseph yelled over the music. Scott and Mia nodded their agreement.
"We should dance," Mia called, grabbing Joseph's hand and dragging him off into the throngs of people. Scott looked at Ororo. Ororo looked at Scott.
"God help us," she thought she heard Scott mutter, but she could have been mistaken.
*
Mia found a relatively clear spot on the dance floor, and grinned up at Joseph. He returned the smile warmly. The song changed, and Mia wrapped her arms around him.
"All the leaves are brown,
And the sky is gray,"
She rocked in his arms, resting her head on his shoulder, feeling his warm embrace.
"I've been for a walk,
On a winters day,"
Slowly, her mind began to wonder, back to when she first met Joseph. How she had practically kicked him out of her house, and how he had explained everything to her, and she had slowly accepted him.
"I'd be safe and warm,
If I was in LA,"
She remembered how he had comforted her when her powers had gone out of control, and she had frozen the water pipes of over fifty houses, and caused a little girl to almost die of hypothermia.
"California dreamin',
On such a winters day."
She remembered how he had been the only person to accept Sammy, even when Mia hadn't trusted the girl. And he had turned out to be right, of course, when Sammy ended up saving Mia's life.
"Stopped in to a church,
I passed along the way,"
She remembered the first time they had kissed. The soft, gentle, tentative starts to something surpassing friendship, and that he had been just as nervous as she at the time.
"Well, I got down on my knees,
And I began to pray,"
And she clearly remembered the betrayal in his eyes when he found out that she and the rest of the Gold subteam had been hiding the existence of the spacestation, and her own self-hatred when she looked back on their selfish reasons for doing so.
"You know the preacher likes the cold,
He knows I'm gonna stay,"
And now they were here, together in each other's arms, and everything felt so right. She smiled, a warm feeling of contentment washing over her.
"California dreamin',
On such a winters day.
All the leaves are brown,
And the sky is gray,
I've been for a walk,
On a winters day.
If I didn't tell her,
I could leave today,
California dreamin',
On such a winters day."
*
The song ended, and Ororo glared up at the ceiling. She and Scott were still standing, uncertainly by the doors, not quite sure what to do. The DJ came up to the microphone, and called for everyone to find themselves a partner. A medium built man, with short red hair and dark brown eyes came up to Ororo. He was staggering slightly, and it wasn't hard to tell that he was drunk.
"Hey...ya wanna dansh with me?" he asked her, leering openly. Ororo opened her mouth, but before she could speak the scathing remark that was on the tip of her tongue, Scott stepped in, firmly grasping her arm and turning her towards himself.
"I'm afraid she already has a partner," he said calmly to the drunk man. "Why don't you go find someone else?" The man glared at Scott, but staggered off in search of another dance partner.
"Thank you, Scott," Ororo smiled relievedly.
Scott shrugged, looking embarrassed. "Ya..." he shrugged.
And then the music started. Ororo's mind went into overdrive, then cut out altogether, and she found herself spinning around the dance floor with Scott, his arms tight about her one minute, twirling her away the next, their bodies pressing up against each other, then moving apart, and she couldn't care less about the fact that he was a student, and she a teacher, for they were of such close age, that it didn't seem to matter. The music drowned out all, and her mind spun in a sort of limbo, everything just a wonderful, exhilarating blur...
"We go where we like
We got over time
We get paid to rattle our chains
We go in the back
Paint our money black
Spend it on the enemy
Sleeping in the church
Riding in the dirt
Put a banner over my grave
Make a body work
Make a beggar hurt
Sell me something big and untamed
Now our time
Real good time
Now our time
NOW OUR TIME
A real good time
IT'S A REALLY GOOD TIME!
Baaaaaaabe, you're mine
We know how to pray
Party everyday
Make our desillation unsafe
Riding in a rut
Till' the powers cut
We don't even have a good name
Sleeping in the church
Riding in the dirt
Put a banner over my grave
Make a body work
Make a begger hurt
Sell me something big and untamed
Now our time
Real good time
Now our time
Real good time
Now our time
NOW OUR TIME
A real good time
IT'S A REALLY GOOD TIME!
yeah yeah yeah
Baaaaaaabe, you're mine
Doo doo doo doo...baby...I can fly...yeah
Sell me something big and untamed
Now our time
now our time...
Real good time
real good time...
Now our time
NOW OUR TIME!
Real good time
IT'S A REALLY GOOD TIME!
Now our time
NOW OUR TIME)
A real good time
IT'S A REALLY GOOD TIME!
Feel good
Real good, It's the same old same
Real good
Feel good, don't got no more brains (x2)
Baaaaaaabe, you're mine...
Ororo, Scott, Mia and Joseph stumbled out of the club about an hour later. They were all laughing, and from somewhere behind them music still pounded.
"This is my heart,
This is my cause,
This is my hit,
It's better than yours..."
None of them had touched the alcohol, but they may as well have, from the way they were acting. Mia and Joseph were leaning against each other, arms wrapped around each other, snatching kisses whenever they had the chance. Scott's arm was about Ororo, and she had her head resting on his shoulder. The wild, hazy insanity of the club was still with them, and they made the walk back to the hotel as if in some crazy, wonderful dream. Arriving in the lobby, laughing hysterically at a joke *someone* had told, the group split off to their separate rooms, calling cheerful good nights to each other.
When they arrived in the room, Ororo collapsed on the bed, only taking time to kick off her shoes and pull down the first blanket. Half a moment later, Scott slipped in beside her. Under any other circumstances, they would have both been very, very uncomfortable with this, but at that moment, the exhaustion of the day finally catching up with them, they couldn't give a damn where they were lying, or with who. Scott's arm somehow found it's way about Ororo again, and they drifted off to sleep to the sound of Daniela and Sanina laughing and singing along with music in the next room.
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A/N3: There! You see? Longness!!! And two chapters in one night! (
So, please, please, please review!!!!!!!!!!!!! Loooooooooooooooter