Notes: I recall someone asking how Rachel would get along with Scott & Jean. Well, here's your answer, though it may not please you. Also, I'm not a big fan of the Fantastic Four, just of Franklin, so my descriptions of Freedoms Four Plaza will be off. This chapter ran a bit faster than I expected.
Warning: I have a tendency to get carried away when I write Deadpool, though some people would argue that's keeping him in character. In short, calling Wade Wilson offensive is a compliment, so watch out.
Chapter 16: The Mirror in Me
Rachel had decided that Nate was right; Storm was definitely a fun person to be around. Even though she talked a lot like the other teachers at Xavier's, she seemed to understand that an actual classroom was the last place that Rachel wanted or needed to be. She had even allowed Rachel to join in on Illyana's "social therapy" sessions, which now included Nate, Marrow, Ernie, and Musty, for obvious reasons. Remy and Logan didn't really participate in the sessions, but they always stayed within lurking distance, and no one seemed to mind.
No matter how organized the sessions started out, they always ended up dissolving into games of tag, wrestling matches, and once, when weather (that is, Storm) permitted, an actual rain dance. Far from being upset about this, Storm insisted that the games actually promoted social skills: working with others, for example. It was her philosophy that children were much easier to teach if they didn't actually realize that they were learning while they had fun.
But even though Rachel seemed to be adjusting well to her new environment, she still possessed some rather odd habits. For example, Scott had recently been complaining about his used towels disappearing before he could wash them. Jubilee discovered them in pile beneath Rachel's bed, but conveniently forgot to mention it to anyone. Then Jean's favorite hairbrush went missing. She obviously knew where it was, but opted instead to buy another.
Scott, however, drew the line when he found Rachel curled up on his pillow one afternoon. He could hardly be blamed for being paranoid; had Rachel been one of their enemies, she would've had sufficient means to clone both him and Jean by now.
Rather than allow everyone to think she was a kleptomaniac, Rachel was finally forced to admit that Scott and Jean looked (and apparently smelled) an awful lot like her own parents. The problem, though, was that she had absolutely no intention of being disappointed again, like she first had been with Nate. So rather than get to know them, she was content with just having the mere smell of them available to her. This hurt Jean quite a bit, as she'd always wondered what it would be like to have a little girl, and perhaps needed the practice, but she still gave Rachel a bottle of her perfume. At her urging, Scott eventually gave up some cologne, though he still felt very unnerved by the used towel thefts.
Though all of the windows in the warehouse were boarded up, Wanda estimated a week had passed before the woman arrived. She certainly had the look of a henchman, dressed in a black, tight-fitting bodysuit with a matching hooded cloak, and a violet mask that concealed everything but her eyes and mouth. Wanda couldn't figure out what her purpose was, since all she ever seemed to do was check Kitty's pulse every now and then. But since she had nothing better to do, Wanda figured she'd try to get a little information.
"You never check my pulse," she said as the woman leaned over Kitty again.
The woman didn't look up. "Because I know Omega Red wouldn't be fool enough to infect you with his death spore."
"You sound so sure of that."
"Despite what you may believe, young lady, your father would be extremely upset if you died."
"How would you know?" Wanda asked.
Finally, the woman looked at her. "I have known your father for quite some time. He always struck me as a solitary man who did not wish to be so. Whether he loves you or not, he values your life."
"How do you know him?"
"Before he started calling himself Magneto, your father once worked closely with the C.I.A. I met him through…my own government connections. I suppose you could've called him my mentor, for a time."
"So what are you? Some kind of secret agent?"
The woman smirked. "Hardly. We have both changed a great deal since then, obviously. You might call me a free agent now."
Wanda frowned. "So you're an assassin?"
The woman chuckled softly. "Clever girl."
"But I haven't seen you kill anyone. So why are you working for my father?"
"Ironically, I was brought in to protect."
"What, he needs bodyguards now? That doesn't sound like him."
"I never said my job was to protect him," the woman replied.
The good thing about Nate and Rachel, Jean thought to herself as she stepped outside the mansion, was that they were never hard to find at all. Though, if either one of them ever really bothered to hide, even Cerebro would've been hard-pressed to find them. Rachel sometimes went out of her way to avoid Jean, but had yet to take up becoming a "gray spot" (no pun intended) on the psychic plane, as Nate sometimes did when he was feeling particularly solitary, in order to avoid detection.
Today, however, Jean was hoping that bringing the two some good news would keep them from making excuses and running away at the sight of her. Nate had eased up considerably around her in the past few weeks, but now that he felt obligated to protect Rachel, he'd run if she wanted to.
She found the pair in the gazebo, along with Piotr, Illyana, and Storm. Nate was sitting opposite the other three, with Rachel in his lap. As Jean got closer, she could tell they were posing for Piotr, who was working diligently on another of his drawings. Ororo and Illyana were watching in silence, awed but unwilling to break Piotr's concentration.
Though Jean stopped a few yards away, she couldn't help the anxiety she felt when Rachel's gaze shifted almost imperceptibly to her, and then back to Piotr again. If Nate sensed her presence, he probably ignored it for the sake of the picture.
"Done," Piotr murmured after a few more minutes. "Come and tell me if it meets your approval, my friends."
Nate relaxed visibly as he stood up, tucking Rachel under one arm. But Rachel's eyes strayed nervously back to Jean, who hadn't moved.
As if she sensed the change in Rachel's mood, Storm finally turned and saw her fellow teacher. Smiling, she turned away, but still beckoned Jean closer with a small wave of her hand.
"It looks just like them, Piotr," Illyana said in a hushed tone of wonder.
"No complaints here," Nate agreed, clapping his roommate on the shoulder. "What do you think, Rach?"
"Jean's been standing there for a while," Rachel said suddenly.
"Hmm?" Nate turned and had the decency to look startled. "Oh. Didn't see you there."
"Somehow I doubt that," Jean replied with a warm smile.
"Illyana," Storm said quietly, "would you like to help me find a proper place for your brother's latest work?"
Naturally, Illyana nodded at once, and practically dragged Storm away. Piotr followed them, mostly because he knew exactly why Storm had diverted his sister's attention.
"I have some good news for both of you," Jean offered. "The Professor thinks that your visiting with Franklin Richards is a good idea. He also thinks Illyana and Piotr should go with you."
"We were thinking of asking them to come along," Nate admitted, squeezing Rachel's shoulder.
"All the Professor asks is that two chaperones go with you. I have no doubt that Illyana will choose Ororo."
"Can Jubilee be mine?" Rachel asked, even though she knew it was pointless.
"No, the Professor wants you to choose a teacher. Mr. Logan, for example."
Nate hid his smirk. Jean knew perfectly well that Logan did not like being treated like a babysitter.
"I don't know," Rachel said after a long moment.
Jean took a deep breath. "Well," she added hesitantly, "I know we haven't really gotten a chance to know each other, but I was sort of hoping that I could be the second chaperone."
Rachel looked shocked. "You?"
She nodded. "You wouldn't have to speak to me at all, if you didn't want to. I'd only be there in case something happened."
At once, Rachel opened her mouth, probably to say that was part of why she wanted Nate with her, but she closed it rather quickly. Jean wasn't sure why, until she noticed that Nate was whistling innocently under his breath and looking in the other direction.
"I can understand if you don't want to be around me, Rachel," Jean said softly. "All I'm asking for is one chance, for just half a day, to be near you. That's it. After that, you can run from me all you want."
"Can I think about it for a while?" Rachel asked quietly.
"Of course. Just let the Professor know when you've made your choice." With that, Jean left them alone in the gazebo.
"Do you think she's mad at me?" Rachel asked.
"I think she's sad at you," Nate replied.
"I don't get it. Why?"
"She can't help it, Rach. When you told her she reminded you of her mother, she felt responsible for you. Plus, people around here wanna take care of you, just because you're a little guy."
"But I'm older than I look!"
"Well, WE know that, but nobody else does. So people are gonna keep treating you like a little guy, because that's what they see."
"So you think I should let her come?"
"I think it would mean a lot to her if you did. Besides, when you get right down to, look at the alternate choices. You've got Mr. Summers and Mr. Logan. Who would you rather be seen with in public?"
"Ms. Munroe, did Wanda and Kitty leave while I was gone?"
Storm came to an abrupt stop, looking down to see Illyana staring up at her with wide, concerned eyes. "Illyana, has no one told you what happened?"
"Well, they all looked so busy lately, and nobody said anything. I thought maybe she left. Jubilee told me that somebody wrecked the school, but that's it."
She could understand why the Professor wouldn't want rumors to start flying around, but she would've thought that someone had come up with a cover story, at the very least. But just the fact that Illyana's own roommate had witnessed the kidnapping would make that impossible. She was also glad that Jubilee had provided some information, and left out the rest.
"There is no delicate way to say this, exactly," Storm explained. "Illyana, I'm afraid that Wanda and Kitty were taken from the school, against their will."
Illyana frowned, but did not look quite as upset as Storm had expected. "By who?"
"We know that Wanda's brother was involved."
"Is it Magneto again?"
Storm frowned this time. "How did you find out about-"
"Wanda told me. She wanted me to have my facts straight before someone lied about her Dad. She said any bad stuff I heard was probably still true, though. Remy told me what happened to Marie, too."
With a sigh, Storm shook her head. Students would be students, though. "I don't want you to worry, Illyana. We will do everything in our power to get them back safely."
"I know," Illyana replied. "I just hope Wanda's Dad isn't sick in the head like Miko was…"
Wanda woke up as she felt huge, cool hands sliding over her wrists. Her head snapped up to see the hulking form of Caliban detaching her manacles from the wall. "Have you finally come to your senses, Cal?"
Caliban did not meet her gaze. "Master-Magneto wishes to see you and your friend, Sister-Wanda."
Sure enough, Wanda could also see the woman she'd spoken with earlier carefully pulling Kitty down. Though she was looking much better, Kitty still seemed to need some help standing on her own.
"You're making a big mistake, Cal," Wanda muttered as he guided her deeper into the warehouse.
"Master-Magneto will not harm you. He only wishes to reunite his family."
"Yeah, well, I didn't see Pietro wearing any chains!"
Caliban frowned and lowered his voice. "Caliban senses much anger in your heart, Sister-Wanda. Master-Magneto feared you would attack him and refuse to listen."
"I'm more worried about him attacking us," Kitty murmured. "After what he did to Marie, she still wakes up in a cold sweat some nights."
"Well, I would advise against trying to use your powers to escape," the woman said. "If I understand the function of these chains correctly, your persistence would only be rewarded with a strong electric shock."
"Oh, is that all?" Wanda half-chuckled with a smirk. "No wonder everyone hates family reunions."
"You don't think there's even the slightest chance he might not hurt us?" Kitty whispered. "Maybe he's reformed…well…into a good guy. Um…not as bad as he was before, I mean. Maybe?"
"He won't hurt you," Wanda admitted. "If that psycho octopus guy hadn't gotten excited, you wouldn't even be here. Me, on the other hand…let's just say we've got serious issues."
"But Nate and the others will come before anything bad happens, right?"
Wanda bit her lip. "Magneto probably has this whole place shielded. Even Nate couldn't get a lock on us, I'd bet. I think we're on our own, for now. But look on the bright side. At least he seems to only have one crazy mutant working for him this time around."
At that moment, they stopped in front of a freight elevator, which slid open to reveal a masked man in a red and black costume.
"Witchy-baby! Long time no see!"
"Oh, GOD," Wanda groaned. :"Not YOU again!"
"I love it when I leave a good impression," he chuckled as they all got in. "So, miss me?" He draped an arm casually around her shoulders.
"Wilson, all the rules still stand. No touching, no staring, and absolutely no calling me any pet names! AND GET YOUR HAND AWAY FROM THERE!!!"
"Aw, what's one grope between lovers like us?" the man asked. "You can fondle me, if you want." He turned so that she had a good view of his rear. "Go on. You know you want to."
With a wicked grin, Wanda planted her foot on his butt, forcing him into the wall of the elevator.
"OW!" He spun around, but instead of being angry, he laughed again. "You remembered that I like it rough! I knew you couldn't get me outta your system!
"Well, I always said you were contagious, if nothing else," she muttered.
"Aren't you gonna introduce me to your little friend?" he asked, indicating Kitty. "I mean, she might not care, but I at least like to get the names of participants BEFORE the orgy party starts."
"WHAT?!" Kitty shrieked. "Wanda, tell me he's kidding!"
Wanda rolled her eyes. "Oh, he never stops. Kitty, Wade Wilson; Wade, HANDS OFF!"
"Why? Is she yours? Playing for both teams, huh, Wanda? That's so…so…kinky."
"Couldn't we have taken another elevator?" Kitty asked weakly.
"And pass up a chance to get close to ME? You'd have to be nuts! Well, moreso than me. But not to worry, babycakes. The Poolboy is at your command."
"Do you think you could maybe choke on your tongue?"
"I don't know. But maybe you should try choking on it instead. I mean, you might need the practice. For the orgy."
"WANDA!!!"
"Dr. Grey?" I thought about what you said earlier."
Jean looked up from her desk to see Rachel standing in her doorway. "Oh? Come in."
Biting her lip, Rachel hesitantly slid in and shut the door. She was doing her best to mask her anxiety, but if Jean didn't sense it, she would probably see it even easier. After all, she was both a telepath and a teacher.
"Have you decided on the second chaperone?" Jean asked.
"Well…first, I need to tell you something else."
"I'm listening."
"I…don't have a big problem being around you. It's just a little weird, cuz you look like my mother. But…please don't try to be her. That would only make me feel worse." Rachel came closer and took Jean's hand in her own. "I just want you to be you, Dr. Grey, and no one else. I want you to treat me like you would any other student."
Jean blinked slowly as she took it all in. "Okay. I didn't realize that's how you felt, Rachel."
Rachel nodded. "Um…I'd also like you to be my chaperone when I go to visit Franklin."
"Are you sure?"
"Yeah. Nate says you could probably teach me some things about my powers, since you have the same ones."
Jean blushed a bit. "Well, I'm nowhere near as powerful as you are, Rachel."
"I know, but I didn't have a whole lot of time to learn about them. So I bet you'd know lots of stuff that I don't. And even if you didn't…you'd know what it's like to have these powers, and you could help me adjust to these new surroundings."
"I thought Nate was helping you with that?"
"He is, but…" Rachel laughed a bit. "Whenever I wanna talk about girl stuff, he gets nervous and tries to dump me on Jubilee."
Jean smiled at her. "I suppose I could help you with that. Are you sure being around me won't be a problem for you?"
"As long as you don't try to replace my mother. I…I know she's gone now, but I don't ever want to forget her." She smiled a little. "But if I happen to start calling you Auntie Jean, you can ask me to stop."
Jean lifted the girl to sit in her lap. "Somehow, sweetie, I don't think that's going to be a problem."
Wanda was completely unprepared for her father's appearance. She knew, of course, that she was being taken to him. But she didn't know that he would've changed so much since the last time they'd encountered each other. He had actually gotten dressed up, all in white, for the occasion. She had no way of knowing that these were his prison clothes. Aside from that, his face seemed to have regained some of its lost youth. And the smile on his face was not of triumph, as she'd expected, but one of total serenity.
"Hello, Wanda," Magneto said quietly. With a wave of his hand, the chains on Wanda and Kitty fell off. "You could use your powers to escape. But you should realize that I currently have four very excellent mutant trackers in my employ. You would be caught in a matter of minutes, if even that long."
"He's right," Wanda sighed as Kitty looked to her for confirmation. "If what Caliban said is true, Dad's improved his ability to track mutants. And much as I despite my brother, he is super-fast." She threw a glare at Deadpool. "Even Wade is in high demand for a reason."
"It's all in the pelvic thrusts, babe," Deadpool replied.
Wanda shook her head and turned to her father. "So what do you want from me this time?"
Magneto closed the distance between them and placed his hands on Wanda's shoulders. "I want my daughter back."
"Ah. So that means you got your hands on a telepath, huh? Gonna turn me into your perfect little girl, just because you're tired of not being able to control me?"
"There was a time when I wouldn't have hesitated to do such a thing," he admitted softly. "But I've come to realize that you'll never stop resisting me. So I've brought you here to make a clean break of it, Wanda. You perform a single task for me, and I swear that I, Pietro, and anyone I might employ now or in the future, are out of your life for good."
Wanda's eyes narrowed. "I don't believe you. You've been after my all my life. Why would you just give up now?"
"As I said, I want my daughter back." His eyes locked on hers. "My firstborn daughter: Anya."
Her eyes widened. "Dad…she's dead. She has been for years, even before I was-"
"Tell me something, Wanda," Magneto interrupted, his eyes blazing. "Is there anything you've never come near to accomplishing with your powers? Anything at all?"
Wanda closed her eyes, as if trying to remember. A few moments later, she opened them. "Just one. I've never been able to make you accept me as I am."
A ghost of a smile appeared on his lips. "Yes. That is why I'm offering you this chance, Wanda. Give me back my Anya, and you'll be free to go. No tricks. No double crosses. No going back on my word."
"Dad, I can't bring people back to life," she insisted.
His expression darkened. "Maybe not. But you will try, and we will find out together."
Nate had just helped Rachel into the van when he sensed someone approaching from behind. He turned to see Musty lumbering across the front yard at a rapid pace, with Marrow and Ernie hanging off his neck. Remy was right at Musty's heels, looking as if he went jogging with a Wendigo every day.
"Hey, Nate!" Marrow shouted as Musty came to a stop beside the van. "You guys going to see Franklin?"
"Yeah," Nate replied. "Why?"
"Brings us back something neat?" Marrow asked hopefully.
"Like what? Gummi Bears and chocolate milk?"
"Cool! I was gonna say T-shirts, but that's even better!"
Nate sighed and shook his head. "Knew I was gonna regret saying that."
"Get pink for me and blue for everyone else!" Marrow called, loudly enough so that everyone in the van could hear her.
"Okay!" Illyana shouted back.
Nate rolled his eyes, and then reached up to scratch a spot just above and between Musty's eyes. He was almost knocked off his feet when the Wendigo sighed and suddenly leaned against him. "Actually, I think Musty might prefer a pink one," he commented.
"Huh? Why?" Illyana asked, poking her head out of the van.
"Hey, a used to be a street-corner fortune teller. Favorite colors are easy." He gently pushed Illyana back into the van and climbed in himself. "Stay outta trouble, you guys, and maybe you'll get sweets and T-shirts. Uh, we'll pick you up that bourbon on the way back, Remy."
"Much obliged, mon ami," Remy said, making a formal bow.
Storm gave them both wary looks from the passenger seat. "Please tell me you're joking, Nate."
"Huh? Oh. Yeah. Sure. Joke." He looked out the window and whistled innocently, though he could hardly be heard over Illyana and Rachel's giggles. Even Piotr was trying to keep a reproachful look on his face and failing miserably.
Had the nonsense ended there, Storm might've tried to forget all about it. But then she turned in time to catch a saucy wink from Remy as he herded Musty and the two childish leeches across the yard.
Logan growled softly as he sniffed around Wanda and Kitty's last known whereabouts. Ignoring the musty smell of the tunnel that led beneath the school, he could still pick up traces of the people who stood there. There was the floral, slightly soapy smell of Kitty's body wash, the spicy odor of Wanda's perfume, and the sweet scent of Jubilee's bubble gum. Each was laced with a healthy amount of fear, though Wanda's included quite a bit of anger.
The truly odd thing was that while Logan could pick up lesser traces of other students, such as Marie, the first three stood out more prominently, as if strengthened by some unknown force. It was then that Logan caught a trace of something else: pure sickness and walking death. His eyes widened in fear and anger when he found the scent mixing with Kitty's. Jubilee had told him something about a mutant that made Kitty sick, but maybe she'd had no idea how sick.
"She not dead, mon ami," said a voice above him. "Least, not yet."
Logan's head snapped up to find Remy crouching on top of tunnel entrance. "Get back ta school, kid."
The boy shook his head. "You need my help. So do Wanda. I know who took her."
"Yeah?" Logan asked cautiously. He'd never really liked the scent of the boy, since he smelled of awareness and danger…far too much like Logan himself.
"Monster. Dey call him Omega Red. One o' de best assassins alive."
"You know that how?" Logan growled.
"Ever heard of the Assassins Guild?"
"No."
"Good." Remy leapt lightly from his perch. "Put it like dis, mon ami. You don' want Wanda and Kitty wit dat man any longer dan dey have to be."
"You know how to find them?"
Remy nodded. "Tracker on Wanda. Lead me right to dem."
"She know about this?"
The boy grinned. "What she don' know, mon ami, keep her safe. Remy always look out for his team."
Logan sniffed and frowned. "That better not be them," he muttered as Musty appeared, still carrying Marrow and Ernie.
Remy shrugged. "Eh. Dis backup team."
"Yeah. As in they all better get back up to that school right now."
"But dey perfect team! Musty and Ernie handle de rough stuff, petite squeeze through de small spots. 'Sides, dey don't go, Remy don't go. Which mean Monsieur Logan don' find Kitty."
Logan growled in frustration. He could try following what remained of Kitty and Wanda's scents, but the trail would probably go cold or get washed away when it rained. He also knew that Xavier wouldn't approve. But then again, Xavier was sending some of his best players on a damn field trip, while the rest sat around the War Room flapping their gumes. If anything, Remy's way would get them to Wanda and Kitty faster. He wasn't sure of the nature of this tracker, but Magneto would find it eventually, most likely. Best to get as close as possible while they still could follow it.
"Okay, kid. We follow your lead. But you better be as good as I hope you are."
Remy chuckled. "Relax, mon ami. Gambit better dan everyone t'ink he is."
Franklin Richards sighed as he ran his fingers carefully over his reflection. "Are you sure this is a good idea?"
"They need to know," the reflection insisted. "In fact, they should've known a long time ago. Xavier isn't going to tell them, so that leaves us."
Still being very much a child, Franklin was inclined to agree with himself. After all, his mother had told him more than once that mirrors couldn't lie. Of course, he was pretty sure she didn't hide alternate versions of herself in hers, though. He had checked.
"I don't want to upset Rachel and Illyana," he murmured.
"I know. But in the long run, telling them is for the best. They need to know what lives inside them."
There was a knock on the bathroom door. "Honey, aren't you done yet? You don't want to be late for your little playdate."
Franklin sighed in mild annoyance. Much as he loved his mother, and even though she was a superhero, he still felt compelled to hide his own superhero-related business from her. Which meant every month he had "playdates" with children of other superheroes. Usually, they did anything but play, but anyone that walked in, thanks to Franklin's illusions, would see a game of chess. All this was fine and good, but he really wished she didn't have to call them playdates. It was so…childish.
"I'll be right out, Mom," he replied, brushing his hair a few times. He wanted to look neat, but not so neat that it was obvious he'd fixed himself up for the event. After all, it hadn't been long ago when he'd realized cooties weren't real, and he wasn't interested in Rachel or Illyana that way. Although, considering the other him's connection to Rachel, maybe he should've been. Or not, because that would be cheating on himself, and he didn't even want to think of the consequences of something like that.
Taking a deep, cleansing breath, he stepped out of the bathroom, only to find his mother rearranging some of the stuffed animals lined up across his bed. "Mom…"
She stopped and turned around. Franklin was not surprised to see that she was all dressed up. Most likely, she'd agreed to the playdate in part because Xavier believed firmly in chaperones, and nothing said, "Hey, free babysitter for Franklin," quite like a professional chaperone. Franklin had proven more than once that he didn't need a sitter. He'd sent the last one home in tears, all because he'd done his "I'm-a-ten-year-old-psycologist-and-you're-a-teenager-who-should-be-ashamed-of-herself" bit. And he hadn't even read her mind that time.
"Tell me again how you know this Rachel girl?" Susan Richards asked her son.
He could hardly say he'd dreamed about her, so he took the easy way out. "She's the best chess player at Xavier's. I beat her at online chess, and now she's challenged me to the real thing. I think she's hoping I'll lose my nerve if she bats her eyelashes and acts all girly up-close."
She was not quite sure how to respond to that. Honestly, Franklin did that to her all the time, and despite being his mother, she still hadn't gotten used to it. "Oh. That's…nice."
He grinned and reached up to squeeze her hand. "Don't worry, Mom. I'll let her win one game."
Next Chapter: Franklin speaks the truth, Remy does some tracking, and Anya arises.