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Tradition
Threads Of Fate
Jubilee sat in the lounge as she and the others took turns playing Clue. It had been a quiet day. Rich and Penny were in England for the past couple of hours. She had wondered what could be going on, and thought best not to wonder. There was probably alot of things that would happen this week, but it didn't seem the same without Rich and Penny there. She just sighed and Everett looked at her and said, "What's wrong?"
She looked at her boyfriend and said, "It feels so empty here with Rich and Penny away. I know Rich said that this is something that they had to do alone, but I wish they would let us know they are alright."
Monet just said, "Well, it is the middle of the night there." Jubilee noticed that Monet seemed to be speaking out loud to everyone, but her focus was on Darrett. She wondered if Monet had feelings for the boy from the future.
She then heard Daria say, "True, but the place seemes to be lacking a little bit of life without them here. I wonder what they might be up to." Jubilee was trying not to think of that, mainly because of some of the things that were likely to happen.
She then noticed that Sean walked into the room and said, "Well, I think we can get a little life back to the school. We all are going to have company."
She heard Angelo say, "Who's coming to visit? The X-Men?" Jubilee thought that would be terrific, to see Wolvie again.
Sean then said, "Remember Mr. Lynch and the kids he trained?"
Jubilee remembered them. It was just before Rich had come to the school that they first met the group of kids that called themselves Gen 13. She smiled at the activity that would be at the school for the time and said, "You mean they are visiting?"
Sean nodded and said, "The whole lot. Mr. Lynch said that the kids thought it would be a good idea to visit. They'll be arriving in a few days, so ye all better be ready."
Darrett just looked at Sean and said, "Who are these people?"
Jubilee said, "They are a cool group. We met them a little while before Rich came to the school. They seem to be mutants, but they aren't. We ended up teaming up to fight Emplate and some weird dude named Trance."
Daria looked at her and said, "Was he dangerous?" Understandable question, considering what had happened.
Paige then said, "He could have been. He had kidnapped a mutant, but we rescued the mutant, but he teamed up with Emplate and I had followed them with one of the Gen 13 group. I think his codename was Grunge."
Angelo then said, "Well, you did get him in trouble. When we parted company that time, he was doin' some major explaining to that Roxy chick."
Jubilee watched as Jono turned to face Paige and said, "Was that before the incident at your home?"
Jubilee had an idea what Jono was talking about, and said, "Hey, what's past is past. I think we should start getting ready for company. She looked over at Sean and said, "What are we going to do about sleeping quarters for them?"
Sean just looked at her and said, "Well, I was thinking of doing a bunk up thing."
Jubilee just swallowed. She had to admit that having there own rooms right now was cool, and having a roommate wasn't too bad, but she was a bit apprehensive about one thing. "Sean, what about Sarah?"
Sean realized what she was getting at. "Ye know, I forgot about that."
Jubilee then heard Monet say, "Yes, that is something I can tolerate, but I don't think I'd feel to comfortable about sharing my room with her." She watched as Paige nodded as well.
She could tell that Daria looked abit confused as she said, "What's wrong?"
Everett just said, "She's of the same lifestyle that Rich's cousin Godiva is." Daria then understood.
She noticed that Sean didn't really count on this reaction and said, "Well, I guess we'll have to give them all seperate rooms. I was hoping at least that someone wouldn't have a problem, but then again, I think I'd be a bit uncomfortable in the same situation. Alright, we'll start tomorrow getting everything ready." She watched as he left the room. She liked the idea of having something like this happening. It was a chance to see their friends again.
Rich openned his eyes as the sunlight came in the bedroom window. Lying infront of him was Yvette. During the night, she told him in their dreams that she was a bit scared and he put his arm around her. He had awoken to find his arm still around her waist. He had remember that Grimore had been lying between them, but Rich saw that his cat was on the pillow, just above their heads. At least this nights sleep was restful, but Yvette had been on the verge of a nightmare, that was when she had asked him to hold her. Now it was time to wake up, and discover what was in the hidden library. He kissed Yvette lightly on the cheek and whispered in her ear, "Time to wake up."
She turned to face him and said, "Good morning. I slept well, did you?" She knew he was going through alot of grief this week, but he felt that he wouldn't make it through this week if he didn't have her in his life.
Rich nodded and said, "I think we better get ready. There is a room with many mysteries in it waiting for us." She nodded and got out of the bed. He waited until she entered the bathroom before he started to get ready for the day. He then heard Grimore meow as the cat woke up. He went over to his suitcase and started to get his outfit together for the day. He looked at the sword that they had found. It was odd that this item was almost a thousand years old. As he got dressed, he said to Grimore, "Grimore, I wish I knew more about this. I also wish I understood what happened when I first held the sword. It seemed to just overwhelm me." It was true. All the memories did overwhelm him, but Yvette had helped him. He stood and walked over to where he had placed the sword. He looked at it as he pondered it's history. "What have I gotten myself into?" Rich quietly asked himself.
He heard Yvette behind him saying, "Something that can help you help people more than before." He was almost started by her appearence, but then she was good at surprising him. He turned to face her, and she gave him a warm loving smile. He gave her a good morning kiss, and she said in their mind link {You want to try and get some breakfest before we enter the library.}
He had completely forgot about breakfest. He was so determined to find out about the library that he forgot about food, and almost about his medicine. He ended the kiss and said, "You're right. I be right down, and I meet you in the kitchen." She nodded and left the room, and he ran into the bathroom to brush his teeth.
Yvette was slightly amazed at what she saw. The kitchen had enough food in it to last them the week. Who had stocked the place? She didn't expect all the food she had seen, mainly because the castle was mostly not lived in. Even Rich was amazed when he entered and saw all the food. When they had finished eating, they made there way to the library. Yvette turned to her boyfriend and said, "This is getting weirder and weirder."
Rich seemed to be a little less amazed as he said, "I don't think I'm surprised at all. It's like everything is meant to happen, and we just have to figure out what is going on."
She took his hand as they entered a big room. As they passed through it, she stopped, looking at the portraits. "Rich, look at the portraits. It looks like us." She watched as he glances up and gasped in surprise. She then said, "Is this castle haunted?"
She noticed that Rich just shrugged and said, "I don't know, but I think all our answers are in the sealed room." She nodded in agreement. They needed answers and that room had to hold them. She noticed that the whole time, Grimore was at their side, almost like a dog would stay at the side of his master, except Grimore was a cat. After a short time of walking, they had arrived at the door. Rich held the sword up and said, "Alright, here we go. I hope this works."
She had stood back and held her hands together. She was praying that they would get their answers soon. She heard a click as Rich placed the sword on the door, and the door flew open. She was almost blinded by the light, and realized that the light was coming from all over, like the room was glowing. She followed Rich as he entered the room, and she saw it. Book as far as the eye could see. "My goodness. It would take forever to read all these books."
Rich walked through the door, and straight to one podium, where a book lied there, with a lock on it. Yvette walked over to him and looked at the book. Something about it scared her. It just reminded her of something sinister, like Emplate. She then heard Rich say, "This is that book. My family has this book, and it's real. I don't believe it."
She was almost startled when she heard the odd voice speak. "Indeed. It has been your familiy's job to protect it for almost a milennium." She, as well as Rich spun around to face who had spoken. She was shocked when all she saw was Grimore.
With a shaky voice, she heard Rich say, "Y-y-you c-c-can talk, Grimore?" She found it a bit unnerving too, but something seemed to comfort her about it.
She listened as the cat continued, "Always could, but I can only talk with the head of the family, and their significant other."
She sat down, as well as Rich, and said to the cat, "You mean to say that now, you can only talk to Rich or myself, and no one else." The cat nodded and then she said, "But how do you know?"
The cat walked up to them and said, "I have been around for 1000 years. Because I serve the Paladin's, I know things. Like when I first met you. You do remember that time back when you were 9, don't you Richard."
She watched as Rich closed his eyes and said, "Yes, I'm remember that now. I was in Yugoslavia, but I don't recall much after that. I remember a little girl about 2 years old, she was..." She watched as he looked at her. She had been told long ago about how she and Rich once met, and now he was remembering it. "you, Yvette."
She listened as Grimore said, "That's right. You two had met back then, but hadn't seen each other since then, until you found each other again."
She felt Rich hesistate, like he was about to ask a question, and then he said it. "Grimore, I have a memory in my head, which I can't explain. It's about when my parents were here, and I was with a friend of the family."
She watched as the cat held up a paw. "You'll find out tomorrow. Right now, you might want to check out some of these tomes. Some date back to the signing of the Magna Carta, and a few date back even further." She watched as Rich headed to one of the shelves and started looking through all the books.
As he started to read one, Yvette turned to face Grimore and said, "Grimore, do you know anything about Rich's ability?" It was an honest question, one she was concerned about.
Grimore looked at her and said, "Yes I do, and he didn't know the full extent of his abilities. True, if he holds an ability long enough, it becomes his permanently, but he can hold a second ability."
She was puzzled by this. "What do you mean second ability?"
The cat smiled and said, "Simply put, after this week, he'll have your ability. Of that, there is no doubt, but for short times, he will hold a second ability. That, however would require about a week of proximity, which might mean that he might not ever hold a second ability."
She then wonder what the cat might know about Emplate. She knew that Rich and Emplate's paths had almost crossed before, due to her helping him recover from his ordeal. She looked at the cat and said, "Grimore, what do you know about...."
Her question was cut off when Rich shouted, "Yvette, come over here. You must see this." She walked over to his side, to see a book in his hand. It was turned to a page, and had a picture on it. When she watched the picture, it seemed to change. She watched in awe as what looked like an island came into view. He just looked at her and said, "This is just like..."
She heard Grimore cut of Rich's statement, "Yes, it is that particular island, and it still exists with it's inhabitants. Your parent's company funded for the game to be made based off the place."
She looked as Rich said, "You mean the island exists?"
"Your family always grasped the ideas of alternate realities, possiblities, and the likes," Grimore stated. It was as if he was telling Rich something that Rich already knew.
Rich blinked and said, "You mean to say that all of this is real." The cat nodded and Rich then shook his head and said, "My goodness. This could explain something."
The cat looked at him, almost puzzled and said, "Richard, what do you mean by that?"
Rich then said, "A few months ago, our lives were save by a mutant from the future. His name is Darrett, but he can summon villians, and use them to fight for him. One time, he brought forth a villian he couldn't control, and now it's running free. The way he decribed the man makes me wonder if it is..."
Yvette saw the cat's hair stand up as it said, "That is not good at all. You might want to notify the lad that his father is free."
Rich looked at Grimore and said, "Do we have to travel there, and if so how will we get back?" She saw that Rich was concerned about that.
The cat just shook his head and said, "Just call him. He'll hear you." She saw the discomfort in Rich's eyes, and she understood why. She would feel uneasy if she was talking to a book.
Darrett had been working on setting up the room for the boy that he was told to be codenamed Grunge. Mondo had been helping him, but the boy had gone to spend some time with Daria. Darrett was uneasy with that, but he would always feel uneasy, since he was from a future where two members of Gen X were his parents. He never told anyone who is parents were, but he felt one day he had to. As he continued to work, he heard a familiar voice say "Hello, Darrett." He turned to see Monet facing him, however she didn't seem like her usual self.
He felt a little nervous when he finally replied to her. "Hello, Monet." He saw her smile when he said her name. He wondered now if she was in love with him, but another thing bothered him, was it Monet, or her sister, Claudette. He wasn't to sure how to respond as he said, "Can I help you with something Monet?"
He heard her giggle as she got closer to him and said, "Well, I was wondering if you might like to join me at a movie?"
He had to admit he was flattered by the question. He tried to remember that Monet was the sister of Emplate, but the thought kept getting pushed back. He just nodded and said, "Sure." He wasn't to sure why he was agreeing, but it sort of felt like he couldn't say no.
She smiled at him and said, "I'll see you tomorrow night, then." She smiled and started out the room. He couldn't help but watch her as she left. He was almost hypnotized by her. He then shook his head to snap himself out of it.
He just sat down and focused on his ability. A second later, two familiar figures were standing infront of him. The one said in it's winney voice, "Is something wrong, Master Darrett?"
The other, in his flashy 1930's attire said, "I must say, you do look abit shook up?"
He looked at the two figures and said, "I am. I think I've just agreed to go on a date with Monet?" He couldn't believe that it had happened, but he managed to continue, "but, she didn't seem to be acting normal. She was acting out of character for her."
Henry, just looked at him and said, "That is a puzzle. Maybe there is more to her than one would think?" Henry Stauf, who he conjured on a regular basis, had a very good point. Monet did have many sides to here, in more ways than one.
The other figure, which was that of a being called the Skesis, said, "I once promised peace, but I fooled them." It was another good point. What if it was a trick of somesort. He decided he need a more older view on the mater, and headed for Emma Frost's office. Maybe she could help.
Emma sat in her office, trying to plan out where their guests would be staying. Sean's idea of having some of the visitors bunk with the students didn't work out as planned, but they had to place them all in seperate dorm rooms. It however left for the two, for lack of a better word, guardians with out a place to sleep. She didn't want them to stay away from the school, but she had to give them a place to stay. She sighed and said, "I guess I'll be in Sean's cottage for a few days." She had to admit, the idea did have a few perks. Over the time at the school, she had started liking Sean, a bit more than one would like a friend. She heard a knocking at her door, which brought her to her senses. She just said, "Come in."
She was surprised as Darrett came in the door, followed by two of his usual summoned beings behind him. She sometimes felt that the boy's ability was a bit discomforting, but the boy did look troubled. When they were all in, he just said, "Miss Frost, I have a problem."
She motioned for him to sit down and said, "You can tell me, but do they.." Before she got the words out, Darrett dismissed the beings he had conjured. She regained her words and said, "Now what's the problem?"
Darrett sighed and said, "I don't know what to think of this, but Monet came up to me and asked me out, and for some reason, I agreed. Part of me didn't even want to agree."
She saw how much this was troubling the boy. She sat down and said, "Why is this troubling you so much?"
Darrett just said, "Well, when Monet asked me out, she wasn't acting like she normally was. She wasn't the person she normally shows herself to be." This started to worry Emma abit. She wondered if it was really Monet who flirted with Darrett. The boy then said, "I guess I also feel uncomfortable with the fact that Monet is Emplate's sister."
She understood what Darrett met by that. In Darrett's time, Emplates practically ruled the world. She had to think on the advice to give Darrett. On one hand, she wanted to say to him to call it off, but the other wondered if it was genuine. She finally had to give her answer, "Darrett, I think you are the only one who can answer this. It's hard to say who made the offer, but be careful." She watched as he nodded and left the room. She wondered if she gave Darrett the best advice for his situation. Her thought was cut of as her phone rang. She hoped that it wasn't bad news as she picked it up.
Rich made his way back to the bedroom, with Yvette by his side. As they walked up, he heard Yvette say, "I never knew all that existed." With a combined effort, they had gone through about half the books.
As they entered the bedroom, he just said, "And we only got through half of the books down there." It had been exhausting, but they learned alot about his past, which include his interest in the supernatural. He sat down on the bed, and fell back. He then said, "I hope that tomorrow isn't as exhausting, or unusual." He found it very odd having a conversation with a book, but discovering that Grimore could talk almost blew his mind.
He saw that Yvette had laid down next to him. She faced him and said, "Well, if this is the most exhausting day we'll have, then we can be thankful for the rest of the week." He admired her optimism during this time.
He then heard Grimore say, "I don't know if you'll like the rest of the week, but I can give you both some insight." He glanced at the cat as it took a spot on the end of the bed. "You'll probably get two phone calls tomorrow."
Rich looked over at Grimore, a bit startled, and said, "Who knows that were here?" He watched as Grimore jumped off the bed, and headed for the door. He asked again, "Grimore, who knows that we are here?"
Grimore stopped and looked at him, "Your father's friends. You are the next to hold the title, and they will be contacting you." The cat left the room, and Rich just had to wonder about that.
He felt Yvette kiss him on the cheek, as she said in their mind link {That is very creepy.}
He turned to face the love of his life and kissed her in return. {I know, but we have to go through with this. It is tradition in my family. Maybe those calls can answer some of the questions Grimore wouldn't answer.}
He saw the worried look in her eyes as she said, {My love, what if you would die in one of these undertakings?}
He understood what she meant. What his family did in this title dated back for ages as a dangerous task. Even in the books they had read through, they had found numerous accounts of almost fatal encounters, and one encounter always seemed to be played out against the same foe. He put his arms around her and said, {I don't want to think about that, no matter how likely it is, but it is no more dangerous than us going against some of the foes that Gen X has faced.} She nodded as he said that. He then said, {Now, let's put all these nasty thoughts out of our heads. It is nighttime and we should get some rest.}
She kissed him and said, "Good night, my love." She then left to get ready, and he began the same task. Rich knew how much Yvette meant to him, and started to feel that he should do something he had been thinking about for a while. Even though she was still a couple of years from being an adult, Rich had been considering proposing to Yvette. Maybe, he would do that before they would head back.
He left the room for a moment to look for Grimore, but was started when he heard his cat behind him. "Thinking about asking her something serious?" He turned and nodded. The cat just smiled. Rich had never seen a cat smile. Never really thought a cat could smile, but he saw it. Grimore just said, "You might not have to get the words out before you get your response."
He looked at Grimore, a bit puzzled, and said, "What do you mean by that?" The question hit dead ears as the cat walked into the bedroom. He was truely puzzled now, but he'd have to ponder it more in the morning.