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Tradition
Unexpected Developments
Rich awoke to a pleasent feeling. Yvette had seen fit to wake him with kisses down his neck. He turned to face her, only to receive the next one right on his lips. As she was kissing him, he said in their mind link, {Why such a nice wake up call this morning?}
He saw Yvette smile as she said, {Well, we soon go back to the school, and our week here is almost over.} He noticed her quiet giggle, and then noticed that she was ready for the day.
He sat up and and said, "What time is it?" He was a little concerned, thinking that he might have over slept, although they had both retired before midnight.
Yvette just said, "It's about 8:00. The phone rang not to long ago. The man said he was your family lawyer." He was surprised that a lawyer would call this early, and was more surprised that they knew to call today.
As he got out of bed, he said, "What did he say?" He figured it would be about what he was inheriting, other than this title of Paladin.
Yvette just stood and said, "Well, he said that he wanted to see us at a place called Millstone Manor. He also asked if I was your wife." He liked that though. It might be a few years until they could get married, but Rich loved the idea of having Yvette as his wife.
As Rich started to get ready for the day, he just said, "I guess that was an understandable question. I guess if our fellow classmates didn't know better, they'd think we were husband and wife." As he went to enter the bathroom, he stopped and said, "Yvette, how are we to get to Millstone Manor, and when do we have to be there?"
She just said, "The lawyer said he'd have some of the staff pick us up. He said that they would be arriving in about an hour."
Rich realized that it didn't give him much time to get ready. He said, "Alright, I'll be ready in a half hour." He then closed the door to the bathroom. He wondered why so early, then decided that it would be best. He wanted to call the school, and Cartier St. Croix. The latter had some questions to be answer, where the former needed to be aware of their return.
Yvette walked the hallway outside the bedroom. She had wondered how life must have been in this castle. She figured Grimore would know, but she didn't want to bother the cat. Soon, she heard Rich say in their mind link, {How do I look?}
She turned to see him dressed rather elegantly. She walked over to him and kissed him. {You look like a million dollars.} She really liked how he looked in the outfit he wore.
He smiled and kissed her. {Well, I thought I had to match how nice you looked.} She had forgotten that she put on her nicest dress for the occasion.
She put her hand in his and said, "I think our ride will soon be arriving." It was true. She figured that their ride might arrive at about 9:00 AM and it was quarter of. As they walked down to the main hall, she wondered about all they had learned and said, "Rich, what do you think about the situation, how this new title will affect the team?"
She noticed the thoughtful look on his face. "I don't know. I figure that it might put an great strain on the team, plus learning about Claudette. I hope it doesn't tear the team apart." She could understand that. She couldn't believe that all the attacks by Emplate could have been Monet's fault for not controlling her sister.
She heard a car horn honk, and came out of her thoughts. "That's our ride." As they stepped outside, they saw an old black car standing there. She wondered if the car was safe.
She was almost started when the man behind the wheel said, "Hello, Master Cale. I'm sorry about the condition of the car, but it is still road worthy. Mr. Thrope asked me come out and pick you up." She noticed that the man looked and sounded familiar.
She then heard a soft voice say, "I don't trust that car." She looked to her side to see Grimore standing at their side. She watched as Rich picked the cat up and enter the car. She followed and soon, the driver started the car.
As they started to move, she heard Rich say, "Excuse me sir, but is your last name wouldn't be Rumbold, would it?" She then recognized the face. He was a dead ringer for the character on the british show, 'Are You Being Served?'.
The man just laughed and said, "Yes, that was me Mr. Smith was portraying. It was quite enjoyable, especially when they did Grace and Favour." She sat back in the seat and admired the countryside. It was a lovely section of the country.
She heard Rich say, {You know, if the school ever needs to move, maybe we can all stay at the castle.} As he said it, she felt him put his arm around her. She had to admit, the countryside, the castle, all had an air of romance about it. She honestly didn't want to leave.
For hours, Monet had been struggling with her sister, in their mind. It was clear that Claudette was getting stronger. Before, she had very little difficulting holding her sister back, but now, it was getting harder and harder. She managed to stop Claudette before she did something they both would regret. As the two struggled, she noticed that Claudette had done what she usually did during these bouts. [You contacted him again.]
Her sister spoke with a venomous tone. [You're right about that. You don't understand what it's all about, dear sister. Marius understood things better than you ever would.]
As they continued to struggle, Monet just said, [He's power mad, especially with that cursed ability of his.] Monet always believe that it was the madness of the hunger that drove him.
She heard Claudette laugh at her. [His hunger can be countered by us. He strives for the ultimate power, and a book he cannot find. With all our minds together, we could control the universe.] Her sister was mad, and this much was obvious.
Monet noticed a cage appear behind her. She knew what Claudette was planning, and no doubt this cage would be stronger than the mental cage she made to hold her sister. She faced her sister and said, [I won't let you put me in there.]
As the struggle continued, she felt Claudette pushing her toward the cage. Her sister just smiled and said, [Like you have a choice.] Monet needed help for this battle, but who would help her, and believe her.
Rich sat there with Yvette as the lawyer continued going over all the legal issue that they had to deal with. Eventually, the lawyer said, "Now, as you probably know, the castle is yours, as well as any property that your parents owned."
Rich nodded and said, "I kind of figured that, since I was the only child." If one thing got on Rich's nerves, it was lawyers. Rich always figured that lawyers were con men. He then said, "So what does that boil down to, Mr. Thorpe?"
The lawyer looked over all the papers he had brought with him and said, "Well, as you are most likely aware by this point, you now hold the title of Lord, which has been in your family for a very long time. With that title comes one of England's oldest titles, that of the Paladin."
Rich was started when he heard that. He leaned forward and said, "That title is one of the oldest in England?"
The lawyer looked at him and said, "Yes. It still holds some mysterious meaning to this day, which I'm sure you will discover, if you haven't already. You also inherit your family's company, Paladin Technologies, as well as all property that they own."
Rich looked at the lawyer and said, "So in short, I own everything that my parents owned." Rich figured that much would happen. In fact, both he and Yvette knew that would be the case, especially with what Grimore had been telling them.
The lawyer then pulled a second set of papers and said, "Now that that much is taken care of, we have one last issue to take care of."
Rich was puzzled by this. He hadn't expect there to be more. He just leaned forward, and noticed Yvette doing the same, and said, "What is left to do?"
The lawyer just put the papers on the table and said, "I guess your not aware of the full part of your families tradition. You see, back in the old days, when knight fought in battles, and with you families title, it was no different, many knights died. Since your family was aware of what could happen, it was decided and made law that if the new Lord Cale was not married, the lady that accompanied him would be his wife."
Rich felt like he was in shock, mainly due to the instantanousness of it all. He noticed a look of shock on Yvette's face, but mixed in it was a look of happiness. She managed to get a few words out. "You mean to say that we are now married?"
The lawyer just nodded and said, "From this moment on, you are husband and wife. It's been a legal issue since around 1000 A.D. Although, I think this is the youngest bride we've had on record."
Rich was of mixed emotions on the issue. He was stunned at the suddenness of it all. He was overjoyed at the idea of him and Yvette together for the rest of their lives. He was also scared at what the others at the school would think. In his mind, he head Yvette say, {I just thought of that too.}
Rich looked at the lawyer and said, "Pardon me for asking this, but when was the last time my family had to do this tradition?" He then said mentally to Yvette, {My love, I had been considering proposing to you earlier this week. In fact, I was going to do that today.}
He heard her say {I would have accepted, but now, it's like its been decided for us.} He then remembered what Grimore had said to him earlier that week.
He then heard the lawyer say, "The last this happened was at the turn of this century. This was always done to assure that the bloodline would continue. According to history of your family, every Cale has seemed destine to meet their mate before they become the head of the family." He watched as the lawyer started to get up.
Rich stood, as well as Yvette, and said, "Mr. Thorpe, how will this be handled, I mean with Yvette's father." It was Sean's reaction that worried him the most.
Yvette seemed to share the concern as she said, "Rich is right. When we headed out here about a week ago, we said that we wouldn't do anything like getting married."
The lawyer just said, "Well, I think you two should handle it. As for right now, I think you two should start getting ready to head home. I think you have to head back to the states tomorrow."
Rich then remembered that they were heading back tomorrow. "You're right, our plane leaves in the morning." He turned to Yvette and said, "We have to head back to the castle and get ready for the flight back." She nodded and they left the manor.
After the car drove away that had dropped them off at the castle, Yvette noticed the look on Rich's face. She took his hand and said, "Are you still worrying what the others will think? You couldn't have know that this was planned. The choice dates back many centuries."
She knew that he knew she was right about that. "I know. It's just, I hoped that we would have time to plan a nice wedding. I also hoped to have an engagement period, but I think we might have had a hint on this." She noticed as he turned to face Grimore.
She also turned to face the cat. She looked down and said, "You knew about this. Why didn't you tell us this would happen?"
The cat twitched its tail and said, "I'm not sure how you two would handle it. I have seen mixed reactions to the idea of marriage. Back in 1576, your ancestor didn't want to get married, however he did. He was not to thrilled with the idea."
Rich looked at the cat, and she could understand why he was upset, and somewhat understand why Grimore was reluctant to tell. "Grimore, did it ever occur to you that we might be happy with it, but there might be others not to thrilled with the idea, like Yvette's adopted father."
Yvette just said, "I don't think he'll be to thrilled with this course of events." To be honest, she didn't know how he would react.
Grimore just purred and said, "It is one of many things that you will have to sort out, but it might be best to tell him in person. Explain to him that this was a tradition you didn't know about, only because it was not a normal part of the tradition."
She saw Rich nod as he said, "That might work. I just hope he doesn't overreact." Yvette nodded in agreement. She knew her 'father' had missed out on raising his natural daughter, and now he would miss out on some of those things again.
Grimore then said, "Now, if I remember right, Richard, you have a tradition to preform right now." The cat then entered the door. She was somewhat puzzled by the statement Grimore said.
Rich looked at her and smiled. "I think I know what he means right now." She was a bit puzzled until he picked her up in his arms. He then said in their mind link, {Tradition states that the groom carries the bride over the threshold.} He carried her into the castle.
She wondered what it meant, but decided not to dwell on it. When they were in the door, she said, {Do you think this will change many things at school?}
He nodded and said, {It will change things in our lives, and the school is where we live for the most part. Since we are husband and wife, we will have to start living together. It wouldn't seem right not to.}
She kissed him and said, {That woundn't be so bad. I've been waiting for that day.} She knew deep down that he longed for that day as well.
{I feel the same way, but where are we going to stay on campus?} She really hadn't thought about that much. She had figured they would remain at the school for most of their lives, but never thought about what they would do about living together. She then heard him say, {And what about my family's company. I'm not much into business.}
She thought about that one and said, {Maybe Ms. Frost can help you. Maybe Paladin Technologies are on good terms with Frost Enterprises. And if your worried about your family's tradition, I think we can all handle it.} She gave him another kiss with that one.
As he was returning the kiss, he said to her, {Yvette, you are a blessing for my life. I hope we have many wonderful years together.} She enjoyed this kiss the most, mainly because during this kiss, she thought time had stopped. When he finished kissing her, he finally spoke verbally and said, "Now, I believe we have two phone calls to make." She knew what he meant. First a call to Monet's father and then a call to the school.
For a majority of the morning, Sean and Emma were trying to get in touch with Cartier St. Croix. The whole incident with Monet was what they wanted to find out about from him, but his line had been busy. As they waited to try again, Emma said, "Do you think he does know something?"
Sean looked at his fellow teacher and nodded. "Aye Emma, I do think that he knows something that he isn't telling us. I just wish we could find out." He noticed a figure at the door. When he looked up, he saw Mr. Lynch, leader of Gen 13 standing there.
His recent friend just said, "I don't know how ready they are going to be, but I hope that it's just Trance and Emplate. Now who was this Soundwave character." He remembered that lunatics name being mentioned at the meeting yesterday, but didn't want to mention it.
Emma saw the discomfort on Sean's face and then said, "A few months ago, Soundwave attacked the school, seeking revenge against Rich. You see, Rich testified and sent Soundwave to prison."
He watched as Mr. Lynch just said, "So he'd be working with Emplate?"
Sean shook his head and said, "Not bloody likely, ye see, Emplate would prefer to have Rich and Yvette alive. Soundwave would rather see Rich as a corpse, and he has also views Yvette in the same way."
He notice Mr. Lynch look of understanding as he said, "I think I know where you're coming from on that one, but his presence might tip the scales. The invaders will be fighting amongst themselves before they focus on us."
Sean was about to offer and arguement when the phone rang. He pushed the speaker button and said, "Hello."
He was startled when he heard who it was. "Sean, it's Richard. How is everyone?"
Sean felt overjoied, but uneasy hearing his students voice. "Rich, everyone is fine. How are ye and Yvette doing?" He was worried about the two, especially with the two being alone for a week.
He noticed the hesitation when Rich finally said, "We've have a very enlightening week here. I've learned a lot about my family, and their friends, one of which you know."
Sean was puzzled by this when he asked, "Who do ye mean, lad?"
He heard Rich answer, and also went into shock. "Cartier St. Croix. We just got off the phone with him. It appears that Monet and Claudette are like the proverbial good twin, bad twin. Apparently, long ago, Monet, Claudette and Emplate merged into a new entity. It took alot to seperated them, and Monet was suppose to hold Claudette in check. You may want to have Emma try and help Monet."
He heard Emma say, "That would explain her recent actions. I'll get on it in a moment, however Rich, we have a few problems. One, the school needs funding."
He heard Rich respond. "No problem. Paladin Technologies will be happy to help." He saw Emma breathe a sigh of relief. Rich then said, "I just hope you can help me learn about business. I did some research and apparently Paladin Technologies and Frost Enterprises are in two different areas, so I think it would be safe to have your help."
Sean then said, "Problem Two, Emplate is planning to meet you at the school here. We think he is planning an attack, but we have some help." He heard Rich whispering to someone, which had to be Yvette.
Rich finally said, "Ok, we'll be their sometime in the afternoon. I just hope he's gone by the time we get back."
Sean shared that opinion whole heartedly. He had other questions, and then said, "So Lad, how did ye and Yvette manage that whole week?"
He heard a new voice on the phone, that of Yvette's. "We had some ups and downs, plus a few surprises. We'll tell you tomorrow." Sean wondered what Yvette meant by that last statement.
He was about to ask what she meant, but Rich spoke on the phone again. "Sean, we have to start getting ready for the trip back. I just hope that Emplate doesn't attack, for more reasons than Yvette's and my safety. Right now, make sure that Emma is helping Monet." The phone call ended and when Sean looked up, Emma was gone.
Emma ran as fast as she could to the med center. Now that they had a better idea of what was going on with Monet, it was almost imperative that she help Monet. When she arrived, she noticed that Monet was still, but the brainwave activity was almost off the scale. Apparently the battle was still going on. Emma quick formed a mental link and soon she saw the battle. The two twins appeared just like the form they inhabited, however each girls distinct personality was reflected by their dress. The one that looked more dignified was in trouble, and had to be Monet. The other reminded Emma of her darker days as a member of the Hellfire Club's Inner Circle. As the two struggled before her, she heard Monet say, [I won't let you win, Claudette.]
She heard the other laugh and say, [Face it sister, you're weak from repressing me. The second I get you in that cage, Marius gets all of Gen X on a silver platter.] Emma figured who Marius was. As she quietly came up behind Claudette, she heard the girl say, [And whoever gets in my way is going to die, just like that 'Hunter' creep who tried to kill Yvette and her lover.] Emma started to realize what happened back during that incident. Claudette delivered Hunter to Emplate, and would have done the same to Rich and Yvette. The maniac had to be stopped.
When Emma got right behind Claudette, she saw Monet smile, and could see the relief in her eyes. She heard Monet said, [Don't think it's going to be easy to win this time, Claudette.] She watched as Monet manage to break the grip Claudette had on her and float of the way.
Before Claudette could go to give chase, Emma gave a kick to the form of Claudette, sending the twin into the cage. She saw Claudette spin around and saw the anger in the childs eye. [YOU!!! You'll regret that.]
Emma slammed the cage door shut and flew back from it. [Not likely Claudette.] Soon, another lock appeared on the cage door, and lastly a third. She turned and saw Monet right next to her.
Monet looked at her with a look of mixed emotions. The girl then said, [I don't know what to say. I didn't want anyone to know about the real Claudette, but I couldn't repress her anymore. You probably saved everyone.]
Emma just said, [It's alright. Nobody blames you for what Claudette did. It's just a good thing we found out before it was too late.]
Monet looked at her and said, [How did you find out?]
Emma wasn't exactly sure how to explain it. She liked to know how Rich found out about it. Apparently Monet kept this so well hidden that even Rich didn't know about how dangerous Claudette was. Emma just said, [We heard it from Rich. He called today. We just need to know how he knew. Right now, we need you to get ready. I figure that you already know that Emplate is planning an attack.]
She saw Monet nod as she said, [I do. Claudette told him when Rich was coming back. I'm sorry. I should have told you about her before.]
Emma just said, [Maybe, but I understand your reasons for not telling. Right now, we should get back to our physical selves and get ready for your brother's attack.] With that, Emma returned to her body. She went to get up and then remembered.
As she went to undo the restraints, she head Monet say, "Emma, why was this done, or do I know why?"
Emma figured the girl did know, but Emma felt it best to say, "We didn't know who would amerge from your little conflict. It was done as a precaution in case if was Claudette. She nearly attack Darrett."
She saw the ashamed look on her face and figured that what Claudette had planned was not something Monet would have done. Monet then said, "That was when I tried to stop her. Miss Frost, I hate to tell you this, but if Claudette ever gets free, she might try to get revenge on you."
The thought didn't phase her much, but she didn't want to admit that she had a bit of fear about that idea. Emma just said, "I saw the lock you put on, and I put a lock on that cage too, so whoever created it will have a difficult time openning it. Now, let's get to the grotto, and I'll call Sean and Mr. Lynch to join us." She saw Monet nod and they headed for the 'Danger Grotto.'
For most of the day, Jubilee and all the others were practicing for the upcoming attack. They knew it was coming, but they didn't know what all to expect. From their past encounter with Emplate and Trance, they knew about almost everyone's abilities, but would Emplate bring his hellions. This was one thing that Jubilee was thinking about. Another was the welfare of her boyfriend, Everett. As the whole group, Gen X and Gen 13, practiced and trained, she heard Emma enter and say, "Alright everyone, stop for a moment." Jubilee looked over and saw who was with Emma. Before Jubilee could even ask, she heard Emma say, "It looks like we have Monet back with us."
Jubilee sighed and said, "Thank goodness. I was hoping we only had to find one of Monet's family. Monet, was is the deal with you and Claudette?" She could see Monet was uneasy about the question, but it needed to be asked.
She could see Monet looked uncomfortable answering the question, but she said, "She is my direct opposite, and would rather see Emplate win. When my father was looking into a cure for Emplate's ability, Claudette ruined the attempts. It's difficult to keep her in check. Now, with Emma's help, she should be kept under control."
Jubilee looked at Monet concerned. This was a major problem, just like when the X-men kept Sabertooth at the mansion. If one thing went wrong, disaster struck. She shuddered at remembering that heart stopping moment. She very rarely got scared like that. She then heard Caitlin say, "Monet, is it possible that your sister could take control during the battle."
Jubilee wondered that too, but Emma said, "Monet and I managed to confine Claudette in Monet's mind."
Jubilee knew what that meant. "In other words, you put her in a mental cage." She watched as both Emma and Monet nodded in agreement.
It was Roxy who asked a very good question. "What would happen if Trance used his abilities on you? Could Claudette get free?" Jubilee knew what their answer was just by the looked that crossed their faces.
She heard Jono say, "That's not a sign of support."
Everett then said, "Could this be any worse?"
Jubilee started to pray inwardly for a positive sign that things would get better. She was surprised to see Sean standing at the door. Maybe it was good news. He teacher, however, just said, "It just got worse. The FBI just called. They saw Soundwave in the area. They're trying to track him down, but they warned us to be ready."
Jubilee figured that the FBI thought Rich was on school grounds. She just said, "We must have bad luck right now. First Emplate, now Soundwave. It can't get much worse now."
She heard Sarah say, "How bad is this Soundwave character?"
She heard Mr. Lynch say, "From what Sean has told me, he uses music to do anything, and is very hellbent on killing the person who put him in prison."
Jubilee turned when Paige said, "Which means he'll gladly cause us all injury just to kill Rich."
Jubilee nodded. "And he's mentally sick. Soundwave made me think I was being attacked by all the beings that have it out for me. He turned Paige into a human doll. Turned Angelo into the human spider web."
Monet then said, "And worse." Jubilee looked at Monet and saw the scared look on her face. Before she could say anything, Monet said, "He was about to...."
Everyone was in shock. Emma just said, "He didn't, did he?"
Jubilee was horrified when Monet shook her head and said, "No, cause Claudette told him where Rich and Yvette were."
Emma then said, "Maybe your sister did something good after all. I think if I was in the same case, I would have done the same. I don't think any of us could fault you there."
Jubilee nodded and said, "Emma's right. I think any of us ladies would have done the same." She was sure she would under the same circumstances. Jubilee then said, "I wonder if would have actually done it. All of what he did was more to get their location the last time."
Monet just shuddered and said, "I saw it in his eyes." Jubilee then realized that the madman known as Soundwave was worse than Emplate. This was not going to go well at all.
Davis Skinur looked carefully as he ventured into the local music store. He had seen a few FBI agents around, and they were looking for him. It had taken him some time, but he got his sound device back together. He traveled to the town of Snow Valley at just the right time. He heard that Rich's parents had been murdered, and knew that Rich would be out of town for a few days. He figured Rich would be back soon, and when Rich returned, Davis was going to pay Rich back for send him to jail. He looked through all the CD's and found the perfect ones to stop Gen X. He smiled as he looked at the one. He figured he could use that one on that stuck up girl with the split personality. He had one of his favorite tapes in his device and opened the CD holders. He slipped the CD's into a pocket on his jacket, and then headed for the door. As he headed out, he heard the clerk say, "Hey, you have to pay for those CD's you put in your pocket."
Davis turned and faced the man. Right now, he didn't need to be stopped from his goal. He looked the guy in the eye and said, "But you already rang me out, don't you remember?" He manipulate the register to show that he had been rung through.
The clerk just looked at the register and said, "Oh, I'm sorry. I did forget." Davis smiled and left. He was ready for his revenge now. He quickly went down a back alley and started to load his device. He had chosen a nice variety, and hoped for a nice variety of effects. He smiled inwardly as he thought of some of effects he would cause.
As he got up, he heard a click of a gun. He then heard a female voice say, "Alright Skinur, hands up, and don't start that device up." She didn't realize that he had a walkman on, and it was conceiled. He turned and smiled. She looked at him in fear. She started to step back as she said, "Oh no. I didn't think of that."
Skinur just said, "No you didn't, did you. Typical blond." Although the girl wasn't blond, she started to act as the often joked about airhead blond. He had kicked the music up so that she could hear it. He then said, "And to think that that hairspray would stop me." He watched as she looked at her gun, and he could tell she thought it was hairspray. He then said the next words, "And your hair is a mess. Maybe you should straighten it up." He watched as she went to act like she was going to spray hairspray on her hair.
He turned and started to walk away. He activated his device and started to play a CD by Queen. As the one song started, he heard the FBI agent say, "Oh my God, what am I ..." A loud bang followed, and the sound of the agent hitting the ground. Davis smiled and disappeared into the night.