Attention: Generation X and their villians, as well as any other mutant mentioned in this story, is property of Marvel Comics. The character Richard Cale is named after family relations. Any other reference to anything copywrighted is a chance happening.
Class Dismissed
Discovery In The Wee Hours
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I. Xavier
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Professor Xavier awoke to the oddest sensation. Something was happening on the Astral Plane. He wasn't sure what it was, but whatever it was, it was trying to hide itself. He had been on this plane many times, and learned when something was trying to hide itself. Sometimes, that meant something big was going to happen. He immediately went to the plane and looked into the occurance. Immediately, he saw a huge dome in the distance. That had to be the center of what was happening. He was going to find out what the source of this was. As he floated near the dome, he heard muffled talking. He was about to touch it when he felt something around his waist whip him away from the dome. As he spun, he heard a voice say, "I'm sorry, sir, but this is not for you to attend."
When he stopped spinning, Xavier found himself facing a very odd individual. While he looked like a human being, his hands almost looked like paws. Then he noticed the face. It was almost entirely feline. Then he noticed the tail. Something was apparently familiar about the figure, but he wasn't sure what it was. He looked at the figure and said, "I take it you are guardian of this?" As he motioned to the dome, he saw the figure look at it and then back at him.
He watched as the figure studied him and said, "It is for the Paladin. It is concerning his future. It is not about your future, and I'm not sure if your future is part of what he is dealing with."
When he heard those words, he started to piece some of the things together. He looked at the figure again and noticed he did see something about the figure before. He had seen something like that before, very briefly. He also remember that there was a cat on the school grounds. He then said, "I take it this is about Richard Cale. Am I right, Grimore?"
He saw a startled look cross the figure's face. He had figured out who was before him. He watched as an upset look then crossed the face as it said, "This conversation is over." Before he knew it, a psy-wave shock the whole Astral Plane. When he opened his eyes, Charles Xavier was in his bedroom.
He shook his head for a moment before he got up. That had to be the most unusual experience he had on the Astral Plane. However, he had decided a few things. The first was something big was going to happen, and somehow Richard Cale was going to be at the center. The second thing was that Rich's cat, Grimore, was more than he seemed. He needed some questions answered, and only two people could answer those, Richard and Yvette Cale. He also knew those questions had to wait. He had a very important task ahead of him, and he knew he needed help. He formed another psyonic link and said, "Emma, Jean, I'm going to need your help with Kyuukai. If you two are not awake, I suggest you wake up and meet me." With that, he got up and began to prepare.
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II. Rich
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Rich opened up his eyes to a strange sight. He was in bed, alone, and the room was not the room he fell asleep in. It was odd, and spooky. He wanted to panic, but he also knew part of what was coming. He started to look around, and soon he saw the spirits of the dead. He was almost speechless as he saw all those who had gathered. He looked in awe, especially when the first spirit spoke and said, "Hello, son. It's been a long time."
Rich looked at the figure and almost broke into tears. He choked up and meekly said, "Father?"
He watched the figure nod and say, "Yes, son, it's me. Your mother is here too. As is your grandparents." Rich then saw his grandparents standing right behind his father, but there were two other people he didn't totally recognize.
He then heard his grandfather say, "Grandson, there is something important coming on the horizon. I know you are going to return to England with your wife, but this happens before then."
Rich looked at the spirits and said, "You mean something big is going to happen before Yvette and I leave?" He had a feeling he knew what it had to deal with. He didn't want to say what he thought.
He was almost surprised when he heard a familiar voice say, "Yes, it does involve Marius. He is going to make his move very soon. Don't worry, because I know you will survive this. Marius is not about to kill you."
Rich looked at the source of the voice, knowing it was Cartier St. Croix. He tried to hold back the tears as he said, "I know he won't kill me, Cartier. He wants to capture me. He wants to capture Yvette as well. I can't let that happen, not when she's going to be a mother."
He then heard a new voice say, "We know you will protect her." He turned to face a couple who looked at him. He tried to place them, but they continued to say, "We know that whatever happens, you will protect our daughter." Rich then knew who he was facing, Yvette's parents.
Before he could say something, another voice said, "However, there are three foreseeable outcomes. One, you will destroy Marius. The second is that you will send Marius away for a long time. The last is that he will capture you." He turned to face the voice to face an elderly gentleman. The man then said, "Don't be afraid to ask my nephew for help." He realized that the man before him was Gabe's uncle.
Rich was about to respond to what the spirit said when his mother's spirit said, "Richard, you know you don't have much time. You have some important business to attend to today."
Rich then remembered. He brought his hand quickly to his head and said, "I almost forgot about the company." When he removed his hand, he saw he was sitting up in bed, with Yvette sound asleep next to him. He kissed her gently and said, "I'll see you this afternoon." He got up and quickly got dressed in a business suit, and headed out to leave. As he neared the door, he felt something weird. His power was kicking in. He was getting someone else's ability. There was something weird about it, and he needed to find out who was the source. He looked straight at the door and opened it. When he saw who was there, it answered the question about the source. He was looking at the X-Men named Rogue.
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III. Rogue
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Rogue looked at Rich in total surprise. She wasn't expecting him to open the door, however he was the one she wanted to see. She looked at him and, "Ah'm sorry if I'm intruding, but Ah wanted to ask you something."
She watched as Rich looked at her and said, "Well, alright, but I have to get Godiva so we can leave for the company. Can we talk and walk at the same time?" She nodded and immediatly they were heading away from the apartment. Before she could say anything, he said, "First of all, how did you know where the apartment was?"
Rogue was a bit taken back by his question, especially by the tone. She looked at him and said, "I had asked Jean and Scott before we came here. You don't have to act so defensively about it."
She watched as he just looked at her and said, "Excuse my tone, but we've had people break into the apartment." Then she understood his response. As they walked, she heard him say, "Was there a specific reason you wanted to chat, or are you hoping to learn more about yourself through me?"
Rogue was surprised. She was about to ask how he knew when it dawned on her. "Let me guess. You were able to tell that with your power." When he nodded she then said, "Ok, can you tell me about who Ah really am? With all these memories and such in me, I'm not even sure anymore."
She watched as Rich looked at her, and said, "I don't know what all I can tell you, but I can tell you two things. First, I can tell you that your first name is Marie. That's all I can tell you for sure about yourself."
She was happy to know that much. She looked at Rich and said, "What's the other thing you could tell me? You said there were two."
Rogue watched as Rich looked straight ahead as they walked, and said, "You have the ability to control your power with thought. You can turn it on and off at your own wish. My only suggestion is you try this under supervision."
Rogue stood still as Rich entered the main hall. She saw that Godiva was standing near the door. She figured that the two were about to leave. She then remembered what she wanted to do before. She wanted to find out if he had her power, if she could safely shake his hand. She started to walk to him and said, "Rich, Ah want to thank you for at least tell me what you could."
She watched as Rich held his hand up and said, "Rogue. I have your power, and I don't want to risk using it. No offense, but I'm not going to shake your hand." She watch as he turned to Godiva, placed his hand on her shoulder and said, "Ready to go, Godiva."
She heard Godiva say, "As ready as I'll ever be. I own a museum, so I hope being in charge of your company will be like that. Besides, do you think I dressed right?" It was then Rogue noticed what Godiva was wearing. She was wearing a dress that had bare shoulders. She was about to say something when Godiva looked at her and said, "I'm his cousin. Blood relatives. Our powers don't affect each other." Rogue then watched as they headed out the door. She started to wonder now about her own ability. With the news, she had to wonder if Professor Xavier could help her with that fact about her power.
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IV. Emma
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Emma walked into the main hall just as Rich and Godiva left. She knew what she was witnessing. She was witnessing a company changing hands. However, she was wondering why Rogue was there. That was a mystery that was most likely easily solved. She walked over to Rogue and said, "Morning Rogue. Is there a reason you are here?"
Rogue turned to look at her and said, "Ah was just asking Rich about my power." Emma thought there was more to it than that, and she didn't want to pry. That was the old Emma. She figured she would let Rogue answer fully in her own time. She was almost surprised when Rogue said, "Why were you waiting here?"
Emma smiled and said, "I'm waiting for Charles and Jean. We all will be helping Kyuukai with her power." She then sighed and said, "I think Charles wanted help on this because of Kyuukai's power. It's so uncontrolable, like yours."
She was almost surprised when Rogue said, "That may not be the case anymore." She now knew that maybe in that brief meeting, Rich had told her something about her power. That worried Emma a bit.
Emma looked at Rogue and said, "You aren't going to be testing this new fact here, are you?" Emma could hear the sterness in her voice. She was worried that if Rogue attempted this new aspect of her power, she would hurt one of her students.
She watch as Rogue shook her head and said, "No. Rich told me I should wait. Maybe I could ask Professor Xavier to help me with this. Maybe when we see how well he helps Kyuukai out, he can later do the same with me."
Emma was almost startled when she heard Professor Xavier say, "Well, if this does work well, we may try that Rogue. I trust you found out something after meeting with Rich." She was surprised by this as well, until he looked at her and said, "That was the reason Rogue had come along. She wanted to see if Rich could tell her things that we could never get to. I suggested she talk with Rich." Now it all made sense. She was then alarmed when Charles said, "By the way, Emma, I need to ask you about something. I had a very strange encounter on the Astral Plane, apparently with Rich's cat."
Emma started to realize what Charles was hinting at. Emma sighed and said, "Grimore is a very strange cat. I know Hank once said the cat was a familiar, but there is something odd about him. I never said anything, but the cat does have a very strong presence, one I feel psionically. However, if the cat does communicate, only two people can answer that."
She watched as Charles nodded and said, "Then we may have to talk to one of them later. Right now, we need to prepare to help Kyuukai. Something tells me this may take three minds to contain." She nodded in agreement. She didn't need anyone running wild, and part of her was concerned that Kyuukai might cause a reawakening of Onslaught.
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V. Gabe
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Gabe awoke when he heard a voice scream out loud, "You did WHAT?" He sat straight up and looked in the direction of the room that was Rich and Yvette's bedroom. He was sure Rich had left, but something had made Yvette upset. He got up and ran for the door. As he started to open the door, he felt it slam shut, and Yvette yelled, "Do you mind?"
He stood there for a second before he responded, "I heard you shout. What happened in there? Are you alright?"
He was shocked when the door flew open and he saw Grimore perched on the bed. He entered the room, and saw Yvette point straight at Grimore and said "He acted out of line. He did something he shouldn't have done."
He then heard Grimore say, "I did nothing of the sort. All I did was keep an interloper from invading on something that was meant only for Richard."
After hearing that, Gabe didn't understand why Yvette was so upset. He looked at her, and noticed that she was hastily dressed. Now he understood why she slammed the door shut. He returned to his first line of thought and said, "I don't see the problem. He stopped someone from invading Rich's meeting. How can that be bad?"
He watched as Yvette shook her head and said, "You don't know who he met. He chased away Charles Xavier. The most powerful psychic on the planet, who is also here, remember."
Then he remembered seeing the man. He realized what this would mean. He looked at Grimore and said to Yvette. "You mean he just revealed himself to one of the most powerful people here." He shook his head and then faced Grimore. "You revealed yourself to someone other than the Cale's or myself. Do you know what you mght have set in motion?"
He watched as Grimore responded by saying, "He has no clue of what I really am. Remember, if I talk to either one of you, it's only meows that everyone else hears. The only way anyone else will understand what I say is if someone who can understand me tells me to let everyone hear me. Honestly, I don't think anyone is going to do that."
Gabe knew what Grimore was saying. He nodded and said, "Well, I'm not going to do that, and I don't think Rich and Yvette will do that." He watched as Yvette nodded, but still appeared to be worried. He turned to her and said, "What's the worry, now?"
He watched as she sighed and said, "Well, if my guess is right, Professor Xavier is going to wonder about Grimore. I might have to avoid him. I know he can't scan my mind, but he might approach me about it. He's not likely to forget it." He saw her sigh again as she said, "This is going to be a long day."
Gabe looked at her for a second, puzzled about what she said. He just looked at her and asked, "What do you mean by that?"
She glanced at him, and he could tell that he has asked the wrong question. He watched as she said, "Professor Xavier is the worlds most powerful psychic. However, he cannot get into Rich's and my head. Our psychic abilities are on a different wave. Only if in extreme panic, or if we allow them to, can he enter our minds. Since he can't do that, he's going to ask either me, or Rich about Grimore. So for most of today, I'm not giving him that chance." Now he knew what she meant. She was going to stay out of sight. She then looked at him and said, "Now, Gabe, I have a favor to ask you."
He looked at her for a second and said, "What's that?" He wasn't sure what she was going to ask, but he had and idea what it might be about.
He felt her push him out of the room as she said, "Next time, never try to open the door when I'm not proper. Only one man gets to see me like that, and that is my husband." When he was out of the bedroom, he heard the door slam, and he looked down to see Grimore there as well.
Gabe looked at the cat, who just said, "She is right. You should never barge into a ladies room. Besides, surprise her wrong, and you'll have a very nasty cut." He nodded. Next time, he was going to be more careful.
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VI. Monet
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Monet awoke from her slumber to a sight that shocked her. She was laying in bed with Angelo's arm around her. She almost let her panic get the best of her when she realized they were both still dressed. Most of the panic subsided, but there was still the image. It might look like the two of them did more than sleep. She nudged Angelo and said, "Angelo, we need to get up. You need to leave before someone knows you are here."
She heard him groan a bit before, "What do you mean? It's not like it is morning." She then saw his eyes shoot open as he said, "It is morning. Oh man, we are going to be in trouble." She knew what he meant. Ever since Clarice's and Darrett's incident in Japan, enforcement of the rules had stepped up. Although she wasn't there when it happened, she had heard about it from everyone.
She looked at Angelo and said, "I heard about what had happened, and the steps they were considering for punishment in case of another incident. I can't believe they would suggest using psi powers to keep the offenders in check."
Monet was surprised when Angelo nodded and said, "Si, but when I heard from Everett what Clarice and Darrett had done, I can somewhat understand. From what I have been told, they were doing more than kissing when they were found."
Monet started to panic. After months of being a prisoner in her own mind, she didn't want to repeat another time where she could not control what her body did. She shivered at the thought and said, "I don't want that to happen again. I don't want to be a prisoner in my own body again. That was a nightmare. You don't want to know what I saw Claudette do."
She was sobbing with that last statement. Soon, she felt Angelo's arms around her as he said, "I'm sure that Sean wouldn't allow that. Besides, you also know Rich wouldn't even do that, especially to you. We all know what you've been through. Last thing they would do to you is something like that. Plus, if we explain about these headaches, it may help."
She had to agree with that. She had been having alot of headaches lately. Ever since she had been seperated from her sister, she had been having headaches, sometimes as much as five times a day. She also knew the headaches lasted different times. Sometimes a few minutes, and other times, it lasted a few hours. She was thankful that Angelo had stayed with her when the last one hit. She then looked at Angelo and said, "Maybe I should tell Emma today. Gabe as well, since he will be taking me in."
Angelo nodded and said, "True. However, the first thing we should do is get out of here, and fast."
She nodded and said, "You're right. I'll check to see if the coast is clear." She ran to the door and took a quick look out. She didn't hear any movement, and she didn't see anyone outside the door. It looked clear. She motioned him forward and said, "It's clear. You should leave before anyone sees you."
She openned the door, and they both stepped out. She was sure they were safe, until a voice behind them said, "Is there are reason for this?" She almost froze but forced herself to turn around. She ended up face to face with Scott and Jean. She then knew that the two of them were caught.
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VII. Scott
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Scott looked at the two students in front of him. He was not too pleased with what he saw. Apparently Monet and Angelo had spent the night together. He could see the shock and surprise in their eyes. He looked at the two and said, "You still haven't answered the question." Jean had stopped them just before they passed the door, and now he knew why. She had picked up that the two were together in the room, and apparently overnight.
He was startled when Monet said, "Please, it's not what you think. We didn't do anything inappropriate. I had a massive headache last night, and I asked Angelo to stay. I've been having very bad headaches the past month."
At first, Scott wasn't sure if he believed her or not. He was about to respond when Jean said, "Monet, how severe are these headaches?" He wondered if Jean believe the tale she told. He honestly thought it was very suspicious.
He was almost startled when Angelo said, "I think they are very severe. Last night, she had a severe one hit. That's why I ended up spending the night." It was then he noticed that they were indeed wearing the same clothes they had been wearing the previous day. Maybe they were telling the truth. He had jumped to the wrong conclusion, but there was a reason for their fear.
He looked at both of them and said, "Well, I think you are telling the truth, but why were you so afraid?" He had to admit, he was curious about the fear.
He felt Jean tug on his arm as she said, "I don't think they have anything to be afraid about, and it should remain that way. Monet, you go back to your room and get into different clothes. Angelo, you go back to your room and do the same. Scott and I must get to the Professor. Don't worry, we won't say a word about this." He watched as the two left and then she said, "We might want to talk about this real quick with Emma."
He looked at her and said, "I thought you said we wouldn't say a word."
He then understood when she said, "Apparently two months back, Darrett and Clarice attempted a little rendevous. Since then, any student caught doing that would be punished, but the students were never told what the punishment would be, just what it might be. I noticed that there was a fear it would be mental control."
Scott realized what his wife was saying and said, "You mean Emma was going to mentally control them if they got out of line. I thought she had moved past that." The thought was totally disturbing to him. He started to move faster to their destination as he said, "Of all the things to do, I should give her a piece of my mind."
His wife grabbed his arm and said, "I said they thought that might be a response. However, I did not say it was. Besides, what if this was not Emma's idea. It wasn't Emma who caught the two. It was Richard, and he does not strike me as the one to do such a thing. He probably wanted to install fear into them so no one else would try the same stunt Darrett and Clarice did."
Now it started to make some sense. The thought that the punishment might be severe meant that no one might risk to find out. He also remembered the school was going to close. He looked at Jean and said, "And what is to stop them now?"
He watched as she smiled at him and said, "Scott, there are many psychics here. How do you think they plan to hide it?" He knew she was right. It was very difficult to hide it from a psychic. He knew that sometimes Jean could detect when someone was up to something at the mansion.
He smiled and said, "Well, we should still ask Emma about this. I'm sure that you are right about this not being Emma's choice, but I still want to be sure." He watched as she nodded and they the headed to where they were meeting the others.
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VIII. Paige
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Paige was just leaving her room when she heard a conversation downstairs. She didn't know who was talking, but she wanted to find out. She decided it may be best to be quiet as she headed down. By the time she got down the stairs, all she saw was Jean and Scott leaving. Whomever they were talking with had left. She had heard them leave their room, mainly because they were in what used to be Rich's apartment. She then double checked her watch and noticed the time. She almost yelped as she said, "Man, Ah'm gonna be late." She ran out the door and headed straight for the boy's dorm, to meet Jono.
The previous night, they had agreed that they should talk with Bishop. Jono had said he wanted to ask Bishop some questions about the X-Men, and Paige agreed that they needed to learn about their new teammates. They had agreed that Bishop might be a good person to ask questions of, especially since he was from the future. She wondered what Bishop could tell them about their part on the team. Now, as she neared the door, she saw Jono looking at her as he said, "Paige, where have you been, gel?"
Paige ran right up to Jono and hugged him, responding, "Sorry I'm late. There was a commotion happening in the dorm. I don't know what had happened. By the time I could see anything, it was over." She did wonder what had happened. Part of her wondered if there had been another incident like what had happened in Japan. She didn't think it was Clarice and Darrett, but she wasn't entirely sure.
She watched as Jono shook his head and said, "I don't think it is anything like that. Remember what Rich had said a month ago. If anyone would be caught doing anything like those two did, they would be subject to a strict punishment."
Paige shuddered when she remembered that part. She looked at Jono and said, "Ah remember that. We are still trying to figure out what the punishment will be. Some people even thing it will be psychic." She knew that when that rumor started, Monet seemed to be most terrified. Paige could understand why on that one.
She then said Jono motion to the door and say, "Let's just forget about that for now. Right now, I think we should get in and speak with Bishop. There have been some things I have been wondering about for a while now." She nodded and agreed with that. Maybe they could get off the topic they were currently on when they met Bishop.
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IX. Jono
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Jono opened the door for Paige as they stepped inside. He had told her how important it was that they speak with Bishop. As they headed in, Paige said to him, "Ah know you wanted to talk with Bishop about things, but what sort of things did you want to ask about?"
He looked over at her and said, "Well, I was wondering how we turned out in his timeline. If we had a long life, or short life? I was just wondering if he could give us a clue to what the future had in store for us. I was just curious."
He noticed Paige was looking at him in a puzzled way as she said, "But yuh do know that his timeline no longer exists. If we even knew when it originally took off from our timeline, which I don't think even Bishop knows for certain." He watched as she looked down the hall and said, "However we don't have long to wait. Look."
He gazed where she pointed to see Bishop heading out of a room. That had to be the room that Sean had given him. He looked at Paige and said, "Looks like we got here just in time." He then turned toward Bishop and said, "Morning Bishop."
He watched as Bishop gazed at him for a moment before saying, "Morning Jonothan. Morning Paige." Jono noticed that something seemed wrong with Bishop. He didn't want to point it out right away, but he hoped that Bishop would mention it.
He watched as Paige almost hesitated in her question. "Bishop, we were wondering if we could ask you a few questions, if you have the time?" He then heard Paige softly say to him, "Jono, I think he's thinking about something. He seems a bit distant."
He was almost surprised when he heard Bishop say, "Sorry if I'm a bit out of it. I am concerned about a few things."
Jono could tell, even on a psychic level, that a lot was on Bishop's mind. Now, Jono thought was the time to ask. He looked over at Bishop and said, "Do you want to talk about it with your future teammates?" He saw a smile cross Bishop's face and realized that he asked the question at the right time.
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X. Bishop
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Bishop looked at the two new members of the X-Men, and smiled. He knew that they were concerned about him. It still bothered him that Emplate was still loose. He looked at Jono and Paige and said, "Well, I am concerned with a few things. Top of the list is that Emplate is still out there. All my history tells of how the Emplate War really started, and I can't help but think that I haven't stopped it."
He saw Paige gaze as him and say, "How exactly did it start?" He was glad that they wanted to know. Maybe if they knew how it started, they could help stop it.
He looked up for a moment and said, "From what the history said, it began when two Emplates appeared through a portal. It was created by a slave, and from there, the terror began. I just know that Emplate is the cause. If he is destroyed, then the rise of the Emplates won't happen."
He then heard Jono say, "Do you remember when, and where, it happened?"
Bishop thought back for a moment. He had heard so many versions of the story. He always remembered two Emplates and a slave. He thought about it more and remembered something. He looked at them and said, "I remember that they said the two Emplates were a man and a woman, and they arrived in disguise."
He saw a puzzled look cross Paige's face as she said, "But I don't think Emplate has entralled Elane. She's helping him willingly." That bothered him. It didn't fit with the stories. In fact, it started to worry him more.
He needed to push out the dread it was causing. He closed his eyes and thought about another topic. He looked at the two and said, "I'm also thinking about Clarice and Darrett. They are from two entirely different timelines, and here they are, getting married. It just doesn't seem right."
He then heard Paige say, "That is exactly what makes it right. The two are from different timelines, and they deserve someone who understands that." Then he realized what she meant. She was right, and he decided he needed to give them some support.
Bishop looked at Paige and Jono and said, "You are right. I'm going to speak with the two of them later. I'll give them a little confidence chat. I just hope all is well elsewhere." He then lead the out of the building. As they left, he hoped all was well elsewhere.