As a brief note last chapter put the reviews over 100! I'd like to take this opportunity to thank everyone who has taken the time to review this story. I really appreciate the effort and the input. If you haven't taken the time to review the story, Shame on You!
No, I kid.
I don't.
I do.
No.
Or do I?
Anyway someone asked me in a previous chapter (I don't remember which chapter or who asked and I'm crippled by this thing called LAS [Lazy Ass Syndrome] which prevents me from looking it up) when this story would come to an end. Or how many chapters I foresee left. I don't have a definite number in mind but the story has, as of this chapter, gone from the first half to the second if that's any help.
Winter Fire – Your fic does not suck. I found it to be quite interesting and well done. I'm glad you keep wanting to come back for more. That means I've done my job.
SSam – I don't think John has a one track mind. He just has an unhealthy obsession with fire. Like I have an unhealthy obsession with world domination. Not that that actually means anything…
Kitrazzle – Thanks for the praise. Here's the next chapter darling!
Gothic Cajun – Just because I'm known for killing characters off does not mean that those three are going to die. I know exactly who will and who will not bite the metaphorical dust. That's all I have to say about that. And while I appreciate the need to read the story, remember that threats mean nothing to me.
Roguehobbit – I'm glad you like the way I write Forge. I was really concerned about dealing with him since I know nothing about the 1970's. Outside of the politics and that wouldn't be much help would it?
Moezy-chan – Thanks for appreciating the humor.
Heartyshawk – Nothing is wrong with the way Remy dresses. I was just throwing a little barb in his direction. Since nobody ever changes their clothing style. That's all. I have no idea how strong the Romy will be. Despite common belief, I do not have a Romy meter. Actually I do, I call it Spiffythefeary. But we shall dismiss that fact.
Roguechere – I am quite confused. What do you mean might this Phantom be a mutant we all love to hate? I have already specifically stated who the Phantom is. And I don't hate him. He's my favorite.
Ishandahalf – I have decided to respond to your reviews last, a place of honor as my oldest reviewer. And due to the length of your reviews. I shall refrain from commenting about the electricity bill, because you have no idea about their ruthlessness. In regards to Hank and bringing the Trio to a public place, well, in my opinion there are two types of smarts: street smart and book smart. Hank is definitely the latter and not quite the former. I solemnly swear that there shall be no hot pants making an appearance during this story. But they might pop up in others. I shall leave you with a piece of wisdom: One of my teachers used to hang a sign in her class that said "Hire a teenager, while they still know everything."
Überthanks to the lovely Spiffythefaery for the beta reading job. I drive her up a wall with this stuff and she struggles to accommodate my demands. And I love her for helping out. And I'm still convinced that her cat is evil. And not the good kind of evil.
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"Such a pity
that the Phantom can't
be here!"
- Firmin
Since the destruction of Cerebro all the members of the Institute seemed to be holding their collective breath, waiting for the Phantom to make his next move, his next demand. After a week and a half of waiting there was a long sigh.
There was no sign of the mysterious man. There were no threatening letters. The tumultuous environment quickly cooled down. Students no longer snapped at each other. The teachers had apologized for their harsh words and conduct. Everything was slowly beginning to become as it once was. Normal.
There were still noticeable differences. Most obvious was the gaping hole marring the landscape of the estate. The violent extraction of Cerebro had created the crater, sending dirt and grass sprawling across the rest of the grounds. Wind blew through the giant depression to create a shrill whistle, reminding everyone in the mansion of its presence.
Spending most of his time in the gaping hole was the newest addition to the mansion, Forge. The technological genius was spending the majority of his time repairing the damage that Cerebro's demolition had done. The Danger Room's electronics had been compromised and Forge was forced to repair those circuits as well (which lead to no Danger Room sessions, much to the delight of the students).
In addition to fixing all the damage incurred, Forge was also responsible for aiding Professor Xavier in reconstructing Cerebro. The rebuilding process was long and arduous, with the two men believing that the machine would be up and running around the New Year.
Another difference was the lack of presence from the old custodian Creed, who had met with an untimely demise (the cause of which was still not agreed upon). His dominating presence was absent and so many of the students never realized how much of an impact the large, nasty caretaker had on them.
The most awkward difference, however, was the absence of several residents of the mansion. Due to some difficulties with several prominent institutions in California, Hank's return had been delayed by a few weeks. Therefore his wards were still absent as well. With so many people gone, in the lower levels of the mansion, or out Phantom hunting, the mansion had a decidedly empty quality to it.
But, for the moment, none of these matters were on Rogue's mind. Instead she was riveted on the clock, watching the last few minutes of school tick away. Winter break would officially start at three and the offending clock currently read two fifty-five. Her last class was drama which meant that on a normal day the students were rowdy, thus, the day before break meant the decibel levels inside the classroom were reaching record highs.
"People! People! Come on, let me talk!" the drama teacher, Mr. Boles, half shouted, half whined. To his surprise the students actually listened to him for once. The attention startled him and he appeared to be somewhat flustered, and confused.
"Ah – I – uh – I think you all should know that when you come back from winter break we shall be putting on a play. Even though the last one was a total disaster. But that was then and this is now! Before anyone asks I have not decided what the play will be but it is a requirement of this class that you all perform. Understand?" Seeing, or rather hearing, only a small amount of grumbling at the announcement, Boles nodded his head satisfactorily.
"So now that I've cleared that up you can pack your things as I…" his words were lost in the noise of students rushing for the exit.
***
That night, in honor of the beginning of the lengthy winter break, the students threw a party in the mansion. It was the largest and most raucous a party they could manage under Logan's ever watchful eye. That meant that all the students were simply lounging around the den, drinking soda and, for the brave few, dancing to the loud music that was playing.
Logan watched the so-called party with an amused eye. The students had slowly drifted off into their own groups long ago, with Jamie being the only person who could intermingle. Personally, Logan, and the rest of the teachers who had managed to escape for the evening, was glad that the youths were taking the time to unwind. The past few weeks had been extremely stressful. Fortunately things seemed to be settling down and Logan hoped that matters would continue in that fashion.
Glancing at the students, Logan reflected on each one. The first group his eye roamed over was the New Mutants. They had seemed to fade into the background in the past few weeks; their activity had not been as noticeable as the older students. They had gracefully stepped towards the back while the rest of the mansion dealt with the recent developments. Logan had to appreciate their understanding of the crisis and how they dealt with it.
Turning his gaze, Logan looked at Scott and Jean. The two were nestled into a loveseat, their gazes focused solely on each other. The two teens had become much closer over the past several weeks, their closeness solidified by the interpreted attacks against them. Logan knew everything that had occurred between Jean and the others, primarily Rogue. He always knew that Jean was not going to roll over in that conflict. Whenever it finally came to a head it would be ugly. Logan could only hope that when it did it wasn't at a critical time. As for Scott, there was very little to be said. Despite the fact he seemed to follow Jean around like a lost puppy he was well liked by everyone at the mansion. With the possible exception of the absent trio, Scott got along well with everyone, giving them the respect they felt they deserved. He had been, like always, a steady rock for the rest of the students during the crisis.
Logan looked over to the last group; consisting of Lance, Kitty, Rogue, and Remy who were all watching Jamie and a duplicate perform some comedy sketch. These four had bonded in the aftermath of the crisis. Lance and Kitty becoming the friends that Rogue needed, while Remy's relationship was much more personal. Logan had admitted to Ororo that he didn't believe that Rogue starting a relationship with the Cajun would be good for the girl, given Remy's past history with women. But Remy had surprised him. He was being everything that Rogue could ask for: friend, confidant, and, if ever possible, lover. Since the relationship had began to blossom between him and Rogue, there had been a definite change in the girl's persona. A change that Logan was forced to attribute to their relationship. Still, Logan was somewhat uncomfortable with Remy getting close to anyone but he was willing to put aside his misgivings if Rogue was happy, something that she had not been in many weeks.
As Logan observed the students and lost himself in deep thoughts about them, Professor Xavier and Raven entered the room. Ororo and Forge were not present, having gone out to see a movie, something that Raven had mercilessly teased Ororo about. Xavier looked over the students with a paternal gaze as he wheeled himself in. Raven wore her usual stoic face, not seeming to care about any of the students. Although Raven often pretended that the students were something beneath her heel they knew that she cared about them deep down.
Xavier wheeled his way over to Logan and the two men exchanged greetings with curt nods of their heads. Xavier shot a look at the students for a moment before leaning over to whisper at Logan.
"It has been almost two weeks of searching day and night. Have you found anything?"
"Just rats," Logan whispered in return.
"Are you certain that everywhere has been searched?"
"Positive. Raven got into everywhere that I couldn't. There is no trace of anything." Xavier frowned slightly at this remark.
"Obviously there was someone who managed to get into the mansion. Then this Phantom just vanishes into thin air. Most peculiar."
"Yeah. Maybe as soon as Cerebro is up and running you can conduct a thorough search."
"Perhaps. Although if this so-called Phantom has avoided detection for so long I doubt that I will be able to find him."
"This keeps getting more and more complicated," Logan moaned. Xavier grinned.
"You have no idea," the professor replied cryptically as he pulled away from Logan, who was befuddled by the statement.
"If I may have your attention please," Xavier called out to the students, who immediately reacted to his call.
"I received a notice today that concerns you all. As you may, or may not, know I am a member of a rather elite social group called the Hellfire Club. Every year they hold a New Year's Eve Masquerade Ball. Their normal facility for the ball has undergone some management changes and the club had nowhere to go. I offered the mansion as a site for the ball. They have agreed."
"So there are going to be a bunch of weird, old people here on New Year's Eve?" Jamie and his duplicate asked simultaneously.
"There will be a significant number of people here. They aren't all old, at least not as old as I," Xavier replied.
"But what do we do then?" Kitty asked.
"I arranged with the Club to allow for you all to attend the ball, provided you are dressed accordingly. If you don't want to participate then I believe one of the teachers will take you somewhere for the evening."
"And miss an opportunity to dress up? No way!" Kitty jubilantly exclaimed while Lance looked at Xavier with horror.
"Kill me now."
"Oh it won't be that bad," Kitty replied with a chuckle and an elbow into Lance's ribs. He winced at the hit but grinned at his girlfriend. The rest of the students seemed to like the idea of the ball. It gave them a chance to really let loose and met some other people from outside the dreary town of Bayville. And, much to the horror of all the guys, the girls were already discussing the clothing that they would wear for the ball.
Logan snorted loudly.
"Care to say something?" Raven asked with a raised eyebrow.
"No way in hell I'm going to any dress up ball," Logan declared.
"I'm afraid that I will need you to keep an eye out on the children during the ball. Therefore you will need to attend, in dress befitting the event," Xavier replied with a sideways glance. Logan quickly adopted a look of pure, unadulterated terror.
"You can't be serious."
"I assure you Logan, I am quite serious. You will attend and you will be in costume." Xavier's tone left no room for argument. Raven grinned, amused with the situation.
"So what are you going to dress up as?" Raven asked, her barb earning a nasty glance.
"Raven, please. You will also be present."
"But of course, Charles. After all, I blend in to a masquerade ball." Xavier nodded, his face set in stone. The noise in the den began to pick up, the overlapping conversations escalating in volume.
Xavier watched the conversations for a moment, his face stoic. Suddenly he cocked his head for a moment as a grin slowly began to spread across his face. Without saying a word he turned and wheeled himself out of the den, his wheelchair squeaking slightly on the wooden floor.
Logan watched Xavier leave and began to turn his attention back to the party when a scent caught his nose. Sniffing lightly at the air to get a better trace of the smells, Logan cracked a slight grin. He quickly pushed himself out of his chair and left the den with haste. Raven looked after Xavier and Logan rushing out of the den as quickly as they could, confused as to what would cause them to leave in such haste. She began to follow them but paused as something clicked in her mind. Her lips twisted into a smile as she walked off behind the two.
The teenagers in the den were unaware that their instructors had vacated the room with utmost haste. They were completely unaware of the oncoming tempest that was about to crash onto their laps.
The front door to the mansion was thrown open with considerable force. This, however, went unnoticed. What was noticed was the loud shouting that followed the open door.
"Completely irresponsible! All you do is destroy things! Do you have any idea of what you're responsible for?"
The students' conversations ceased as the voice shattered the relative sense of peace in the mansion. They all turned to face the empty hallway.
"Why are you making such a big deal about it?"
"Why? WHY? Because you destroyed something that was over sixty-five million years old!"
"The museum curator said it was a cast that was only three months old."
"That's not the point! It's the principle of the thing!"
"You haven't accused him of anything!"
"That's because I've realized that words do nothing to him! But, for a reason I can not fathom, I still hold out a small sliver of hope for you two!"
"I think you're stretching a bit."
"Fine! FINE! I'm…I've have enough of you three!" Hank McCoy cried out in anger as he stormed through the opened front doors and slammed them shut behind him. Angrier than anyone had even seen him, he stomped off to his room where he would unwind from the two week trip.
The students looked at the normally docile Hank storm off with curiosity. They wondered just what had been done to set him off like that. They all looked at the hall waiting for the long lost Trio to emerge but the doors did not open.
"Jez. I vonder vhat set him off?" Kurt Wagner asked from behind the group staring intently at the door, where he was munching on a chicken leg. The students leapt in their seats at Kurt's comment. They had not expected for the Trio to enter in such an unusual fashion. Beside the feasting Kurt were Bobby, who was making a snowball behind his back, and John, who was fingering a nonexistent lighter.
"Don't ever do that again!" Scott snapped as his hand clutched his heart.
"You think we're actually going to listen to you?" Bobby remarked as he chucked the snowball into Remy's face. The Cajun tumbled to the floor, taken back by the sudden attack. The room erupted in giggles.
"Don't attack mah boyfriend!" Rogue spat out between laughs.
"Deal. Vho is your boyfriend?" Kurt asked with a raised eyebrow.
"Dat be me," Remy remarked as he wiped the snow off his face.
"Him?" Bobby asked skeptically.
"Yes him. And if you don't leave him alone then Ah'll deal with you mahself," Rogue threatened. Bobby and Kurt exchanged a glance.
"Kurt, John, a word." The Trio formed a huddle and whispering could be heard. They quickly finished their conversation and faced the group.
"Ve have decided that you bluff," Kurt announced. Rogue glowered.
"Do Ah? You want to test me?"
"As a matter of fact we do!" Bobby said as more snowballs sailed through the air, all of them splattering on Remy and Rogue. The rest of the room broke up into laughter; even Jean cracked a slight smile. Rogue growled as she leapt to her feet.
She was met with insane laughter as a wall of fire erupted from the carpet. From behind the flames the laughing Trio waved.
"Got to catch us to kill us!"
"Besides ve refuse to take Remy off the prank list." John continued to laugh maniacally.
"Does something smell funny to you?" Lance asked as he wrinkled his nose in disgust. Jean shrieked in terror as Remy leapt to his feet and rushed off, his trenchcoat beginning to go up in smoke.
Lance was quick to follow him, intent on helping Remy smother the flames. Rogue turned to face the Trio, leveling them with her glare. But they were not there. All that remained was a wisp of smoke.
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I know, I know.
Before you all erupt in anger let me explain.
This chapter is merely meant as a filler of sorts, just a set up for part two of the plot. And to bring back characters that we all missed.
And I am aware that it's short but that's the way it crumbles, cookie-wise.