Evil-Bunny-Leader: Yes I am, but not after I'm done with this story at least. You know you're the second person that asked that Blink/Vincent thing. Well I don't think that will happen in this series, but check out Exiles that I'm writing with The Uncanny R-Man. There's a link to the story in my bio.
pippo23: You've been reading since I started?! And you reviewed only now? Well better late then never, lol. Currently the number of stories is...oh god it's 6 now...I need a life. Yeah I had a little trouble with thinking up a climax, but luckily I managed to get through it. Thanks for reviewing and don't be afraid to do it again.
slickboy444: Actually that ended things if you missed it, but it will send him on his way to find someone that's more of a kindred spirit to him in his own story.
Aaron: Yeah he sure left the place with a bad impression huh? And you'll see what happens later on.
Xmenfan: Well I agree with you that's why I did this chapter, you'll see Wanda bonding with Ororo and Blink in this, but I haven't thought of a mission for them...yet.
Scott fan: Did you like ANYONE beside her? I will write that Gambit story, it's not like you have to read it or anything. And it really bums me out that you don't like one of my OC so much, but I take it you never read any of my other work besides this from what you put down though. Although you are in the minority that you don't like him or anything else too, so I'll say what it says in my bio; If you don't like it, then don't read it.
Uncanny R-Man: Yeah that did suck for her, as for Remy you'll find out later when I do the story.
DemonRogue13: Don't worry I plan on her finding someone that will appreciate her one day, but it might take a little while to set it up, but I think you'll like it.
Ldypebsaby: Yeah I kind of feel bad for using Blink, but I needed someone a little naïve and trusting, and sometime after this Gambit will get his own little story. The talks are basically with Ororo, Blink & Wanda and another one too.
Thanks to: Red Witch, fire inu, supergirlhv, jadestar123, LadyDeathStrike1, Ruby631
ADJUSTMENTS
CHAPTER 19: SERIOUS TALKS
Blink was quiet the next day after Gambit had gone. She was just feeling like the world's biggest idiot. Luckily years of being ignore and how to blend into the background came in handy as she got through breakfast without having to talk to anyone. She didn't want to anyway.
At least she thought no one noticed her. Ororo on the other hand had noticed, and it worried her. Usually Blink got up and helped her with breakfast, but she hadn't shown up and she seemed to be so quiet and was trying to distance herself from everyone. Ororo frowned at that. She had made such progress since she started living with them and she was afraid she was going to go back to the old way that she was. All repressed and scared of the world.
After breakfast Ororo started to look for Blink. She checked her room, then the den and then the game room but she didn't find her. When she asked around no one had seen her. Now she was worrying, but then she thought of the one place Clarice would go. Ororo made her way to the attic lever and to indoor greenhouse.
As she went in she saw Blink there sitting on a stool tending a small flower. "I know I was an idiot, but I just, you know. Wanted to feel like someone was interested in me." Ororo walked silently to Blink listening as she talked to the plant. "I'm guessing it was too much to hope for, I mean all my life all the boys just seem to ignore me and pass me by...I don't think I'll ever know what it's like to be in love."
"That's not true Clarice." Ororo said gently to her. Blink jumped and looked at her, Ororo got a concerned look as she saw the tears in her eyes and Blink quickly looked away and wipe the tears away.
"H-h-how long have you been there?" She asked.
"Not long...but long enough to know something is upsetting you." Ororo said to her holding the young girl from behind. "Please Clarice...tell me what's wrong."
"You won't like it." She said to her sadly.
"Try me."
OUTSIDEFive minutes later a few of the mutants were outside playing some catch when a giant sound of thunder could be heard. Roberto looked up into the sky and saw a few dark clouds. "Hey I thought the weather man said that we wouldn't see any rain for a few more days?" He said to the others.
"Well either he was wrong or someone pissed of Storm." Bobby said.
"What could make her mad enough to do that?" Sam asked the others just shrugged before going back to their game.
GREEN HOUSEStorm was still angry at what had happened to Clarice. She was too nice and sweet a girl to have her emotions played with like that, and she swore if she ever saw Gambit again she would skin that boy alive. But she calmed herself knowing it was too late to do anything now, so she focused on Clarice.
Blink currently was just being glad that she was in Ororo's arms. It felt better somehow and she also felt a little better telling someone about her feelings, sure the pain was still there but not as much. "Clarice." Ororo said softly and she looked up into the face of her guardian. "I know you were hurt but don't let this experience keep you down. You will find someone out there that will care for you, you know why?"
She shook her head. "Because you're a bright, kind and beautiful young lady and any boy would be lucky to have you." She said smiling at her.
Blink couldn't help but smile at her kind words. "Thanks Ororo." She said softly.
Ororo let go of her and took her hand. "Now why don't we go to the gazebo and have some tea together?" Blink nodded and smiled she loved the view of the water from there since it was right next to the cliffs. They walked down to the kitchen to get the tea supplies they would need.
ELSEWARE IN THE MANSIONWanda had a break for the moment from her studying in the library with Sarah. Hank had just finished a lesson in science and she was glad for the break. It was just so frustrating for her to try and catch up, and she only had about one month left until school started.
She stormed her way to the kitchen going for something to drink and saw Blink and Ororo already there with a tray and some tea stuff on it. She went to the fridge and opened it to see if there was anything to drink.
"Is something wrong Wanda?" Ororo asked seeing the obvious bad mood she was in.
She slammed the door shut. "What makes you say that?" She said sarcastically. Wanda saw the stern look on Ororo's face from her attitude and Wanda sighed trying to calm herself like Agatha Harkness had tried to teach her. "Sorry it's just that...arg! I hate all this studying and everything, I'm trying but I've missed so much and then I still got to worry about what actually happens when I go to school and it's just...overwhelming!"
Ororo looked at the eighteen year old Goth and saw that she desperately needed something to take her mind of things. She gave Blink a questioning look and she nodded. "Wanda why don't you join me and Clarice."
"Thanks...but I'm not the social type."
"Please." Ororo said stepping towards the girl and putting a hand on her arm. "It might do you some good."
Wanda sighed and decided she might as well try it, since Xavier had told her to try and join in with the others in their activities. "Alright." She said flatly. She joined with the two others hoping to at least kill sometime. When they got to the repaired gazebo (it had to be after Rogue pushed that stone statue of Mystique off of it a few months back) and Wanda looked out to the water and was surprised by the beauty of the view. She had never gone to this spot and it was nice. They sat down and Wanda looked at the tea for a moment since she never really had some before but shrugged slightly and took a sip.
It was actually pretty good.
"So besides the studying how are you doing so far at the Institute?" Ororo asked her.
Wanda thought about her answer. "It's different...the living conditions are better, but there's a lot more people around then I'm used to."
"Well it's not easy to have your life suddenly change." Ororo said softly.
"Tell me about it!" Wanda said angrily. "First off my so-called father is never around much, I get sent to a nut house cause he was to incompetent as a parent to deal with me, Mystique gets me out, then the my mind get altered, I find out everyone in the house new it and finally now I'm living with the people that used to be the enemy!"
Clarice was stunned by Wanda's slight rant, looking back on things she felt a little better when comparing her life so far with hers. At least she had a childhood, unlike Wanda. "Was your father really that bad before he went...well...you know." Blink asked.
Wanda gave the younger girl a sharp look. "You mean before his world domination thing, well he wasn't as bad as he is now, but he did send me to that place." Sudden her whole demeanor suddenly changed and her voice got soft as she looked into her tea. "I hated that place...I was afraid all the time."
Ororo got a concerned look on her face. "They didn't hurt you did they, you no one...took advantage of you?"
Wanda shook her head. "No...but sometimes I was afraid someone might get the courage to try."
"I know the feeling." Blink said surprising everyone. She looked up at them slightly and then dropped her head. "Back when I was given over to Trask and the others...you know they knocked us out and we woke up in that cell with those uniform things on?"
Both had heard about that and nodded. "Well I suddenly got scared, because after I stopped freaking out on where I was I suddenly thought of how I got into that...then I wondered...if...if...someone took advantage of me when I was out."
Ororo got a sickened look on her face and Wanda could only look on in sympathy. "You weren't..." Ororo asked she couldn't find the strength to finish.
"No...I wasn't." Blink said to them. Both women let go of a breath they hadn't realized they were holding. "When we got back here I ask Mr. McCoy if he could check that out...after he examined me to make sure he told me there were no sighs that I was taken advantaged of. I felt better after that, but I was still stripped down and put into that thing. The fact that people, even doctors did that to me without my knowledge or consent...well...I still get nightmares."
"Jesus Blink." Wanda said softly.
Ororo held the younger girl's hand. "Believe me I know...when my parents died and me and my sister had to survive on the streets we were offered a ride by this man." Ororo closed her eyes at the memory of it all. "You see...he tried to force himself on us, my older sister tried to stop him but he hit her...then he went down on her...I couldn't let it happen, so I got out a knife I carried and I...I stabbed him in the back." (1)
The two girls both couldn't help but gasp at that. Ororo couldn't face them and turned her head. "I...I think I killed him...I'm not sure but I think I did, I just grabbed my sister and ran far away from the city...on that day I swore never to take another life again."
There was a moment of silence at the small table. All three of them had shared their fears and couldn't help but wonder at what they had learned about one another. "You did what you had to do to protect your sister...I don't blame you for that." Wanda said breaking the silence.
"Neither to I." Blink said softly to her. Ororo faced the girls again with misty eyes.
"Thanks you." He said in almost a whisper. All three girls took a few minutes to drink their tea and let them have a moment of silence. Soon they started to talk again but now they tried to keep it more pleasant.
While this was going on Rogue had other things on her mind and was walking the halls to Jean's room. She walked to Jean's door. 'God ah can't believe ah'm going to her for advice.' She thought to herself. She looked in and saw her putting away her laundry. "Hey ah talk to ya?"
Jean looked up and smiled. "Of course Rogue, come in." Rogue walked in and closed the door behind her, she didn't want anyone to overhear this.
She sat down on the bed and Jean noticed the mood she was in and found this was one of the serious talked. "Okay look...ah know you and meh haven't been...close in tha past. But I can't ask Ororo, there's no way I could face tha Professor, Hank maybe later, and there's no way in Hell I'm talking to Logan about this and since you're the only girl here that's gone through it...well...you're mah only choice."
Jean was half delighted to have her come to her, but also half hurt that it was because it was by default. "Alright." She said seriously then sat down next to her. "What is it?"
Rogue bit her lower lip, she had been thinking about this ever since the little sleepover they had and she had to talk to someone about it. "When did ya know ya was ready for sex?"
Jean's mouth dropped at the question but quickly composed herself. "Well...that's not an easy on to ask or answer...well...for me Scott and myself talked about it first thing, have you done that?"
"Not...really. We both agreed that we'd wait until we were both eighteen at least since then Logan might and ah quote 'take off a certain part of his anatomy with his claws' unquote." Rogue had to smirk at the face he had made when he had said that. "But since he's turning eighteen in a few days then ah guess we should talk about it more."
Jean nodded. "Trust me this is an important decision. I mean Scott and me took months before either of us felt ready. Plus we both took precautions too. I mean you know that I asked Hank for birth control and he said he would help out since he did say we could come to him under any medical reason and if it wasn't life threatening, he wouldn't tell the Professor."
Rogue had to smile at the image she got of Beast's face when Jean laid that bombshell on him. "Ah bet he wises he never said that now."
Jean couldn't help but let out a small laugh. "Yeah and with a few of the other girls getting close to their later teens I bet he can find himself getting a few more visitors."
Rogue laughed out loud at the thought. "Oh God ah feel so sorry for him now." She said between laughs, soon Jean joined in after a moment Rogue wiped her eyes from a few tears. After the she got a little more serious. "So ah should talk ta him about this and maybe see Hank after huh?"
"It couldn't hurt if you are thinking about it...well, and it good to be prepared." Jean told her. "I mean I do not want to have to tell my parents I'm pregnant until after I'm married for starters."
"Do they know you and Scott are...that involved?" Rogue asked curious. Seeing as neither she nor Vincent didn't have to worry about telling their parents. Well Vincent did had Father Michaels who was the closest thing he had to an actual dad in his life, and she didn't count Mystique as a mother given their past.
"Oh God no!" Jean said running a hand throw her hair. "I can just imaging my dad's reaction and my mom...I don't want to have THAT kind of talk with her. All they know is that we're together and I want to keep it that way. It's bad enough about half the mansion knows about it, I'm just glad so far Logan or the Professor don't know."
Rogue could sympathize. After Logan's reaction to that little sex prank she and Vince pulled on Kurt a little while ago, she could imagine his reaction. "Well I think ah got someone ta talk to now. Logan has him outside trimming all the hedges without using his speed or anything."
"Oh man that will take him hours to do." Jean said feeling sorry for the guy. "But he did get into that fight with Gambit."
Rogue sighed. "Ah know, ah know, believe meh he doesn't like tha fact that he's grounded for his birthday, but I also think he's slightly ashamed he let himself lose it like that. He ain't happy about it but he understands it though." She got up to leave. "Well maybe ah'll take him some water while ah go to see him, he could use it in this heat." She got up to leave then.
"Oh Rogue...thanks for coming to me about this...I know I'm not your first choice but thanks for coming to me anyway." Jean said to her. "Oh and if you feel like talking again you can come to me...also...you might want to have Vincent talk to Scott too. I think they can only have a talk that guys can have."
Rogue rolled her eyes. "Ah'm sure he'll 'love' that. But thanks for the offer though, ah mean it, where is Scott any way?"
"He's getting some quality brother time with Alex I heard, so he should be back by the time Vincent is done at least." Jean told her. Rogue nodded and left to have a very serious talk with her boyfriend.
NEXT UP CHAPTER 20: NIGHTMARES
Sarah (X-23) has a nightmare of her past at HYDRA and things don't go well for her after she wakes up. I'd like to thank LadyDeathStrike1 for offering me the idea and the writing she sent to me to start this off with. (sorry I lost the original work I'll try my best to re-write it and add my own style to it)
1) This happened in Uncanny X-Men #267 (minus the sister thing of course since she doesn't exist in the comics)