And here's the next story in our little series. This was written solely by Wolfsong, so enjoy!
Looking Ahead
"Come," the voice said breaking stride then picking back up. "...for thou art with me..."
Morgana stepped in, hating that she had interrupted. She hung back, staring at the white washed walls.
"Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life: and I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever." Gabby turned around to face Morgana.
"I remember the last time I was in this room. Shadow was next door, Dodger watching over her. Alex sat in that chair, barely sleeping." She sighed then smiled. "That's when we realized it."
"Realized what?" the younger woman asked.
"That Fate wasn't playing head games. That we were meant to be together."
"Sure it was Fate?" Demoness questioned lightly.
"You are nothing like your codename, you know that?" Demoness just smiled. "How are you doing?" she asked in a softer voice.
"Good," the brown skinned girl answered.
"Him?" Morgana asked subtlety.
"Hank says he may be improving." She let out a soft laugh. "Sometimes-when I'm reading to him-it seems like I'm picking up vibes or signals maybe. I don't know, a presence maybe. I just get this feeling of...happiness."
"Strange. How long?"
"Started the second time I visited," Gabby answered easily.
"How often do you visit him?" Morgana asked eyeing the girl who had once dated Luke.
"I make it important to come read to him every day. We're going through Psalms now. Also every chance I get between church, training, eating, socializing and sleeping."
"He's religious?" Morgana asked puzzled. Gabby flinched slightly.
"Yeah. Alex said he was growing up. Maybe he still is." After a minute she asked, "Are we still going out tonight?"
"No. Illya needs some time to take in this whole thing with Mikail and her mother coming back. Alive. I think Shadow, Dodger, Irons and..." she paused, not knowing how the go on.
"And Luke. It's okay. I'm not upset. Go on."
"They're going to hang out and watch TV."
"You and Alex?" Gabby inquired.
"We'll find something. Sean's staying close to Illya. He's just as confused as she is. So, nothing planned for tonight. Maybe you van get through that whole book. I hear it's the longest. One hundred and fifty, right?" she asked stepping out. Gabby just looked on.
Then, moments later, "So, Manny, where were we?"
Morgana met back up with Alex after leaving the infirmary. The two headed towards the stables where they got out Ravus, bot bothering to tack him up. Winter Moon ran ahead of them, a small satchel tied to his back, while Wingguard soared overhead. Soon they reached a small meadow and stopped. Unrolling the satchel from Moon's back Alex laid out the beautifully decorated blanket and sat next to the white wolf already dozing. Morgana came and laid down next to Alex, her head resting comfortably in his lap after checking on Ravus's legs and hooves. Wingguard continued to fly, swooping low to the ground for fun.
"Ah, this is how it should be, love," Alex said s he ran his fingers through Morgana's dark hair. "You, me, the wolf, the hawk," he said eyeing the creatures one by one, "and the stallion. The five of us together." She smiled at him.
"And the knowledge that we will always have each other and the Pack," she returned.
"Aye. Life is good, is it not?" he teased running his finger along her cheek and down her neckline. He sighed heavily. "If only Manny could be so lucky."
"He is," she said, then explained. "He has the most wonderful cousin making sure he gets the best care possible." She smiled again. "And he has Gabby Hanrhan visiting him every day to read to him."
"What is she reading?" he asked curiously. "He wasn't much into books as a kid."
"The Bible. Chapter by chapter. Verse by verse." She laughed.
"That crazy three-fingered demon. How'd she know he was a believer?"
"Said you told her." That made him feel stupid.
"Oh, yeah," he uttered. "Might have mentioned it," he stated after a moment. "Everyday?"
"Sometimes more than once. Spends a lot of time down there," she answered with a grin.
"I never see her."
"Maybe, darling, that's because you go down during Scott's training exercises." They laughed at that. He would skip Scott's class to spend time with Manny, promising to make it up later.
"You know, Luke and Irona haven't been admitted into the Pack yet. How is she doing, by the way. I haven't talked to her since..." he thought about it, hand resting on his chin, "Las Vegas."
"She's doing good. Luke's been helping her, and the professor says there's no trace she'll have any more dazes."
"That's great," he praised. "They'll need to be tested soon if they want to join."
"And what if they want to join the X-men?" she teased as he laid back and she readjusted herself on his chest.
"What!" he asked thrown off.
"I'm just teasing, Alex. They both want to join us." He laughed at that. She knew all of his buttons.
"I love you," he murmured softly.
"I love you, thief." They had said those words so much since the college reunion.
"I love to hear you say that," he breathed again.
"I love to say it. I mean it with everything in me." She nuzzled closer to him. "If only everyone could have what we have."
"No way, I'm not sharing you!" he cried out, and she punched him lightly in the ribs. He went on more seriously. "Sean and Illya are close. I can't believe they've actually known each other for twelve years. That's amazing." He sounded so excited. "How is she doing?"
"You ask a lot of questions about the others, you know that?" she teased.
"I realized I wasn't as close to them as I should be. What kind of leader could I ever be if I don't know what's going on with my team?"
"Good point. As to Illya, she's doing surprisingly well considering yesterday she went to answer the door only to find her mother alive and married to the only man she ever knew growing up."
"At least Sean's there for her. They rely on each other so much." The two ended their conversation when the wolf, now lying beside them yawned. They spent the rest of the day enjoying each other and Mother Nature.
Inside in Illya's room, she sat close to Sean on the large queen bed and stared with tear stained eyes across to the filled visitor's chairs that had been brought in. Yesterday, her mother had shown up after seventeen years of being "dead". She hadn't been ready for that, and had passed out in the doorway. Sean had carried her up stairs where she slept the rest of the day. She had woken this morning still believing it was a dream or a joke someone was playing on her. Yet here they sat, very much alive.
"Illya, darling, say something please?" The woman pleaded. The man next to her remained quiet.
"I...I don't...know what to say," Illya tried. "I saw you. I watched you die when I was twelve. All these years I thought you were dead." She was crying and Sean handed her a tissue. "And now you're here. Alive! Both of you. And you're married." A small laugh escaped her.
"Yes, Illya," the man stated.
"How?" was all she could ask.
"When I left you and Mikail in the house I went out and talked to the crowd."
"But, Mom, I saw you jumped by all of those people," Illya protested, sounding like a confused teen.
"I walked into the middle to confront the leader. All they wanted to know was what was going on. Why I was hiding you."
"But Mikail..."
"After I fell in that bear trap," Everyone moaned, "I thought I was a goner too. Svenda found me and took care of my knee."
"We tried to find you, Illya. We just didn't know how or where. And we didn't have much money then," her mother reassured.
"We saved up what we could, hired a private investigator. He told us you lived in a small town called Seymour, Indiana. By the time we could save up the money again we went there and talked to your old boss. He said you had moved to Chicago, and we had missed you." Illya shook her head and just listened. Sean already knew all of this.
"From there you were hard to find," Mikail informed.
"You've done well for yourself, darling," Svenda said sweetly, eyeing Sean. "And you became...a vigilante super hero. White Saber. The name you used when you were a child."
"Who is your friend here?" Mikail asked as Sean stood placing his hands on Illya's shoulders.
"Mother, Mikail," she breathed then looked up, "This is Sean Hanrhan from Ireland. We met on a ship heading to the states twelve years ago. Then again four years in Chicago where he saved my life. We've been together since." She smiled, her icy blue eyes locked on his. He gently stroked her check.
"You've been dating for four years?" Mikail stated, shocked they hadn't married yet.
"No," Sean was the one to answer. "Almost nine months now. We got together a little after the Pack was formed."
"So, Sean, tell me a little about you. I'd like to know what kind of catch my daughter has found. I hope she's as lucky as I am."
"Well," he started, not prepared to have this conversation. "I'm the third child of five. Two older brothers and two younger sisters. I grew up on a farm just outside of Dublin. We worked hard for everything we had. I first met Illya on the ship like she said. I had just finished up my military service and wanted to travel the nation." He hoped they wouldn't ask for specifics. No such luck.
"What branch of the military? You look like you could handle anything they threw at you," Mikail praised.
"Sean doesn't like to talk about his time in the service." Illya had saved him. "I respect that. For a long time I couldn't talk about mine."
"That's understandable. I've heard soldiers see a lot they wish they hadn't." Svenda went on and hugged her daughter. "I'm sorry, Sean. I hope we haven't offended you."
"Of course not, Mrs..." he cut off, no clue what her last name was now. It had been Svenda Polav.
"Tchailokavich. Svenda Tchailokavich." She smiled sweetly and Mikail placed his hands around her waist. "Demons should be left in the past where they belong, right?" Sean smiled weakly.
"Would you like us to show you around? I'm afraid this isn't our mansion, though I'm sure Alex has one somewhere," Illya asked as she stood between mother and father. The group headed out with Sean close to Illya.
Gabby had left for a short time to train with Luke, Irona, Brenna and several of the other younger mutants. After a quick shower she returned to the infirmary. Waving a hello to Hank then hurrying on, she entered the small room. Once inside she picked up the large King James Bible and flipped to the book marked page. "Shall we begin?"
A half hour later there was a rap at the door. It opened and Remy entered carrying a tray of food. Charming as always, he smiled and winked at her, his red on black eyes burning with mischief. No wonder Rogue was so madly in love with her husband.
"Evenin', chere. Remy and the others figured you'd like something to eat as well as your beau." He handed her the plate containing a sandwich, then placed the bowl of soup on the night stand.
"What's this?" she asked sniffing the drink.
"Ginger ale. Remy thought you might like someting stronger den water." He smiled again. 'Boy, does he have charm,' she thought.
"Remy was right. Thank you. I grew up on ale. The real stuff. My brothers, sister and me."
"Gambit must take ya t'New Orleans sometime." She just laughed.
"I'll think about that," she said laying down her Bible after book marking it. "And he's not my beau."
"Whatever, chere," he dismissed. "What ya readin'?"
"The Bible." She took a bite of the tuna sandwich.
"Ya sound like Kurt. Look like him, too. 'Cept you being brown an' him blue."
"Two demons is we, and both religious. Are you a religious man, Remy?" she asked kindly.
"Don' know, chere. The man upstairs has done a few things t'help Remy out. Don' know if He'd except me though."
"Remember, Remy, a thief hung on a cross next to Christ, and he went to Heaven that day."
"Remy keep dat in mind, chere. Now, he's t'meet his wife for a date.,"
"Have fun, Remy. Be careful." He just smiled over his should at her and walked out. "That man," she muttered then finished her sandwich.
Soon Hank came in and checked on Manny's vital signs. There was a good expression on his face. "His vitals are good. He seems to be gaining body mass back. His color, thought odd, is returning to its normal shade of hazel." She laughed thinking it was a joke. "Quinn said he always had hazel skin, brown hair and blue eyes. Don't know why he didn't say 'deep tanned skinned'. He also said he didn't know when they changed to white or why."
"We'll have to ask him then, won't we?" she smiled.
"He's getting stronger. Whatever you've been doing, Gabby...keep at it. It appears to be helping."
"All I do is sit here and read," she said hastily.
"Maybe that's all he needs," Hank said then left. She just sat there a while, thinking. Finally she picked the Bible back up and began. After about an hour she replaced the book mark and flipped through, looking at some of the highlighted passages. She came to one of her favorites and read it out loud.
"'Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold,'" There was a new voice joined with hers. She managed to finish in a hushed tone, "'all things are become new.'"
"Second Corinthians five, seventeen. I believe I like the NIV version better. 'Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come!' More straight and to the point," the new voice stated. Gabby just there bewildered. "Miss? Say something. I know you're not a mute." Then a flash of pain ripped through him and he cried out.
"What? Manny, what is it?" she asked snapping back.
"Pain. Head." His hands clutched his temples.
"Shh..Easy." She reached over, laying her hand on his forehead. She sent a small wave of heat through her into him. He relaxed.
"Thank you," he breathed, then looked closer at her. "You're a mutant, and you know my name. How is that?" He began to sit up.
"No you don't. Lay down," she commanded firmly, pushing him back down. "Your cousin Alex- I mean Jackson- had you transferred here from Boston. Here is the Xavier mansion in Westchester County New York," she answered before he could ask.
"And whom might you be?" he asked sweetly, watching her replace the covers.
"My name is Gabriel. Gabby Hanrhan."
"That's Irish, right?" His voice held a rich Boston accent with something else hidden.
"Yes. My brother and I are both here. One of them anyway."
"You have many?" he questioned.
"Three older brothers and a younger sister. You?"
"Only child. You look...different. No offense."
"None taken." She smiled. "And yes, some say I look like a demon. Others a cat. I'm partial to the demon idea." He quirked an eyebrow at her. "My codename is Demoness. I can control fire." She held out a hand and fire engulfed it.
"Codename?"
"I'm part of a group called the Pack. You're learning more about me in the few minutes you've been awake then what I've learned from Quinn."
"So you know of his...other identity," he said seriously.
"Yeah. Everyone here knows about his past life." Another quirk of the brow. The only thing testifying to brown hair. "He gave that life up almost a year ago for the woman he loves. So, now can I learn something about you?"
"Sure," he replies cheerfully, as if he had just woken from a nap.
"What religion are you?"
"Wow! Most ask about my hair or my eyes first," he stated startled.
"I'll get to those. This is more important." He smiled.
"I'm glad to know that. I'm a Christian by the way, and I have a relationship, not a religion. You?"
"Well, I'm glad to know that," she repeated. "Christian as well. Raised in protestant Ireland."
"Is this the first time you've read to me?" he asked suspiciously.
"No. I've been coming down every day since you arrived. Why is your hair and eyes white?" she asked, staring at his hair.
"My powers. They went off when I was sixteen. It caused my hair to go white and the color of my irises to change."
"And no pupils?"
"Not a teacher," he teased. She hit him lightly on the arm. It wouldn't do to be yelled out for bruising the patient. "The color changed too. I don't know how." He laughed. "I see just fine. I can see that you have a lovely smile. Especially when you laugh." He reached up and brushed her cheek. A flash passed through his mind and left a tingling sensation in her cheek.
"What was that?" she asked.
"I don't know. That's never happened before." His face held an expression of worry.
"I should get Hank. He needs to check you out." She stood and started to leave. He grabbed her wrist gently, then let go as another flash flew by.
"Will you come back?" he asked kindly.
"Of course." He smiled and she walked out.
After informing Hank about Manny waking up, Gabby was asked to visit the professor. She reached the door, knocked and entered. Luke and Irons were seated in front of the large desk. Quinn stood in the corner.
"Oh, did I interrupted something?" she asked a little embarrassed.
"No. I was getting ready to talk to Luke and Irona," Alex informed. "Like I was saying, Luke, You've gone on one mission for the Pack."
"Yeah, that's where I met Irona." She smiled, both remembering the panicked meeting.
"Do yo both still wish to join the Pack?" Alex asked smiling, still leaning on the window sill.
"Yes," both answered.
"Great new. And thanks to the professor here we have a way to test the two of you." Xavier took up the speech now.
"Wolverine has created a program for the two of you to run. It will be just the two of you, and if you make it pass..."
"You're part of the group," Alex finished, a curious grin on his handsome face.
"That sounds great," Luke stated. "When do we start?"
"Logan will call you when he's ready," the professor answered as they left, giving their thanks.
"That'll make nine of us now," Alex commented.
"You've got the makings of a great team, Alex," the prof praised.
"It was a great team when it started." He looked towards Gabby, bot quite forgotten. "With all the additions..." Another of his playful smile crossed his face. 'No wonder Morgana is so attracted to this man,' Gabby thought looking at the handsome thief. "It's undescribable," he finished. The professor laughed, then turned to Gabby.
"I hope you didn't think we had forgotten you." He motioned to the chair.
"I didn't think psychics could forget someone," she teased. The men just laughed.
"How is my cousin doing," Alex asked after a moment.
"Good. I was reading aloud and all of a sudden there was this deep voice joined with mine." She went on to describe their short conversation and what had happened when they touched.
"A tingling sensation, you say." She shook her head. Then he directed a question to Alex, "Did you say he was psychic?"
"Yes, but he couldn't control it well. He always heard voices, but managed to block them out by repeating scriptures. I guess he got it under control. We lost touch after a while."
"Too many cops on your trail?" Gabby teased.
"Something like that." Quinn remained leaning, arms crossed over his chest.
"Hank is doing a full exam. He's to inform me when he's through."
"What are your plans, professor?" Alex asked.
"I'd just like to start by talking with him. Gabby, I'm sure you'd like to go back and visit Manny, but I'd like for you to have a night to yourself. I know how much time you've been spending with him," Xavier said gently, but she knew it was almost a command.
"Okay. I think I'll go watch Luke and Irona." She got up to and Quinn stopped her at the door.
"Thank you," he offered, pulling her into a kind and friendly hug.
"My pleasure," she whispered back, then left thinking, 'So, the big dangerous thief does have a heart. And the entire Pack takes up the room Morgana doesn't own.' She continued on to the War Room to watch her friends.
"So what now?" Quinn asked after Gabby had left.
"We look ahead. To the future."
The End? (Do you really think that's the end?)