Authoress's notes: ai... A bit of cheesiness ahead. But, it's inevitable, as I have to stick this in someplace! And, I'm not too good with complicated plots; I suppose I shouldn't have used the idea for this story, but it just came along at this time, so I stuck it in as well. -sheepish grin-
Also – after a bit of research, I've discovered that Kurt had another Amanda in his past: Jimaine Szardos, Kurt's adoptive sister from the circus, who later took up the alias Amanda Sefton, and dated Kurt, without his recognizing her. Anyway, I never knew that when I picked Amanda for my OC's name, so this has nothing to do with Jimaine... Just so that's clear. :)
Reviewers' Response:
chelsey-pudge – hehe, wait 'til you read this chapter!
... – whoever you are, thanks for reviewing! I always love new reviewers.
HazelSilver – you're also new to VR, aren't you? Anyway, glad you like. And as you've noticed, I like cliffies!
xImmortalx – hehe, sorry for the delay. Hope you haven't died yet.
EbonyFirePhoenix – S'okay, I'm always open to suggestions. I've got the plot already pretty much fixed, but thanks for the thought.
Pyro Lady – actually, you're not gonna find out in this chapter. Wait 'til the next one and you know just who he's gonna 'take care of'.
the littlest weasley – Rogue... hehe. As for the 'someone', you'll see in chappie 19.
Chapter 18: Slayer
When Amanda woke up, the first thing she noticed was that she was hungry. Actually, hungry was the understatement of the century; she was famished. She took a quick shower to wake up -- the events of the past days had finally caught up with her -- and dressed, then headed down to the kitchen.
She hadn't expecting to be dining with company, as the students and staff were no doubt in the classrooms; but neither had she expected a breakfast to be waiting for her, ready with a card and a rose. She grinned at the cheesiness of it but opened the card nonetheless, her grin turning into a laugh as she recognized Kurt's elegant scrawl:
Good morning, Liebe.
Meet me in the gardens behind Ororo's greenhouse. I still haven't given you that tour of the grounds that I promised.
Enjoy your breakfast! I do hope the pancakes turned out all right.
–Kurt
Amanda tucked the card back into its envelope and dug into her breakfast with relish. It was wonderful, and she made a mental note to congratulate Kurt on his splendid pancakes.
When breakfast was done, Amanda made her way out into the gardens. The school grounds were quite huge, with the mansion of the Institute nestled comfortably in the middle. All around was a wide green lawn, well taken care of and with an artificial lake and small boathouse somewhere between the trees. There was a basketball court, a baseball field, and a few training grounds. All around the grounds were surrounded by a pleasant little wood, full of green light and trees. Halfway between the main building and the wood stood Ororo's greenhouse: a large glass structure full of plants and flowers, as beautiful and exotic as the woman who cared for them.
Kurt sat on the bench behind the greenhouse, looking calm but for his tail, which Amanda could see twitching and twisting. He jumped slightly when she sat down next to him. "Ach! Guten Morgen, Liebe."
"Good morning, Kurt. Thanks for breakfast."
"Ah, you're welcome. How was it?"
"Wonderful. Your pancakes were very good."
He smiled. "Dankeschon. Fräulein Rogue taught me." He cocked his head to the side. "How are you feeling, Liebe?"
Amanda sighed. "I knew this would come up." She placed a hand on his shoulder. "I'm fine, Kurt. Thanks to you, and Logan, and Beast and everyone. I'm okay, because you took care of me."
He took her hand from his shoulder and held it in his own hands. "I don't know what I would have done if something had happened to you before we got there..."
Amanda sighed again. "I know, Kurt. I know. I'm just glad you found me."
"I am glad to have found you as well, meine Liebe."
Amanda couldn't help but wonder if he didn't exactly mean finding where she was held at the Fortress.
Kurt changed the subject: "Have you developed your telekinetic and telepathic abilities?"
"I sure have," she answered. "I practiced back at the Fortress; there was hardly any entertainment supplied. It appears that the cold enhanced my abilities," she chuckled. "Here, let me see..." she stared at a pinecone sitting on the ground. At first it shook in its place on the ground -- then, quite suddenly, it shot off the grass and into her hands. She handed it to Kurt. "Pinecones are lucky, you know."
"Yes," he cupped his hands around it. "I am very lucky. What about your telepathy?"
She looked into his eyes. She had learned that reading a person's mind was actually a lot easier than she'd thought, once you had eye-contact. The eyes held such expression in them, such a window into one's soul. Amanda nearly felt herself being sucked inside...
...and there she was, in the drawers of Kurt's mind. She gently flicked a random one open, not noticing its label. Unbeknownst to her, it was labeled 'love' in German.
And there she saw her own face, shimmering as though a reflection in a pool of water. A few seconds later, the rippling picture solidified into a full image of herself, standing in front of her. Then an image of Kurt materialized, and the pair held hands. Slowly, almost shyly, Kurt drew his Amanda nearer, and placed a soft kiss upon her lips.
Amanda was so startled she practically fell out of Kurt's mind, gasping slightly. One hand went to her lips, which were faintly tingling, as though the kiss had been real...
"Liebling?" Kurt reached a hand out, concerned. "Are you all right?"
"I – yes – I saw..."
"You saw something? What? I hardly -- I could barely sense you. You were soft... like velvet."
She swallowed.
"What is it? I – what did you see?"
"I saw this." And she took his face in her hands and kissed him.
The kiss lasted no longer than a few seconds, but Kurt felt as though he were lost for eternity. When Amanda pulled back, Kurt was the one with his hand on his lips.
"Your touch, your lips are velvet also. You are Velvet. That is your new name."
"Velvet." She smiled slightly. "Kurt, that's beautiful."
"So are you. Ich liebe dich, Amanda."
In response, she leaned forward and captured his lips again.
I truly am lucky, Kurt thought to himself. The pinecone sat innocently on the ground by his feet.
-X-
"Ahem."
The pair sprang apart, looking around guiltily. A man stood at the treeline of the forest, leaning on a tree-trunk and looking only mildly uncomfortable.
"Sorry to break you up, cute couple as you are; but I need to get inside the Institute."
"And exactly who are you?" said Amanda, her voice cold.
"Slayer's the name. I need to see Charles Xavier."
"I bet you do," Kurt muttered.
"A name doesn't tell me much," Amanda said. "For all I know, you could be here to kill us. I'm not just going to show you into the building."
"You don't trust me." He nodded. "Understandable. You're a telepath; go on, check my mind." He spread his hands in invitation. She eyed him warily.
"How'd you know I was a telepath?"
He sighed, rubbing the back of his neck with one hand. "I'm a mutant, too. I have prophetic powers, of sorts. I knew it wouldn't be easy to just get inside; I'd need someone to let me in."
Kurt looked at Amanda, eyebrows raised. She narrowed her eyes, and performed a quick scan. "He's telling the truth," she told him quietly. "Go tell the Professor; I'll bring him to the entrance hall."
"Ja." Kurt teleported away. Slayer walked forwards slowly.
"Thanks. I really need to talk to Xavier; it's important."
"What about?" she waved her hand in the general direction of the Institute, motioning that he follow her. She made sure not to turn her back on him, and kept both her eyes and mental image on him.
"I'm afraid that one's classified."
She turned around to glare at him, hands on her hips. "Please tell me you're not a federal agent or something." He didn't look it -- but he still could be undercover or something -- slightly curly black hair that just barely reached his shoulders, green-gray eyes, long-sleeved gray sweatshirt and rough black jeans. He looked ... twenty-five, perhaps.
"No, I'm not a fed. D'you really think they'd let mutants in?"
"You never know. A man could surround himself with mutants – you know, 'keep your friends close, and your enemies even closer'?"
"Mm, like William Stryker."
She stared at him. "You know about Stryker?"
"Yes."
"How?"
"I worked for Xavier, in a way."
"Worked for him; how so?"
"I gathered information, I suppose you could say."
"So you're a spy."
Slayer shook his head. "No, not exactly."
"Look, I'm still not used to snooping around peoples' heads when I want to know something; that's usually why I give them the chance to give me a straight answer before I go prodding in their brain matter. But I can do it if I see the need to. So would you mind telling me who you are and what you're doing here, or will I be forced to use my telekinesis to throw you out as well?"
"I knew I should have gone with the second vision..."
"What're you muttering about?"
"Nothing." He shook his head. "Xavier will explain everything, if he sees the need to. I'm not here to hurt anyone; I just want to talk to Xavier and get this over with."
Amanda heaved an exasperated sigh. "Fine. Here he is now."
Xavier sat waiting in the entrance hall, with Kurt standing behind him.
"Professor, he just appeared out of nowhere on the grounds –"
"It's quite all right, Amanda. I know him, he's supposed to come." He glanced at Slayer. "You're late, however."
Slayer shrugged. "I follow my visions, Xavier."
"Very well. Come into my office. Amanda, thank you for escorting Mr. Slayer. I'll take him from here."
Amanda scowled as the door of Xavier's office closed behind them.
-X-
"So, what do you have for me?"
"Not much, I'm afraid. I was there when they brought the girl in -- Amanda's her name? -- but I couldn't really do anything that wouldn't jeopardize my cover. My visions tell me I'm better off helping your side in this war, so I'm doing what I can. But it isn't much."
"Whatever you can tell me might be helpful, Jake."
Slayer sighed. "I know. I know."
"What was your latest vision about?"
"The telepath/telekinetic, actually."
"Amanda?"
Slayer shook his head. "No, the one on Magneto's side. The redhead."
Xavier's head snapped up. "Jean?"
Slayer nodded. "Yes, Jean, that's her name."
Xavier sighed, head dropping back into his hands. "Do you know why she is working with the Brotherhood?"
"They got her out of that lake; I told you about that vision. She couldn't remember anything, and they fed her a big pile of lies to get her on their side. Now she's completely sure she's been with the Brotherhood since day one."
"Eric, you bastard," muttered Xavier.
"The man used her, that's obvious enough. But we already know all of that. I've had another vision..."
"What about?"
Slayer shifted uncomfortably in his seat. "I'm not sure. You know how my visions are. Sometimes I now what they mean, sometimes I don't. Most of the time I don't know if they're something that's already happened or something that's still in the future. I don't always know the time and place, and I sure as hell don't know what's the connection -- if there even is one -- between them all." He sighed. "The fact that I've been having these visions since I was eleven doesn't make it any easier to control or understand them, Xavier."
"I know, Jake. I'm sorry. It's just that I can't bear to stand on the sidelines and watch one of my first pupils stand on the other side of the line, as my enemy..."
"I know the feeling of a knife in the back, Xavier. That's another one of the things I've experienced too often."
-X-
Amanda rummaged through the cupboards in the kitchen, her mind reeling. She'd gotten the most bizarre vibes off that guy ... he sent shivers down her spine.
She never heard the approaching footsteps, and so she was startled when a voice called out from behind her, "Manda?" She was so surprised, in fact, that she bumped her head on the counter coming up from the cupboard.
Cursing colorfully, she held her head in both hands as she straightened, glaring at Logan. "Never do that again, Logan, or I will have your balls." She continued to curse.
He stared at her, eyebrows raised in surprised.
"What?"
"That is an impressive vocabulary you have, Manda."
She rolled her eyes, plopping down into a stool with a groan. "I worked in a bar for three years, Logan. I'm not some innocent little virgin. And now I have a headache, as well as the creeps. Ugh." She dropped her head to the counter, mumbling a conclusion: "I need alcohol."
"This is a school, you know," said Logan, amused.
Amanda pulled her head up from the counter long enough to send him another glare. "Which is exactly why there is no alcohol anywhere, I know. And it only makes me want it more."
"I ... have a secret stash somewhere in my room. I think. Interested?"
"Fuck yes!" she jumped off the stool. Practically leading the way to his room, she waited impatiently for him as he walked down the hallways deliberately slowly. He grinned slyly at her and opened the door, beckoning her inside, saying, "Just don't tell Chuck. Although he probably knows anyway." She nodded and sat on his bed, glaring at his back when he made a show of looking in his closet for the beer.
"Oh, get out of the way," she finally snapped, and shoved him aside. Needless to say, her push didn't do much to move his large frame, but he grinned at her and let her ransack his closet for the desired alcohol. A triumphant "Aha!" announced her find, and she came up with two bottles of lukewarm beer.
"What I wouldn't give for Bobby just now..." she lamented, but opened the bottle and took a large swig nonetheless. Beer tasted better chilled, but she'd just have to make do with what she had. Logan chuckled as he opened his bottle and took a sip, sitting back on his bed and studying Amanda carefully.
"You okay?" he finally asked. She nodded and sat next to him.
"I just need to clear my mind. This guy caught me and Kurt -- he surprised us on the grounds; popped up from nowhere and demanded to see Xavier." She bit her lip, hoping he hadn't caught her slip-up. For some reason, she didn't want him to know she had kissed Kurt. "I don't know what it is about him; I just get the strangest vibes off of him –"
"I meant about the kidnap..."
"Oh." She sighed, taking a thoughtful sip of her beer. "I'm okay, yes. I'm still a bit confused about it, but other than that I'm fine. No physiological mental scars or anything," she gave him a grin. "But I am glad you guys found me. I don't know what I'd have done if you hadn't come when you did, I was just about losing it in there..."
"I was losing my mind too, kid," he said, setting his beer on the bedside table and lying on his back on the bed, arms behind his head. "It was driving me nuts, all the smells in that place. Magneto and Mystique are everywhere on that damned building; it stinks of them, and Pyro, and all those others. And all I wanted was to find your scent in that snake's nest of smells, so I could find you."
"Aww, Logan..." Amanda took a huge sip of her beer and set the empty bottle on the bedside table. She lay on her side next to him, propping herself on one elbow. "That's so sweet," she grinned goofily.
He raised an eyebrow at her. "Yeah, sweet; that's me. C'mere –" and he grabbed her arm and pulled her squealing to him, settling her so that she lay with her head on his stomach. "I was so relived when we found you back there," he said, his deep voice thrumming in his chest beneath her head in a comforting purr. "Now, what's this fella that's got you so spooked out?"
"I don't know. He says he gets these prophetic visions; when he came up and demanded to see Xavier just like that I didn't exactly trust him. Okay, I didn't trust him at all. I took a mental scan of his head, just to see if he's legit. I guess his latest vision was still fresh in his mind, because it was one of the first things I saw. I got a flash of Jean..."
"Jean?" Though Amanda couldn't see it from her position, Logan's face had scrunched into a frown. "Jean Grey?"
"Yeah," she said. "Didn't you see her at the Fortress?"
"See her? -- Manda, she's dead."
"Oh my god..." Amanda pushed herself up onto her side again in order to look into his face. "You really didn't see her? She's alive, Logan! She was here at the gym when the Brotherhood crashed our Halloween party, didn't you see her?"
"No," he frowned. "How can she be alive? She died, Manda. Three years ago."
"I can't believe nobody told you... that's why everyone was so shocked when they came. And Scott -- he probably got the shock of his life, didn't you notice how he was so pale?"
"I – don't take that much interest in Scott, Manda. My eyes are usually on someone else..."
"Who?" she asked, one eyebrow raised.
"Jean can't be alive," Logan said, bluntly ignoring her question. "She just can't." I'm over her... or at least I thought I was! The thought was practically broadcasted into the air around him; naturally Amanda picked up on it, along with the thought that came after it: I've got Manda now.
"Maybe I was wrong..." she said, inching closer. He eyed her mildly.
"Are you sure you're not drunk, Manda?" he gave her a smirk of his own.
"If I were drunk ... would I do this?"
And she leaned over and kissed him.
Authoress's note: -laughs wildly- you have no idea how glad I am to have finally finished this chapter. It's been giving me hell -- but I'm still glad to have gotten past it; it's the most I've written in one particular story in forever. I'd resolved to finish this story before X3 comes along (MAY 2006!), and I'm actually beginning to see the end of this fic somewhere around, so that's a promise!