celtcath74: Thanks, and what can I say? I think you can have development without the life/death struggle, I mean it happens in real life.
c-wolf: Haven't heard form you in a while, and if I end a story I'll say if I do.
Bumpkin: That might work, I'll try and fit it in a later chapter okay?
A.J. Starhiker: She met him there huh? Well I don't know every encounter so it's hard to comment on every time they have met, but thanks for the info. Glad you enjoyed the story so far.
Lady Suneidesis: Much cleaner? Did you mean the spelling errors or something? Well if your happy then I guess I'm happy.
Joseph McKinley: Glad you liked this one too an yeah I think the Sinister Six was the best part of the story so far.
SiriusAboutMarauders: Thanks for the compliment and I'm glad you liked the other stories and I'm glad you're not lost, I try and write it so people who haven't read the comics still know what's going on.
The Uncanny R-Man: Oh you're good, yeah I'm skipping ahead a little time wise, it's just an idea I had to use and I couldn't wait until that day came around again.
Qwerty: Thanks, and I hope you didn't have to wait too long for this update.
slayer-gate : So glad you found it to your liking.
KFF: Well you're not the first to say that and I hope you're not the last also.
Jeffrey: Thanks for the support, I'm glad you liked it and I hop you enjoy Exiles too, but be warned, me and R-Man changed it a bit.
Tsavong-Lah: Glad you enjoyed it so much, I'll try and keep the details up it's just that I get caught up sometimes in the dialog.
Thanks to: sma.
AN:
Sorry for the wait but it took me some time to figure out where to go
in the next few chapters and I was suspended for a week too.
THE NEW TEACHER
CHAPTER 31: GIVING THANKS
A few months had passed and Fall had come to the New York area. Currently it was the second last day of classes until the long weekend for Thanksgiving. The leaves were changing color and falling to the ground, the weather was cooler now and the students around the Xavier Institute were a buzz for going to see family. 'At least those that were going.' Sophia thought to herself sadly.
Sofia was in her room that she shared with her friend Laurie Collins. Laurie was out at the moment so she had the room to herself. She was looking at a photo of her and her mom when she was little. Even though it was over half a year the pain of her passing was still strong in her. She put the photo in its stand back on the small table she kept by her bed.
Normally this was a time she and her would be getting ready for. It was at times like this that she truly realized just how empty her life would be without her mother around. Especially since she had no reason to return home now that she was gone, in fact this place had become her home.
Just then the door opened and Laurie came in excited. "Hey Sofia I just got off the phone with my parents and well...you know how you talked me into telling them about Josh?" Sofia remembered when the two of them were getting serious, mainly when she caught them in their room making out on her bed.
"Oh yeah, don't tell me they don't approve I mean you told them last month."
Laurie shook her head her long blond hair moving ever so slightly with it. "Oh no, in fact I told them a few things about him, you know his gold skin, his mutation and well...how his parents abandoned him here." Everyone in their little group had known about that. He had been depressed for over a month at the news, lately though he never wanted to talk about them. He had said that if they didn't want him they he didn't want them.
It was sad to think of a family torn like that, her mother hadn't minded her mutation at all and it was hard to imaging parents that did that, but then there were a lot of kids with nowhere else to go.
"Well" Laurie continued. "They want to meet him, do you think if I asked him he would come with me?" She asked the shyness still there in her tone and body language. Even after all this time she was still a little shy but she had come out of her shell slightly, partially to all her friends and her best friend and roommate.
Sofia was surprised by this but smiled. "Wow, big step meeting the parents I'd say go for it, I mean I think he'd rather spend Thanksgiving with you and your family then alone."
Laurie smiled but then it faded as the last part of her words sunk in. "Oh Sofia I'm sorry I-I forgot...do...do you want to come too? I mean I hate for you to be alone and all."
Sofia waved it off and laughed. "Don't worry about me, go on and ask him anyways, besides I'd hate to be a third wheel. I'll be fine here, you and Josh will have enough with the family meeting him for the first time and all."
"You're sure?"
"Yes, now go on, go and ask him, you don't want to leave it for the last minute do you?" Sofia said to her in a mock order. Laurie thanked her and ran off to Josh's room. As she left Sofia's smiled fell from her face. Sure it would have been nice to go, but she didn't want to intrude on something personal and special. She sighed to herself falling back onto her bed, the depressing feelings coming back. "I hate holidays." She muttered to herself.
LATERKitty was walking to the teacher's lounge a little gloom. Normally she liked the holidays but with things the way they were...it just wasn't the same. The feeling of family that she had felt with the X-Men had been gone for a while and everyone was separated.
Everything had changed in the last few months. When Polaris had found out that there was no way that Alex would love her she had left and no one knew where. When Alex had taken an interest in Annie she felt it was nothing, until she caught them in a passionate kiss. She didn't take it well and had attacked Annie, Alex stepped in and after a very heated verbal fight, and at least that was what she had heard seeing she was in the opposite side of the mansion at the time. Polaris had left the next day.
Even North Star had to return to Canada. Apparently someone was trying to wrestle his company from him and he had to go, he said he would be back when things were set right, but that was over a week ago.
Things were definitely changing. Besides it just wasn't the same anymore. Jean was gone, and with everyone splitting into these 'factions' well...she just didn't know where everyone stood. Not to mention she wished he was here. She wished that Piotr was here with her now, like he had been the last time she had Thanksgiving with him and the others.
'Those were the good old days.' She thought to herself. She reached the teacher's lounge and saw another Peter she knew talked and joking with Hank. She smirked at the sight of the two. Over the months Peter had worked here him and Hank had found out they had a lot in common, they both had a love for science and often either compared notes or just had friendly arguments about some aspects in the science community.
They also seemed to have a similar sense of humor and they soon found themselves forming a close friendship. Although Kitty knew that Hank already had, just with Peter's alter ego as Spider-Man. It was fitting that they should be friends while he was out of costume too.
"So boys what's up?" She asked as she grabbed herself some coffee from the counter that was half-drained.
"Just commenting on who took all of Logan's beer today." Peter said with a smirk.
"Oh God, is that why he's been on the warpath all day?" Kitty said trying to hold back her laughter.
"Must be, some poor soul apparently found his secret stash and when he went to it he found it missing." Hank said smiling, since he had seen Logan soon after he had found it missing. It was quite amusing. "Apparently someone used some kind of spray on himself to mask his sent so Logan is unable to find out who took it."
"Well that explains why there wasn't a fresh corpse today with claw marks." Kitty joked sitting down between the two of them and before taking a sip of her coffee. "But who would be crazy enough to try that?"
"Whoever it was has to have some knowledge in chemistry to come up with a spray to hide his scent." Hank said giving Peter a sideways look.
"What?" Peter asked using his most 'innocent' face he could muster. Both Hank and Kitty gave him knowing looks. "I didn't do anything." He said again. Although truth be known he had been the one to steel his beer. Logan had gotten a few good inside jokes on Peter ever since he got here, also when Logan had asked him to checkout some problems with the Danger Room and had locked him in there for about an hour, on a high level training scenario, luckily no one had seen it, and Logan was smart enough to cut out all the video feeds so there was no record of it. So Peter figured it was time for a little payback.
"Just out of curiosity." Kitty said grinning at him. "Let's say hypothetically, if you were the one that did it...where would you hide his stash?"
"Well if we're talking hypothetically then I would have hid it in say in Bobby's room under his bed with one of the bottles open." Peter said leaning back in his chair smiling.
"And why would someone do that to Bobby?" Hank asked who was very much liking where this was going.
Peter shrugged. "Maybe because Bobby froze someone's suitcase to the floor and it took an hour to thaw." He told them remembering the prank Bobby had pulled on him a few days ago. Both Kitty and Hank burst out laughing at the thought of Logan finally finding the beer and if one of the bottle were opened then he might smell the contents and since he was the only one to drink Canadian beer, he would guess that it was his missing beer and wouldn't be too pleased with a certain ice powered prankster.
After the laughter they talked about the upcoming days and how some of the students would be going home for the holidays, at least those that had homes or weren't too far away to travel there. "So what happens to the kids that stay here?" Peter asked them.
"Well most of the adults are preparing a big Thanksgiving feast." Hank said smiling since he was involved in that.
"At least those of us without plans." Kitty said sadly. "Scott and Emma of course are taking time off, Logan is going off somewhere on his own, Alex, Annie and her son are going to have a private one, Even Sammy, you know the young fish-boy from Canada?" Peter nodded remembering the boy. "Well he's actually taking Cain with him to his mother's."
Peter was glad he wasn't leaning back on his chair or the news of Juggernaut going back there would have floored him, literally and figuratively. Considering all the trouble that happened the last time he was there, well it hadn't been pretty.
"Yeah tell me about it." She said to him seeing his reaction, especially since she knew he and Cain had met a few times when Juggernaut was still a criminal and Peter as Spider-Man had to stop him. "Surprised everyone else too, but I guess his mother might have warmed up to the big guy, well that and Sam really looks up to him too."
"Well what about the two of you?" Peter asked both his teaching colleagues.
"Well I'm helping out with the feast for the kids." Hank said proudly.
Kitty was silent for a moment. "I...I'll think I'll just like to be alone...I'm not much of a holiday person anymore." Both Peter and Hank gave her concerned looks. They were about to say something when the warning bell sounded and they knew they had to get to class before the students did.
Kitty quickly put her now empty coffee cup in the sink they had and left quickly. She just wanted to get this day over with at the moment. She didn't feel up to any celebrating. "Hey Kitty wait up!" She turned to see Peter running to her.
"Kit, are you sure about this?" He said to her using the nickname he had gotten used to caller in recent weeks. She knew Peter was a good guy and that he was concerned for her.
"I think so...I mean to me this holiday was always spent with my family or here with my other family...but I just don't get that feeling here anymore." She told him feeling a little more depressed now.
Peter could tell she was really down. He knew about Piotr and how the death of him, his sister and even her own father could make the holidays seem drab and depressing. "Well I don't want you spending the weekend alone in your room eating some microwave dinner brooding." He said to her and she stopped in her tracks wondering where he was going with this. "So why don't you join MJ, me and my Aunt May?"
This invitation shocked Kitty. "I-I don't know Peter, I mean I'm grateful for the invitation and all but isn't that a family thing?"
Peter smiled. "Friends and family yes." He put extra effort into the 'friends' part of what he said. "Besides in a way you are family." He leaned in close to her and whispered. "At least part of the spider family I guess you could say."
He straightened back up after that. "Besides I know MJ and May wouldn't mind having you over and besides it's just the three of us this year since MJ's side of the family is out of town, so you're more then welcomed."
"I don't know Peter..." Kitty said biting her lower lip.
He placed a hand on her shoulder. "At least think about it." He said to her.
"Alright...I'll think about it."
4th Period
Kitty was just finishing up her fourth period class in the computer room, the students were busy going through what she had just taught them about certain computer programs in the computers used for virus checking. She also had been slightly distracted seeing as she had been thinking about Peter's offer. Sure she liked Peter and MJ was a really good friend that she liked to hang out with at the regular girl's nights they had with the others.
She sat down behind her desk waiting for them to finish up going through the program and she looked down at the papers on her desk looking over he lesson plan, glad that she was on schedule. She looked up to make sure everyone was doing what they were supposed to but then her sight caught on to Sofia sitting at the desk just staring at the computer sadly.
When the bell rang she head over to her as the other students went to the other class. "Sofia can I talk to you?" Kitty said to her. The young girl nodded and sat back down at her desk. Kitty leaned on the one behind her with both hands. "What's wrong?" She asked getting to the heart of the matter.
"Nothing." Sofia said but she wasn't fooled by it for a minute.
"Bull." Kitty said and Sofia startled by this had her head sharply snap up to face her teacher. Kitty looked into her eyes and saw the same thing in them that she had been seeing in her own in the mirror. "Holiday blues huh?"
Sofia nodded. "I got no where to go now...now that my mom is gone." She said sadly.
Kitty bit her lower lip, she knew how hard this must be on the girl. 'She shouldn't be alone on the holidays, she's just a kid for crying out loud.' She thought to herself then an idea popped into her head. "Say I just got an invite to special get together...you want in?"
Sofia looked confused at the older woman, but when Kitty explained where it was she got a grin on her face.
After the last period class Peter finished packing things up in his suitcase and made to leave. He walked down the halls saying hello to the students that whished him a good Thanksgiving and was near the front door when someone called out his name. "Hey Peter wait up!" He turned and smiled as Kitty ran towards him.
"So what's the verdict?" He asked her.
"Well I'm in but there's a catch." She said to him and he raised an eyebrow.
THANKSGIVING DAYMJ and Aunt May were working in the kitchen finishing up a few of the finishing touches on the food while Peter had just finished setting up the table they would be using. "So one of your students is coming?" May asked him.
He nodded. "Yeah Sofia, she's got no where else to go and since she knows about me being Spider-Man, Kitty thought it would be okay to invite her."
May smiled at him. "Well I think it will be nice to meet one of your students, and it was a nice thing of you to ask Kitty to join us too."
Down the hall of the apartment Kitty was arriving with Sofia. It wasn't the first time for Sofia being here but it was still a little intimidating. Firstly this was the home of one of her teachers and it was also the home of Spider-Man himself. She still found it slightly amazing that Peter did that when not at school.
They got to the apartment and Kitty knocked. After a moment Peter's wife opened the door and let them in. Sofia had only met her briefly once but she was still amazed at the woman's beauty. She wasn't surprised by the fact she was a model and actress, she and her friends had even seen that play she was in on the weekend once.
She remembered how Josh had made a comment on how lucky any man would be to be with that red head. She smiled at remembering the look on his face when she said that was Mr. Parker's wife. It took most of her will power not to burst out laughing at his face that night.
Kitty thanked MJ for having them over. "Oh it's not a problem believe me." MJ said to her friend. "The more the merrier." She looked at Sofia then. "Nice to meet you again, Sofia isn't it?" She shook the young girl's hand.
"Y-yes I-I'm glad you remembered me." She blushed from the embarrassing way her voice betrayed her nervousness.
"Relax you're among friends here." MJ said smirking at her nervousness. "Well I better go and make sure everything is getting along fine, make yourselves at home."
Sofia and Kitty looked around the place, since they never got a chance to the last times they had been here. Kitty noticed a few of the pictures. She saw a young boy with two people, the man looked a lot like Peter and guessed that was his parents. She frowned at it, knowing that Peter had lost them not too long after this picture must have been taken.
She saw an older Peter with May and another man she guessed that was his Uncle...also gone. 'God he's lost so much.' Kitty couldn't help but think. Then she saw something that was strange. It was a more current picture of Peter but there was a man with his arm over Peter's shoulder in a friendly way. What was strange was that the man looked exactly like Peter only with blond hair.
She took the picture from its place and gave it a closer look. "What are you looking at?" Sofia asked her seeing that she was interested. "Hey I didn't know Mr. Parker had a twin brother!"
"I don't." Peter said solemnly to the two of them taking the picture gently from Kitty and placing it back on to its place. Peter sighed and sat down and motioned the others to do the same. "That was Ben Reily."
"Was?" Kitty said not liking how that sounded.
Peter nodded. "Yeah, he died over a year ago...from Norman Osborn the Green Goblin." Sophia gave a shudder. She had had nightmares of the Sinister Six and especially of the Green Goblin for over a week after they had kidnapped her and her friends.
"You see Ben was my clone." Peter began.
"You mean people can actually make clones now!" Sofia exclaimed surprised by the information.
"Actually you'd be surprised how often it happens." Kitty remarked. "There's this woman named Madelyn who is Jean's clone, but she's dropped from sight lately."
"No kidding even my Aunt was clones, but that's a long story." He told them then went on with the main story. "Well I won't bore you with the details, believe me it gets pretty weird and I try not to think about those events, but years ago I was cloned for the first time, yes first time there have been others but I think Kaine is the only one still out there, but he's been underground for years."
"Anyway, I thought he was dead, but for five years he'd been wondering and eventually we met up again. Anyway we sort of can to terms with things and he was actually the Scarlet Spider and for awhile took over for me when I temporarily lost my powers."
"So that's who that was." Kitty said. "I wondered where that other spider guy was and what had happened to him."
Peter nodded. "Yeah, well for a time we worked together and well...I know this is strange but we actually felt more like brothers. I know that's weird but I was an only child and having him around...well...it was nice, I mean Ben was basically me but a little different because of the years he spent as a drifter...but...at one point he was family to me...I felt like I had someone in this world that could understand me, and well...I liked having a 'brother' as it were...and I miss him."
Both women looked sadly at that. "I'm just glad May knows about my all my life now, since I don't have to hide that picture of him anymore." Peter told the young women.
May from the kitchen, which wasn't that far away so she had over heard this conversation. She was saddened by what she had heard. When Peter had told her about Ben, she had whished she had gotten to know him. 'That man Osborn has done too much to this family.' She thought darkly. 'First he kills Peter's first love, then he takes away MJ and Peter's child and then Ben...it isn't fair. My nephew has never done anything to deserve this, or anything else that he's lost in his life.'
Later on while Kitty and Peter were talking about some of the times they had met previously before he started teaching and comparing notes of all the stuff they had done, Sofia although found it all extremely interesting felt a little left out and went to the kitchen to see if she could help out.
May noticed her first and smiled kindly at her. Sofia couldn't help but smile, the older lady seemed to radiate a sense of calm and comfort from her. "Something the matter dear?"
"Oh no, nothing I'm just feeling a little left out with those two in there." She said. "I mean I've known I've been a mutant for only a couple of years and so far and I really can't compare the stuff I've gone through with them...well, maybe the Sinister Six thing but they were both involved in that."
May could understand the young lady. She herself had times when she couldn't believe the things her nephew had done in his life. "Well why don't you help out with us then?"
"Really?" To Sophia it would be nice, she had helped her mother prepare meals all the time and in some small way it would be nice to help out. Even though this wasn't her family she had been brought into their home and was made welcomed, so it was a way to help pay them back for their kindness.
She got started and she really enjoyed talking to Peter's aunt and wife. They were a great pair of people and they talked about school and how well Peter was doing there. She told them that he was doing great and in fact he was one of the more popular teachers too. She even told them how a few of the girls had crushes on him.
May seemed amused at that and MJ smiled at it too, since she had known about that from the girls at the Institute. "Well just remind them that he's got a wife at home and if they want him they'll have to go through me first." She joked both Sophia and May laughed.
"Well I think some of it is kind of the forbidden fruit kind of thing." Sofia said. "Well at least the Cuckooes are over it...well, sort of at least."
"Who?" May asked.
"These three sisters that look like the kids in that movie 'Children of the Damned', they used to have a crush on Peter and they still do, but you see they're crushing on Spider-Man now." Both May and MJ couldn't help but laugh at the irony of it. "Yeah you should see their books and their room. They got pictures of Peter in his Spider-Man suit all over with little hearts over the heads."
After the meal was ready and set up on the table they had gathered around and they had talked about some of the things they had seen or done in their lives.
"No way! She-Hulk did THAT to Hawkeye?" Sofia said passing the mash potatoes around.
Peter smiled as he was telling of his Avengers days. "Oh yeah, let's just say that he learned not to try THAT pick up line on her again."
"I'll say." MJ said shaking her head out of amusement. "I still wish she had won that trail you had against Jameson."
"I'm just happy Scott gave me the time off to go to trail." Peter admitted. "Although I was hoping that he would get the message and drop all that stuff he writes about me." Peter shrugged. "But I guess even if I had won he wouldn't stop."
"What IS it with that guy anyway?" Sofia asked.
"Who knows?" The adults all said. After everyone had got what they needed May had suggested that they say what they were thankful for.
"Well I'm thankful I'm back with Peter." MJ said holding his hand.
Peter smiled. "Me too, and for my new teaching job, it's different...but I like it."
May smiled at that. "Well I'm thankful for having the ability to share in my nephew's secret life."
Kitty was next up. "Well...I'm just glad not to be alone this time around, and for having new friends too."
Sofia was last and she thought about it all. "Well...I'm thankful for having new friends, and for you all for inviting me into your home for this."
"Well now that that is out of the way." Peter said to them all. "Let's eat." They all cheerfully started to dig into the food. They shared stories and laughter throughout the meal and after it.
Across the street a lone figure dressed all in black watched from afar on a roof over a block away, yet he would still see them from that far away with his eyes. He had on a long black leather coat, dark jeans and a matching long sleeve shirt. He carried a leather bag with the strap slung across his should under the coat.
What you couldn't miss was the five foot long broad sword somehow strapped to the back of the coat with the hit peeking up from over his right shoulder. He looked like an ordinary man, with brown hair and eyes, and nothing out of the ordinary.
But he was not ordinary. He hadn't been for millennia. He watched them and had heard them too and he couldn't help but feel a sadness coming over him. 'They've all suffered a great deal...I wish they didn't have to endure any more but nothing good is ever easy and the challenges they may and will face will not be easy for them.'
He turned to leave and took a few steps before stopping. Even though the cold of the night air didn't affect him he did feel a chill. He looked to the distance. "The dark storm gathers." He said mostly to himself his coat slightly flapping in the gentle wind.
He knew that something bad was coming, it was gathering its forces, preparing. "Well two can play it that game." He said with a confident smirk. He too had been planning, setting up his own players for whatever 'game' this force was playing at.
He knew things would get dangerous and he didn't know how much time there was, but he was glad he had planned ahead for this. He spent the last few years of this reality preparing things and they were almost ready.
He started to walk on to the shadows. This was where he worked best from, behind the scenes, helping those from the shadows, mostly without himself getting involved. He had made some very powerful enemies and usually if he had to get involved they would be able to find him and they were a lot worse then what was coming.
Besides, it was their world they should be the ones to defend it. He may be a Guardian but that didn't mean he had to do everything for them. As he reached the darkened area of the roof he passed into the shadows and disappeared.
NEXT UP CHAPTER 32: LAYING THE GROUND WORK
Okay let me just say that from here on out I'm going my own way. I don't get many X-titles or Spider-books lately and I'm already caught up, so from here on in it won't be exactly canon anymore. Besides I felt it was time to correct a few things that Marvel has done.
And the mysterious Guardian is an OC character of mine and is from Exiles that I'm writing with the Uncanny R-Man in the X-Men section, so if you want to know more about him you can read up on him there. The story 'Exiles' is under his account but there is a link to the story in my bio page.