qwerty: Oops sorry about that, and I am thinking of sending him there too, sort of a new, new teacher.
Aaron: Glad you liked the reactions so far, and I hope you like the X-Men reactions too. What makes you think it will be either Rachel or Betsy? Just curious and is there someone you'd prefer he be involved in?
Winblades: You haven't read anything in that long? Boy have you missed out on a lot. As for how I keep sending them out on this pace it's a combination of working on several stories at the same time, lots of free time and no life.
Teri: Good God, you actually stayed up till 4 in the morning? Whoa on the one hand I'm sorry you stayed up that late on the other it is kind of cool that someone would do that.
Star Lin: I'm sure you'll like their reactions and please feel free to look up my other stories or the one I co-author with The Uncanny R-Man called Exiles.
Spyder616: I'm thinking about doing that, that way they would have Peter for Science, Hank for math and Ben for Chemistry.
Lady Suneidesis: Tell me about it, I've thought the same thing a lot of times.
Ldypebsaby: I got a few ideas for Ben don't worry about it, but it does pose a problem with so many telepaths around doesn't it.
The Uncanny R-Man: Glad you liked their reunion, Angelo and Jubes will be a pleasant one, but then Warren and Besty's will be a little more difficult.
Thanks to: Bumpkin, Karakin, fire inu, Celtcath74
THE NEW TEACHERCHAPTER 35: WHERE DO WE GO FROM HERE?
Warren couldn't believe his eyes. He wasn't sure if he was seeing something real or if this was just another dream. He had dreams of Betsy coming back to him ever since their breakup and especially after her death, they all started with her coming back to him and they were going to be together and happy again but when he got close to her she vanished every time.
Betsy walked up to him slowly. "Warren...it's me...I'm back luv." She said quietly to him. Warren slowly reached up with his hand and touched her face thinking that if this was another of his dream she would be gone and he would wake up in his empty bed again. But when he touched her and she was still there he knew that this was real. There were no words all the feelings he had tried to bury and forget suddenly burst out of him like a broken damn and quickly hugged her close to him.
Betsy didn't hold back on the hug either and pulled him close. "I'm so sorry." She whispered to him.
He pulled away slightly. "Sorry for what?" Warren asked her.
"OH MY GOD!" Everyone turned to see Rachel standing there her mouth hanging open. It was her that had shouted out and she wasn't alone either. There was also Hank, who had taken off his glasses thinking he was seeing things, Emma who looked just impassive, Scott looking bewildered and then there was also Paige.
Paige however was looking at how close Warren was with someone he knew was once deeply in love with. And from the sight she could tell that he still felt for her. But now Paige was only thinking of one thing. How much did Warren care about Betsy? Did he care more about Betsy then her?
Warren saw the hurt look on Paige's face and was reminded of the time when Betsy openly flirted right in front of his eyes and pulled away suddenly from Betsy and looked to young blond. "Paige." Warren began but she didn't want to hear it, she just turned and ran. Warren took a few steps forward but stopped.
Just when his life was starting to go smoothly, now he had a problem to face. A woman he loved was back from the dead, but how had hurt him was here. Then there was the girl he cared for but not sure if it was love might leave him.
Warren sighed to himself. He started to walk off when they asked him where he was going, he just told them he needed to think on things. Betsy could understand that and she was also going to have to make a few tough choices, but not now.
Now she was having others gather around her asking questions and all happy to see her back. She wanted to focus on this moment at least until she needed to think of her future.
While this was going on Angelo was being led to a Rec. room and he saw her there talking to some of the other students. Even though he was walking up from behind her she knew that voice anywhere and silently crept up to her. He noticed she had changed her hairstyle and as some of the others students saw him he placed his index finger to his mouth as a signal for them to keep quiet.
Jubilee didn't notice anything until a pair of hands covered her eyes. "Guess who chica?" Skin said to her and she gasped.
"If this is someone's idea of a sick joke then knock it off!" She said angrily as the pain of her loss started to swell up in her. She figured someone was somehow using his voice and that angered her. She had watched someone she knew die and this wasn't funny.
"This is no joke Jubes." Skin told her and pulled away his hands. Jubilee saw the familiar gray skin and her heart froze in place.
"No...it...it can't be." She whispered. She slowly started to turn around and when she saw Angelo standing there alive and well her eyes nearly bulged out of her head and she held her breath.
"Guess what?" He asked her. "I'm back." Jubilee felt the tears falling from her face and without another word she jumped off the couch pouncing onto him hugging him close. They fell to the ground with her on top of him and she started to kiss him rapidly and repeatedly.
All the other kids were gawking at this sudden and to those who didn't know about Skin, unexplained actions. The Stepford Cuckoos however just grinned at the sight.
PARKER RESIDENCEPeter was in the kitchen with MJ getting a few more drinks for everyone, but also so they could talk amongst themselves. Ben and May were on the couch still talking. So far they had gotten the usual out of the way, like how he was alive and introductions.
May had asked him about his life and he had told her of the years he spent wondering the world looking for meaning to his life. Now he was at the point where he became the Scarlet Spider. "She's taking it well." Mary Jane said to Peter.
"Yeah, but given all that's gone on I think this isn't the biggest shock she's got so far." Peter said pulling a few drinks out of the fridge. "Plus I like that they're actually getting along and that they finally got to meet. He has all of my memories of her, but none of his own." Peter said slightly sadly.
He knew Ben knew everything he knew up to the moment they were cloned and sometimes he had thought what it was like going through life with memories that weren't your own. He knew it had to be difficult to say the least.
"Peter?" MJ asked him bringing him back to reality. "You seemed to be off somewhere."
He nodded. "Yeah...I was just thinking, nothing important come on let's get back to the others."
When they got back with the drinks May was the first to speak up. "So what are you going to do now?" She asked Ben.
He shrugged. "I honestly don't know. I mean I can't do the photography thing because Peter is too well known in this city and when I tried that it was at the one other paper that would hire me and since I just up and 'disappeared' I doubt they would have me back." He slumped down in his chair and sighed. "At least that guy gave me everything I needed to start a new life, but what I'm going to do? Well I have no idea."
"Not only that how will we explain you to other people?" May asked him.
"We had something for that a while ago." MJ told her. "They're just second cousins who shared the same father or something like that, something from my soap opera days."
"Actually MJ, there was a note that went along with all those documents." Ben told her. "He planted certain information that said that Peter's parents gave birth to twins but one of them disappeared."
"Let me guess." Peter said with a smirk. "That was supposed to be you?"
Ben nodded. "Yep. In fact it went into detail that me and Peter met up by accident and when we checked things out we found out we were long lost brothers."
MJ considered this. "You mean there's information that 'proves' all that? That guy seems thorough."
"Yeah...kind of scary when you think of all the stuff you have to do in order to get all that done." Peter said thinking out loud.
"Well why not teach?" May suddenly asked.
Ben turned to her. "What?"
"Teach. Like Peter does, since you do have the same skills right?"
"Well...yeah but where?" They all saw May's face. "Oh no. You can't be serious, I mean wouldn't that be a little...strange?"
May turned to Peter. "Didn't you say they were short handed?"
"Well...yeah...but-"
"Well why not? I mean you might like it and since you two have 'worked' together before this shouldn't be any different." May said ignoring Peter's try to dissuade her from this.
"Well...let's see how things work out, I mean if I try that there are going to be a LOT of questions. Plus the whole telepath thing might be a little hard to over come." Ben said then he thought of something. "Hey how did you do it?" He asked Peter.
"Before Xavier left he placed a few mental shields in my mind...but to tell the truth I'm not sure how long those things hold up...for all I know my thoughts are readable again, so I try not to think on anything related to that just in case."
Ben shook his head. "That's got to be rough being around all those telepaths with the kind of secrets you got."
"No kidding." Peter sighed.
"Well it's getting late I think." May said getting up. "And I should get back home." Ben stood up to her and May couldn't help but smile at the man. He looked and acted so much like Peter. She knew it had been a little lonely for Peter growing up an only child. This 'brother' was a good thing for her nephew's life. "It was good to finally meet you."
Ben smiled at finally being able to meet the woman that he knew so much about yet until this day had never met. "I'm glad I finally got to meet you too."
XAVIER INSTITUTE – THAT NIGHTBetsy was outside looking out into the night sky wondering how things were so different here. She settled into a room she was given, although it was pretty sparse at the moment, she vowed to hit the nearest mall in the morning. She also gave a call to her brother, he was of course overjoyed to hear that she was alive again and they had spent hours on the phone. In fact she wanted to see him as soon as possible, and see her sister in-law and their newborn baby.
She couldn't believe that she was an aunt now...god she felt old at the moment.
"Hey how are things?" Betsy turned to see Kitty and Rachel walking towards her.
She smiled and shrugged. "Well I'm not dead anymore, so that's a plus."
The other woman laughed a little at that. "So how are you...really?" Rachel asked seriously after sitting down.
Betsy sighed. "I should have known better then anyone that you can't hide anything from a telepath."
"You still have your telepathic powers? I thought you lost those." Kitty asked her.
She shook her head. "No I got that power back, I still have limited telekinetic powers too." She gestured to a small stone and there was a little purple glow on her hands as the rock floated. "I can make my psi-blades but nothing longer then the old 'dagger' one I started off with." To prove thisshe formed one on her right hand for a few seconds.
"I guess we need to find time for a Danger Room session to see what you can and can't do." Kitty said to the purple haired telepath.
"I guess so." She said but in a faraway voice.
"You're thinking of Warren aren't you?" Rachel said and then she saw the look Betsy was giving her she held up her hands. "Whoa, I wasn't peeking. It's all over your face." Betsy sighed and her shoulders slumped.
Kitty saw how depressed she looked. "Hey how about you join me and the girls tomorrow night? Come on it might cheer you up?"
"And you will go." Rachel added. "Even if we have to drag your ass there kicking and screaming."
Betsy snorted. "Fine then. Not like I got a bloody choice. Maybe getting smashed might help."
"That's the spirit." Rachel said and put an arm over her shoulder. "Plus you can meet MJ too."
Betsy looked confused. "Who?"
"Peter's wife, you know that new teacher guy." Rachael explained. "You'll like her. Hey! In fact you already got something in common, you were both models."
That intrigued her. "She was? Wait a minute. How does a teacher meet a model? And do I know her?"
"You ever heard of Mary Jane Watson-Parker?" Kitty asked.
Betsy tried to remember. It had been so long ago since she was in the modeling business, not to mention that was before she got her body switched to this Asian assassin's body. Then she remembered something. "Hey wasn't she on that soap?"
"Oh yeah she was. Remember the red head that got that cancer and that female doctor botched to the operation because she was having an affair with her husband?" Kitty asked her.
"Oh I loved that episode...so you guys really know her, and she's not anti-mutant or anything?"
"Nope." Rachel told her. "She's pretty cool actually."
Later that night Peter went out on a patrol of the city. Ben had said he would cover one half if Peter would cover the other, that way they could cover more ground and they wouldn't have to spend all night going in circles. Peter figured it was a good idea, since with Ben back in town he might be able to cut back a little and concentrate a little more on life.
Peter was swinging through the city looking for trouble of course when his spider sense suddenly went off. He stopped on a building and looked around quickly but then the warning stopped. "Oh crap...I really hate it when this happens." He muttered looking around. If his spider sense went off then something bad was going to happen to him, but if it just came and went then that was worse because now he wouldn't know if whatever danger was around was taken care of or just gone...or if it was no longer a direct threat to him.
The problem with that was his spider sense only worked on direct threats around him or to him. So if someone were tailing him from far enough away he wouldn't sense it until it was a personal danger to him. It was like Morlun all over again only the sensation wasn't as strong.
He decided to see if he was being tailed and quickly jumped off the building and decided to go on a wild ride and try his best to go as far and as fast as he could and try to force whatever it was out into the open. Unless he was just being paranoid, but then again if he considered his luck in life it was safer to be paranoid.
From the shadows a few buildings away something lurking in the depths of the darkness watched him. He knew it was risky to watch his prey but he needed to study it and make sure it was the correct one he had been searching for.
He knew his prey had sensed him and so he backed away pulling the shadows over him to hide himself from the world. He watched his prey go and decided to leave him. It would be a worthy adversary but also powerful, he would need allies and he knew of only one person that would help him. He chuckled to himself in an inhuman sound, a mixture of clicks and a graveling cackling sound.
He disappeared deep into the shadows to star gathering a party to hunt down the Spider.
NEXT UP CHAPTER 37: GIRLS AND VILLIANS
The girls go out and try and help Betsy out with her love life, while Norman Osborn gets an unwelcome visitor but one that will offer him help on defeating Spider-Man.