Disclaimer: I don't own the X-Men. Ilehana Xavier belongs to Corrinth. All
other characters belong to me.
A/N: Thank you to all my reviewers out there; you really are all stars.
Scene 07
I know it was totally pointless Vixen, The telepathic conversation between Vixen and Blaze had been going on virtually all morning. Ilehana, always so noble, was pretty disgusted like her father about how the X-Men had acted the night before. But at the same time, she sensed the change in Blaze's mindset, and so like a good scientist she was trying to find out why this was so. Nobodies' lives depended on it, the world was not going to end if we had got our backsides kicked, and that's exactly my point.
You're not making sense Blaze. Ilehana pointed out as they cut through the crowds of kids from opposite sides of the mansion, converging on the rec. room.
Do I ever? Blaze grinned in reply. Seriously though, since I nearly lost it everybody, including me has been treating me like some helpless victim. Like someone who needs sympathy, that you have to walk on thin ice to talk to, and I'm sick of it. I used to be a bitch, and last night proved I still am one. I'm still me, and I don't have to be a victim anymore.
Good for you. Ilehana was impressed, and genuinely happy at the change in Blaze. They entered the rec. room together, noting how busy it was with the TV turned up too loud. I'm glad...
"Hey Vixen, have you seen this?" Bobby called Ilehana over to the TV. The news was on, showing dodgy video camera footage of what looked like a very large animal trashing a campsite. "Its at the national park you were at, isn't it? One of your bears trying to get your attention?"
"No, I know the bears, they wouldn't..." Vixen winced as whatever it was overturned a car with barely a flex of his muscles.
"It looks like your mission has found you, Gambit." Xavier spoke evenly, only a slight frown betraying his continued disappointment in his team members. "Go with him, Ilehana, and see if you can make sense of this."
"Hey, wait just a minute." Logan objected, stepping forward with his arms folded. "They're calling this a 'Big Foot', you sure the two of 'em are enough for this job, Professor?"
"What Logan, you worried 'bout me not takin' care of the Vixen?" Gambit grinned lopsidedly. When would the Wolverine learn that he set himself up for this? Hopefully never, it was too much fun, and Vixen always rose to the ruse impeccably.
"That's exactly what I'm worried about, Gumbo." Logan snarled aggressively.
"That he won't take care of her," Blaze asked sweetly, "Or that he'll take too good care of Vixen for your taste Logan? Not jealous are we?"
"Gambit can take care of me all he wants, Logan." Ilehana did not appreciated being talked about as if she was somebody's property. Especially not Logan's, much as she loved him, she thought she'd got him better trained than this. "Question is, who we going to get to baby-sit you whilst we're away?" With that she turned and left, flicking her long hair back over her shoulder as Gambit followed, flashing Blaze a grin and making the Englishwoman shake her head in vague despair.
Blaze, phone's ringing. Was Ilehana's parting telepathic call, sending Blaze from the room too as Jubilee asked "Has anyone seen Colossus today? I thought he'd get up to wish Sian goodbye, but he's just missed her and Havoc..."
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"Good morning, Xavier School for Gifted Youngsters, how can I help you?" Blaze answered the phone in her best teacher's voice, perched on the edge of the desk in Xavier's office.
"You're a hard girl to track down, Blaze, I'll give you that much." The voice was male; the accent South African, Blaze knew him instantly.
"Lance? I don't understand, how did you... Why have you... Lance?"
In a scruffy office half the world away, a blond haired blue-eyed policeman sat at his desk, too warm in the afternoon heat and the confines of a pinstripe cotton shirt. Pinning the phone between shoulder and ear, he toyed with the wedding band on his finger as though it shielded him from the emotional trauma of talking to his ex-girlfriend. Eight years and Blaze still sounded as hot on the other end of the line as she ever had... But that was why he was doing this, wasn't it? A favour for someone he respected.
"Yeah, its me. As for the how," Lance swung his chair around and put his feet on the window ledge, staring out over Cape Town. "If that partner of yours has got so lazy to actually get caught not that long ago, I figured you wouldn't be far away from where the American cops had his current address. I mean, how stupid can you get, getting done for..."
"You don't know what you're talking about, Lance." Blaze was suddenly on the defensive. Gambit had never revealed what he had got himself in jail for, providing himself and Blaze a way out from under the threatening storm cloud that had been Alessandro Jacobi. And Blaze respected her long-term partner in crime too much to want to find out what had happened from anyone but him. It irked her that as simple as this, Lance had found them and knew things she didn't. She'd known dating a cop could never work out well.
"Hey, I know you well enough to know there's a long story involved, Blaze." Lance's eyes narrowed, defensive himself now. "I'm only calling as a favour. I've a folder just been put on my desk that might interest you."
"Yeah?" Blaze asked. "What?"
"Mercury's out."
Blaze nearly dropped the phone. "Since when?" She stuttered.
"Since today." Lance growled. "And nobody thought to tell the arresting officer, y'know? Promotions don't mean nothing around here sometimes."
"Promotions?" Blaze tried to dismiss the worrying news and concentrate on catching up with the gossip. "Congratulations. Anything else pressing you should be telling me about?"
"Aw, not much." Lance smiled, "Well, I'm married, and my baby daughter will be one soon."
Blaze wanted to coo over that, to go all motherly and reply that hers would be too. Her heart stopped briefly. Jessica would be one soon. Shaking her head, Blaze dragged herself back to the present.
"I'm glad, Lance. And thank you for the warning about Eloise; I'm sure it'll be fine. Take care of yourself, and your family, okay?" The lump in her throat made her voice quiver, made Lance wonder if perhaps them breaking up had been in Blaze's plans, or whether she'd once seen herself as his wife?
"Don't I get to know anything about what you're up to? You're living at a school now?"
"Qualified teacher right here." Blaze smiled. "And don't say I told you so, okay? Crime did pay, just in more ways than one, and this isn't just any ordinary school."
"As always Blaze, I believe you. Take care yourself, and tell Gambit I said he still owes me for that card game I beat him at." Lance took his feet off the windowsill and smiled.
"I know exactly what he'll say, but sure. Bye Lance, stay in touch."
The office door opened as Blaze put the receiver down heavily, all pretence of a smile dropping from her face. She nodded to the Professor as he drove his wheelchair into his office, and then made to exit before he could form any awkward questions. Unfortunately he wasn't alone, Matthew Cooper had just arrived to pick Xavier up for their latest venture, and pleased as Blaze would normally have been to see her friend, she just wasn't in the mood for politics.
"Hi Blaze." Matthew was dressed in what for him counted as casual gear, a shirt tucked into his jeans and no tie. He wasn't much older than Blaze, with smartly cropped light brown hair and quick hazel eyes, tall and slim- built. All this Blaze observed in a second before pushing past him and his obvious disappointment to leave the room. "What did I do?" Matthew asked Xavier, who shook his head sadly.
"Nothing, Matthew." Xavier liked Matthew a great deal, could see the boy's potential even if he had doubts about it himself. But Blaze was the type of girl who could bring down presidents. "Blaze hasn't been herself recently, don't take it personally. Now, to business..."
A/N: Thank you to all my reviewers out there; you really are all stars.
Scene 07
I know it was totally pointless Vixen, The telepathic conversation between Vixen and Blaze had been going on virtually all morning. Ilehana, always so noble, was pretty disgusted like her father about how the X-Men had acted the night before. But at the same time, she sensed the change in Blaze's mindset, and so like a good scientist she was trying to find out why this was so. Nobodies' lives depended on it, the world was not going to end if we had got our backsides kicked, and that's exactly my point.
You're not making sense Blaze. Ilehana pointed out as they cut through the crowds of kids from opposite sides of the mansion, converging on the rec. room.
Do I ever? Blaze grinned in reply. Seriously though, since I nearly lost it everybody, including me has been treating me like some helpless victim. Like someone who needs sympathy, that you have to walk on thin ice to talk to, and I'm sick of it. I used to be a bitch, and last night proved I still am one. I'm still me, and I don't have to be a victim anymore.
Good for you. Ilehana was impressed, and genuinely happy at the change in Blaze. They entered the rec. room together, noting how busy it was with the TV turned up too loud. I'm glad...
"Hey Vixen, have you seen this?" Bobby called Ilehana over to the TV. The news was on, showing dodgy video camera footage of what looked like a very large animal trashing a campsite. "Its at the national park you were at, isn't it? One of your bears trying to get your attention?"
"No, I know the bears, they wouldn't..." Vixen winced as whatever it was overturned a car with barely a flex of his muscles.
"It looks like your mission has found you, Gambit." Xavier spoke evenly, only a slight frown betraying his continued disappointment in his team members. "Go with him, Ilehana, and see if you can make sense of this."
"Hey, wait just a minute." Logan objected, stepping forward with his arms folded. "They're calling this a 'Big Foot', you sure the two of 'em are enough for this job, Professor?"
"What Logan, you worried 'bout me not takin' care of the Vixen?" Gambit grinned lopsidedly. When would the Wolverine learn that he set himself up for this? Hopefully never, it was too much fun, and Vixen always rose to the ruse impeccably.
"That's exactly what I'm worried about, Gumbo." Logan snarled aggressively.
"That he won't take care of her," Blaze asked sweetly, "Or that he'll take too good care of Vixen for your taste Logan? Not jealous are we?"
"Gambit can take care of me all he wants, Logan." Ilehana did not appreciated being talked about as if she was somebody's property. Especially not Logan's, much as she loved him, she thought she'd got him better trained than this. "Question is, who we going to get to baby-sit you whilst we're away?" With that she turned and left, flicking her long hair back over her shoulder as Gambit followed, flashing Blaze a grin and making the Englishwoman shake her head in vague despair.
Blaze, phone's ringing. Was Ilehana's parting telepathic call, sending Blaze from the room too as Jubilee asked "Has anyone seen Colossus today? I thought he'd get up to wish Sian goodbye, but he's just missed her and Havoc..."
xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
"Good morning, Xavier School for Gifted Youngsters, how can I help you?" Blaze answered the phone in her best teacher's voice, perched on the edge of the desk in Xavier's office.
"You're a hard girl to track down, Blaze, I'll give you that much." The voice was male; the accent South African, Blaze knew him instantly.
"Lance? I don't understand, how did you... Why have you... Lance?"
In a scruffy office half the world away, a blond haired blue-eyed policeman sat at his desk, too warm in the afternoon heat and the confines of a pinstripe cotton shirt. Pinning the phone between shoulder and ear, he toyed with the wedding band on his finger as though it shielded him from the emotional trauma of talking to his ex-girlfriend. Eight years and Blaze still sounded as hot on the other end of the line as she ever had... But that was why he was doing this, wasn't it? A favour for someone he respected.
"Yeah, its me. As for the how," Lance swung his chair around and put his feet on the window ledge, staring out over Cape Town. "If that partner of yours has got so lazy to actually get caught not that long ago, I figured you wouldn't be far away from where the American cops had his current address. I mean, how stupid can you get, getting done for..."
"You don't know what you're talking about, Lance." Blaze was suddenly on the defensive. Gambit had never revealed what he had got himself in jail for, providing himself and Blaze a way out from under the threatening storm cloud that had been Alessandro Jacobi. And Blaze respected her long-term partner in crime too much to want to find out what had happened from anyone but him. It irked her that as simple as this, Lance had found them and knew things she didn't. She'd known dating a cop could never work out well.
"Hey, I know you well enough to know there's a long story involved, Blaze." Lance's eyes narrowed, defensive himself now. "I'm only calling as a favour. I've a folder just been put on my desk that might interest you."
"Yeah?" Blaze asked. "What?"
"Mercury's out."
Blaze nearly dropped the phone. "Since when?" She stuttered.
"Since today." Lance growled. "And nobody thought to tell the arresting officer, y'know? Promotions don't mean nothing around here sometimes."
"Promotions?" Blaze tried to dismiss the worrying news and concentrate on catching up with the gossip. "Congratulations. Anything else pressing you should be telling me about?"
"Aw, not much." Lance smiled, "Well, I'm married, and my baby daughter will be one soon."
Blaze wanted to coo over that, to go all motherly and reply that hers would be too. Her heart stopped briefly. Jessica would be one soon. Shaking her head, Blaze dragged herself back to the present.
"I'm glad, Lance. And thank you for the warning about Eloise; I'm sure it'll be fine. Take care of yourself, and your family, okay?" The lump in her throat made her voice quiver, made Lance wonder if perhaps them breaking up had been in Blaze's plans, or whether she'd once seen herself as his wife?
"Don't I get to know anything about what you're up to? You're living at a school now?"
"Qualified teacher right here." Blaze smiled. "And don't say I told you so, okay? Crime did pay, just in more ways than one, and this isn't just any ordinary school."
"As always Blaze, I believe you. Take care yourself, and tell Gambit I said he still owes me for that card game I beat him at." Lance took his feet off the windowsill and smiled.
"I know exactly what he'll say, but sure. Bye Lance, stay in touch."
The office door opened as Blaze put the receiver down heavily, all pretence of a smile dropping from her face. She nodded to the Professor as he drove his wheelchair into his office, and then made to exit before he could form any awkward questions. Unfortunately he wasn't alone, Matthew Cooper had just arrived to pick Xavier up for their latest venture, and pleased as Blaze would normally have been to see her friend, she just wasn't in the mood for politics.
"Hi Blaze." Matthew was dressed in what for him counted as casual gear, a shirt tucked into his jeans and no tie. He wasn't much older than Blaze, with smartly cropped light brown hair and quick hazel eyes, tall and slim- built. All this Blaze observed in a second before pushing past him and his obvious disappointment to leave the room. "What did I do?" Matthew asked Xavier, who shook his head sadly.
"Nothing, Matthew." Xavier liked Matthew a great deal, could see the boy's potential even if he had doubts about it himself. But Blaze was the type of girl who could bring down presidents. "Blaze hasn't been herself recently, don't take it personally. Now, to business..."