Kaliann: Yeah, with Mystique's powers, being intimate with someone can be really inventive. I think her kids were a bit sick at the thought of their mother getting laid no kid wants to know that. Yep, Emma has finally got things to be proud of. Well they'll be shocked about August to say the least.
The Uncanny R-Man: I liked that first scene too and I think it was nice of her to take that form for him. Yeah, but you got to admit Kurt/Rogue finding that out was priceless. Yep, you know Emma alright and you'll see just how close August/Amara get very soon. And yeah well given who her mother was can you blame me for giving August that bad of a life?
Doza: Well, everyone will be really shocked by August that's for sure, you got to admit the Rogue/Kurt/Slayer part was still pretty funny.
KSimonT-X: Yeah, I think it was one of the more memorable ones cause she allowed him a moment with 'Layla' and he made her natural form feel beautiful. That was definitely not the way for them to learn of their mother's 'activities' that night. Yep, and thanks for helping us make it one of the largest.
Jenskott: Well, I guess her turning into 'Layla' is up for personal opinion. But when her kids found out about that and in one of the worst ways has to be one of the funniest things I ever read. I wanted to put in a little Romy banter the story needed it more and it was the perfect time. Yeah, a story where Jean/Emma get along has to have certain things mainly no competing over Scott. It's Nova Roman not New Rome, but yeah Amara will be shocked.
Mark C: I agree, Jack and Raven did help each other out there. We just had to have that bit with Kurt and Rogue it was too good to pass up. Yeah, it was time to reveal more about August in this chapter to both the X-Men and the readers.
RogueBHS: Yeah, I think it said in the last chapter Rogue was thinking about a mind wipe of that whole thing lol, but boy Kurt and Rogue will never look at Jack the same that's for sure.
Coldqueen: Yeah, well that's why I borrowed August from R-Man just because she was Selene's daughter. Well a few people thought about Slayer/Mystique too, oh sooner or later that will get out with the Romy stuff.
Sparky Genocide: Actually I like the mental image of her naked lol, but yeah what a way for them to find out. Yep, that's how her mother is man you should see who her father is.
ViciousAssassin: Yeah, the next time she talks with her kids will be awkward to say the least, glad you liked that part with Emma and the girls. It was time to show more about August there and you can bet there will be a little fallout about this.
GothikStrawberry: Yeah, it was priceless, I completely forgot about that scene in that movie. Well at least a few people will be surprised by August's revelation.
Thanks to: Qullian, X00001, Simba317, band20, Inantiodromia, Redshirt no. 47, Kiarda, malewis
Hellfire and Brimstone
CHAPTER 73: REAL LIFE SOAP OPERA
There an utter silence in the room after August's last statement. Everybody but Slayer was surprised at this, but then again he had known from the start, but it hadn't been his place to say anything. It was her past and he wasn't going to say anything about it. Beside he saw that she was a good person and didn't mean them any harm either so he just kept his mouth shut.
It was Xavier that broke the silence, "Your mother?" he asked her and his composure was lost a bit from the shock of this. Although this did fit with part of a prophecy he had come across about a mother and daughter and how the daughter would slay the mother to save to world, or something to that regard he would have to look at his notes to be sure.
She nodded and sighed, "My full name is Augusta Anyanka Emmanuella Gallio, and my mother is Selene Gallio."
Sage tried to recall any information she had stored in her head, but she never once heard Selene mention a daughter, "I never knew she had a daughter."
August nodded, "Yeah, well she didn't like to talk much about her personal life and I was a great disappointment to her, given I didn't follow in her footsteps. So just so you know I am nothing like her and I hope by now you all know that."
"I think so far you have proven that you are nothing like your mother and I sense no deception in you about this," Xavier told her trying to put everyone a bit more at least.
"Trust me, if she were a threat I would have dealt with her a long time ago," Slayer spoke up and they all knew that wasn't an idle threat either. "Besides if she was like her mother, she wouldn't have helped out with Jean like she did."
That was still kind of a sore spot for him because if she hadn't been there, not only would have pulling the demon out been harder but she had stopped him from making a very large mistake.
"Yes I believe her," Jean told everyone, because like the professor she didn't sense anything hostile about her and in the short time she had been here Jean had spoken with her a few times. She was a likable person maybe a little hardened but after hearing her story now she knew why.
Rogue sighed to herself. Even though Selene was her least favorite person in the world, she knew what it was like to find out that our mother wasn't exactly a nice person. Hell Rogue had tried to kill Mystique once herself when she thought that stone statue had actually been her. But now things were slowly starting to be different. She was seeing her as less and enemy and more of a mother. After all that, they had been through she had seen true evil and sure her mother may not be a saint but then again she at least had limits it seemed.
She still couldn't have eye contact with her that image of her and Jack was still slightly disturbing. She looked at Kurt and saw the understanding in his eyes, for he also knew where August was coming from.
As for Amara, she was just in total shock. Selene was the most hated person in her people's long history. She was the most vile and evil name, a name no parent ever gave to their child, a name that was considered to be a curse to speak it out loud. Looking at August, she could see the resemblance now. There in the hair, the cheekbones, the chin her eyes were different but she could see a bit of Selene's features there only August wasn't cold and rigid. It was just so much to process, the girl she had grown close to and had opened up was the daughter of most likely one of the most evil people in the world.
Amara needed some air to think and just quietly sneaked out of the room. No one noticed except for August, but she was busy telling them what happened after she was free. Her heart sank a bit when Amara left, but she would talk to her later she hoped.
"Anyways I was living on the run, I was still pretty messed up back then with all those memories in my head…But someone found me and took me in and helped me through it."
"Who was this child?" Ororo asked her curious.
"His name is Dr. Stephen Strange."
"Oh him," Slayer nodded he had met that man several times. In fact, in his line of work, he met people like him, Ghost Rider, Blade, Hellcat and others that deal with all the paranormal stuff. "He's Earth's Sorcerer Supreme. Basically he's Earth's chosen mystical guardian and one of the few people that match me in magic."
"Yeah, now that you mention it, I'm kind of wondering why he hasn't shown up," August was confused about that normally he would know about stuff like this, "He's usually the first to know about something like hell trying to reclaim the Earth."
That also got Slayer curious but he had a theory, "He's most likely kept busy. When something like this happens the players in both Above and Below tend to get involved. I wouldn't be surprise if hell is sending its agents here against him and others to keep them busy and level off the playing field."
"Okay am I the only one that feels a bit freaked that all this is happening that we don't know about and that this is being played like some kind of game?" Warren asked looking around but saw no one really object, "Okay then just checking to see. Glad I'm not the only one here."
The questions still went on, but August just answered as best she could after it she was feeling a bit drained. At least everyone here didn't seem too freaked out. She knew it would just take getting used to but she could tell a few of them were sympathetic to her so that was nice. She wrapped up that dagger and hurried to place it back in her room. She really didn't want it out in the open or let alone holding it. She reached her room and placed it back in its place now there was only one thing left to do. Find Amara and see how she's dealing with this.
Amara was over looking the lake again to just clear her head. She knew that August was a good person. She had talked with her gotten to know her so why was this hard to accept? She knew that family was a tricky force and she still remembered when Rogue found out about Mystique and how even more reserved she had been for over a week after that. She just wished things would at least get easier for her just once. She sighed and guessed that would never happen.
She was just getting used to the idea when she heard someone walking up to her she turned her head and saw it was August, "You have any idea how hard it is to find a specific person in this place?"
Amara knew she was trying to break the ice with a joke but she could see the nervousness in the other girl. But Amara did give a small smile.
August sat down on the grass next to her and they both just sat there in silence, "Is this going to be a problem with us now?"
Amara had been thinking on that but she pretty much had come to a conclusion, "Well, I'll admit it was shocking and well…I'm still trying to wrap my head around it…But I don't think so." August was very relieved by that, "I am glad that you included me in that. It really means a lot and if I had heard that second hand then I might not have been as accepting, but you know where I'm coming from with that."
August nodded, her mother had been a vicious dictator of Amara's homeland for generations before she was eventually banished. The number of atrocities there would be mind blowing to count. She was thankful that Amara was being open minded about this, "Well there is a reason I wanted you there, I…Well Amara over the past week I've been getting to know you and the others, but I just really like you."
She smiled at that, "I like you too. You're a very good friend."
August's face kind of dropped a bit, "That's nice but…Well…When I said I like you I mean…More then a friend…"
She didn't look at Amara, but it was true. While on the road, she had taken both a couple of men and woman to bed just to see what it was like. The men were okay, but strangely she had enjoyed the women more…Okay so she had only two, but still.
Amara wasn't like anyone else. She had this exotic beauty to her and grace. She was so kind to her and then there was the fire thing. August had always had a thing for fire, maybe because of her powers, but she just found Amara's ability to turn into living fire kind of a…Turn on as strange as that sounded. She looked like a fire goddess in that form.
"So…You're attracted to me?" Amara was surprised by that, although truth being she too found August attractive.
"You don't sound repulsed by that."
Amara smiled and shrugged, "Well I didn't tell you this, but I'm bisexual. And just between you and me, I used to have a crush on both Sam and Tabitha before they started dating that is."
"Really?" August had on an amused smile, "That could have been very kinky."
"Oh shut up," Amara smiled and playfully hit her arm. Both girls ended up laughing mainly from just the stress of it all being let loose. Then it was August who looked at Amara with a smile.
"So."
"Yeah…So…"
August moved in closer, "So if you like me and I like you…Shouldn't we do something about that?"
"Uh…like what?" Amara said a bit nervous at this.
August only smiled as she leaned in and kissed Amara lightly on the lips. Amara kissed back lightly and brushed her cheek with her hand as August returned the favour the kiss getting slightly deeper. August also noticed that Amara's skin was warm, warmer then normal and it felt very nice. They eventually broke the kiss and both young women smiled at each other as they looked into each other's eyes. They could both tell that this could be the beginning of something very special and both wondered just where this would lead.
Although Amara was also thinking that if this became a very serious relationship, she hoped that when she introduced her to her parents one day they wouldn't freak out of who her mother was. The uproar that could cause in the palace she wouldn't look forward too, but to hell with that. She liked August and she wanted to see where this would lead to. Everyone it seemed was pairing up lately and she didn't want to be the only one left alone and unloved.
-Danger Room-
The X-Men were doing some of the new training sessions that Slayer had just finished to program in with Beast's help. They were in what looked like a rundown deserted town at night, kind of a really creepy feeling too as the place was a ghost town. They had split up into teams as they searched through the small town.
In one group Mayhem was with Scarlet Witch and Gambit.
"Man dis place gives Gambit de willies. Reminds me o' this old hag dat used to live near de Bayou. Everyone said she was a witch and would put a hex on you if you tried to mess wit her. None of de animals seem to go near her place and it was all quiet like here."
"I like her already," Wanda smirked at him.
"Don't be messin' wit de real witches and de voodoo ladies Wanda," Remy told her seriously. Growing up in New Orleans, he learned not to cross those types some were just fakes but the thing was sometimes it was hard to tell the fakes from the real deal.
"Hey, in case you forgot, Agatha was a real witch you know," she said back to him, for it had been Agatha that had helped her to control herself enough to function let alone her powers, "And what about you Vince? What's you're take on all this magic stuff?"
"Wanda, so far in the past several months I've been tortured, nearly lost my mind, met two different types of immortals, cyborg mercenaries, real magic, met a man that has died and come back, proof that there is an after life and heaven and hell. I've fought demons and other monsters that the world considers nothing more then myths and I'm getting married and about to be a father…The only thing that hasn't happened yet it us meeting aliens."
Remy shrugged, "He's got a point. It had been very eventual non?"
Wanda had to nod at that it had been very hectic and so much had changed.
"You know what?" Wanda thought about all of this, "I think if a fucking UFO just crash landed in the yard no one here would bat an eye after all this crap we've been through."
She noticed Vince just froze and said a few things in what sounded like Japanese to her, and from the tone she guessed it was him cursing. "What?"
"Take a look," he sighed and there on a sigh written in red was the word 'CROATOAN' over it.
"So?" Gambit asked to him it sounded like some type of Native American word or something.
"Slayer is either given us a heads up or this is one sick joke," Vince sighed and looked at the others so he guessed he would explain. "Back in about 1590, there used to be a colony on Roanoke Island it's somewhere near Carolina."
"Used to be?" Wanda raised an eyebrow.
He nodded with a grim expression, "See that year when the supplies came, the crews of the ship found the entire settlement abandoned. All their stuff was still there, and in fact some places just looked like they were getting ready to eat or were just doing their own thing when they just suddenly dropped everything. They just disappeared without a trace, all of them. The only clue was on a tree that carved into it was the word Croatoan."
They all looked around at the deserted town and it was Wanda that spoke, "Great…Now not only is he trying to be a hard ass, he's trying to scare the shit out of us too."
In another part of town Jean was with Warren and Kurt as they were near a residential area with a church. Although for Kurt the place didn't seem like a place for worship there was just this darkness about the area.
"Well I will say this, Slayer sure knows how to set the mood," Warren commented looking around the area.
Jean had to agree but something caught her eye, she thought she saw movement on the church, but she couldn't be sure.
"Did anyone see anything just now? Up there on the steeple?"
They looked but the clouds had covered the moon so it was pretty dark at the moment. Kurt's eyes were used to it and if it wasn't for the red on his uniform and his eyes then he too would be hard to see. Kurt was in his element right now and as he strained his eyes he thought he saw something.
"Ja I zhink so. I'm going to take a look so vatch mien back ja?"
"You got it Kurt," Angel nodded and readied himself for anything. Kurt ported up to the top and looked around all he saw were a few gargoyle statues. He was about to go back when his ears picked up something. He turned and suddenly found that the 'statues' weren't statues at all. One of the creatures took a swipe at him and Kurt stumbled back falling.
Jean heard him cry out and reached out to find him in the darkness and then slowed him down enough for him to teleport to safety. Warren took to the skies as soon as Kurt was falling so by the time he got to the top three of the creatures were in flight as well. He dodged them in the air as Jean looked around for something and saw the spiked metal fence and got an idea.
"Angel, lead them this way!" she called out as he dove towards them.
Jean, with her mind ripped off several of the spikes making them into metal spears. Warren saw this and knew what she had planned at the last moment he did a quick turn as Jean flung them at him. They missed and impaled into the gargoyles.
By now everyone was fighting off some type of creatures. Psylocke who was now carrying katanas into battle since they would help was with Cyclops and Shadowcat. She was moving between the creatures that came out of the shadows, they are slow moving and looked like they were made out of moss with red glowing eyes. She danced between their attacks thankful again that her new body had such speed and grace to it as she sliced her way through them.
Scott was holding them off as best he could with Kitty. Over the weeks Kitty had been taking the training very seriously. She always had felt like one of the weakest members and she was sick of it. She remembered her helplessness in the Hellfire Club dungeon and in Sinister's lab. She was sick of being the damsel in distress and she had taken to learning more combat training from Logan, Slayer, Vince, and Betsy.
Piotr supported her and helped her with weight training actually. He had always told her that she had strength that she didn't use and now she wanted to prove him right. She now had a pair of sais that she got on loan from Vincent. He had been helping her train with the weapons since they were lethal, but turned around could also be non-lethal.
At the moment she was phasing through attacks and then cutting her way through with a counter. She had tried to kick, but nearly ended up with her foot stuck in that creature. Scott then told them to not get in too close or use physical attacks. By then they figured out that if you cut away at them enough they fall and stay down.
In the park, Rogue and Colossus had their hands full with what looked like a pack of werewolves. Thankfully, their skin was too tough for the creature to claw or bite through them. Although their uniforms were a bit shredded in certain areas, they were still going on strong. A few of them tried to all pounce on Colossus but the mighty Russian giant tossed them all aside.
Rogue was fighting as hard as she could. Jack had told them that when fighting things like this, it was necessary not to hold back at all or the only outcome would be death. So she smashed in faces, caved in chests, snapped bones she did anything to make sure they stayed down. She even ripped out a young, but sturdy tree and used it as a giant club. By the end the few that could still walk in the pack ran off.
Back with Mayhem and his group they came across a graveyard when the dead started to come out of the graves.
"Great looks like we get the Night of the Living dead," Wanda said and threw hex bolts at the corpses causing things like limbs that were strained to hold together suddenly break and fall off.
"I hate horror movies," Vince said blasting the heads off of them. He may not like horror movies but he knew that taking the head off zombies should take them out.
Gambit wiped out his new staff. It was just like his old one and he had thanked Hank for the few upgrades to the original. He swept it in an arch to move back the zombies trying to swarm him and with a headstone flipped over them and used his cards to blow them up to pieces. He looked around and saw that there were a lot more to do but grinned. He had backed a few extra decks in his duster just in case and he had more then enough cards to spare.
After about an hour, the mutants had gathered in the town square as they were all a bit tired, but since the simulation hadn't ended so they figured there were more left.
"Anyone have any idea how many more of these monsters we have to go through?" Warren asked resting his wings a bit.
"I have no idea, but I get the feeling Slayer will throw at us something major for a finale," Cyclops looked around scanning the area. He figured all that was just the warm up given that Jack tended to push them to their limits and then beyond them. Suddenly a rumbling sound could be heard and done the main street what looked like a small army that could have been out of the Lord of the Rings movies was there.
Gambit turned to Scott for a moment, "Gambit hates it when you are right."
"Oh bloody hell," Psylocke said readying her weapons she knew this wouldn't be easy.
"So what?" Rogue asked seeing all of this, "Half of us take tha hundred on the left while tha others take tha other hundred on the right?"
A large dragon like creature was seen flying through the air and Mayhem grinned to himself and charged one of his hands with a crimson glow of energy. He flattened his hand and a long energy blade was formed. "I don't know about the rest of you…But personally, I want to slay the dragon up there."
Up in the control room Emma sat as she watched what was going on. She was wishing she was down there. She felt like she should be down there with them. They were her team, and her friends and she knew that when the final battle was on that she wouldn't be in the front lines and it was making her angry. Just because she was pregnant people were starting to treat her like she couldn't take care of herself.
She and Vince had a small fight about this and in the end he had told her that he knew she could take care of herself if she was in top condition, but she was carrying their child and last time both she and the baby could have been killed. She hated to admit it, but he had been right. What if they fought and even if she lived, she got hurt and lost their baby? She placed a hand over her stomach where their child was and she was suddenly very afraid. She had lost a lot, but one of the few things she couldn't stand to lose was the baby.
Jack was overseeing the training as he watched on along with Logan and Ororo. Ororo looked at Emma who seemed lost in thought. She walked over to her and sat down, "Emma is something bothering you?"
Emma gave a sigh, "I just wish I would be part of this. It just isn't right that I'm on the side lines."
Ororo placed a hand on the young woman's shoulder, "Yes I know. I would feel the same in your position."
Emma gave a weak smile, "I know…I just wish there was something I could do to help. I have to find a way Ororo. The only friends I've ever had, my love and that father of my child, will be facing death without me. This place…It's become my home and everyone here…They're more family to me then my own one."
"And you want to help protect it. Believe me, we all feel the same."
Emma nodded, there had to be some way that she could help she just knew that there had to be.
Kitchen – Sage/Ororo/Mystique
Early next morning, Ororo and Sage were down in the kitchen preparing the usual breakfast buffet for the others. They were both wearing robes, having spent some 'quality time' with their respective lovers last night, so naturally they were in a good mood. And after all the turmoil surrounding Jack and August, it was certainly a welcome feeling.
It was difficult at times dealing with all this dark premonitions and startling revelations, but they were managing as best they could for the most part. August seemed to be getting plenty of support from Amara and even Jack seemed to be lightening up somewhat…Although nobody was quite certain why. That is…Except maybe Kurt and Rogue, who were acting a little peculiar lately. But as long as it wasn't too serious, they didn't see the need to worry too much. After all, given the state of the mansion, chaos was to be expected. It was simply a means of finding ways to deal with it.
"Hoo boy…Eight hours in bed and I'm still tired," said Sage, stretching her tired, and somewhat sore, limbs as she sat in the chair while some of the sausages cooked, "Better put extra cream in my coffee, Ro."
"You've got it!" said Ororo as she handed her friend a cup, "I suppose I could use some too."
"I take it Logan kept you up again," grinned Sage as she took a few sips of her coffee, hoping the caffeine would help wake her up.
"What can I say? That healing factor of is goes a long way," she shrugged, unable to keep herself from smiling in response.
"You sure don't seem to mind."
"Who said that I minded? And I take it things were the same with Hank."
"Oh yes you know it, Ro…" proclaimed Sage proudly, amazed at how someone so intellectual could be such a beast in the bedroom, "I guess we both kind of have the taste for animal lust, who knew?"
"Yes, I suppose so…But I guess once you cross that threshold, there's no going back."
"The evidence certain seems so, my friend." Sage nodded with a small smile as she sipped her coffee. Although through her cool face inside she was just giddy at times with the things she and Hank did. And not just the sex sometimes she felt like a high school student who was dating the all star football player. It was like a dream to find man that could keep up with her in a conversation and also sexual satisfy her in ways only he seemed to.
The two friends tapped their mugs with smiles dominating both of their faces. Then, just as they were finishing the last few sips of their coffee, Mystique made her entrance, looking surprisingly chipper, especially for someone of her character.
"Good morning," she said, sauntering into the kitchen, wearing an expensive looking red robe that matched her hair perfectly, indicating that she probably shifted it, "Got any of that coffee left? I don't know about you two, but I am in some serious need of a boost this morning."
The two women looked at the shape shifter as if she had grown a second head. For one, she was smiling…Another thing was that she actually sounded happy instead of the bitter, cynical woman everybody was familiar with…And lastly, and most disturbingly, she was walking very awkwardly. It was a walk that both Ororo and Sage knew all too well and it didn't take long for them to put two and two together. But still…They just couldn't believe it. This was Mystique…The angry woman who once blew up the mansion, fought with the Brotherhood, and had a rather shady past to say the least. Granted, she had managed to gain some acceptance throughout the mansion after showing how dedicated she was to making amends with her kids and starting anew. But in seeing that funny walk…They knew that something had to be going on and they were determined to find out what.
"What are you looking at?" she said, feeling their awkward gazes as she poured herself some coffee, trying to maintaining her upbeat mood but she hated being stared at, it just brought back a lot of unpleasant memories.
"Mystique…You do realize that you're acting uncharacteristically chipper this morning, do you?" said Ororo, unable to keep herself from laughing somewhat at such a sight.
"Oh please, Ororo…Call me Raven," she said, she didn't want to ruin this mood and she figured it was time to try and be a bit more civilized to them all. After all she may end up staying here at this rate, "And yes, I know. Why? Is there something wrong with being in a good mood?"
"Of course not, but it's not so much your mood that disturbs us…It's that funny looking walk of yours," said Sage, having been very familiar with such a walk after enduring the rigorous lovemaking that Hank so often gave her.
Mystique couldn't help but flash the two women a suggestive grin…One that only further hinted at just how much things had changed for her. It was profound enough that Jack had made love to her one night…But to experience it again last night with the same intensity, vigor, and passion was just something that Raven couldn't help but smile at. Add to that, Jack really made her feel good inside…And not just in a sexual sense. The way he held her, the way he talked to her, and the way he guided her through this dramatic transition in her life was just beyond anything she had ever experienced.
The last person to make her feel so special had been Irene, she missed her but she had been in hiding for a while and she knew that Irene would contact her. Although Jack was proving to help fill the loneliness during the nights at least.
Her mood definitely showed and she made no attempts to hide it. But that only further aroused the suspicions of the two women, who still found this very disturbing.
"What can I say?" the shape shifter shrugged as she casually leaned up against the counter, "After last night, I'm still very sore."
"Oh my…" said Ororo, blushing at this startling revelation.
"Ha! I knew it!" exclaimed Sage in a triumphant voice she just knew that all the evidence mounted up to this, "You got some, didn't you?"
"Oh yes…I most certainly got some…I got a lot actually," she said, her grin never waning.
"But with who?" asked Ororo, thinking that there couldn't be a whole lot of people she could have done it with.
"Who else? The finest of the fine male specimens in the world…Jack Robinson," she proclaimed, sounding so proud and upbeat, feeling way too good to care.
Sage and Ororo nearly spit out their coffee upon hearing that one. Their eyes were wide with shock as they looked back at a very amused looking Mystique, finding it hard to process in many ways. This was Mystique here…And to learn that she slept with Jack of all people was quite a bombshell. Then again, it would explain why Jack seemed to be getting a little better lately since he told his story. And they knew all too well what the effects of great sex could have on someone.
But still…That didn't make it any less shocking. Mystique had slept with Jack…And that was something that took some serious time to process on their part.
"No way!" said Sage, shaking her head in disbelief, "No fucking way!"
"You had sex with Jack?" said Ororo, finding it very hard to believe.
"Twice…" grinned Raven.
"Twice!" exclaimed Sage, her eyes widening again, "How did…I mean, of all the…"
Sage, despite her computerized mind, couldn't wrap her head around it. After what she heard from Jack concerning his life, she never would have expected him to bed with Mystique of all people. Once was trying enough…But twice? This was just too crazy.
"I know, I know…" said Raven, rolling her eyes somewhat at their reactions, "Call CNN, Mystique had sex. Honestly, is this really necessary? You think I don't have needs like the rest of you? And honestly, I needed it. It's been WAY too long since I've had a decent man to satisfy my needs."
"Hey, I'm not saying that it's odd you have your needs, Raven," argued Sage, "It's just that…I mean, come on! Jack!"
"So what? You think that just because he's a warrior with pride and honor that he doesn't have his needs as well? And after seeing his life story, don't you think he would need some kind of a release? The guy's got a seriously supercharged libido…One that's probably more intense than anything I've ever encountered before, that's for damn sure."
Mystique once again found herself smiling at the memories of the previous two nights. For all his anguish and pain, Jack really did know how to go the distance. She had been with plenty of men before, but none of them could hold a candle to Jack. Not only was he so strong, powerful, and passionate, but he was the first one to make love to her in her natural blue form. And furthermore, he was the first one to call her beautiful. That definitely added greater meaning to what they had together. He had the energy, prowess, and vigor that few men could muster and Mystique prided herself on having managed to endure it all.
"You know…That makes an odd bit of sense," said Ororo, not really finding any arguments to counter that, "Given what he's been through, I guess it's only natural he'd turn to something like sex for a release."
"Oh you have no idea, Ro…" said the shape shifter with an overly dramatic sigh, "He's told me how he can handle five hookers at once and with what I experienced last night, I believe him. They guy has some serious sexual energy…So much so that it's hard to keep up with him at times. But given that I so rarely had a man who could fully satisfy my needs, I definitely manage."
"Okay Raven…I think you're getting a little extreme here. I saw enough horrible things at the Hellfire Club and I don't need any more images floating around in my head," groaned Sage.
"Sorry, but I just can't help it! I feel so good! I never thought I'd meet a man like Jack…Someone who can give you amazing sex yet still have a nice conversation with afterwards."
"Well uh…We're happy for you Raven. Really, it's…Nice to see you so upbeat," said Ororo, unable to keep herself from laughing.
"Thanks…" she said as she sat down at the table with them, stretching out her tired limbs, "And honestly, I could get used to this. Jack's a great guy…He's really helped me turn a corner. He really does understand me in a way nobody else does. And the way he makes love to me…God, I swear there's no man out there like him!"
"Oh don't get too ahead of yourself, Raven," replied Sage in response, "There are plenty of other men out there who I'm sure are just as good as Jack, if not a little better."
"Ha! Yeah right!" scoffed Raven.
"It's true…In case you haven't noticed, Ro and I are in the same boat as you. Only we've had it before…And we've learned to balance the feeling of sweet afterglow after a night of wild sex."
"Oh please, I doubt your men could beat Jack…Now chance in heaven or hell," said the shape shifter, thinking that it wasn't physically possible.
"I wouldn't go that far, Raven…" grinned Sage, "I've come to learn that Hank's codename, Beast, extends to more than just his appearance. He's an intellectual mastermind by day…An animal in the sack at night. Plus, with his hulking body, EVERYTHING is in direct proportion."
Sage couldn't help but grin wryly at that, still feeling the soreness between her legs after last night. But Mystique seemed thoroughly unconvinced.
"Yeah, and I'm sure it's worth the risk of severe pelvic injury," said the shape shifter, "I don't care how big Beast is, there's no way he could stand up to Jack's vigor."
"Well I'll bet he doesn't have a healing factor," argued Ororo, finding it necessary to step in and defend her man as well, "Vigor is one thing, but maintaining it is another. And there's a reason why Logan is the best at what he does."
"You know, you two have some seriously odd tastes when it comes to men," said Raven with a laugh, "I mean honestly…Wrestling with a Beast and a Wolverine, that's more a health hazard than a sex life."
"Hey, we handle it…We handle it very well, mind you," grinned Sage, "You say Jack is such a great lover, but I'll bet he can't match up to that good old wild sex that you can't get anywhere else other than the arms of a true Beast."
"Oh bullshit…" scoffed Raven, "He'd beat both your animal lovers hands down and without breaking a sweat."
"Oh come now, I don't see how he could do so without a healing factor," said Ororo skeptically, "Logan doesn't just have skills you know…He also has stamina to boot."
"Yeah right, healing or no healing, he's no mystical warrior," said Raven, shaking her head with a smile, "I swear, once you get a taste, there's just no going back. Jack is the only guy who can make love to you, comfort you, and make you feel so happy and special that it feels as though no darkness in the world can touch you. He's honest to God the best thing that's happened to me in years and I'm going to see just how far we can push the envelope together."
"Well then I guess that leaves only one solution for this little argument…" said Sage with a sultry grin, "We'll just have to see who can get the most sex and satisfaction from their man."
"Are you issuing a wager, Sage?" asked Raven with an amused look, Ororo looked surprised but then again back in college Sage had always had a hidden part to her. On the outside she would seem all calm and collected but she knew that on the inside that was another matter entirely.
"Exactly…As the saying goes, either put up or shut up."
"Oh, I'm definitely in!" said Raven, thinking this was the perfect way to show these women that she had the best lover, hands down.
"And so am I…" grinned Ororo, "But I must warn you…Logan's healing factor gives us quite an edge."
"Oh we'll see about that, Ororo…We'll see," grinned Mystique as she let out a deep sigh, entertaining thoughts of feeling this good on a regular basis, thinking that this was definitely something she could get used to, for it was already having such a profound impact.
Library - Kitty/Rogue
After having spent the night in Remy's room again, Rogue managed to feel a little better about all the turmoil that had been dominating the mansion for the last few days. But after waking up and seeing her mother walking awkwardly and smiling as if she had just won a hundred million dollars, she quickly retreated to the library where she hoped to get a little privacy while also trying to shake those disturbing images of Jack and her mother from her mind.
It wasn't that she disliked seeing her mother so happy and it wasn't as if Jack was a bad guy, but it was very disturbing at times to know that Mystique, the woman she had such a complicated history with, was having sex with Jack Robinson. She still had issues with what happened to her at the Hellfire Club, but she thought she was really on the road to moving past them. And after sharing a bed with Remy, she had been seriously considering taking it to the next level with him…Not wanting to waste any more time or be tied to the past. Jean had done it, Emma had done it, and pretty much everybody else had moved passed it…Except her. But as much as she wanted to experience the joys that they felt, this sudden development between Jack and her mother was just a lot for her to process.
'Ugh…Why meh?' she thought to herself as she laid back on the couch, trying to rid herself of such unpleasant images, 'As if Ah don't have enough unpleasant shit to deal with. God…Maybe Ah should just ask the Professor to wipe mah mind clean…At least then Ah wouldn't have to deal with this shit.'
As Rogue debated with herself how she was going to handle this, Kitty suddenly entered the room upon seeing her distraught friend and former roommate. She, like many others, had noticed how she and Kurt had been acting lately. Add to that, she too had passed an overtly chipper Mystique as well, which she found disturbing on so many levels. But given that Rogue still had some issues to deal with, even if she had become so much stronger since it happened, she wanted to help…At least, however much she could given Rogue's situation.
"Uh, Rogue…Are you okay?" she asked as she made her way over towards the couch where Rogue was laying.
"Oh…Hey Kit," she said, feeling a little better at the presence of a friend, causing her to sit up and make room for her, "Nah, Ah'm fine…Just wishin' Ah had some kind of bleach to wash mah mind clean of unpleasant images."
"Oh…Hellfire nightmares again?" she asked her, her voice growing a little solemn, knowing how much those still hurt her. She herself still had a few nightmares after what she saw happen to Kurt one of her closes and deepest friends.
"Not exactly…" she replied, much to the young valley girl's surprise, "That much Ah think Ah'm learnin' to cope with. It's somethin' else that's been…Well, addin' to mah problems, as if Ah didn't have enough."
"What do you mean?"
Rogue didn't want to have to say it…She didn't even want to think it. How did one go about telling their friend that she had heard her mother having sex with some guy? She didn't want to do it…But then again, she did kind of want to get it off her chest. Because chances were, it wouldn't stay secret for long given how Mystique had been acting.
"It's just…" she began, "Well, here's the thing…"
Not wanting to say it aloud, Rogue leaned in and whispered it into Kitty's ear, telling her the full unabated story of what had happened. And the second she finished, the young valley girl's eyes widened with shock.
"WHAT!" she shouted, "JACK SLEPT WITH MYSTIQUE!"
"Dang it Kitty, keep it down!" scorned Rogue, "Don't let the whole dang county know!"
"Sorry…" she said, forcing herself to lower her voice, "That's just…Like, I mean…Wow."
"Yeah, Ah know…Ah know," muttered Rogue, once again feeling bombarded with disturbing images of Jack walking out shirtless from her mother's room.
"Well it sure does explain why she seemed so upbeat this morning…"
"You saw that too, huh? Well, now ya know why."
Rogue once again fell silent, not knowing how she was going to handle something like this. She and Kurt were already making progress accepting Mystique as family again, but now that she was involved with Jack, that complicated matters. Sure, it was nice to see that she was connecting with somebody…But not in THAT way.
"Well as weird as it sounds…Jack and Mystique…You've got to admit, there could be some benefits to this," said Kitty, sounding a little more optimistic about it after the shock wore off.
"How could Jack havin' sex with mah mama have benefits!" exclaimed the southern goth in response.
"Well, don't take this the wrong way Rogue, but…I think Mystique kind of needs something like this. I mean seriously, she's always been, like, SO tense. Maybe Jack could really help her in that regard."
"Damn it, Kitty! Are ya TRYIN' to put more unpleasant images in mah head!"
"What? No! I just…I'm trying to get you to see it from a different point of view," argued Kitty, trying hard not to provoke the ever volatile Rogue, "Sure, it's a disturbing thought, picturing your mother having sex. But hey, at least it's with a guy like Jack, who you know is, like, really tied to honor and stuff. And besides…As weird as it sounds, they do look kind of cute together."
Rogue just looked at Kitty with a bewildered expression, thinking she HAD to have a screw loose to believe that. Then again, Remy had told her the same thing and in many ways, she couldn't deny the truth to such words. After all, it probably was better that Mystique was involved with Jack rather than some other guy she didn't know.
"Cute or not, that's not somethin' Ah wanna think about," she muttered in response, "Ah have enough disturbing memories to deal with as it is."
"Well then…Why don't you, like, talk to Mystique or even Jack or something? You know…To lay things to rest."
"That's…Not a bad idea, Kit. But one step at a time, okay? Ah've got other things on mah mind as well…"
"Oh really? What kind of things?" asked Kitty, the curious voice inside her once again surfacing.
Looking back at that eager glance of hers, Rogue once again found herself rolling her eyes. As much as she didn't want to discuss this, she knew that if she didn't, Kitty would pester her to no end about it. And besides, having been in a similar situation before with Piotr, maybe she could help.
"Ya sure ya wanna know?" she asked, giving her a chance to back out.
"Of course, Rogue…" she said with a smile, "After all, I doubt it could be as shocking as Jack and Mystique."
"Yeah…Ah won't argue with that," replied Rogue, actually managing to laugh at that somewhat, "It…It sort of has to do with Remy."
"Oh…" said Kitty, now really becoming interested, "Well don't keep me hanging now! What about him?"
Rogue let out a deep sigh as she ran over her dilemma again. She wasn't sure what sort of advice Kitty would be capable of given their different nature, but at this point, she was open to anything.
"Ah'm not sure if ya noticed this, but I…Well, I've kind of been sneakin' into Remy's room at night."
Kitty's eyes widened, immediately assuming the obvious, but Rogue quickly managed to cut her off before she got to the 's' word.
"And no…We haven't been havin' sex. It's…More for comfort than anythin' else. We just sleep together…Ya know, for the warm feelin' that ya once mentioned."
"Oh yeah…That feeling is pretty nice," said Kitty in a dreamy tone, thinking back to how it felt when she had moments like that with Piotr.
"No kiddin'…" said Rogue in agreement, actually smiling somewhat at the memory, "But as nice as bein' together like that is…It's still not everythin' it could be."
"Oh…Oh, I see where this is going," said Kitty, finding it all too familiar given the situation she had with Piotr before working up to their passionate little art session that ended with such majesty.
"Yeah, Ah thought ya would," said Rogue, letting out another sigh, "It's just that…With that bitch Selene plannin' who knows what, it feels like there ain't a lot of time left before everythin' comes falling down. And after what Ah went through, Ah just…Ah want to make some good memories to help overcome the bad ones. Ah want to move past this and really be close to someone without lettin' bad memories get in the way."
"In other words…You want to go all the way with Remy before it's too late."
"Well, simply put…Yeah."
There was a heavy silence after that and Kitty could tell that Rogue was seriously debating it. Having gone through the jitters of first time sex herself, Kitty had some idea of what she was feeling. But unlike Rogue, she didn't have memories of being gang raped and tortured by Selene to deal with. Add to that, this new occurrence with Jack and her mother really didn't seem to be helping either. But it was clear that she wanted to do this…She really, honestly wanted to go through with it.
"That's quite a step, Rogue," said Kitty, finally managing to break the slience.
"Ah know…But Ah want to at least have that special experience like all the others have been havin' with their loves."
"Well that shouldn't be your only reason, Rogue. What really matters is what you think. Believe me, I know what it's like to have those first time anxieties. You just can't rush it. You kind of have to wait for the right moment."
"But that's what Ah've been waitin' for ever since Ah found out Ah could touch again!" exclaimed Rogue, her gaze drifting towards her hands that once doomed her to a life of isolation, "Ah'm sick of the damn past hurtin' meh! Ah'm sick of lettin' that bitch Selene have this power over meh!"
"I know you are, Rogue, but that doesn't mean you should, like, force it. Believe me, that's the last thing you want to do," said Kitty, knowing this was a very touchy subject for Rogue, "Just ask yourself this…Do you really, honestly love Remy?"
"Of course Ah love him, Kitty…Ya know I love him," said Rogue, calming down at the mention of his name.
"Than that's what should matter most," said Kitty, taking Rogue's hand in hers, "I never could have gone that far with Peter if I didn't truly love him and if he didn't love me back. And I think it's, like, SO obvious that Remy loves you. That's all you need, really."
Rogue found herself running her hand through her hair, taking a moment to consider that. Having been a girl who once couldn't touch, she never thought she'd find love with anybody. But Remy was just a different story altogether. She had really fallen head of heels in love with the guy and after everything he had gone through for her from her Hellfire abduction to Sinister, she knew that he loved her back. But because of what Selene did to her, she couldn't express that love for him in a way she so desperately wanted to. She hated it that such memories were doing this to her…She hated it that she was letting them affect the best thing that had ever happened to her. She just wanted to be close to the man she loved…To make love to him as real couples do. It was just so hard to overcome certain parts of the past.
"Hey, I know it must be hard for you, Rogue," said Kitty with a warm smile, "And I can't honestly say I can empathize, but…If you love Remy and Remy loves you, then I'm sure nature will take it's course. Remember…You gotta wait for the right moment."
"The right moment…" Rogue found herself repeating, "Yeah, Ah guess that makes sense. Thanks Kitty."
"Hey, what are friends for?" she said as she got up from the couch to make her leave, "I know it'll work out Rogue. I don't know how, but it will…You'll see. If being with Piotr has taught me one thing, it's that there's nothing that can't be overcome when you've got someone beside you that you really do love."
"Ah hope you're right, Kitty…Ah honestly hope you're right."
Once she was gone, Rogue found herself lying back on the couch. Talking to her friend definitely made her feel a little bit better, even if it didn't necessarily erase the unpleasant images from her mind. Perhaps she would talk to her mother later on about Jack, but in the meantime, her thoughts would be solely focused on Remy and the choice she knew she was going to have to make eventually. It was just a matter of waiting for this 'right moment' that Kitty had told her about. And with any luck, the moment for her and Remy would come soon enough.
NEXT UP CHAPTER 74: BONDS OF FAMILY