*-*-* Weeping Willow *-*-*
*-* Chapter Twelve *-*
"If you judge people, you have no time to love them."
~ Mother Theresa
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A/N: Oh my God, you guys, I'm SO sorry for leaving you hangin'. My schedule has been a MESS this week. The last four days I've been at the hospital visiting my friend and have had no time to update, as much as I wanted to. But don't worry, she's doing just fine. Anyways, I thought I should say that I've had the story completely finished for the last month or so, so I'm just feeding it into the site slowly so that it stays at the top of the list and gets read. The only reason it's not being updated quickly is because I've got to spell check and format it all before I post. Anyway, this chapter is where it gets a little interesting. Willow actually gets violent pretty quick here….read on!
~Carrie
Willow approached the tents and found Jackie staring at her with a strange look on her face. It was like a cross between a smile and an unbelieving look.
"What's your problem?" asked Willow.
"Are you and Kurt...ya know?" Jackie asked with excitement.
"Whaddya mean by 'ya know?'" asked Willow.
"You know what I mean," Jackie said slowly, a mischievous smile curling on her lips.
"Er...maybe...," Willow mumbled.
"You are! I knew it! That's is so cute!" cried Jackie a little too loud.
"What's cute?" asked John, who had over heard the conversation.
"You're ass," Jackie said flatly, trying to get him to go away.
"Besides that," John said.
"Nothing," Jackie said, irritated. "Beat it, you dick."
"Aw, come on, I wanna know," he said. Jackie tried to ignore him by turning her back on him and leaning down close to Willow's ear.
"Willow and Kurt sittin' in a tree," Jackie sang in a low taunting voice to Willow. She was only joking, but John had heard what she had said. His eyebrows raised, then his nose crinkled in disgust.
"Are you serious?" he asked.
"Dead serious," Willow replied firmly.
"Oh my God, that's disgusting!" John cried.
"It is not!" spat Jackie in Willow's defense. If John was going to act like this, she was going to side with Willow, no matter how attracted she was to him.
"It is too! My God, that makes me wanna hurl," he said with a laugh.
"Why don't you shut up, John?" cried Willow, shocked and angry that John could say something so rude.
"How can you even touch that guy?" asked John.
"It's easy," Willow said. "He's a great person."
"Great person!" scoffed John, "He's looks like Satan, for Christ's sake!" Willow's cheeks burned in anger.
"You look more like Satan than he does," Willow said angrily. It was moments like these that she really wished she never got to know John. "And Kurt's got a lot better chance of getting girls than you do because he actually appreciates things and cares about people."
"I don't need to appreciate anything to get girls," John sneered. Jackie looked as if a train had hit her. Her mouth was slightly ajar and her eyes were wide and staring. Willow realized what a low blow his statement had been to Jackie; it infuriated her.
"You're such a heartless bastard, I don't know how people stand you!" Willow cried angrily.
"I don't know how can you even look at a freak like that!" he shouted by means of a comeback. "I mean, you're one of the hottest chicks at school next to Rogue and Jackie, and you pick a guy like him? He's blue and he's got fangs. People are either gonna laugh their asses off at you, or try to kill you. Either way it's a mistake."
"Shut up, John, I'm pissed enough at you as it is," Willow said dangerously. How dare he talk that way about Kurt? About her? It angered her further that he had been smirking like an idiot the entire time. Willow could barely hear the sound of approaching footsteps.
"What's going on?" Bobby asked as he and Rogue neared them. Both John and Willow ignored their presence. "What's with all the yelling?"
"I can't stand this kinda crap. It's like Drew Barrymore getting married to Tom Green; a total waste." John said. "She is cute, but she'd need to be a little thinner before I'd even consider her." Jackie's heart broke in her chest. She had to try her hardest not to cry. He's such a pig! She moaned inside her head.
"I never would have thought you to be such an inconsiderate piece of shit, but here you are," Willow breathed furiously through gritted teeth. As always, the madder someone got at John, the more he liked to provoke them. Willow would have liked nothing more that to bash his brains in.
Rogue and Bobby looked a little afraid. They had never seen Willow even irritated at someone, let alone furious. She looked a little scarier as her eyes began to glow.
"I'm not a piece of shit, I'm just saying what waste of a perfectly good looking girl this all is. I mean, on a guy like him?" he said with a chuckle and a shake of his head. "Not that I'd wanna date you, or anything, I'm just saying that it's a waste," he said with a smirk. Willow had been fighting the urge to hit him as hard as she could, but she couldn't hold it in any more. She let out a livid yell. She threw herself towards him feet first and kicked him with both feet square in the chest. John flew backwards and skidded along the ground. Jackie's mouth dropped open. Willow couldn't catch herself on the way down and fell onto her hip. It hurt a little, but pain was the last thing on her mind.
"Willow, don't!" cried Rogue as Willow jumped to her feet. Her friends grabbed at her, but Willow dodged them easily. John lay there slightly dazed, trying to reclaim the wind that had escaped him. He thought for a fleeting second about getting out his lighter, but he had forgotten where it was at that particular moment. Willow leaped through the air and landed so that she was straddling him with her thighs. More people were yelling at them, but Willow ignored it. She took the collar of his shirt and wrenched his head closer to hers. She leaned over so that she could whisper into his ear.
"Don't you ever, ever speak that way about me or him again. Got it?" she breathed slowly.
"Get off me, bitch," he said in a low voice. She raised her fist up to get him good across the jaw.
"Willow, let him go!" Bobby shouted at her. When he saw that she wasn't going to, he stuck out his hand and blasted her with a wave of icy air. Willow's insides felt like they were freezing. Her breath rose in a mist before her eyes, but she didn't stop. She was about to come down on John's face, knuckles first, but her hand wouldn't move. She felt herself being lifted into the air. Jean stood over John with her hand raised, keeping Willow in the air.
"What is going on here?" asked Storm angrily as she came to the scene. Everyone was there watching: everyone but Kurt. Willow was glad he wasn't there to see her being violent for the first time in her life. Willow wouldn't answer Storm's question. She just glared at John, the glow fading in her eyes. "Huh?" Storm asked. She looked around to see if there were any witnesses. "Jackie, what happened?" she asked. Jackie looked frightened. She'd never seen Willow do anything like that before.
"Uh...John was saying some really bad stuff, and Willow told him to stop a couple times, but he kept doing it, so...s-she kicked him," Jackie stammered. Willow was in furious tears now as she hung motionless in the air. She was glad that she had caused John pain. She was glad that she was able to teach him a lesson. She was glad she could finally stand up to him. She felt Jean inside her head. What's gotten into you, Willow? She heard Jean ask. I had to do it. If you saw, you would understand, Willow thought back. Willow could feel Jean watching what happened over again as she set Willow down.
"John, you had no reason to say what you did," Jean told John who was being lifted to his feet by Logan. You have to respect the feelings of others, Jean thought to him.
"Yeah right," John said angrily pushing his way out of the group of people. Willow dried her eyes quickly and left for the tent. She was struggling with the zipper when Jackie came up behind her.
"I didn't know you could do that," Jackie said in a hollow voice.
"What did you think I was doing with Scott in the Danger Room? Having tea and cookies?" asked Willow as she wrenched the stuck zipped up and down. She was still mad.
"Well you never told me that you could do that," Jackie said.
"You never asked," Willow returned. She gave up on the zipper with an exasperated sigh.
"Here, lemme see," Jackie said. She took hold of the zipper and unzipped the flap easily.
"Why me?" sighed Willow as she climbed inside the tent. It was pitch black inside, so she had to feel her way around. She took her shoes off and got inside one of the sleeping bags. Jackie zipped the flap back up and she got into her own sleeping bag. There was a silence at first, but then Jackie decided to speak.
"I'm never gonna forget John getting his ass royally kicked by you, you know," Jackie said, amusement in her voice. "I'm so pissed off that he said that stuff about Kurt," she said, her voice becoming serious.
"I am too," Willow agreed.
"He so doesn't look like Satan," said Jackie. "Satan isn't black."
"Kurt's blue," Willow corrected her gently as to not hurt her feelings.
"Oh, right. Sorry...the eyes, you know...," Jackie said with embarrassment.
"He deserved what he got," said Willow after a small pause.
"I know he did. He likes to get people mad, he thinks it's funny," Jackie said.
"That's a really bad habit. He's gonna get hurt worse than he did tonight if he says that stuff to the right people," Willow said. There was another pause.
"You were holding back, weren't you?" asked Jackie softly.
"A little bit," Willow admitted. She hoped that she hadn't frightened her friend too badly.
"I wish I had that kind of control," Jackie sighed.
"You'll get it," Willow said.
"I mean, it takes all I've got to keep the electricity on the down low. Half the time my hair's sticking straight up, and I accidentally shock people when I touch them on a regular basis," Jackie said. "No matter how hard I try, I can't seem to make it do what I want it to. This stuff could really hurt somebody, and I can't control it."
"I doubt that you'll go your entire life without being able to control it. It'll probably be like math. Sometimes it takes a long time to get, but when you do, it just sorta clicks," Willow said.
"I hope so," Jackie said. "I'm so glad we're friends. You always have good advice. You're kinda like the big sister I never had."
"Well, thanks," Willow said with a smile that was covered by the darkness of the tent. Jackie sighed. Willow could tell there was more on her mind.
"Why isn't romance as easy for me as it is for you?" she wondered aloud.
"I doubt that my romance will be any easier than yours," Willow sighed. "I have a feeling that John isn't the only one in the world who won't appreciate me feeling how I do about Kurt," Willow said. "I think it's only going to get harder from here on out."
"Well I think it's all very cute," Jackie said. "I just wish I had some cuteness of my own. After all those things John said, it almost turned me off. But I can't help but cling to all the good things about him."
"Don't you dare stop liking him just because I hate his miserable guts," Willow said firmly. Then she rethought her statement. "Well...I guess I don't hate him. He's just an ass hole who doesn't know how to quit before he gets his face kicked in."
"But that's how he is," Jackie said.
"So now the question is, can you tolerate the way he is while you wait for the good side of him to show through?" Willow said slowly.
"I dunno. It's hard because of what he said…about appreciating girls…that was so evil of him. I mean, I don't want someone who won't even appreciate me! I'm not just some piece of ass. I think I'm worth more than that," said Jackie with a sigh.
"You are!" cried Willow. "John's a pig, there's no way around it."
"Yeah…Well, g'night, Willow," Jackie said as she rolled over.
"G'night," Willow said back. She shut her eyes and hoped that Jackie would be able to sort out her feelings before she was horribly let down.
The next day, Jean had completely repaired the jet. They collapsed the tents and packed them away in the small cargo hold. A tension was still growing between Willow and John. Everyone could sense it. John took a seat in the back of the jet near Magneto and Mystique. Willow sat next to Kurt and listened to her headphones. They traveled on for hours. Willow didn't know exactly where they were going, or why they were going there, but she knew for a fact that they weren't going back to the mansion. They must have passed it an hour ago. She wanted to ask about their destination, but decided not to. Everyone looked so serious and grave that it was starting to make her uncomfortable. She glanced at Kurt who was staring straight ahead out the jet's windshield. He was fingering his rosary and every once in a while, his lips would form inaudible words. He caught her looking at him out of the corner of her eye and gave her a small smile. She smiled at him in return and pointed to her headphones, wondering if he wanted to listen. He held his hand up and shook his head. Willow nodded and looked down at her folded hands in her lap. She felt something touch her leg. It made her jump a little, but she calmed down when she realized that Kurt was gently wrapping his tail around her calf. She looked over at him and smiled affectionately at him. He looked a little sheepish and looked back down at his rosary. Willow was glad that he was there. She would have felt horribly alone without him. As time passed, the weather became grayer, and eventually, snowier. Willow couldn't stand it anymore. She lowered her headphones and unbuckled her seat belt.
"I'll be right back," she told Kurt. He nodded and unwrapped his tail from her leg. Willow made her way towards the front of the jet. Jean and Storm were piloting and Logan sat behind them.
"Hi," Willow said meekly.
"Hello," Storm said. There was a pause where no sound could be heard besides the distant roar of the jet's engines.
"I was sorta wondering where exactly we're going and what's going on," Willow said gingerly.
"We're headed to a place in Canada called Alkali Lake. The Professor and Scott have been captured by a man named William Stryker, who is holding them hostage. Stryker has an underground base near there where he built a second Cerebro. He plans to use Charles to kill all the mutants with his telepathy," Jean said.
"Can he do that?" asked Willow.
"If he concentrated hard enough, definitely," Jean said.
"So we're going to Alkali Lake to save the Professor, Scott, and every other mutant on the planet...," Willow said, making sure she had it all straight.
"Yes," Jean said. Willow nodded.
"Alright. That's all I wanted to know...," she said quietly as she turned around to find her seat again. She said down and sighed.
"Vat did zey say? You look like you've seen a ghost," Kurt said.
"Jean just told me that we're going to Canada to stop a man from killing all the mutants on the planet with my hostage principle's telepathy," Willow said. "That means us." Kurt let these words run through his head.
"Zat's very bad," he said.
"Yes, it is," Willow agreed. Kurt looked at his companion's worried face.
"Don't vorry," he said softly. "I sink zese people know vat zey are doing."
"I hope so," Willow said. "Dying wasn't on my agenda for today." Kurt could tell she was upset. He was a little hesitant at first, but he ended up doing what he really wanted to do at that particular moment. He found Willow's hand and held it in his own. He wished his hands weren't so odd so that they might lock fingers. Willow squeezed his hand gently. She loved how soft his skin was. It felt so soft that she thought it might be incredibly fine fur, but it was hard to tell. In any case, he made her feel a little more secure.
A half an hour lapsed before the jet began its descent towards the snowy ground. The landing gear came out from under them and with a gentle bump, the jet landed safely. Jean, Storm, Logan, Magneto, and Mystique got up and gathered around a three-dimensional map of the dam that Storm had brought up and projected from the jet's computer.
"Alright, the only way to enter the base is through this spillway. If they see us coming, they could flood the whole thing with water," Jean said.
"I'll go. Stryker won't flood it if I go in first," Logan said.
"Are you certain? He may let you in and then kill you," said Magneto.
"I'll risk it," Logan said gruffly.
"But I won't," Magneto said, turning to his scaly blue assistant. It was decided that Mystique would go into the dam as Logan. She would then get into the dam's computer system and open the doors for the others.
It was very strange and almost unsettling to see Mystique change into Logan in a matter of seconds. She looked like Logan, she sounded like Logan, and for all intents and purposes, she was Logan. She departed from the jet and headed towards the spillway. They all waited for several minutes in suspense and anticipation before they heard anything from Mystique. Finally, the radio came to life.
"I'm in," Mystique's voice muttered over the radio.
"She's good," Logan said approvingly.
"You have no idea," Magneto said. Willow wished he hadn't said that because it provoked unpleasant thoughts to surface in her head.
"Willow, can I talk to you?" asked Jean. It wasn't really a question. Willow followed her to the back of the jet. Jean pressed a button making several compartments of uniforms slide out of either side of the wall. "I need you to make a choice," Jean said in a low voice so that it was almost impossible for the others to hear. "I need you to decide whether you want to stay here and wait for us with the kids, or come with us into the dam." Willow looked at Jean's serious face.
"Why are you asking me this? Why not someone like Jackie or Bobby?" asked Willow. "They're so much...braver than me."
"Because your strength and agility will be the most useful in there," said Jean. "And you have the most control over your gifts, which is very important. You have to make a decision now. We can't waste time." Willow's stomach knotted with uncertainty and anxiety. She fiddled with her hands as she thought about it. Am I a kid or an adult? She wondered for about the thousandth time. Kid, or adult....? She bit her lip. She looked at the uniforms. To enter the dam would mark her crossing over the line of maturity. But would that cut her off from her friends? She looked back at her friends who were still in Bobby's clothes. They looked a little scared that they had been dragged into all of this involuntarily, but all of them seemed to be trying their hardest to hide it. Then she looked at each figure of authority. Storm, Logan, and Jean. Am I ready to be like them? Wondered Willow. Then she looked back at her friends again. Or do I want to stay with my friends and procrastinate? She bit down on her lip harder. Why was such a simple question so hard to answer? I'm eighteen. I am a legal adult. I have to start acting like one, she told herself firmly. At last, Willow sighed and nodded to Jean.
"I'll come with you," she said.
"You'll need one of these, then," Jean said, handing her a uniform.
"Man, I thought I'd gotten out of wearing one of these," Willow groaned as she took it.
"They're water proof, fire proof, and are also heat and cold resistant," Jean said. "It's for your own good."
"Do I just put this over my clothes?" asked Willow.
"Yes, but you're going to have to take your sweatshirt off," Jean said. She pulled her sweatshirt over her head and chucked it to Jackie, who caught it. She looked concerned for Willow. Willow had never seen that face on Jackie. Willow struggled with the uniform while Logan did the same with his. She finally got zipped up and turned around to Jackie.
"How do I look?" asked Willow, putting a hand on her hip and flipping her hair in a wannabe sexy pose.
"Like an ass," Jackie mumbled. Willow laughed quietly, though it sounded nervous. "Don't get killed," Jackie said. Willow remembered Jackie saying this before they went to collect Kurt, and realized how close they'd actually come to getting killed since then. She hoped that wouldn't happen today.
"Same to you," she replied as she had before.
"Ready?" asked Jean.
"Not really," Willow said. "But I'll go."
"You kids stay in here. Do not leave the jet," Jean stressed to the others. They nodded in reply before Magneto, Jean, Storm, Logan, Kurt, and Willow walked down the steps and exited the jet. The cold, mountain air stung Willow's sensitive cheeks as they trudged through the snow towards the spillway of the dam. As they entered it, their footsteps echoed off the cold, damp walls. It was a sort of hollow, ominous echo that made Willow feel as if they were about to be ambushed. Luckily, no such thing happened. They came to a huge door that split in half and slid open upon their approach. They cautiously entered and found the entire place devoid of anyone, save the guards lying either unconscious or dead on the floor. The ceiling was relatively high here, but the halls that branched off had very low ceilings. The whole place was cold and mildewed. Large computer screens were everywhere, and in the center of the room, a large, circular station was situated. Willow couldn't guess what it was for. All she knew was that no one was coming out to stop them.
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A/N: Alright, now the action part starts! But the next chapter's a little sad, so Sashi, I want you to get some tissues at the ready if you feel like you're gonna need them. Read on, it's getting good!
