Bleeding Hearts
The Sequel to Weeping Willow
An X3 Fanfiction by Carrie
Chapter Six
Kurt Wagner breathed a sigh of relief as he followed a throng of tourists and locals towards the enormous circus tent that was set up in a clearing amongst a forest. He'd found it. After weeks of searching the country, Kurt had found the nomadic Munich Circus, all the way up in Hamburg.
Instead of following the crowd into the tent, Kurt went around the back. Parked behind the tent was a convoy of R.V.s. His breath caught in his throat. This was it. Finally he would be able to see Margali and Amanda and even that scheisse for brains acrobat, Werner.
As he neared the trailer that was unmistakably Margali's, his heart skipped a beat: there she was, sitting at the little table, sipping tea! He wanted to leave all niceties behind him and teleport inside, but the last thing he wanted to do was frighten her. He approached the door and turned off the image inducer. It felt nice to know that he had his own face back. With bated breath, Kurt tapped gently on the plastic door of the R.V. He heard the creak of footsteps drawing closer and closer to the door. He took a step back when it opened. There, standing in front of him was his adopted mother. Kurt couldn't stop himself from smiling.
"Kurt?" Margali breathed. As much as she hated to admit it, she had given up hope that he would ever return long ago. During the past year, she had come to terms that her son was most likely dead somewhere. But now, thank God, he was home. It was a miracle. She could hardly contain herself.
She staggered down the R.V. stairs and embraced him as if she would never let go.
"Oh, my little Nightcrawler, where have you been?" she sobbed. Kurt hugged her back, breathing in the familiar scent of her hair, memories of the past washing over him like a river.
"There is so much to tell," he whispered.
"Come in," she said, wiping her eyes. "Come in and tell me everything."
Over the next few hours, Kurt explained to his mother everything that had happened to him during the last year. It was surreal being back in that trailer. He could see his old bed, the covers straight and obviously unused, in the far back. There wasn't a doubt in his mind that Margali had missed him terribly. She probably had all his personal effects in the same spot as when he'd left. It hadn't occurred to him until now how much he missed the circus life.
"To think that you've been through so much," Margali said, shaking her head when he finished. "But you're alive and healthy, and that's what matters most."
"Yes," he said with a happy smile.
"Tell me more about this Willow you keep mentioning," Margali said with a warm smile. "Could it be that you've finally found love?"
"I have," he confirmed. "She is one of the most wonderful things that has ever happened to me."
"What does she look like?" she asked.
"She's…beautiful," Kurt said, a longing in his voice. It had been difficult these past weeks for him to be away from her and he was anxious to return. "She's got lovely green eyes and green hair."
"Green hair!" Margali said, an amused smile spreading across her face. "How exotic. She is a mutant, then?"
"Yes. She can control the growth of plants, it's incredible," he said, beaming. "She is also very agile and strong. She vould be great in the circus. This last summer I have taught her some of my tricks. I actually have a photo of her…" Kurt reached into his back jeans pocket and produced a slightly beat-up snapshot. He handed it to Margali.
"My, you weren't joking," she said, admiring Willow's unusual features. "She's lovely." The photo was a close up of Kurt giving her an affectionate kiss on the cheek. "Will you bring her to us someday?" Margali asked. "I'm anxious to meet the woman that has brought my Kurt such happiness."
"Actually," he said, "I vas hoping that you vould come back vis me. To see vere I live and to meet my new friends."
"Ah," Margali said slowly, looking uncertain. "It's difficult leaving this place. It's so much work, you know..."
"I understand," Kurt said, feeling a little downtrodden.
"But for you, I can make an exception," she added, grinning from ear to ear. "When are you going back?"
"Soon," he replied. "I felt awful leaving her, ve have become very close. Ven is everyone packing up again?"
"A week and a half," she answered. "A little longer this time."
"Perfect," he said. "I can stay for a day or two, if that's alright, and then ve can leave."
"Of course it's alright," she laughed. "You're always welcome here." Kurt shifted his weight a little.
"I don't mean to change the subject so dramatically, but I need your opinion on something…important," he said awkwardly.
"Tell me," she prompted.
"Vell…," he said, pausing for a moment to dig something out of his inner trench coat pocket. "I've had zis for quite some time," Kurt said as he extracted a small jewelry box. He opened it up and showed his mother the ring he'd bought. "But I'm having doubts."
"Mein Gott, Schatz, is this an engagement ring?" she asked, looking thrilled.
"Yes," he said, feeling his cheeks grow warm. "I spent almost all the money I had on it."
"This is wonderful! Why on earth are you having second thoughts?" she cried, gazing at the modest, princess cut diamond held in place by a silver setting.
"Vell, it's just…difficult," he sighed. "She's been stressed lately, from teaching ze students at ze school and everything, and I don't want to pile something else on her plate."
"A sad excuse," she said, her motherly tone sneaking into her voice.
"Also, I'm not sure zat she'll say yes," he said. "She is nineteen, and I know zere is an age gap, and I'm just not entirely sure that she's ready for something like zis. It's only been a year, as well…is that a short amount of time to be thinking about marriage?"
"Love knows no age," Margali said softly. "Or time limits. It is important to make sure that she is ready for such a commitment, but I can see a love in this photograph that is lasting."
"I always hope zat's true," he sighed.
"Kurt, you need to learn to allow yourself to be truly happy," she said fondly. "I seem to remember not so long ago, a certain boy who I would find moping on a regular basis thinking that no one loved him. Now, look at this girl," she said, holding up the photo for him. "She loves you, it is written all over her face. And I love you. So whenever you are feeling this sense of loneliness, remember that there are people who adore you and would do anything to be with you." Kurt absorbed her kind words like a sponge. She was right, of course. He wasn't used to being happy. He was used to persecution and racism, now more than ever. Still, he had every reason to be content with his life, just as Margali had said.
"You're right," he said with a shadow of a smile. She handed back the jewelry box and the photo.
"My greatest wish is for you to be happy," she said. "More than anything in the world, I pray for that."
"Thank you," he said, slipping the photo back into his pocket. He sighed as he opened the ring box. He stared at the sparkling jewel and shook his head. "I don't know vy I'm so nervous."
"Everyone becomes nervous in the face of possible rejection," she said knowingly. "But I think the only doubt in your mind should be her answering 'no'. It seems from your stories that she is willing to struggle through life with you, ready or not. That is rare, my little Nightcrawler. Don't let it slip away."
"I von't," he said in a determined voice. "Of course not." He placed the box carefully back into the bottom of his coat pocket. "I'll ask her. Soon."
The news had been on non-stop for two days straight on every T.V. screen in the mansion. Students young and old watched the coverage of mutants waiting in line for their dose of the cure. Protestors lined the sidewalk outside of Worthington Labs, the New York branch, shouting slogans of mutant freedom.
Willow watched closely, hoping to catch a glimpse of Bobby among the hoards of people. He'd gone to try and stop Rogue from getting the cure but, so far, she couldn't see Rogue anywhere either. Willow hoped that she would change her mind and come back to the mansion without a scratch. However, she had a feeling that wasn't part of the plan today. Call it woman's intuition.
As reporters rambled on about the scene on the screen, the lab in the background exploded suddenly in a ball of flames. The whole room gasped collectively.
"What just happened?" one of the younger ones gaped.
"Pyro. That's what happened," Jackie growled. She knew his brand of destruction from a mile away.
"He wouldn't…would he?" another asked.
"Oh, yeah," she said darkly. "He would." Suddenly, the feed switched to a familiar face. Magneto.
"Today's attack on your 'cure' was only our first salvo. So long as this so-called cure exists, our war will rage. Your cities will not be safe. Your streets will not be safe. You will not be safe. You want a cure? You will have it. A cure to all that ails you," he said diabolically. "And, to my fellow mutants, I make you this offer, and this warning: Join us or stay out of our way. Enough mutant blood has been spilt already."
The screen went black and all was uncomfortably silent. Willow's face was grave. Just as Jackie had predicted weeks ago, a war had started. The lines were drawn and the first moves had been made. It was only a matter of time before chaos was unleashed upon the innocent people of the world.
Jackie glanced behind her just in time to see Warren Worthington III take leave of his spot in the doorway. She hadn't seen him at all in the past two days. There wasn't even evidence of him living there at all, save the inexplicable absence of the mansion's food. Due to his body's need to provide itself with the extra energy the he needed to fly great distances, his metabolism was far faster than normal people's. Long story short, the kid could eat. A lot.
She rose to her feet and followed him at a distance. Jackie was sure that he'd gone upstairs to take refuge in his new room, but the sound of pattering feet was missing, probably thanks to his extra light skeletal structure. He fascinated her in new ways all the time. When she reached the third floor, she padded quietly down the hall to his hole of a room. She tapped lightly on the door.
"Warren?" she called gently. "You okay in there?" She heard the creak of mattress springs before the door creaked open, revealing the room's occupant clad in a bulky sweater that he'd borrowed from Peter. He'd hacked holes in the back of the shirt to let his wings through at the permission of its previous owner. To say that Warren looked distressed was to say that the Atlantic Ocean was damp.
"Jackie," he said in surprise upon seeing her. There was a glimmer of a smile in his eyes, but his lips barely twitched. "I'm fine."
"You don't look fine to me," she said. "Can I come in?"
"Yeah," he said after a moment. He opened the door wider to let her through. She didn't wait for him to offer her a seat. Instead, she plopped down on the edge of his bed. Warren followed her example.
"This is all wearing on you, isn't it?" she asked. His silence told her 'yes'. "Are you embarrassed of him?"
"My father?" Warren asked, looking up suddenly. Jackie nodded. "No," he said. "Not embarrassed. And not angry either. I'm…scared for him. I mean, even if he's doing more harm than good, all he ever wanted to do was help. He's just…misunderstood."
"The same thing can be said about mutants sometimes," she said.
"I guess your right," he said with a sad little smile.
"Sometimes, I think people don't really think things through," Jackie said after a second. "And they get so excited about an idea that they just fling themselves into it, blindly. They don't even think twice about the consequences."
"That's exactly what it is," Warren said with a nod. "I'm sure of it. And I feel…guilty. Like I'm the cause of all of this. He mostly just wanted to help me. That's why he created the cure. He'll never admit to it, but that's why. I almost got it, you know. I was first on the list."
"No way," Jackie said, disbelievingly. Warren glanced her way and smiled as a means of confirmation. "But…why?"
"I just wanted him to be proud of me," he sighed. "All I ever wanted was for him to look at me without seeing what I am, but who I am. I just wanted to be treated like a son. And even though he never has given me any of that, I still love him and I'm still scared for him. Magneto's going after him, I know he is."
"We'll help him," Jackie assured her winged friend. "We're the X-Men. We do this kind of stuff all the time."
"You do this all the time?" he asked her skeptically. His tone was far from scathing like John's might have been if he'd said the same thing. Jackie was definitely enjoying the pleasant change.
"Well, no, this'll be my first time in a real fight," Jackie said nervously.
"You don't see like the fighting type to me," he said with a teasing little smile.
"Oh, see, that's where you're wrong," she said with a playful smirk. "I've actually got an extremely violent streak a mile wide."
"Does that mean you blew up my light bulb on purpose?" he asked.
"You are not funny," she grumbled, still slightly embarrassed.
"Sorry," he said, feeling that he'd gone too far and hurt her feelings.
"Don't be," she answered. "I may not be the fighting type, but I've grown a thick skin over the last year, and lemme tell ya, any kind of insult you can throw at me won't ever come close to what I've been through."
"What happened?" he asked curiously.
"You want my life story?" she asked, cocking a white eyebrow.
"I'll listen to as much as you want to tell me," he said.
"Alright, well, let's start off by saying that I haven't been treated very well by a certain male figure that used to be in my life," she said. "Know that guy that blew up your dad's lab?"
"Him?" Warren asked in disbelief.
"Yeah. I dunno what it was about him that got me so interested. Maybe just the fact that he showed me a little attention, which I'm not used to getting. Romantic attention, anyway. I feel so stupid…looking back on it, it was obvious that the only thing he was really interested in was my strength. He was never very nice to me, I don't know why I let him treat me that way. He joined Magneto a few months ago and I guess I can't say that he's a different person. He's always been that way, I've just been too stupid to see it," she said, her cheeks growing pink with embarrassment. "I guess that pales in comparison with your problems…"
"No," he said, shaking his head. "It doesn't."
"I used to think that someday he'd change and we'd live happily ever after," she said. "A stupid teenage daydream, I guess. Luckily, I learned something from it, and that's that people don't change unless they want to. And John will never change. He likes doing evil things, and I can't be associated with someone like that."
"You deserve better anyway," Warren said.
"I dunno that I do," Jackie sighed.
"Of course you do," he said comfortingly. "You're kind and accepting. Who wouldn't want that?"
"Who'd want a girl that could fry them to a crisp?" she asked sadly.
"There's somebody for everyone," Warren said, though he didn't sound as though he believed it to be true for himself.
"I hope so," Jackie muttered, feeling her cheeks turn a warm pink again. She hated blushing, but there was something about being around this guy that got her flustered. "Anyway, you shouldn't have a hard time finding a girlfriend," she said, lifting a hand and flicking his left wing. "These are too cool."
"My dad doesn't think so," Warren said, sounding downtrodden.
"Look, you gotta stop obsessing over what your dad thinks all the time. Has it ever occurred to you that your dad might be wrong?" Jackie said indignantly. "Your self esteem needs work, buddy."
"So does yours," he said, a smile stretching over his lips.
"Eh, no one's perfect," she replied with a shrug. There was a pause before Jackie decided to change the subject. "So can you fly carrying stuff with these things, or what?" she asked, elbowing his wing.
"I can fly carrying someone," he said.
"Really?" she asked. Goddamn, he must be buff, she thought.
"Do you…," he asked slowly, "wanna try?"
"Oooh, ya know what, I'm a little afraid of heights…," she stammered, looking nervous.
"I won't drop you," he promised as he stood up. "C'mon. Flying helps take my mind off things and I could use the company."
"If I die, I haunt you first," Jackie muttered as she rose to her feet. The two of them headed out back to an open patch of lawn.
"Stay there," Warren said as he backed up.
"Wait, what're you doing?" Jackie asked as he walked further and further away.
"It's easier if I get a running start to get off the ground," he called to her. He was on the outskirts of the vast yard when he stopped. Jackie watched as he opened his enormous, feathery wings before he took off at a run. Straight toward her. With a couple of intense beats, Warren's wings lifted him off the ground. Jackie was awestruck by the sight and the sound of it. Just as she began to think that he would fly right over her, he scooped her up off the ground and into his muscular arms. She yelped and threw her arms around his neck.
"Oh, God, oh God, oh GOD!" she cried as she clenched her eyes shut and held on tighter. When she managed to pry her eyes open, she realized how very close she was to Warren's face. He was grinning from ear to ear. "You're crazy!" she cried, half amused and half scared out of her mind.
"Want to go higher?" he asked, looking enthusiastic.
"No!" she cried. "I'm gonna die, I know it!" But even as the words slipped past her lips, she knew that she was just as safe with him as she was standing on her own two feet on terra firma.
"You're not going to die," he said soothingly. "I won't let go. Now let's go higher!" Jackie squealed the way one does on a rollercoaster as he pumped his wings harder, sending the two of them soaring into the sky.
Logan burst through the front doors of the mansion, looking like a grizzly bear had had its way with him. He'd finally returned after a personal mission to find Jean and bring her home.
"Storm!" he bellowed, his voice echoing off the walls of the vaulted entryway. Ororo removed herself from her post at the T.V. and met Logan in the foyer. "We got problems," Logan said.
"Did you find her?" she asked, her gaze intense. The two of them were soon joined by Hank and Willow, who had been talking in the kitchen.
"I sure did," Logan growled.
"Is she still with Magneto?"
"Yeah, they're like Siamese twins," he said sarcastically. "I don't think they're on the same page, though. She lead me right to her, 'Ro. She knew I was coming, and she wanted me to be there. But when Magneto caught me, she just…walked away."
"What did I tell you?" Storm said in an I-told-you-so tone.
"No, it's not that simple," he said with a shake of his head. Storm didn't want to hear it. She had bigger, more pressing things to deal with than Logan's personal emotions.
"Where are they, Logan?" she asked.
"On the move," he said, sounding like the hunter he was. "That sonnovabitch has raised himself his own army!"
"You're saying you saw Magneto?" Hank asked. He was ignored. Willow shrugged.
"I know where they're going, Storm," Logan said. "It's Alcatraz. We gotta get there. We're the only ones who have even a chance of stopping him."
"Alright," Storm said, her face stony and serious. "Let's get suited up." Logan was way ahead of her, heading toward the elevator. When he was out of earshot, she leaned in to Willow. "Spread the word to the others: we're heading out within the hour."
"Got it," Willow said, practically running upstairs. She stopped first, on the third floor, to collect Bobby and Peter. They jumped up and followed her down the hall to Jackie's room, but she wasn't there.
"Damn it," Willow cursed under her breath. Oh, well, she thought. She's here somewhere, it's not like she got up and flew away.
The next stop was Kitty's room, all the way up in the small turret. They found her tinkering with some sort of electronic device.
"We're going after Magneto and Jean," Willow said. "We gotta go."
"I'm there," Kitty said, getting up.
"What about Rogue?" Willow said suddenly. She hadn't seen her since she'd gone off to get the cure.
"She's back, but I don't know where she is," Bobby confessed.
"Did she…?"
"I don't know," he said in earnest.
"Okay, well, you guys get down there and get suited up. I have to find Jackie," Willow said, once again taking the role of leader. They did what she said.
Willow headed down to Jackie's room once more and pounded on the door.
"I swear to God, Jackie, if you're in there and ignoring me, I'm gonna kick this door in, and you know I can do it!" Willow bellowed.
"You talkin' to me?" she heard a voice say from behind her. Willow whipped around and saw Jackie, hair mussed, face pink, smile plastered all over her face. Beside her was Warren Worthington III, looking equally giddy. Willow eyed the two of them for a second.
"Look, I'm not gonna ask," she sighed with a shake of her head. "Logan found Magneto. He's got an army and he's headed to Alcatraz."
"What!" Jackie cried.
"Yeah. So we need to suit up and leave. Now," Willow barked.
"I'm coming too," Warren said.
"Ah, no you're not," Willow told him. "This is serious stuff and we don't need anyone getting involved and possibly hurt that doesn't have to."
"I'm already involved," he said darkly. "Magneto's after my father, therefore it's my responsibility to protect him."
"We don't have a suit for you," Willow said, looking out for Warren's best interests. She had no intention of sounding like his mom, especially when he was probably two or three years older than her.
"I don't need one," he said. "I'm going anyway." Willow sighed and ran a hand through her long hair.
"Fine, but we gotta go," she said. "Jackie, take him down there. I gotta tie up this beastly hair."
"Meet you down there," Jackie said, taking Warren by the arm and leading him downstairs. Willow hurried down to her room. It seemed that the more often she cut her hair, the faster and longer it grew. She'd cut it to shoulder length only last Christmas, and already it was down to her waist again.
Grumbling, she snatched up her hair brush and parted it down the middle. She whipped the two bunches of green hair into tight buns, which sat neatly on either side of the top of her head. If she was gonna get into a fight, she wasn't going to have her stupid hair get in the way.
That finished, she snatched a snapshot of her and Kurt and ran out of her room to the nearest elevator, taking it all the way down to the bottom. She rushed into the locker room, where Kitty and Jackie were already suited up. Willow threw open her locker and retrieved her black leather uniform, complete with bright green seams. She removed her jeans and her shirt and replaced them with a skin tight tank top and black, calf length leggings. When that was done, she began zipping herself into her uniform. She had broken it in a long time ago during Danger Room sessions, but it was still a little too form fitting for her taste. She tied her feet into a pair of steel-toed combat boots that laced up to her knees.
"Ready, slow-poke?" Jackie teased already in her combat uniform, the white seams matching her hair. Her black boots went up to her calves and mean, silver buckles were fastened over the tongue and laces. In a word, she looked badass.
"As ready as I'm gonna be," Willow sighed.
"Let's do this," Kitty said, sounding nervous. The three of them hurried out of the locker room and joined the boys in the hall.
"Oh, no," Logan said, shaking his head when he saw his young teammates looking ready to, in his opinion, rescue a cat from a tree. "Whaddyou all think you're doing?"
"We're coming with you," Bobby said decidedly. Logan gave a snort and rolled his eyes.
"We trained for this," Peter said. "We're ready."
"The best offence is a good defense, right?" Storm said, giving Logan a smirk as she came out of the locker room, her impressive silver cape flowing behind her.
"They can't come," Logan said flatly.
"This is our fight, Logan, not just yours," Storm said seriously. Logan sighed, visibly disgruntled. He looked at each young face and was sick to think of what might happen to them if something were to go horribly wrong. Which, usually, it did.
"This ain't gonna be like class," he said finally as Storm walked off to start up the Blackbird. "Or the Danger Room. It's gonna be a real battle, and only one'a you has actually seen a real battle." He eyed Willow, who remembered very clearly her last mission and how she'd almost died. "There's gonna be blood and tears and death. And as much as we've lost in the past few days, that's nothing compared to what's on the line now." Willow had always known Jackie to be the tough girl. Now, though, all the color had drained from her face. She knew what she had to do, but Willow knew that Jackie was afraid to kill again.
"We get on that plane," Logan continued, "we're not students and teachers anymore. We're not kids and grown-ups. We're soldiers."
"We're X-Men," Bobby corrected. "All of us."
"Get in, then," he said, gesturing to the Blackbird. Willow and Peter took the lead and the six of them boarded the idling jet. Willow and Jackie sat down in their assigned seats in the back and strapped themselves in. Kitty, being the resident whiz kid with computers and electronics, sat in front with Storm. Peter and Bobby took seats next to each other and Warren sat down awkwardly in one of the seats behind Jackie and Willow. He pressed his wings to his back as hard as he could, but they were really too big for chairs. Often times he just ended up sitting on the ends of his feathers.
A moment later, they were joined by none other than Hank McCoy. Willow had to cough to mask her laughter at the sight of Hank's old, unsightly, ill-fitting uniform. He gave her a stern look and a playful smile. The man had a sense of humor on him.
"Look," Jackie muttered, pointing out the window. Willow craned her neck from her aisle seat to see what was going on. Logan was having a conversation with Rogue. The girls saw her shake her head before flashing Logan a smile and heading out of the hangar. The two of them knew what that meant: Rogue wasn't coming.
"This isn't going well already," Jackie grumbled.
"Don't jinx us," Willow said, elbowing her in the side. Logan stomped up the stairs and into the jet.
"Marie's staying to look after the kids," he said as he took a seat up front.
"Alright, then," Storm said. "Let's go."
Author's Note: There shall be violence in the next post. Tell me what you think and maybe I'll update a little faster...
