Disclaimer: AU to X3! Not making any money from this. Corrinth owns Stifle and Vixen, Rasa Rainboweyes owns Crystal, Blaze and Shockwave are mine; Marvel retains all rights to all other characters.
Above and Beyond: Scene 17Outside the courtroom building the gathered press milled about excitedly. Something had happened, something dramatic. Maybe not as dramatic as a battleship falling out of the sky, but certainly getting there. When the doors finally opened wide, the President and his fellow accused descended the steps smiling and waving. The press went wild, thrusting their microphones into the President's face. Camera flashes spasmed in every direction, whilst TV cameras zoomed in unnecessarily close on the leader of the free world.
"Thank you, thank you all for coming," the President spoke evenly, holding up his hands to the mob. "My fellow Americans, evil and power-hungry individuals have sought to rip our country apart at the seams. Still we are not out of the woods, though through continued diligence and hard work we are claiming our country back. The trial today has been suspended following the submission of new evidence. My fellow accused and I are committed to the task of clearing our names entirely. Furthermore we would like to thank the heroes that have made this walk to freedom and to justice possible. That is all."
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"You hear that?" Bobby asked over the TV anchorman as footage of the President finished recycling on the news. "The President called us heroes."
Blaze and Stifle laughed, filling the rec. room with a sound not heard there in too long. Gambit and Logan glanced at each other, and then looked at Bobby. Iceman was reclining in front of the TV on the sofa, remote in hand as he lethargically flicked channels. He was bandaged, battered and bruised, and Vixen had him on a bucketful of painkillers, but that was no reason to let him get away with anything. Logan got the claws in first, "Bobby, exactly what heroics did you conjure up?"
"Yeah," Gambit continued, "We had to save your sorry frozen ass, mon Ami, we the heroes here, n'est-ce pas?"
"Hey, I did my part," objected Iceman. "You guys aren't gonna get all the credit."
"What part was that," Wolverine pestered, "Damsel in distress?" Bobby scowled at the feral man, but before he could come up with a witty comeback, Cyclops was inserting his two cents. Scott was also drugged up and bandaged like an Egyptian mummy, seated in a high-backed chair not far from Bobby.
"Let me get this straight," grumbled Scott. "The four of you; two thieves, one ex-brotherhood crony, and Logan of all people, formed an alliance with Mystique to come rescue us? Not only did you manage to get all of us out of that hellhole in more or less one piece, you also defeated Kincaid, exposed what he was doing on that ship, and got the information to the President to clear his name…" Scott tailed off, shaking his head.
"What's up Cyke? That too hard for you to get that thick skull o' yours round?" Logan griped; feeling insulted.
"I'm a little surprised, Logan, surely you can understand that?"
"Not really," Wolverine decided.
"We rock," Blaze decreed, exchanging a crafty look with Stifle who was perched next to her on the windowsill. Out of the corner of her eye she caught some movement outside. Turning around and putting her hand on the glass, Blaze's pretty face lit up in an honest smile. Jumping down off the window ledge she explained, "They're home," and went directly to the front door. Logan, Remy and Dell followed her out onto the gravel, as three government-owned coaches pulled into the drive. Jubilee, Kitty, Storm, the Professor and Ilehana joined the four X-Men from the house, as the doors on the coaches opened.
A swarm of bodies poured forth from the vehicle, all laughing and joking as they came towards the house and the X-Men. The school's pupils, without whom there would be no school, had been returned to the Xavier mansion. The X-Men found themselves surrounded, tearfully embraced by some of the younger girls, or tormented with clever one-liners the boys had obviously been working on the entire time they had been away. At the back of the group, Sam and Vertigo smiled wearily, as Crystal and Iona were embraced by their tutors Storm and Blaze respectively. Wolfsbane tentatively shook hands with her tutor Vixen, before both of them broke into wolfish grins that showed their teeth. Finally, Sam thought as she let Vertigo lead her into the gathering, it's all over. Finally things can start to get back to normal around here… Sam suddenly chuckled at her own thoughts. Normal? Here? Never! Normal is so overrated…
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"Thank you so much for your help over the past few days Stifle," Xavier told his British agent after the debriefing had ended and only the two of them were left in the War Room. "I am glad we could count on you."
"Anytime," Dell replied with a smile, shaking the Professor's hand firmly.
"Are you sure I can't persuade you to stay on longer and assist in getting this place back into fully working order?" Xavier asked. "We can always find use for such a logically thinking mind as yours."
"I'm afraid I don't have the patience to be dealing with so many walking wounded as the X-Men make up right now," Stifle grimaced. "If Scott moans at me one more time to move this or fetch that, I won't be held accountable for the consequences. No, I'm better off getting back to the UK. There's plenty of work for me there, cleaning up after Blaze's flying visit."
"I'm sure there is," Xavier didn't press Dell, knowing the woman's mind was made up. "You'll extend my offer of a new home here to the youngsters you and Blaze have been dealing with?"
"I will," Stifle agreed, "Though if I can get half of them as far as Muir Island for a check up and some Moira McTaggart mothering, I will be congratulating myself. They, like Blaze, have their own way of doing things."
"Very well," Charles sighed. "Then for now I will say goodbye, and have a safe journey. Stay in touch Danielle, you have friends here you know."
"I know," Stifle was sincere. "Goodbye Professor, and good luck bringing this place back to some sort of order."
"Stifle my dear, in this place 'order' is a mere myth, believe me," chuckled Charles.
"Well," commented Dell with a smile, "When you have residents that can walk through walls, or read peoples' minds, I suppose your myths have to come from somewhere."