Disclaimer: I do not own Sky High.
After an uneventful weekend of training Magenta, strengthening Layla, and making Speed fire-proof, Monday seemed like any other day. It had been weeks since any of them had attended regular classes, and all their days were beginning to blur together with no beginning, middle or end. They boarded the bus and met in the school gym. Trent, Dara, Layla, Speed, Taylor, Magenta, Zach, Lash, Will and Warren sat on the bleachers, talking as if they hadn't seen in each other in days, ignoring that it had been mere hours since they had parted.
"Hey, where's Ivy?" Taylor's bruises had disappeared days ago, courtesy of their favorite nurse.
Layla shrugged from the other side of the group. "Gambit left early this morning, said he had some things to do, maybe they're together. Has anyone talked to Logan or Principal Powers?" Everyone shook their heads as Will imagined ringing Gambits neck, and Warren fantasized about roasting him on a skewer like a pig.
Ivy and Gambit had driven to the outskirts of Maxville early in the morning to await the arrival of the X-Men. They sat on the hood of Ivy's Wrangler, watching the empty field in front of them. No words were spoken as they sipped their coffee and checked the time every few seconds.
"Everyone should be in the gym by now." Ivy broke the silence and took another sip. Gambit just nodded. Ivy tried not to look at him. "Are you nervous about seeing Rogue? When I talked to her last week, she didn't seem too happy with you." Gambit shrugged and looked away from Ivy. She glanced at him from the corner of her eye and looked the other direction. A harsh beeping interrupted their silence, and Gambit withdrew a cellphone from his pocket. A gust of wind poured over them and both looked up to see the Blackbird hovering above them.
Gambit answered the beeping phone. "Yes? Oui." He shoved the phone back into his brown trench coat and tossed his coffee cup on the ground. "Dey not landing." He stood up, Ivy following, and the two of them waited beneath the jet. A ladder was dropped out of the hatch, Gambit grabbed it steadying it, Ivy climbing up in seconds. Gambit lifted his foot off the ground and the jet took off as he scurried up.
Inside the jet Ivy and Rogue shared an awkward hug so they didn't touch each other's skin, Ororo and Hank said hello from the front, maneuvering the jet through the cloudless sky, en route to Sky High. Scott, Jean, Kitty, Bobby, Warren, Piotr, and Xavier all greeted Ivy warmly and welcoming; they hadn't seen her in years. Rogue helped Gambit straighten his coat, and he kissed her gloved hand, charming smile never faltering.
In an instant the Blackbird was landed at the back of Sky High near the gym, camouflaged so the students would not see, and the X-Men made their way to the gym, Ivy and Gambit leading the way. The two of them opened the double doors, holding them while the uniformed X-Men filed into the gym, Ivy's friends immediately looking up. At the opposite side of the gym Logan, Evelyn, Jamie and Boomer entered from the control room, the students not knowing they were there at all.
Logan immediately stood by the professor as Evelyn bent down and hugged him graciously, giving him a friendly kiss on the cheek. Jamie and Jean hugged hello, everyone exchanging tense pleasantries while Ivy stood to the side watching and waiting.
Rogue left the group after a moment and stood by Ivy, enlacing their gloved hands together. Ivy smiled at her friend, realizing how much she had missed Rogue.
"How's that serum workin' out?" Rogue raised an eyebrow and Ivy shrugged.
"It's ok. Didn't use it today, didn't want you to be alone." She gave Rogue a half-smile that the southern gal saw right through.
"It's ok, you know. Ah understand why you do it. Doesn't ever mean Ah will, but Ah get why." She squeezed Ivy's hand, giving her a full smile as Ivy looked back towards her friends. "So. Warren's a damn fine lookin' piece of meat." Ivy snorted laughing, garnering her a raised eyebrow from more than just Logan. She quickly stopped and dragged Rogue back to the X-Men.
Evelyn stood apart from them, Ivy's friends waiting for some instruction. "I see no need for introductions, as you all know the X-Men's powers, and they've been given profiles on each of you. Tomorrow we start training. Tonight you go home and sleep." She turned back to Xavier who nodded, Scott, Jean, Logan, Ororo and Hank following them out.
"Well that was moving." Kitty stretched her arms as Bobby and Piotr nodded. "I vote lunch." The three looked towards the Sky High group who sat stone still. They saw the remnants of the bruising on their bodies, their broken spirits, and their sad eyes. Magenta was the first to stand, Zach and Lash jumping the moment she stood. She wobbled for just a second, both boys extending their arms towards her; she ignored them both and walked on her own. So much had happened to her and she was just so tired. Taylor and Speed stood next, eventually everyone joining them. Layla went to Ivy, who still stood with Rogue and now Gambit.
"Hi." Layla smiled at Rogue, who returned with one of her own.
"You must be Layla. It's good to meet you. Gambit says you're quite the little power-house." She extended her gloved hand and Layla smiled even wider and shook it.
"I'm working on it, yeah." Rogue nodded understanding.
The rest of the Sky High gang slowly began to say hello, the Warrens looking at each strangely, and resolving that Worthington would go by Angel, as Peace has no alias. Kitty invited them all to lunch and they gladly accepted the invitation. Ivy suggested the X-Men ditch the leather in favor of civvies, and the heroes were gone to the Blackbird in an instant.
Warren pulled Ivy aside as the X-Men returned, Ivy rolling her eyes and trying to pry her wrist out of his hot grasp. "I'm sorry, Ivy." Her posture changed in an instant. The entire time she'd known him and it was the first real apology she'd ever gotten. "And I'm not just saying that because Rogue is here. I've seen the way Logan treats you, and I just saw the way the rest of the X-Men looked at you. You're part of their family, and as much as I fucking hate that asshole, he's part of it, too. I shouldn't have treated either of you the way I did. And I don't just mean recently, I mean at all. Right from the start." He dropped her hand and let his arms fall to his sides.
Ivy watched his dark eyes search her for some sort of forgiveness, his shoulders hunched in more and more with each passing moment. She reached up and brushed a stroke of long hair off his face. "I supposed it's too much to ask for you to apologize to Gambit, too?" Warren's back started to smoke and Ivy smiled. She reached up on her tippy-toes the few inches she needed and gently kissed him. "Thank you, Warren." She leaned her forehead into his, and he wrapped his arms around her, burying his face in her neck, taking in her scent as if he were the panther and she were the human.
They returned to the rest hand in hand and Will smiled to himself, stealing a glance at Layla who talked with Bobby and Angel, who tugged at his harness. She reached out and helped him re-strap his wings. Will was so busy watching her gentle hands work at the strap, he barely noticed her glance back at him, too.
"Ready?" Rogue looked at Ivy who nodded and moved closer to Warren.
"There's someone I want you to meet. Rogue, this is Warren."
Rogue looked him up and down then raised at eyebrow. He raised his own and she smiled, stretching her gloved hand towards his. "Hurt her, and Ah'll suck you dry."
She smiled her brilliant, warm smile and he gave her one of his own rare smiles. "I would expect nothing less."
All sixteen of them returned to the civilian world, chowed down on some hefty burgers, and went back to Will's house. They sat in his backyard by the pool for hours until Logan called, temper slowly rising. The X-Men, including Gambit left, leaving the Sky High group behind, still sitting at the small pool.
"They're nice." Dara offered first as the rest sat silently. Ivy nodded. "We're better." She smiled at the white haired girl she'd grown so close to. Ivy chuckled and leaned her head on Warren's shoulder.
Slowly they trickled out in groups until it was just Will, Warren, Ivy and Layla left. Layla and Will looked at each other awkwardly for a moment, Will making a move to speak as Layla interrupted with a goodbye to Warren and Ivy; Trent and Dara had already left to go to her house and she didn't want them to get locked out.
She shut the door and Will nodded to himself. "Right." He looked at Warren and Ivy, nodding to them in acknowlegment and went towards the stairs to his room.
Warren and Ivy returned to her apartment, Warren wondering if maybe he should stay at Will's again, but Ivy was alone, Will at least had his parents if something happened. The two of them crawled into her bed and she lay her head on his shoulder. He absently stroked her hair, and she just as absently draped her arm over his chest. They thought about what tomorrow was going to bring, and they thought about what yesterday had already left.
The fight they knew was coming seemed to have a victory that was farther and farther away, neither knew how they were going to stop it, and both knew that losing wasn't an option. Just like Dara had recounted for them, Dylan and Absolute's were going to kill everyone, one by one. "Lose" was not part of their vocabulary anymore. There was no try again, no better luck next time. They had one shot to win.
3 chapters left... They'll be posted shortly. Hope y'all enjoyed it.