Chapter 13
At the Institute...
It was early...very early in the morning and Domino is down in the infirmary as Beast pulls a blood sample out of her arm. She wanted to get this over with and begin to learn who she is.
Hank takes his sample and places it safely down on the side as he sticks the plaster on Domino's arm.
"So while we're in each other's company I've got to ask if there's been any progress with the kill-switch in my neck," Dom asks in relation to the control chip Stryker implanted in her neck that is capable of killing her.
Hank's expression is not one that fills her with confidence. When Clark first x-rayed Domino to investigate the chip all those months ago, at the dam at Alkali Lake, he speculated that it could be removed with delicate surgery but when Hank started to examine the device more closely, with proper medical scans, it became clear, fairly quickly, that it would be a much more difficult process. It couldn't be removed without cutting out part of the nerve upon which, as it turned out, it is attached to with microfibres which is a bad idea to put it lightly considering the vital nature of the nerve in question.
From a purely scientific point of view Hank couldn't help but admire it as a sophisticated and advanced piece of technology. Morally and ethically he was outraged. "I am afraid Neena there has not been much progress," he has to regretfully inform her.
Domino knows it must be bad when her proper first name gets used. "Well just don't go praising that asshole we all lovingly call William Stryker and I won't have to go all Jackie Chan on you," she jokily threatens.
"Him personally will never get praise from me I assure you...as I also assure you Domino I won't rest until I find a way to safely remove that chip."
"Thanks...and I really do mean that."
"I know," Hank says with a soft smile. "How are you coping with what you will learn today?"
Domino thinks on it. "Well if Logan is one of my parents it does explain my inexplicable love of crashing on the couch and watching Canadian football while drowning my sorrows in the home of the maple leaf's beer."
Hanks shakes his head in amusement. Domino's unique personality had certainly brightened things up around here.
A little later that morning up in the Professor's office he is preparing himself for the talk he must have first with Rogue before they begin the tests. He has to know whether this is something she wants to know. The knock on the door signals her arrival. "Come in Rogue," he beckons her.
The door opens and Rogue walks in. The Professor asks her to sit which she does. "Ya wanted ta see meh?" she inquires.
"I did. Yes." The Professor clasps his hands together and places them on his desk. "I was wondering how you have been with the revelation of your creation."
Rogue's eyes widen in surprise for a moment. No-one has really talked about that with her since they discovered it. "Ah...ah'm fahne," she expresses her view on how she feels.
"Rogue. There is no need to hide what you feel," Charles tries to gently encourage her to open up.
"Ah'm...angry ah guess."
"At Stryker?"
Rogue nods to confirm that. "He...it's not just meh. Thanks ta him ah could have a whole family out there somewhere. Others who share mah parentage in some fashion. He used us...wanted ta use us as weapons."
"He has a lot to pay for," Charles expresses his sentiment. "If we can ever trace the others Rogue we will do what we can to help them," he assures her. "However for the moment I want to know how you are feeling. Finding out how you were...born could create a loss of certainty for some people. Take away a pillar you built your life on. Even though you are an orphan I'm certain you thought you had parents somewhere."
"Ah did feel that way at first," Rogue admits. "But Clark said some words ta meh that helped."
"If it is not too personal may I enquire what they were."
"He said that it wasn't important how someone came ta beh. It's only important what they do with tha life they have been given. He...um used himself as an example and pointed out that he could have been grown in a tube lahke ah probably was. Ah mean it has nevah bothered meh he's an alien so it kind of strongly resonated with meh."
Clark. It amazes Charles just how wise Clark can be for someone so young. It also amazes him how strong Rogue is. She had her whole life turned upside-down, learning she had been created as part of an experiment to create the ultimate weapon and here she is getting on with her life.
"Dom helped too," Rogue mentions. "In tha couple of days before we were rescued she was there for meh. Ah mean she knew what ah was goin through since she was created tha same as meh."
"Not precisely the same," Charles amends that which is a good leap off point. "That brings me to why I called you here this morning."
Rogue cocks her head to the side, her eyes looking at the Professor curiously.
"You and Dom were created from DNA samples taken from members of the Weapon X project. While she was created by combining many samples, as best we know, you were only created by combining two."
"Yeah?" Rogue queries, not seeing where the Professor is going with this.
"Rogue we have the Weapon X under our roof."
"So? Ah don't see..." Rogue trails off as the epiphany hits her. He can't possibly mean... "Ya think Logan is mah fathah," she says barely at a whisper in complete shock.
"I believe it's a possibility," Charles says in a calm, even tone. "Now he may not," he adds. "This is about finding out the truth Rogue. Nothing more. Nothing less. There are no expectations of you."
"Why now?" Rogue asks. "Why not before now?"
"The equipment needed to do the tests only arrived yesterday."
"Oh," is all Rogue can think of to say to that.
"I understand if you need time to think," the Professor says. "I'll just say that Domino has already agreed to the tests. She wished to know if she could call Logan her sister...and then there might have been some mention of braiding his hair," he adds in a light-hearted voice with a slight playful smile on his lips.
Rogue snorts with laughter at that. That was typical Dom.
"Again I say if you need time..."
"Do it."
Charles is caught out by the abruptness of that. He blinks. "You're sure?"
"Yes. Ah've been lied ta and used practically mah whole life Professor. Ah need ta know tha truth."
"I understand," Charles says and he does. When he and Rogue talk the fact she has been lied and used by others is one of the issue that hurts and defines her the most. "Beast is down in the infirmary. He will take a blood sample to perform the test."
Rogue nods and gets to her feet. She walks to the door, her mind awash with conflicting emotions but one thing she is certain about. One way or another she is determined to know the truth.
Mid-morning and Cat Grant pulls up in her pink Mini convertible car. So yeah her car might seem to be a little cliché in style...or it would be for anyone who doesn't actually know her. Two things. One she genuinely likes the colour pink and two a Mini is very fuel efficient and she has a budget to live on.
She presses the buzzer at the gates which are opened for her and she drives up to the mansion. She pulls to a stop and gets out. Cat takes a moment to form an opinion on the building before her. Swanky. One day when she is a rich and famous reporter she'll live in a place like this. She rings the bell and waits for it to be opened.
"Can't anyone ever answer the door around here!" Bobby shouts in complaint as he slides to it on one of his ice-slides. He means seriously. With so many people living under one roof you would think someone would answer the door. He hops off his slide and opens the door...and his jaw drops open at the sheer cuteness of the girl standing there. She smiles at him and Bobby feels like he is literally melting on the spot.
"Hi! I'm Cat Grant. I believe Professor Xavier is expecting me."
"Guh," is Bobby's not so elegant reply before he is shoved to the side by Roberto who also happened to be coming to open the door when Bobby beat him to it.
"I'm sorry about him," Roberto apologises. "I'll escort you to the Professor's office," he offers.
"Thanks!"
"No problem," Roberto says as he ushers Cat inside. "I'm Roberto by the way."
Cat gives the handsome Brazilian boy the once-over with her eyes. "Pleasure to meet you." She turns to the blond boy who opened the door. "I'm sorry. I didn't catch your name," she says with a pleasant tone and a smile to match.
"Me am Bobby," he replies and Roberto closes his eyes momentarily and shakes his head. Gee with eloquence like that Roberto can't possibly imagine why Bobby is single at the moment. He's pretty certain that that was award winning sarcasm.
As soon as Cat is safely escorted to the Professor Bobby has to complain to Roberto, "You just couldn't give me a chance could you."
"What?" Roberto asks, lost at what Bobby is complaining about.
"Don't play stupid," Bobby tells Roberto off.
"The only stupid one around here is you if you suddenly think I'm capable of reading your mind," Roberto insults Bobby. "Not that I can think of any reason why I would want to read your mind even if I could. Not sure there's anything there to read."
Bobby frowns. "Fine!" he snaps in a petulant tone. "You want to me to explain it I will...and I'll use small words for you," he says being deliberate in his implication. "You stole my chance with her."
"That's..." Roberto trails off as he bursts into a fit of laughter. He wipes a tear from his eye. "That's a good one," he says finding it beyond funny that Bobby thought he had a chance with a girl that fine.
Bobby scowls. All the way to the office Roberto was chatting with the girl...or more accurately chatting her up. He knows flirting when he sees it.
"Bobby there's nothing wrong with aiming high but equally you've got to know when someone is out of your league," Roberto says in a patronising manner and even goes as far as to give Bobby a patronising pat on the shoulder. "And that girl is way out of your league."
"We'll see about that," Bobby vows, giving Roberto a sneering look. Roberto may be his friend but the Brazilian is so full of himself that some days you just want to smack him one. This is one of those days.
In the Professor's office Cat is maintaining a cool air of professionalism whilst on the inside she could barely contain her excitement. She was only the 2nd reporter of any kind to be invited within the walls of the Xavier Institute. She is sitting on the opposite side of the desk from Professor Xavier and to her right sits Clark, pushing his glasses up his nose.
The Professor locks his hands together and places them on his desk while he gives Cat a gentle look over. She had seemed genuine in her offer of simply allowing a forum for people to see the true nature of mutants and while it may only be a school paper it was a place to start. Charles did momentarily think of postponing this for another day considering the parental tests that were being run but that would take most of the day before Hank was done. The meeting with Cat would only take a short time during the morning so he decided it could still go ahead. "Miss Grant. Welcome to my Institute. I'm glad you managed to come," Charles greets the young lady.
"That's no problem Professor. I'm certain this will be the start of a mutually beneficial arrangement," Cat says in reply, trying to sound professional.
"I hope that is the case," the Professor expresses his wish. "Now there must be some ground rules. My students must still be able to retain their privacy," the Professor starts laying down his conditions.
Cat nods in agreement. "Sure. I understand. What this is about is seeing mutants from the human perspective which is why I approached Clark. You know from his point of view what is the typical day to day life of a student in your institute. Now in a perfect world anyone could write that. With the world the way it currently is it will only gain traction if Clark, as a human of the same demographic, writes it."
Charles can see that Miss Grant is a very clever person with a fairly comprehensive understanding of the situation.
Cat continues. "People need to see how humans, Clark and his parents, interact every day with mutants. That way they can see how your vision of us living side by side can work in practice. Now I realise it is only a school paper but like everything else today we are online and available to anyone who wants to read it."
"I'm willing to do this," Clark says. "But I'm not sure how much space you think this will fill up. It is mostly dull day to day stuff everyone in the world does."
"I'm not expecting an article a day Clark," Cat laughs in a friendly manner. "Once a week would be sufficient and I'm certain what any article includes will need a few tweaks before we get the final format down. This isn't a sprint. We can take time to work on it together and get it right. It'll give us a chance to get to know each other," she says, rather looking forward to that idea.
Clark looks uncertain about all of this but he is willing to try. Besides what he found out when he was doing all that investigating into Lionel Luthor from the start of the year onward is that he missed doing that very thing as he and Chloe use to do together. Now she did most of the writing true but Clark can't deny that sometimes there was an urge inside him for him to do the writing...to express how he felt those situations should have been viewed. He deferred to Chloe because, as is his instinct, he didn't want to draw attention to himself.
Now it hardly matters. Being a 'human' living at the mansion he has attention whether he wants it or not. He might as well try to use that for something positive.
There is a little more chat between the 3 to agree ground rules but essentially they have an agreement. Cat gets the offer of being shown around the mansion but before that she is asked to leave the room so Clark and the Professor can have final words in private.
"You are certain you wish to do this Clark?" Charles asks one last time.
Clark nods. "Yes. I mean I realise there will be events and secrets that can never be written about and I think it best to allow the others to see anything I write first and make any objections they want but I'm pretty positive we can make this work for our benefit Professor."
"I agree."
"Although the irony of me writing something from a 'human' perspective is staggering," Clark says wryly due to the fact he is the one person who is most definitely not human.
Charles chuckles. "Clark you want a truth. For all your powers and unique origin you are the most human person I know."
Academy of Tomorrow...
That morning Claire had taken the opportunity to familiarise herself more with the layout of her new home, especially the ways to escape just in case. They don't have her complete trust yet.
Her few personal belongings had been collected and brought to her new room and Claire guessed the lingering uncomfortable feeling she still had would pass as she got use to her new surroundings. Still she doubts it will ever feel as...homely as the Institute had.
Claire turns a corner and almost walks into Emma dressed in what Claire thinks must pass for casual for her. Relatively modest top, skirt, jacket, all in white naturally, and if Claire is any judge probably incredibly expensive.
"Settling in alright?" Emma asks.
Claire's orange eyes shift slightly from side to side. "I guess. Like anything new it's all just...new." 'God that was lame,' she thinks to herself.
Emma holds back the 17 cutting remarks she could reel off and would if she wasn't trying to woo this girl completely to her side. "Follow me," Emma says. "I have something I wish you to see."
Claire follows Emma and can't help but note how elegantly the woman holds herself and walks. That can't be natural.
"It took years of training. I assure you," Emma says.
Claire's brow furrows in confusion. "Huh?"
"Telepath dear," Emma reminds her. "You're thinking very loud."
"Oh," Claire forgot. "Uh...sorry. I'm out of practice," she gives as the explanation because one of the classes taught at the Institute was psychic defence but she had lost the habit of hiding her thoughts since leaving.
"Think nothing of it," Emma assures her. "We'll soon have that corrected," Emma promises and as she works to correct it she can also work on finding away round Xavier's blocks. All Emma can read off the girl currently are her surface thoughts. It's the deeper memories she needs to reach.
Claire follows Emma into that building off to the side she had noticed last night. Once inside she finds herself in an observation booth looking down at the other students in training. "It's a Danger Room," Claire realises. It was almost identical right down to the holographic constructs.
Emma chuckles lightly. "They're still calling it that?" she inquires.
Claire nods.
"Tell me does Logan still spend his days thinking up sadistic runs to put the students through?"
"You really were a student," Claire concludes from the remark about Logan's sadistic tendencies.
"I'll take that as a yes. How is the old man?"
"Rude, grumpy, ill-mannered, short-tempered, smokes too much, drinks too much..."
"Just the same then," Emma draws the conclusion.
Claire spends some time watching the training session. Her brow furrows when the girl...Firestar Claire thinks the name is takes to the air. "How does she fly?" she is curious to know as while Claire controls fire Firestar in essence controls heat. There are similarities.
"The microwaves she generates can be focussed to heat up the air creating thermal up-drafts capable of lifting her," Emma explains.
"Shouldn't I be able to do something like that?"
"Yes. You should. Which is why it is a boon for both us you decided to stay. I will help you explore your powers to their full potential. Charles' teaching techniques are obviously lacking," Emma says with a little enjoyment at putting Charles down.
Claire wonders if Amara could do that too. Oh how she misses Amara. Her gaze drifts back to the others and a thought occurs to her. "Am I going to have get one of those outfits they wear?" she asks in reference to the frankly hideous, in her opinion, red and black outfits the Hellions are wearing.
Emma could make many, many comments about the girl's lack of fashion sense but again she bites her tongue. "It is not beyond discussion to allow you to perhaps wear something different," Emma offers a concession, again all to make the girl more comfortable until Emma can get what she wants from her.
Claire hopes so about the outfits because...yeesh. She would rather let Kitty pick her outfits than have to wear that. Not even the New Mutants uniforms were that bad.
At the Institute...
Clark is just seeing Cat off after finishing her tour. She seemed, unlike a lot of people, extremely opened minded about mutants and seemed to make a connection to just about everyone. She spent a good 20 minutes swapping fashion tips with Kitty alone along with joking about having near identical names although Kitty spells her with a K while Cat spells her with a C. There was also a few quips about them being cat lovers in reference to their respective nicknames.
Cat smiles at Clark as she steps back into her car. "Well Clark I'll see you Monday and we can continue to discuss what should be included in your first article."
"Sure. I look forward to it."
"As do I," she says in an almost sultry tone. She starts up the engine. "Bye Clark. Tell Roberto I'll meet him at 7!" she says as she drives off.
"Huh?" Clark queries at the last bit. He turns to find Roberto standing behind him waving Cat off. "You have a date with her tonight?" he asks at the only conclusion possible about what Cat meant.
Roberto grins. "What can I say? Ladies love the Sunspot!" he says with his usual cockiness. He then checks his watch. "Now if you'll excuse me Clark I only have 7 hours to get ready." Roberto then turns and heads inside.
Only 7 hours? Clark shakes his head. If his life wasn't complex enough. He walks into the mansion and heads off to find Rogue. He really wished he could have spent more time with her this morning considering what is going to happen today.
Clark is about to slip into superspeed when he finds Bobby leaning against the wall with this kind of far away dreamy gaze. He waves his hand in front of Bobby's face and gets nothing. He snaps his fingers. "Krypton to Bobby," he says.
Bobby blinks. "Oh hey Clark. What...wait. Did you say Krypton to Bobby?"
Clark shrugs with a goofy grin. "Makes more sense coming from me."
Bobby guesses so. "So what is it?"
"That's my question. You were pretty far away there."
"I was just thinking about tomorrow."
"What about tomorrow?"
"Lunch date with the delectable Cat Grant," Bobby says with a cocky grin of his own.
"You have a date with Cat?" Clark asks, unable to believe he is hearing this.
"Yep!" Bobby cheerfully confirms. "Now Roberto can eat his words!" he promises, loving the idea of sticking it to the Brazilian boy, not knowing Roberto too has a date with Cat Grant.
Clark then watches Bobby walk off wondering where was he when all this was going on and how did he miss it. Possibly when he went to the kitchen to get some refreshments. So to summarise, his 'partner' at the school paper has dates with two of his friends. "I should have stayed brainwashed," he mutters with a shake of his head.
It takes most of the day and the sun is nearing setting by the time Hank finishes the tests. The Professor calls the involved parties together to his office. Logan is leaning up against the wall, a picture of frustration because simply this wasn't anything he had ever been prepared to deal with and he didn't know how to deal with it.
Domino had spent her day distracting herself with cleaning her gun collection. She may use the non-lethal stun weapons Forge created for official missions and stuff but she likes guns and had started a collection now that she had a permanent place to live. As agreed with the Professor they were never loaded and always locked away securely. For Dom she saw this parental test as another piece of the puzzle that is rebuilding her life after Stryker destroyed it.
Rogue had reacted in her fairly typical way. She had retreated inward and brooded. Clark kept her company all day as much as he could but really what is she suppose to think. All she knows for certain is that she has to know the truth.
"Hank in your own time," the Professor tells him.
Hank adjusts the glasses on his face and reads the papers on the clipboard, he is holding, over once more. "Yes well I closely examined the readouts and the comparison of the genetic strands..."
"Just get on with it!" Domino snaps, her anxiousness, which she had been hiding behind her humour, bursting through to the surface.
Hank knows he is stalling. "Very well. I'll start with Domino. First off I've still not been able to precisely narrow down how many genetic parents you have. As we speculated it is several...and it does include Logan," he reveals.
"Cool," Domino says. "So is he my sister? Does that mean we can have slumber parties and braid each other's hair?"
There is a low growl from Logan at that.
Hank has to let the chuckle out first from Dom's joke. "Cousin," Hank corrects. "Genetically you are cousins...or I think that is the term we are all most comfortable with."
"And meh?" Rogue asks. "What about meh?" Clark standing next to her takes her hand and squeezes it gently. Rogue had wanted him here for this.
Hank flicks over a page. He'll just get straight to it this time. "Logan is your father."
Rogue's head snaps round to look at Logan whose eyes have gone wide in shock. In the next instant he is out the room and gone. Hurt passes over Rogue's face. Clark can sense her losing the strength to stand. He lowers her into a chair as her legs give out and her eyes mist up with moisture.
"Perhaps we should give them some time alone," Charles suggests to Hank who nods in agreement as the two leave.
Domino moves and places a hand on Rogue's shoulder. "Hey sis," she says in a soft, warm tone.
Rogue gives her a watery smiles. "Ah guess we really are...sort of."
"And we have at least 4 brothers for certain," Dom points out in reference to her old comrades in Beta Squad; Ramrod, Hairbag, Slab and Gorgeous George. "And who knows how many others there are out there that Stryker created," she adds.
"Is that suppose ta help?" Rogue asks, because she isn't seeing how at the minute that the fact she has who knows how many 'siblings' out there helps her deal with this.
"Yes," Clark answers for Domino. "Because it means you do have family. You are not alone."
"And if they're evil?"
"Uh...they're still your family and you'll just have to beat some sense into them...in your case that's a literal beating," Clark jests.
Rogue smiles some more and then it falters. "Logan doesn't seem to be handling it well."
"I'll go talk to him," Domino vows giving Rogue a reassuring pat on the shoulder before chasing after Logan.
That leaves Rogue alone with her boyfriend. She sniffles a little and Clark hands her a tissue from his pocket for her to blow her nose.
"Try not to be angry at Logan," Clark says in a gentle tone. "You know what he's like and that he's not really good with his emotions. He just needs some time."
"Don't we both. Gawd Clark he's mah fathah," Rogue says it out-loud as if trying to make it sink in.
"I know," he says with a sense of dread. "I am so dead."
"Huh?"
"He knows I'm sleeping with his little girl...and those claws of his can hurt me you know.
Rogue giggles with laughter at Clark's expression of mock terror. "Don't worry sugah. Ah'll protect ya," she promises.
"I'm holding you to that," he says with a slight smile that Rogue seems to be ok. He kisses her on the temple. "This changes nothing," he assures her. "Just like I said in the woods after we rescued you. I still love you regardless...although this does explain where you get your temper from."
Rogue slaps him on the arm with a trademark eye roll thrown in for good measure. "Ah keep tellin' ya Space Boy. Ya ain't that funny!"
Clark smirks and gives her another kiss, this time on the lips before he wraps his arms around her.
Rogue rests her head on his shoulder, closes her eyes and lets Clark comfort her. She likes how safe and loved she feels in his arms. Thanks to her powers it is a feeling only Clark can convey to her. "What am ah suppose ta do now?" she asks him, having no answer herself.
"Whatever you want. Nothing has to change if you don't want it to. Logan may be biologically your father but I'm in a good position to tell you that biology does not define who we call a parent nor does who your father is define you."
"Ah'll need ta talk at him at some point," Rogue knows.
"Yes but only when you're both ready and it is up to you what kind of relationship you have. I'm certain those father/daughter fishing trips aren't mandatory."
Rogue snorts with laughter at the idea of her and Logan going fishing. Good God they'd be arrested inside 5 minutes...and that would be just for trying to kill each other. Never mind what they would do to the fish.
"On the plus side for you Logan is probably less stubborn than Jor-El."
"That's sayin something."
"Tell me about it." Clark gently smooths her hair down with his hand. "But in the end you know that underneath all the gruff bluster he is a good and honourable man...which isn't a bad thing to say about your father."
Rogue closes her eyes and just lets Clark's warmth infuse into her. She is silently agreeing with what he is saying.
"Will you be ok?" he asks her.
"Yeah. Just...just hold meh," she asks of him.
"I'm not going anywhere Anna," he promises her as he holds her close.
It doesn't take much detective work on Domino's part to track Logan down. Just go where the beer is. Garage. Locker on the top right. Dom found his latest hiding spot days ago. As she gets there he is just using his claws to pop the top of a bottle. She gets an unfriendly glare the second he spots her. "Don't want to hear it Jinx."
Domino arches an eyebrow. "Jinx? That your nickname for me? Aw. You do care," she teases, implying Logan's nicknames for people is a sign of endearment.
"No. You are just bad luck."
"You could have just called me Black Cat or something," she suggests using the link between bad luck and black cats
"Sorry. Someone beat you to that name."
"Really? Damn," she curses. "I should have trademarked it!" She then leans past him and grabs herself a bottle of beer, smirking when Logan growls. "Now don't blame me. My love of the stuff has now been scientifically proven to come from you."
Logan closes his eyes and sighs.
Domino pops the top of her beer and takes a swig before she decides to be a little more contrite sounding. "Look Logan I know I tease you but really do you think this is any easier for either me or Rogue than it is for you. Not one of us wants to be in this spot but here we are. Refusing to deal with it isn't an option."
Logan opens his eyes and looks at her. "Silver Fox," he says.
Domino's brow furrows. "Excuse me?"
"Do you remember back at the dam Deadpool's ramblings?"
Domino thinks back and recalls Deadpool listing off a few names of people who were members of Weapon X. One he mentioned was Silver Fox. "Yeah I remember."
"When he said it I got a flash of memory of a woman. I think it was her."
"And what does this have to do with the price of bread?"
"Your eyes. You have her eyes," Logan explains that Domino's blue eyes are exactly the same shade of blue as the woman he believes is Silver Fox.
"Neat," Dom remarks. "Do you think she is still alive?"
"Honestly haven't a clue," Logan confesses. "And the kind of work she must have done to be there means there probably isn't a paper trail to follow," he rules out any possibility of hunting her down.
Dom throws back another gulp of beer and she contemplates all this. It raised as many questions as it answered. "Oh god," she suddenly says.
"What?"
"I just realised. Deadpool said he was part of it too which means...he...might...be...part of me!" she says with growing horror. The thought that that lunatic's DNA is part of her...her hand goes over her mouth. "I just threw up a little in my mouth," she says with complete revulsion at the idea that struck her.
Logan smirks and sips on his beer. Maybe this whole thing won't be so bad after all.
Later that night Logan is still drinking as he sits in the lounge mindlessly watching the tv. He and Dom were...probably still what they had been to each other before today. She still annoyed the hell out of him and he still regretted the fact they let her stay. As for Rogue...Logan still hadn't resolved how to deal with that. Dom is one thing and her being his cousin he can live with by imagining she is his distant, distant, distant cousin but Rogue is his literal daughter and that is a whole other kettle of fish.
Logan sniffs the air as a scent approaches and in walks Jonathan who grabs a beer off the table and sits down next to him.
"Don't want to talk about it," Logan says in a gruff tone, assuming what Jonathan is here for. By now, knowing this place, everyone knew everything about it.
"I'm not here to talk about it. I just want to sit with a beer and watch the telly," Jonathan responds.
Logan glances at the blond man for a moment and sees he seems to be being genuine.
"Martha wanted me to talk to you about it," Jonathan says. "But I told her that sometimes you just have to let things be."
"How did she take that?"
"Why do you think I'm here and not in bed?" Jonathan asks rhetorically.
Logan snorts a little with laughter. Martha must have kicked him out.
"Not funny," Jonathan chides Logan with a scowl.
"It kinda is Jon-Boy," Logan says and considering the day he has been having he'll take any small pleasure he can get.
Jonathan takes a swig of his beer. "You know she's still mad at me for making a deal with Jor-El," he mentions because Martha was a long way from letting that one go.
"That I get."
"I had to do it," Jonathan says sounding a little overly defensive. "There was no other way to get Clark back. After all isn't that what you do for someone you love? You do anything it takes to protect them."
Logan could get that he supposes. He would do whatever it took to protect the kids.
"Has Ororo been trying to talk to you about it?" Jonathan asks. "I know she and Martha were conspiring earlier."
Logan grunts. "I've been avoiding Ro for that very reason," he says because he knows she would want them to sit down and share their feelings. Honestly Logan would rather fight Sabretooth.
Jonathan takes a long drink from his beer and watches the tv with Logan in silence. He then says, "You know it's funny how things don't really change."
Logan eyes Jonathan suspiciously. "In what way?"
"That from my time here I've noticed one thing. In most ways that matter you are already Rogue's father."
Logan turns his head and looks at Jonathan completely baffled by that. "Say what?"
"I've seen you with her. You'd do anything to protect her. You're always there for her and in your own way you give her what she needs in terms of understanding."
"She spends her life arguing with me and trying to undermine me."
"Well she is a teenager," Jonathan says with a quirk on his lips. "But that doesn't diminish the point. It means in reality your relationship doesn't need to change much beyond a recognition that you are father and daughter. Where you go from that...well you will have to do that thing you don't like doing and talk with her."
Logan frowns at that idea. He has no idea what to say to Rogue really. Weapon X ruined his life and even now, 16 years later, he can't escape their legacy. Logan swears if he ever gets his hands on Stryker he will make him pay.
Early the next morning Scott is looking for Clark. They need to talk about whether he is rejoining the X-Men or not. Being Sunday most other people weren't up but Scott has always been an early riser. It takes a little searching but he finds Clark down in the lower levels in the lab room where he wrote all the Kryptonian script.
Scott opens the door to find Clark sitting on the table in the middle of the room cross-legged as if in deep thought. It is only when Scott looks twice he notices Clark's form is bobbing up and down a little and that Clark is actually hovering a couple of inches off the table.
"Are you meaning to be doing that?" Scott asks.
Clark turns his head in Scott's direction. "Hmm? What?"
"You're floating," Scott says, pointing at the gap beneath Clark.
Clark shrugs. "It happens...mostly when I don't want it to...and as for flying..." Clark makes a face. "Well you were there for my last attempt. Trust me it's not got any better," he says sadly with a bit of frustration mixed in. His last attempt was as bad as his 1st attempt. He would just fly wildly like a missile without any sort of control. Sam had better control than him and that was saying something. Clark's lack of control was dangerous if anything because he can survive any sort of impact. A person could not survive an impact with him.
"How's Rogue doing?" Scott asks, curious. He could imagine it was a difficult revelation to absorb that Logan of all people is her father. Scott himself was still trying to come to terms with what it meant.
"Surprisingly well actually. I mean she hasn't come to total terms with it or what it means for how she is suppose to relate with Logan but knowing the truth is important to her. However I get the feeling that you aren't here to talk about Rogue are you?"
Scott shakes his head and sits himself down on the table next to Clark. "So what are you doing down here so early?" Scott asks first off.
"Just thinking mostly. Trying to understand all of this," Clark answers, gesturing at the surrounding boards. "I have time. Rogue enjoys a lie-in on a Sunday and I really don't sleep much anyway."
Scott's brow draws slightly closer together. "How long have you been up?"
"Never went to sleep actually," Clark confesses. "Wasn't in the mood."
"You can do that?"
"Scott I never slept once in the 3 months Jor-El had me captive. It seems I can go without it...although I prefer to get a couple of hours in. It helps clear my mind. As I said I just wasn't in the mood last night."
That's incredible Scott has to say. Anyway he thinks he better get onto why he really wants to speak to Clark. "I want to talk to you about the team."
"What about it?"
"Are you still a part of it?"
Clark looks at Scott, confusion clearly written in his expressive cerulean blue eyes. "Officially you know I can't."
"Yes officially the Blur is only an ally," Scott repeats the official line. "But you haven't trained with us since you got back."
"Scott...I'm busy," Clark argues. "I-I have a lot on my plate."
Scott nods in concession. "True...but as I recall we all agreed to help with this," he says gesturing at the boards. They all agreed to help Clark do the research and find the stones.
"I appreciate that Scott but I'm still feel like I'm being pulled in a hundred different directions some days."
Ok this Scott gets. He is leader after all and that does put burdens on his time. "You're struggling with the balance."
Clark nods.
"I understand...but we're a team Clark. We need you."
"No you don't," is Clark's instant rebuttal. "You got on fine without me before I got here. You'll get on fine without me now." In other words Clark is edging towards that a sacrifice might have to be made for him to balance his life and that it might just have to be the X-Men because as he said they don't need him.
"We managed and coped yes," Scott agrees and he is proud of the X-Men for every victory they have had. "But what is the point of a team Clark?"
Clark remains silent as he doesn't quite know what response Scott is looking for.
Scott answers his own question. "A team is about bringing different individuals with different skills and abilities together to achieve things they never could alone. You bring abilities we use to lack. Before you arrived we didn't have anyone who could match Quicksilver's speed or Blob's strength for example. Now before you mention Roberto, yes he is superstrong but he still doesn't have your level of control and his powers have limitations." Roberto's powers only work in direct sunlight.
"To be fair Scott last time I checked Mr McCoy said that eventually Roberto will absorb enough sunlight for his powers to work at any time," Clark says. In some ways Roberto was not unlike Clark in the sense it seemed Roberto's powers would increase over time just as Clark's do.
"That's years away," Scott points out having seen that very same evaluation Beast made of Roberto's power development. "Look the bottom line Clark is you don't think you can juggle everything in your life at the moment. Even though it is clichéd as hell can I say that is what friends are for, to help each other."
Clark chuckles and shakes his head.
"What?" Scott asks, puzzled by what is so funny.
"It is just I could imagine Jean making this speech but not you. I'll go with that she's been a good influence on you."
Scott smiles. "I would go with that too," he agrees with Clark about Jean's influence on him. "By the way I think she would like to do that double date thing again."
"I'll think on it but Rogue gets the final say," Clark explains.
"You're whipped," Scott comments with a smirk.
"Like you're not?" Clark retorts.
Scott cocks his head to the side before nodding in concession. Jean can pretty much get him to do anything for her.
The two teens then share a laugh at the fact of how whipped they both are.
"I did enjoy it," Clark admits to their night out on Friday.
"Me too," Scott says.
"I don't even need to ask how it's going with you and Jean because it is easy to see when you two are together how well you two are."
"Could say the same of you and Rogue," Scott comments. "So back on topic. Training?"
"I'll be there for this afternoon's session," Clark decides. It wouldn't be right just to leave them in the lurch. Like Scott said friends should be there for each other. Besides he still has a lot to learn about his powers...especially the newer ones.
"And we'll help you with all this," Scott promises in return gesturing at the boards around them.
"Thank you," Clark says sincerely. It is really nice to have friends like these Clark thinks to himself. If he was still back in Smallville god knows how he would have managed. Fair chance is he would still be under Jor-El's control.
"So breakfast?" Scott suggests, as he notices the time.
"Sure," Clark says.
"By the way you do know you are still floating right?"
"I noticed...but it's really a subconscious thing at the moment." Clark takes a moment to will himself to lower down onto the table. His brow furrows but eventually his body responds and he comes to rest on the table top. He and Scott then hop down and start to head back up to the mansion.
"So I'm curious," Clark says.
"About?" Scott asks.
"Have you always been attracted to Jean? Has there been anyone else?" he asks, because he doesn't think he has ever asked Scott that.
"Yes and yes," Scott answers the questions. "The 1st day I saw Jean I thought she was the most beautiful girl I had ever seen...but as you may have noticed she didn't always return the affection."
"And the someone else?"
"It was never serious. It was before you came and she isn't here any longer. I also tried dating a couple of other girls at school but it never got past a couple of dates with any of them." Scott can admit to himself that was because he was too hung up on Jean. "And what about you? I know of Lana and Chloe. Anyone else?"
"There was another girl; Kyla. It...she died."
Scott can hear the pain in Clark's voice and decides not to ask for details. "I'm sorry," is all he says.
"Thanks," Clark says in a flat, emotionless tone. They reach the elevator and wait for it.
"So...who gave you your first kiss?" Scott asks. They were talking about relationships and it seems a good question.
Clark smiles at that one. "Chloe."
"Really?"
Clark breaks into a wide grin. "She had just moved to Smallville and I was showing her around the farm when out of the blue she laid one on me explaining she did it to get it out of the way so we could be friends."
Scott struggles for a response. "That's...uh..."
"Chloe. That's Chloe," Clark gives as the only explanation he can give. "What about you? Who was your first kiss?"
The elevator doors open and Clark and Scott walk in. Scott chuckles a little at the memory and his eyes get this faraway look as he recalls his first kiss. "That...that was that girl I mentioned that is no longer here."
"What was her name?"
"Her name was Emma Frost," Scott replies just as the elevator doors close.
That afternoon the X-Men gather in the Danger Room for their training session. Storm and Domino were already there waiting for them. Logan had excused himself out of doing it today.
Domino steps up next to Rogue. "You up for this?" she asks the younger girl, worried Rogue might be distracted.
"Ah feel lahke ah need something ta do," Rogue explains her feelings. She and Logan hadn't talked yet and Rogue wasn't sure what to say. For once the distraction of a Danger Room session was almost a relief.
Domino smiles in sympathetic understanding. "Alright," she agrees. "But if I think your mind isn't here and your putting yourself in danger I'm pulling you out regardless how much you cuss me," she says light-heartedly.
Everyone, bar Scott, is surprised when Clark walks in in his blue costume with the long crimson red coat and crimson boots.
"Hey guys," Clark greets them.
"Dude. You're back," Kurt says, happy to see his friend has rejoined them.
"Yeah. Sorry I've been away. I've had a lot on my mind," Clark apologises and explains.
"That's ok Clark," Jean says, in her normal sympathetic manner.
Domino looks at him with what Clark would call a worrying smile on her face. "Finally. I get to work you over...and that came out sounding wrong didn't it?" she asks, looking to Storm.
"I believe there was a superior choice of phrasing, yes," Storm says, being diplomatic.
"Like totally," Kitty giggles. "The only one who gets to work Clark over is Rogue."
Both Rogue and Clark look panic stricken for a moment. Kitty can't have...she can't know they were sleeping together. They had been careful to keep it secret knowing the teasing they would get if it was known.
Evan makes a face. "Seriously Kitty. I don't need images like that in my head," he complains.
"Oh grow up Evan. It was a joke," Kitty says and both Clark and Rogue let out simultaneous sighs of relief at the fact Kitty is only making a joke.
"Alright. I'll try this," Dom says trying to come up with a superior phrasing. "Put your faith in the Lord but your ass belongs to me Kent," she promises, trying to put the fear of God into him.
Clark arches an eyebrow and folds his arms across his chest. "You're trying to intimidate me by quoting from the Shawshank Redemption, really?"
"I love zhat movie," Kurt says.
Domino's face falls and she covers her eyes with her hand. She shakes her head a little before looking up at Rogue. "This is your doing. You're a bad influence," she accuses Rogue of where Clark gets the talking back from.
Rogue smiles. "Yeah. Ah'm so proud. Maybe ah should start teaching a class," she idly mentions.
"God I hope not," Scott mutters. Domino and Rogue were bad enough as is. He doesn't need them spreading their rebellious sarcastic natures to others.
Rogue takes a moment to notice something about Clark. He is still in his 'old' X-Men uniform. "Ah thought ya said ya were goin ta get a new costume," she remembers him saying.
Clark brow draws together slightly. "Mom and I are still...debating the finer details," he phrases it as.
"Can't agree huh?" Kitty assumes.
"Not precisely, no."
"Well as fascinating at that is," Domino says sarcastically. "Can we get started?"
Storm agrees. Time to get to business. "Pay attention students. This is today's objective..."
That evening Rogue is in her room sitting in her chair by the window reading one of her novels. She had retreated here most of the last 2 days just to avoid other people, Kitty and Jean mostly, because no doubt they would want to talk about it. It being the fact Logan is her father. Rogue didn't want to talk about it. She preferred to sit here alone and brood.
There is a knock on her door. She checks her watch. Too early to be Clark sneaking along. "Who is it?"
"It's me."
Logan?
Surprise etches into Rogue's features as she marks her place in her book before she gets up, walks over and opens the door. It is immediately as clear as day that Logan looks uncomfortable as he fidgets on the spot. Not to mention the stronger than usual smell of alcohol which permeates from him. He must have drunk a lot probably trying to work up the courage to come here. Rogue takes a moment, her fingers playing with her white bangs in her automatic nervous habit. "Do ya...do ya want ta come in?" she asks him, summoning up the courage because there can only be one reason for him to be here.
Logan shakes his head. "No. Look Stripes I don't know what to say about this...this situation between you and me. Whatever you want...however you want to do this I can live with."
Rogue sighs. "Technically mah legal guardian is this woman ah can barely remember. She left meh with Irene and ah can't remember her evah returning."
Logan knows, like him, Rogue doesn't like to talk about the past much. "I'm not suggesting legally becoming your father...unless that is what ya want?" Logan queries Rogue.
Rogue snorts with laughter. "Hell no! Ah would nevah live that down."
"Funny," Logan says dryly. "You've been hanging around Space Boy too much," he comments.
"Look Logan," Rogue says more seriously. Now that he is here she might as well express the conclusion she has reached about how things should be between them. "For now ah don't know what ah want either beyond ah don't see any reason things have ta beh different between us. Can't we just carry on as we were and figure it out as we go along."
"Sure kid," Logan agrees, speaking in a softly spoken voice.
"Don't call meh kid," Rogue admonishes him with a scowl. She hates that.
"You said you didn't want things to change," he reminds her with a little smirk. "By the way that means I won't be going any easier on ya in training."
"And ah won't beh giving ya respect or stop questioning ya," Rogue retorts.
"As long as we're clear."
"Lahke mud," she jokes.
"I'll see ya at training bright and early in the morning," Logan promises and takes a step to leave but then stops. "Oh one more thing. I will be having a fatherly chat with that boyfriend of yours," he tells her.
Rogue's face darkens. "Don't ya dare Logan," she warns him off doing what she is imagining he is thinking of doing.
"Night Stripes," he says with a smirk as he walks off.
"Logan!" Rogue yells after him. "Don't ya think about it Logan! Cause if ya do then...ah'm nevah evah callin' ya dad!" she vows.
"I can live with that!" Logan shouts back.
Rogue screams in frustration. "Jackass!"
"Language!" he chides her.
"Ah hate ya!"
"What's new?" he shouts back. He's heard that many times before.
Rogue's face screws up in anger. She turns round back into her room and slams the door shut. She has got to get Beast to redo those tests. There is no way Logan's her father! She will not accept being related to that obstinate, infuriating, fathead!
Academy of Tomorrow...
Emma watches her students relaxing in the common area on their night off. Volcana sticks to the edge not quite participating but that's to be expected. Emma will make sure Claire feels welcome and in time the girl will relax, let her guard down and it will be all the easier to break into her mind and learn all those little secrets she keeps.
Emma checks the extremely expensive watch on her wrist. It is almost time to check in. She turns elegantly on her heels and starts to walk towards her office. She turns a corner and almost runs into Hellion who is obviously waiting for her she can gather from his stance. "Something on your mind Julian?"
An annoyed furrow puckers Julian's brow and his eyes gleam with antagonism. "Was it necessary to humiliate me in front of the rookie?"
Emma rolls her eyes. He is still upset about her chastisement of him. "Julian," she says in a very serious tone. "How I operate here is not for you to question especially in front of others," she emphasises by raising the timber of her voice. "Now I'm not going to waste time explaining the obvious as to why I did what I did," she says in a very condescending manner. "Lets leave it as a puzzle for you to solve but let me spell out something in crystal clarity. You continue to undermine and question me and you will spend the rest of your life thinking you are a 5 year old girl," she threatens him.
"You wouldn't dare!" Julian rages. She wouldn't dare do that to him. Not to him!
Emma arches one perfectly maintained blond eyebrow. "I would have the Cuckoos do your hair," she promises him in a flat, even tone.
That idea seems to knock some of the bluster out of Julian.
"Better," Emma says at his silence. "Now why don't you go join the others and enjoy your night off hmm?"
"Yes Miss Frost," Julian replies more contritely although on the inside he is steaming at the fact someone as important and powerful as him can be talked to like this but he knows Miss Frost can easily do what she threatens.
Emma watches Julian leave before resuming her journey to her office.
Julian walks round the corner to be met by the 5 Stepford Cuckoos. "Hello Julian," the 5 say as one in their flat monotone.
Julian looks at them warily. "Um...hi."
"We heard what Miss Frost said," one of the girls says. Julian never took the effort to try and figure out how to tell them apart so he doesn't know who it is.
The 5 start to grin with a sinister evil gleam in their eyes. "We're really looking forward to the day you are our own life-sized dress-up doll," another of the girls said.
"We have this lovely pink dress all picked out," yet another one tells him.
Julian gulps. "I've...uh...got to go!" he says hastily as he virtually runs away from them.
"See you soon Julian!" the 5 girls promise in a creepy tone.
Evil. That's what those girls are in Julian's opinion. Pure, distilled evil.
In her office Emma sits down in her chair with a glass of expensive white wine and activates the monitor on her desk which is a video link to the Black King; Sebastian Shaw.
"Emma," Shaw says as a way of greeting.
"Sebastian," Emma greets him back.
"Progress?" he asks for an update.
"The girl was one of Xavier's I can confirm but there are blocks in her mind. That will take time to either break through or get the girl to trust me enough to open up."
"I see," Shaw says in a non-committal fashion as to not express his opinion on that.
"She is very powerful. She will be useful," Emma reports her initial assessment.
"For your sake Emma I hope so," Shaw warns. Failure is never accepted in the Inner Circle. "I expect regular updates," he commands.
"Of course my King."
"What's her name?" Shaw asks out of idle curiosity.
"Selton. Claire Selton. Codename; Volcana."
"Get her ready. I'll have another mission for you soon," Shaw commands.
Emma nods once. As she said to the girl her Hellions are used to protect the interests of the Inner Circle...ok so she never said that explicitly but that is information Volcana does not need to know. "Hellfire burns eternal," Emma speaks the salute of the Inner Circle.
"Hellfire burns eternal," Shaw returns it before he ends the transmission. He leans back in his chair in the study of his plush home and sips on a very old brandy. The girl could be a boon if they learn something useful about Xavier. He needs watched and controlled after the chaos he and Magneto caused with their rivalry and the reveal of mutants. As for Magneto...that is a whole other headache.
Shaw drains the last of his brandy from his glass. He then stands up and walks over to his drinks cabinet to pour himself another. All the while there is this buzzing of familiarity in his head at the name of that girl.
'Selton. Selton,' he repeats over and over in his mind. 'Why does that name seem so familiar?' he asks himself because he has heard it before somewhere and once upon a time he gets this strange feeling it meant something to him.
"Selton. Selton," he says it out-loud hoping to jog his memory. He pours more brandy in his glass and raises it to his lips where he freezes as his memory puts the pieces into place.
"No," he whispers in disbelief that fills his green eyes. "It can't be her..."
Author's Note: I strongly hinted at the end of my last story that Logan might be Rogue's father. This is as far as I wanted to drag that out so here is the question answered. Still leaves the issue of who her mother is. I forgot to say in my note for the last chapter the blocks in Claire's mind are my way around Emma simply instantly learning all of the secrets Claire holds particularly the one around a certain farmboy. And who is Claire to Shaw? That is the question that will redefine who Claire Selton is. Thanks to everyone who wrote reviews. Next up; The long overdue catch up with Spidey!