32. Competition

It was Valentine's Day once again and like it had been for the past hundreds of years, couples were planning on spending the day together with romantic plans being at the top of their lists. Those at the Mansion were no exception as those with a significant other would go all out to make them feel extra special on this day.

Within the Danger Room, Miguel and Gambit were in the middle of a training session against some of the X-Men's older enemies. Drones of Sabortooth, Toad, and a mutant with a Russian accent using metal whips as weapons were the chosen targets for the day. Bright magenta streaks of energy streaked through the air to hit the aggressive robots then were followed up with a bo staff attack from Gambit while Miguel imprinted the Toad robot's strength and found he could leap a great distance.

"So, any thought as to a new name, monsieur Cortez?" Gambit asked as he charged another card and threw it at the attacking whip wielder.

"No, mah name's just fine." Meeting the Toad drone in the air, Miguel delivered a strong kick to its chest and followed it to the ground. A second after hitting the floor, the drone had its head crushed from the clawed mutant landing on it.

"Watch your back, Omega Red's going after you."

Diving to the side, Miguel narrowly avoided being ensnared by Omega Red's whips. Leaping at his attacker, he streamlined his body and managed to slice one of the robot's arms at the elbow as Gambit hit it with a kineticly charged card, leaving its chest and face without skin and its robotic insides showing.

"You should get a field name." As the Sabortooth drone attacked, Gambit deflected a pounce and turned it into a pin-like move as he buried his bo staff in the neck of the machine and charged it with energy. The result was an explosion and a stub where the Neanderthal-like mutant's head was. "How 'bout Chupa or Chupacabra?"

"How 'bout not." Taking a swipe, Miguel managed to slice the whip from Omega Red's remaining arm off then proceeded to slice its legs and head off. What was left was a sparking pile of scrap metal.

"You could always go by what the Hellfires called you. If you're gonna stay on as an X-Man, you should at least have a name."

"You know what, Ah'm just gonna let you handle that for meh."

"You sure about that?" Gambit asked with a grin as he leaned on his bo staff. "Ah could give you a lousy one."

"And Ah could refer to you as Gumbo from now on."

Giving a light chuckle, Gambit shook his head. "Apex it is. You're now officially an X-Man. Now if you'll excusez-moi, Ah have a Mississippi Queen to tend to tonight."

With most of the mutants leaving for the night, Miguel was looking for something to take his mind off of things. Remy had wasted no time in spreading his new name around and now practically everyone referred to him as Apex when they saw him, something about breaking in his mutant name before field missions.

As the ones with dates were busy getting ready, Miguel was making sure he was on his way out early. Justine and Noi were with him and had made plans to catch a movie in town. All romantic comedies were out as were horror ones due to the underage girl with them, so that only left action. As the three came down the stairs to the foyer, Eric entered through the front doors and smiled when he saw Justine.

"Ah, Justine, just the woman I was looking for." He headed over to the suspicious woman and wrapped an arm around her shoulders. "Now I know you are alone on this glorious day, so I pulled some strings and got you something special."

Not waiting for her to respond, he jogged back to the door and opened it as a big grin spread across his face. Standing on the other side was a tall dark skinned beauty with a head full of curly black shoulder length hair. She carried a duffle bag on one shoulder and upon seeing Justine, removed her sunglasses and developed a large smile.

"Sarah?!" Justine gasped.

"Justine!" Sarah yelled.

Both women wasted no time in running up to each other and wrapping their arms around the other. They soon kissed as the couple finally reunited after being apart for months on end. As for the other three, they turned their heads to offer the ladies some privacy.

"What happened to you?" Sarah asked. "You stopped calling again and I was worried you may have-"

"Sarah, don't worry. The phones were hacked into again but it's all been taken care of. How did you get up here to begin with?"

"Eric. He got a hold of me and sent a plane to pick me up for a few days. He even hired a limo to bring me here."

Turning back to Miguel with the smile still on her face, Justine took her girlfriend's bag and led her to him and Noi. "Miguel, rain check on that movie. Me and my girl have some catching up to do over dinner." She then shoved the bag in his chest as she led Sarah outside and into the limo.

"Hope you have a good time!" Eric called after them as the chauffer closed the vehicle's door so they may take off. "And I hope you and Noi have a good time as well." The smile on his face turned into a condescending grin with those words.

Miguel was about to form his claws when Noi stopped him from doing so by tugging on his arm. She shook her head when he looked down at her and grunted as he turned to take Sarah's bag in Justine's room.

Making sure he was out of view and earshot, Eric made his way over to the Chinese girl and smiled down at her. "And where are you going?"

Noi didn't answer him. She instead backed up a few steps and didn't like how he followed her. She was ready to turn into her shadow form when the high pitch of a cell phone rang and was immediately answered by its owner, Eric. His expression soon changed from a menacing smile to a look of annoyance as he began speaking in Italian. Slamming his phone shut, he flashed the girl a smile then turned to head to the kitchen as Miguel came back down the stairs.

"Ready to go Noi?" he asked when he saw how she was looking at the departing mutant. "Noi?"

"Yeah, yeah, I'm ready to go."

It was dark by the time Miguel and Noi returned to the mansion from their movie with what was left of their snacks. Noi carried her Goobers and bag of left over popcorn while Miguel held onto a pack of peanut M&M's, the irony lost to him, and a small batch of red roses. For the most part, the entire building was empty with a few quiet conversations happening here and there.

"So, are you gonna give those to Megan?" Noi asked as she brought the box of candy to her mouth and ate a few of the treats.

"Just gotta apologize for being and idiot lately. Maybe Ah can catch her before her and Eric's dinner."

"That's good," the girl yawned. "I'm tired."

"Hard to believe with all that candy and cokes you had, you're not on a sugar high."

Making sure she got to her room, Miguel headed to his quarters and threw his things on the dresser and jacket on the bed. The sight of the clock on the nightstand showed it was a little past eight, meaning she was either in the middle of a late dinner or had finished it and was in middle of 'dessert'. Taking a chance, he went next door to her room and knocked lightly. He was surprised to find it open as his knocks were enough to push it slightly ajar. Megan was nowhere inside and only the security lights from outside illuminated the room.

"Figures." Looking down at the three roses he bought for her, he went over to place them on her computer desk when he looked outside.

Standing in the white gazebo behind the mansion was a lone figure in a black dress. Thinking back to when he was on stakeout during their mission to the docks, he remembered Eric's plan for Valentine's night involving a late dinner outside. He didn't need to even try to see who was out there as he could tell just from the shape of the body alone. Exhaling a deep breath, he looked away and left the room. He wasn't even halfway to his room when the bell rung, announcing someone's arrival downstairs. Being the only one available, he hurried downstairs in case it was Justine and her girlfriend; he was surprised it was a young man with a currier's bike waiting on the other side of the entryway.

"Yes" he asked the visitor who took off his large earphones, which blasted rap music.

"Um, hi. Sorry to disturb you this late but I was instructed to bring this as soon as possible. The guy was very adamant about it." Handing over a thick rectangular black box, the currier pulled out a clipboard and had Miguel sign for it.

"And that's all I need," the young man said as he tore a green paper off the back of the one Miguel had signed. "Here's your copy. And I hope you have a pleasant night." He then extended his hand for a tip.

Looking at the man's waiting gesture; Miguel held the paper and box in one hand as he patted his pockets for loose change. "Um, here you go. Night." He handed the man his leftover bag of candy and immediately shut the door.

Looking the box over, and the receipt with Eric's name on it, it was clear what was inside without having to look, and knowing the Italian mutant, it was of coarse rather expensive.

"Well it's a good thing Ah ain't tryin' to win her back." He looked at the small batch of roses he still had in his hands then at the box. "No f#$king contest."

It was cool outside with a light breeze blowing from the east, bringing with it the smell of seawater and the scent of rain. The outside lights provided the property with a dim setting as they mostly provided light along the walking trails. Among one of the near unlit areas was a white gazebo where the lone Megan was standing against the railing with her back to the mansion. Miguel admired the form fitting black dress she wore as it hugged every curve of her body. He also noticed she wore a pair of black high heels, something he had not seen her wear since he knew her.

Forcing himself to look down, he gathered himself and rapped on the side of the entrance way to get her attention. "Megan?"

Turning quickly to see who was there, she hid most of her face from him and quickly turned back around. "Oh, it's you. What do you want?"

Looking around the gazebo, Miguel was surprised to find there was no set table with candles and food like Eric said he would prepare for her. "Eric didn't show up, did he?"

"No. He, he just text me. Said he was on his way to Italy for business, and that I shouldn't mind."

"Sorry."

"Why? You're not the one who went out to buy a new dress, new shoes, had…had your hair done." It sounded as if her voice were about to break. "And spent an hour making sure your makeup's perfect."

"Yeah. Yeah, Ah didn't do any of that. Ah could never find the right shade of lipstick for meh."

Letting out a sob/laugh, Megan finally looked at him. "Wouldn't have thought you'd have trouble like that."

Miguel could literally feel his heart skip a beat when he laid eyes on her. Her pink and blue hair was styled elegantly with a loose curl as it swept to her left, casting a slight shadow on her face and fell over her shoulder as the right side was swept behind her. It was a look that put Carrie Underwood's to shame in his opinion. Aside from her mascara being slightly smoky from wiping tears from her face, her makeup was perfect. It was also something she didn't need to begin with as she was gorgeous without it. Eric was dead wrong if he thought she looked better with such adornments and didn't like the fact it hid her freckles.

"What's that?" she asked when she saw the box in his hand.

For the second time since seeing her that night, he had to snap himself back to reality. "This, um…this came for you." Regrettably, he held out the back box and its delivery paper to her and watched as she stared at it. "It's from Eric. A currier just dropped it off."

Taking the box, Megan sighed as she opened it slowly. What lay inside took her breath away as her eyes grew wide. "Oh my God."

Inside the container was a diamond laden white gold necklace on a delicate sterling silver chain. Forming a triangle shape, the sparkling objects were laid out in star-like patterns, making it look as if the Milky Way itself was in the black box. Even though it was dim where she stood, the available light reflected brightly off its many precious stones. Situated above the necklace were a pair of matching earrings, delicate and beautiful.

As Megan looked her gift over, Miguel's shoulders sagged. Catching a glimpse of the jewelry and the way she looked at it felt like being hit in the gut with a sledgehammer. He immediately felt stupid holding the flowers behind his back when Eric had given her something like that. He had now lost her. He had no way of competing for her after that and tossed the roses to the ground behind him before taking his leave.

"Miguel," Megan said as she lowered the open box. "Have you ever wondered what would have happened to us if you never left?"

Stopping with one foot on the gazebo and the other on the ground, he turned back to look at her. "Honestly? Ah try not to think about it."

"Why not?"

Looking away towards the mansion, Miguel tried changing the subject as the rain began to fall. "You better go back inside. It's already raining."

"Miguel, don't…don't change the subject on me. Just tell me what I want to know."

He shook his head then gave his answer after a moment. "Ah can't."

"Why not?" By this time the rain had increased and was making its way under the small structure they were under with the help of the breeze.

"Because Ah just can't."

"Just tell me." Her voice was shaking as tears began to form from her eyes.

"Ah can't."

"Why not? Why won't you tell me?"

"Because I love you!"

The two stood in silence with the rain falling around them and the thunder rolling in the sky above. The words were said with such clarity that it was like only she was meant to hear them. Miguel was breathing hard, not really sure why as Megan stared at him with tears in her eyes. It had been too long since he said those words, the first of which was when they were in bed before he left and the last being when he text her and warned her about the lines being hacked. It had also been a while since she last said those words as well.

"Ah know Ah never said it too much but Ah…Ah love you. That's…that's the only reason it hurts when Ah'm around you. Ah, Ah see you with him and, and, and can't help but feel you're with the wrong person, that it should be meh. But Ah can't tell you that because you're so happy with him and he treats you good, and then when Ah tried to tell you what he told meh about you and you slapped meh…Ah knew telling you that would hurt you but you needed to hear it regardless if you thought Ah was lying to you. That's the one thing Ah never wanted to do, Ah never wanted to hurt you like that and Ah never lied to you."

"Miguel…" Megan didn't know what to say.

"Just…be happy, Pix. That's all Ah want for you. Ah could never be in the same league as him. Ah could never get you nice things like that. Ah can't compete with that. Ah can't compete with him." With his head hanging, Miguel stepped out into the pouring rain and made his way back to the mansion.

Watching him go, Megan wanted to tell him something, anything to make him come back but couldn't find the words. She looked down at the gift Eric had gotten her, the light continued to sparkle brilliantly in the diamonds when something else caught her eye. Laying on the edge of the wooden floor were three roses with a white ribbon tying them together. She knelt down and reached for them, already knowing who they were from as he stood where they lay only a moment ago. She found they had a folded up strip of paper tucked between the ribbon and the stems, which she took out and read.

Megan,

Whatever happened or happens between us, know I never stopped caring for you. I know I messed up and should have done things better and I will. I didn't lie to you when I told you what Eric said but knew it would hurt you more if you ever found out from someone else. I only hope he was just trying to hurt me and not you as you deserve better than that. You deserve better than me, and I hope you find happiness with him and he treats you the way you deserve to be treated. Happy Valentine's.

Love you always,

Chupa

She clasped a hand over her mouth as tears ran down her face.

Halfway back to the mansion, Miguel trudged through soaked soil and grass. He didn't care he was getting drenched at this point and how his jeans and shirt clung tightly to his body from being wet. He told himself doing what he did was a mistake. When it came to what he could do and give Megan, it was simply a no contest. Eric had him beat through and through. He could literally give her anything and everything she wanted and only hoped he was sincere in doing so.

Sweeping a hand through his soaking hair, Miguel was so lost in thought that he failed to hear his name being called behind him until Megan grabbed him by the shoulder and forced him to turn around. Before he could say or do anything, she grabbed him by the face and passionately pressed her lips to his in a deep kiss, sending her true feelings to him through the gesture. He immediately returned it as he wrapped his arms around her, making her wings pop out and flutter with the rain continuing to cascade over them. The two soon found themselves on their knees in the grass as they refused to stop kissing each other. Every one was like a fresh breath of air and they needed all they could get.

"Miguel, I love you," Megan gasped between breaths as Miguel held onto her tightly. She still held onto the three roses he gave her while the box of jewelry lay on the floor of the gazebo.

It didn't take long for them to get back to her room and climb into her bed. She pulled his soaked shirt off and ran her hands over his chest and abs as he slowly unzipped her dress. Her fingers quickly unbuckled his belt and opened his jeans to slip them off as he cupped her face and kissed her lovingly. He helped her out of the soaked dress she wore and tossed it with the other clothes on the floor before leaning her back to lay on the mattress. The two joined as they moaned their names and confessed their love throughout the night, finally feeling whole once again.