Nichol Begins to Study (10 years prior to X-Men)

Nichol had a depressing morning. She had been up 'working' late into the night, so she slept in till 11:00 A.M. As usual her 'roommates' had left for school. She had eaten a bowl of cereal for lunch, sat in front of the TV, and turned on a soap opera. It was a Wednesday, which meant noting exciting would happen on the show since the excitement was always in the Friday and Monday episodes. It was overcast outside and the whole world seemed sad.

At 2:00 P.M. her shows ended, and she had nothing to watch on TV. This was always a hard hour. She got up and strolled around the apartment. It was then that she noticed a book on the floor. "Great, Thomas forgot his textbook, again." She paused and then laughed out loud. I'm starting to sound like a real mother.

She looked at the book. It was a history textbook. History was Matthew's favorite subject. Thomas on the other hand enjoyed math. Could these twins be any more different? She opened the book and took a glance at the first chapter, "Ancient societies in the Middle-East and Africa." Egypt sounds ancient. What the heck is Mesopotamia? Nichol scanned the first couple of pages, then the next couple. Before she knew it she was sitting down and reading entire chapters.

Nichol had never completed school. She was born to a single mother who dumped all the available money and time into her addictions. Nichol seriously struggled in school because she never got help at home. She eventually dropped out and was all but forced into the life style she was in now.

She didn't remember school being this interesting.


Matthew and Thomas were just entering the apartment after school at about 4:00 P.M. Matthew was surprised to see that Nichol was reading something. Normally she was sitting in front of the TV. As soon as she saw the two brothers she looked surprised, then she looked at the clock.

"Oh, you're back already."

"This is when we normally get back on days we don't have martial arts class."

"I guess I lost track of time. Oh, Thomas you forgot your history textbook."

"Yeah, I know. It was kind of awkward in class today." She shut the book and handed it to him.

Matthew gave her a curious look. "Were you reading from the textbook?"

"What? Oh, yes. There was nothing on TV. I thought it might be better than nothing.

"Was it?"

"Oh, it was interesting."

"How far did you get in it?"

"I read something about an Alexander the Greek."

"Alexander the Great? That's like lesson 6! I haven't read that far yet."

"I guess it was interesting."

Thomas snorted, "Great, another history buff in the house. I guess you will be talking Romans and knights and kings soon."

"What's a Roman?"

Matthew answered, "They were a great empire that conquer most of Southern Europe, the Middle-East, and North Africa in the 1st century B.C. They come in the next lesson."

"1st century what?"

"The last one hundred years before the birth of Christ."

"You lost me."

"At the birth of Christ we begin counting the years from zero until the present year. Before his birth we count the years backwards so that the earlier something is the higher the number. Didn't you learn this in school?"

"I stopped going to school after 5th grade."

Matthew was surprised at first. But then Thomas and I are only going to school because Victor left us the money to do it. Nichol doesn't have any money. She never finished school. "Oh, I guess that's alright."

"Yeah, alright."

Her voice sounded so distant to Matthew. She wanted to go to school. She's helping us to go to school, but she never will be able to do so herself. "If you want I can leave my history book here tomorrow."

"No, you will need it."

"We don't have history class tomorrow. I won't need it until Friday."

"Oh, it's silly. Me an adult reading a kid's history text book."

"Maybe, but it's something to do."

"Yeah, I guess."

"I will set it here." Matthew pulled his history textbook out of his backpack. "Let me know what parts you find interesting."

"Alright Mr. Macarthur. I'll read my homework."

"Hah, Matthew! Now you're a teacher," said Thomas from the table.

"Does that mean I can assign my homework to you?"

"I don't think it works that way."

From that point forward Nichol took an interest in the boys' education. She and Matthew would talk history together. Matthew found that explaining the material helped him study. His own grades rose. Thomas even was teaching algebra to Nichol a couple of nights.

Matthew noticed a slight transformation in Nichol as she began to read more books from a local library. She had a new energy about her. She even began to dress differently. Instead of sweat pants all day, she began wearing jeans. She also began to fix her hair a bit. The gloom that often characterized her was disappearing.

One day Nichol made an announcement to the boys.

"I've decided to try to earn my GED."

"What's a GED?" asked Thomas.

"General Education Degree. It's the degree an adult can earn without going to high school."

"What made you decide to do that?" asked Matthew.

"I figured that I have the time. Besides with this degree maybe I can actually get a day job."

"Really?" asked Thomas suddenly. He had just caught the implications of what she was saying.

"Oh, maybe's it's just a dream. But what the hell?"

"If there is anything we can do to help let us know."

"How about magically coming up with another couple thousand dollars?"

"Yeah, we'll see about that," answered Thomas sarcastically.

They laughed. And Matthew had never seen Nichol so happy.


An Unwelcome Visitor

Nichol's life had been improving. Now that she had regular employment at a diner she did her night job less and less. On the mornings after an uneventful night she woke up well rested, and she felt a burden lift off her shoulders.

This was not one of those mornings. The man who hired her last night was obsessive. She had been in such situations before, and they never ended well. She needed to get away, so she did what she had to do and left. She went home using her normal tricks to disguise her route, but she couldn't get over the feeling that she had been followed.

Now it was morning, and she had to get to the diner. She drank the last of her coffee, grabbed her jacket, and went out the door. I hope I don't look too terrible. She was exhausted not only because she was up late, but also because when she got home she could barely sleep. Just get through the workday, so you can go home and sleep.

So she worked her shift. Her smiles disguised her weariness. At the end of the shift she was even more wiped out. Pretending to be awake and cheerful is exhausting. She fell asleep on the bus ride, but was woken up by a man whom she saw regularly on the bus.

"Hey Nichol, isn't this your stop?"

"Uh? Oh, yes it is. Thank you very much, Ronny."

She walked the five blocks from the bus stop to her apartment in a daze. She got to the door and found it unlocked. Are the boys home yet? No, I don't see their things. It's 4:00, and they don't have martial arts today. They should be back soon. She continued to walk in a daze. She took off her jacket and began to undo her tied up hair. It was then she realized she was not alone.

"I've been waiting for you all day. I didn't like the way we left things last night."

She saw the man sitting on the chair in the corner of the room. Oh no! The guy from last night! He's in my apartment! How did he find it? This is bad, very bad! Thousands of thoughts when through her mind. What do I do? This is not going to end well.

Finally some words came out. "I did what you paid for last night, and that's all." No, that's not what he wants to her. He doesn't want to buy me, he wants to own me.

"Is that all I was to you, a paycheck? I thought we had something together, Nancy."

"I don't know you."

"But I think I know you. I think we can really get to know each other."

Calm down Nichol, you can do this. You've dealt with these types before, just never in your own home. Then a new horrible thought came to mind. The boys will be back any minute. This guy is dangerous. If he's here when they get back…I have to get this guy out of the apartment. "Okay, but not here."

"Why not here? This place is all you. Your cloths, your dishes, your bed. All yours."

"What about what's yours? Maybe we should be at your place again."

"You've already been there. I think we should stay here."

"Maybe we could go to a hotel or…by the Lake, somewhere special."

"This is special…Why are you trying to get me to leave?"

"I just thought it would be better."

"Is it because of the man you live with?"

"What man?"

"I found his cloths in the other bedroom."

"That's just my roommate."

"Just a roommate? And yet you are so determined to get me out of here. Is he your boyfriend? Is there another man?"

"No, no one."

"Liar!"

Oh no!

He got up off the chair and hit her across the face hard. Nichol spun around and landed on the floor. His grabbed her, turned her around, got on top of her, and hit her again. She tasted blood in her mouth. This is it. I'm going to die.

"You sweet talk me, lead me on. And what? You had another man on the side the whole time. I'm going to make you love me."

Nichol got her hands in his face and scratched hard. He yelled in pain, and then he hit her again.

Suddenly the door slammed. She turned to look. Matthew and Thomas were standing at the door. It was like they were frozen in place. The expression on Matthew's face was not like any she'd seen before. She couldn't read his face. It was just blank.

"Matthew, Thomas, get out of here!"

Neither said a word. But Matthew took three long strides right at Nichol's attacker. The attacker in turn stood up and faced Matthew, "So you're the other…"

Matthew hit him right across the face. He stumbled backwards a bit. Matthew took another long stride and then hit him again, first with a right to the face, then with a left to the gut. Matthew then grabbed him and threw him onto the couch.

Thomas was right there. He waited for the man to stand up and then gave him three jabs to the gut and one to the face.

Again the man staggered back, but suddenly attacked Matthew who was closing in. Nichol let out a scream as she watched his fist hit Matthew's jaw. But instead of Matthew going down, the man clutched his fist and wailed in pain. Matthew grabbed him again and threw him into the kitchen. Nichol tried to see what damage had been done to Matthew. What is that on his face? It looks like metal.

She was distracted by the sound of a drawer opening. Her attacker now had a large kitchen knife in his hand. "Matthew, look out!"

But it was Thomas who attacked. He jumped over the kitchen island kicking at the man in the process. But the man slipped out of the way, and thrust the knife right at Thomas' side.

"No!" screamed Nichol.

But Thomas hit him with a left to the face. Matthew then grabbed the man and threw him on the ground and started to pummel him with blow after blow. The man was utterly helpless, and Matthew was attacking with a fury that Nichol had never seen before. He's go to kill him! "Stop!"

Matthew stopped. The man's face was bloodied almost beyond recognition. Matthew's hands were covered in blood, but there was a certain glean to them under the blood. Thomas stood above holding the kitchen knife in his right hand by its blade, his right hand completely encased in metal, and a new knife Nichol had never seen before in his left hand. It looked like some kind of combat dagger. Both boys had faces of pure rage.

"Don't kill him."

"Why was he attacking you?"

"He was a customer, a possessive one. He must have followed me home last night."

"What do we do, Metalloy?"

"We let him go."

"He'll call the cops. We can't have that"

"Then let's make sure he doesn't do that, Alloy."

Matthew grabbed the man by his jacket and lifted him up off his feet and against the wall. "Now I know you light headed, but I need you to listen to me."

The man groaned and bowed his head. Thomas, who had dropped kitchen knife, now snapped his right fingers in the man's face. "Hey, listen up." The man looked the Thomas in the eye. "That's better."

Matthew spoke again. "Hear this. You are never to come by here again. You are never to approach this woman again. If either she or one of us sees you ever again, we'll kill you. Do you understand?"

The man nodded. But Thomas put his knife to the man's throat. "Let's just make this clear. Do you understand?"

The man coughed twice and then said, "Yes."

"Yes, what?" said Matthew.

"Yes, I will stay away."

"Or else…?" asked Thomas.

"You'll kill me."

"Good" said Thomas. "Oh, and one more thing." He pulled that man's wallet and removed his driver's license. "We have your address. So if we even see a cop around here then, well…use your imagination." Thomas twirled the knife in his face.

"Okay, I understand."

"Good. Why don't you get rid of this mess, Metalloy? I'll stay with Nichol."

"Sounds good, Alloy. Come on you."

Matthew practically dragged the man out of the apartment.

Nichol attempted to get up, but Thomas came quickly. "No no no. Just take it easy for a bit. Are you alright?"

"Yes, I mean no. I…"

"Calm down. Breathe."

Nichol began to catch her breath that she didn't even know was out of control. Matthew was back before she calmed down. "Matthew, let's get her to a chair." They both helped her into a chair. Thomas went to wash his hands, and he came back with a damp cloth. "Let me try to clean you up."

He used the cloth on her face. She flinched at the pain. "Sorry, I don't have the most gentle touch."

Matthew returned from washing his hands. Nichol noticed that there was not a single mark on his hands. No cuts, no busted knuckles, no blood. "How did you not hurt yourself? And Thomas, didn't you get stabbed?" She pointed to the cut in Thomas' shirt.

The two brothers looked at each other. Matthew gave a shrug. Thomas replied, "We will explain it all in a bit. For now let's just make sure you're okay."


Matthew stood alone for a bit. Nichol had gone to take a shower.

"We will have to clean up the apartment soon," said Thomas from the chair in the corner.

"I know," Matthew replied. He couldn't get the images out of his mind. One moment he saw that man beating Nichol, the next, his father beating his mother. It looked so similar. It also startled him how violent he himself got in reaction. "Thomas, I almost killed that man."

"I was right there beside you, with a knife I might add."

"Yeah, I know. I just can't help, but think that I acted like him."

"Matthew, I better not hear anything like that come out of your mouth again! You defended Nichol. You were protecting a woman from men like him. If you think that puts you on his level, then you better go and turn yourself into the police right now. I don't want hear you comparing yourself to him."

"Who are you talking about?" Nichol had just entered the room. She was wearing her bathrobe and drying her hair with a towel.

Matthew looked over at Thomas. Thomas nodded his head. "We are talking about our father."

"You never talk about your father, or your mother, or anything about your past."

"We try to keep the past in the past," replied Thomas.

"And I've never pried. And maybe I shouldn't now either."

"No that's fine." Matthew took a breath and then explained, "Our father was a cruel man. He beat our mother frequently. It kept getting worse and worse, until one day we decided to do something about it."

"What did you do?"

"We stood up to him. Then he turned on us. We fought him together." Matthew watched as Thomas explained. "He would have killed us that night, but it was that night that Matthew and I discovered our mutant abilities."

"You're mutants."

Matthew was surprised how simply she made that statement. She's not shocked or repulsed by it. She must have figured it out already. "Yes, our bodies produce this metal which we can shape and use as we want."

She turned to Thomas, "Hence the knife."

"Hence the knife." Thomas had another knife of his own making in his hand just to demonstrate.

"We can also use it as armor. That is why neither of us have injured hands, and why Thomas doesn't have a knife wound in his side."

"What happened to your father?"

"We killed him that night," supplied Thomas.

"You what?"

"It was self-defense, and we really weren't trying to kill him," Matthew answered quickly.

"But the police didn't see it that way. Heck, our own mother didn't see it that way. All they saw was two mutants who had just killed a human."

"When did this all happen?"

"Four years ago."

"When we were twelve."

"And you've been running from the police ever since?"

"Yeah, we wanted for murder back in Chicago." Thomas said.

"That explains all the false ID's and your need for me to pretend to be your mother." Suddenly Nichol looked right at Matthew. "Your brother is right. What you two did for me back there was nothing less than saving my life. There is nothing in common with that act and what your father was doing to your mother. I don't want you thinking about that anymore. I own you two my life. I don't know how I could ever repay you."

Thomas' answer was blunt. "You can start by never returning to your night work again."

"You know I would like that. But how will I be able to pay my bills. I don't make enough money at the restaurant."

Matthew took his opportunity. "We can start working. We will drop our martial arts classes, and start working after school. We three don't need a lot of money. We could easily live off three part-time wages."

"That just puts me more in your debt."

"But it allows us to do for you, what our mother wouldn't allow us to do for her." Matthew added more emphasis. "It will only get easier. Once Thomas and I have our high school degrees and you have your GED, we will be able to work more hours. We can do this, Nichol."

"Okay."

"Okay, what? We want to hear you say it." Thomas clarified.

"Okay, I will not return to my nightly work, again…ever." Nichol took a deep breath and let it out slowly. Matthew got the impression that a burden have just left her. "Never again."

"Good, now why don't you get changed, and Thomas and I will start cleaning the apartment."

Nichol turned to go to her room, but then turned back. Her eyes were welling with tears. "Thank you, you two. No one has ever done such nice things for me. No one." She then turned quickly and went into her room.

Matthew felt the greatest feeling of his life. He felt as though he had just fixed his greatest regret. He looked at Thomas as he began to clean the kitchen. Thomas simply gave a shrug, but Matthew knew that his brother was having a similar experience. I hope you can rest in peace now, Mom.