Disclaimer: I only own Rose, Henry, Peanut, Gumbo, and the words below.
A/N: Welcome to the third chapter of The Net Generation, the sequel to Her Only Wish. This chapter wraps up the wedding and will build up to what everyone has feared and knew was coming: a war. But a war between who? One thing's for sure, the X-Men will need all the help they can get. Enjoy!
"So about that nap…"
"I think that's going to have to wait," He told her, tilting his head up.
"What's wrong?" She asked, her body instantly going on the defensive.
"Company."
"Sabertooth?"
"No, worse."
"What could be worse than Sabertooth? Besides Magneto and Mystique, I mean."
"Juggernaut," replied Xavier, face grim. "My brother."
"Brother?" echoed Rose as everyone looked at the professor. "I did not know you had a brother, Charles."
"Cain Marko, also known as Juggernaut, is my stepbrother," he told them, his gray eyes full of memories. "He possesses incredible strength and endurance."
"Hence the name," muttered Rose. "So, what does your brother want? I'm guessing it's not a coincidence that he chose this particular day to pay you a visit."
"Usually I cannot read Cain's mind because of the helmet he wears, but for some reason he has chosen to come here without it," Charles said, folding his hands in front of him thoughtfully.
Rose felt a shiver run down her spine. "I have a bad feeling about this."
"If he's not wearin' that helmet then ya can read his mind," Logan said, stating the obvious. "So what does Juggernaut want?"
"He wants to talk to Rose," answered Emma. She stood in front of Scott, his arms wrapped around her waist. The blond pursed her lips as she stared at her confused friend.
"Juggernaut wants…to talk…to me?" Emma nodded. "Why?"
"He has a message for you," said Charles, watching the silver cheetah the same way Emma was as though they expected Rose to go on a rampage at any moment. "From Erik."
The silver cheetah bristled as anger and pain flashed in her cat-like eyes, but she fought to keep her emotions under control. "Does he now? Well then, tell him to forget it. I don't accept messages from twisted old men."
"You might want to this time," advised Frost giving her a meaningful look. She held up a hand when Rose started to argue. "Just trust me on this one, okay?"
"It's really that important?" Logan asked, his eyes flickering back and forth between the two women as they continued to stare each other down.
"I'm afraid so, Wolverine," answered Charles, also watching the two female mutants.
Rose sighed, finally breaking eye contact. "Alright, fine. I'll hear what Juggernaut has to say."
"Then I'm goin' with ya," announced Logan, making Rose smile.
"Somehow I knew you would say that," She murmured, her smile dropping. She held out her hand to him. "Come on, let's get this over with. He's out front, right Emma?"
Rose glanced at the psychic who merely looked at her. Rose nodded as Logan grasped her hand and they sped out front where Juggernaut was waiting for them. He was a tall, muscular man in a red and black outfit. He had short dark hair and cold eyes.
"You have my attention," The silver cheetah said, crossing her arms. "Not to mention you interrupted my wedding day. So just go ahead and repeat whatever the old man wanted you to tell me like the good parrot you are and leave."
Juggernaut smirked. "He said you had a fiery attitude. He was also right when he said you would make a beautiful and radiant bride."
"Did he now?" She said sarcastically, rolling her eyes. "Good to know he's still the same presumptuous, pompous bastard."
"He said you'd say that," Marko reached into his pants' pocket and pulled out a chain on which two silver dog tags hung. Logan's dog tags. "He told me to give you these."
Rose gasped and grabbed the dog tags out of Marko's hand before he could react.
"You are fast," whistled Juggernaut, mockingly.
"Where the hell did Magneto get these?" demanded the silver cheetah as she hand the tags to their owner. "And why does he only give them back now? We lost these at Alkali lake ages ago."
Juggernaut shrugged. "Hell if I know. All he said is consider it a wedding present. That and…"
"That and what?"
"A soldier always wears his tags when he goes off to war," Juggernaut finished. "He told me to warn you that the war is coming. Are you and the rest of my pathetic brother's precious X-Men ready?"
"War," murmured Rose. She swallowed, suddenly feeling cold.
"Anythin' else?" asked Logan, slipping the chain on.
"Nope," replied Juggernaut. "Just let my 'brother' know that my next visit won't be so pleasant."
"Noted," grunted Wolverine.
Juggernaut turned and walked back down the lawn.
"Emma was right," whispered Rose.
"So ya and Blondie were havin' a mental chat back there," said Logan, glancing at her sideways.
"Yes," Rose confirmed. "She said that war is coming, that she and Charles have been sensing its approach for a long time now. War, right on our doorstep. It's probably not a coincidence that Kitty and the others will officially be X-Men in two months. We have to talk to Charles."
'We will, silver cheetah,' assured Xavier. 'but not today. After all, today is a special day.'
'Alright, Charles, if that is what you want,' replied Rose after a moment. 'Life will become difficult soon enough. We might as well celebrate while we can.'
~ The Next Generation ~
Alright, everyone, it's, like, time for cake!" announced Kitty as she and Kurt wheeled in a gorgeous five-tiered white cake with purple frosting.
"Here you go, Frau Rose," grinned Kurt as they parked the cake in front of the newlyweds. The elf handed her a knife. "It is tradition vor ze married couple to cut ze cake, nein?"
"Though it might be worth it ta break tradition," murmured Logan. "I won't feel safe until that knife is out of yer hand, Goldilocks."
"You don't trust me?" She grinned mischievously and stood up.
Logan grumbled something under his breath and stood up behind her, placing his right hand over hers. Together they cut the cake, took a piece, and sat back down as Kurt and Kitty served everyone else.
"If you don't trust me with a knife, then how about a fork?" She asked him teasingly as she held out a fork with a piece of cake on it.
Logan shook his head, grinned, and let her feed him as he fed her in return. "I trust ya with my life, Goldilocks. Ya know that."
"I know," she whispered back as Kurt and Remy started throwing cake at each other while their girlfriends groaned, placing their heads in their hands. "I feel the same way."
~ That Night ~
"He's out," smirked Logan, standing next to Henry's cradle with his wife.
"Mm," she agreed. "He sleeps so peacefully without a care in the world. Makes you think that there isn't a war coming, after all."
"Hey, we're not gonna lose," Wolverine reassured her, placing a hand on her shoulder. "Magneto is."
"I know," Rose said, leaning back into him. "I just don't want to see any of the kids get hurt."
"Ya mean like half-pint," said Logan. She nodded, her hair tickling his chin. "Well, it's like ya said. She won't be a kid much longer. She'll be a…"
"X-Man," finished Rose quietly.
"And a pretty badass one at that," he told her. "All of them will be. After all, we're the ones that trained them."
"And we can use all the help we can get," she murmured. "I know. I know. I just have a bad feeling about all this."
"Everythin's goin' to be fine, you'll see."
Rose looked up at him. "Look at you Mr. Optimistic."
Logan grumbled making her laugh.
"Thanks," she said. "I knew there was a reason why I agreed to marry you."
"Haha, yer hilarious," he muttered, kissing her hair.
"Love you."
"Love ya too."
~ The Next Morning ~
'Can't you see what it is?!' Joe shouted at his wife as he held their little girl by the arm. 'It's not our daughter! It's a monster! It should never have been born!'
Rose jolted awake, covered in sweat. Her heart pounded painfully in her chest.
"Goldilocks?" Logan sat up behind her. "Ya alright?"
"Yes, I just had a nightmare," She assured him, her voice threatening to crack.
"Yer dad again?" guessed Logan as he wrapped his arms around her. "Ya've been havin' nightmares since the day Henry was born."
She bit the inside of her cheek. He was right. Ever since the day Emma had searched her subconscious looking for her, Rose had been having nightmares, in other words memories of the first thirteen years of her life when she had been living in Oregon with her parents.
"Rose?"
The silver cheetah sighed. "Do you think I should see Emma? She does act like the school's counselor, not that she'll ever admit it."
"That's up ta ya," He said, running his hand through her hair. "She understands this kind of thing better than I do."
"Alright. Who knows, maybe I'm not going crazy," He leaned back, pulling her with him. She rested her head on his bare chest. "Maybe I just need to talk this all out with someone."
"Yer not crazy," He told her. "Ya've just been through hell and have been stressed out lately, that's all."
"I hope that's all it is," She replied. "What time is it anyway?"
Henry suddenly started to cry before Logan could answer.
"Evidently, it is morning," She noted, lifting Logan's arms. She leapt off the bed and walked over to Henry's cradle. She picked up, cradling him in her arms, instantly making his wailing stop. "Good morning to you too, Hen."
"I was about to say it was seven in the morning," Logan laughed as he watched Rose carry their son over to a changing table. He propped his head on his hand, turning onto his side. "Ya've gotten pretty good at that."
"You would too if you tried," She teased as she changed, washed, and clothed Henry before walking back over to Logan. "Here, will you take him while I go take a shower?"
Logan took Henry from her, looking down at beautiful blue eyes that mirrored his own.
Rose smiled to herself and took a shower, surprised to not see Logan and Hen still on the bed when she returned.
'Rose, you are not going to believe this,' Emma's voice whispered to her mind.
'Why? Is something wrong?' Rose asked the telepath, frantically. 'Did something happen to Logan and Henry?'
'Come down to the kitchen and see for yourself.'
Curious, and slightly worried, Rose flashed downstairs to the kitchen where she saw…Logan giving Henry a bottle of formula.
"Told you you wouldn't believe it," said Emma, standing by her right shoulder.
"Honestly, I do believe it," Rose murmured back. "Logan's a sweeter guy than most people think, including himself. One of the many reasons why I love him."
"Is that so?" Emma mused, a wry smile on her lips that dropped when she noticed the haunted, weary look in Rose's eyes. "Okay, spill. What's wrong?"
"Ever since the day Henry was born I've had…nightmares," Rose admitted quietly.
Frost frowned, her thin eyebrows knitting together. "What kind of nightmares?"
"Memories of the life I had before Magneto found me," Rose told her, glancing at her sideways. "Do you think I'm going crazy, Emma?"
"No, I think that you are a victim of a shitty past and are stressed out," Emma replied firmly.
The silver cheetah smirked. "That's what Logan said when I asked him."
"As much as I love agreeing with Wolverine," the blond said sarcastically, flipping her hair. "He's right."
"So, what? Should we start having counseling sessions together, you and I?"
"I wouldn't call them that," Emma said. "More like talking to a concerned friend about what's been bothering you these past six months."
"Alright," sighed the silver cheetah. "Thanks, Emma."
"You're welcome. Anything for a friend."
"So, war is coming?"
Emma paused for a moment before responding. "Yes. This is what Charles has feared since your misadventures at Alkali Lake."
"Does Charles believe we will win?" asked Rose.
"I don't know," Emma admitted after another pause. "What I do know is that he feels that the timing is too coincidental."
"Because of the students who are graduating from classes and officially becoming X-Men in two months?" guessed Rose.
"Most likely," She said pursing her lips.
"Hey," said Rose as Logan walked over to them. "See? I knew you could do it."
"Yeah, you burped him and everything," piped in Emma. "You're an honorary model father."
Logan merely grunted and looked at Rose. "Ya alright?"
"I've been having nightmares and a war is coming," She shrugged. "Otherwise, I'm fine."
Logan could not reply as Kitty, Kurt, Rogue, Remy, Bobby, Tabitha, Amara, and Jubilee ran into the kitchen.
"Good morning, guys," greeted Rose.
"Good, like, morning Rose," Kitty greeted back, carrying Peanut. "Where's Storm?"
"Good question," Rose turned to Emma. "Do you know where Ororo is, Emma?"
"Storm is running an errand for me," replied Xavier as he wheeled himself into the kitchen.
"Who's going to make breakfast then?" whined Iceman.
"I will," volunteered Rose. She stared at Charles questioningly before turning and heading to the fridge.
"I'll, like, help you," offered Kitty, handing Peanut over to Kurt.
"Thanks," She said as they started preparing breakfast. "You nervous?"
"About becoming an official, like, X-Man?" Shadowcat murmured back as she cracked eggs into a bowl and whisked them. "A little."
"You know, I meant what I said yesterday," Rose said as she put bread in the toaster. "You are strong, a lot stronger than me. You'll make a great X-Man."
"Thanks," Kitty sprayed a frying pan and put it on the stove, setting the flame on medium. She dumped the bowl of eggs into the pan. "Coming from you that, like, means everything."
"Don't even think about asking if breakfast is ready yet," Rose warned Bobby who had started to open his mouth.
"It's like she has eyes in the back of her head," grumbled Bobby as Rose put more bread in the toaster and Kitty cooked the eggs.
"That's because she, like, does," Kitty replied, filling another pan with sausage. "Didn't you, like, know that?"
"I've taught you well," grinned Rose. "You are ready, my pupil, no, my equal."
Kitty flushed with pride as they finished making breakfast.
~ That Afternoon ~
"Charles?" Rose called as she knocked on the door of Xavier's office, opening it slightly. "Can I come in?"
"Of course, Silver Cheetah," replied Xavier. "Come in."
Rose opened the door all the way to reveal the professor behind his desk and a stranger sitting across from him who glanced up at her entrance. He was a tall, blond, handsome man wearing a large brown coat despite the warm April weather outside.
"Rose, this is Warren Worthington," Xavier said introducing the stranger. "Also known as Angel. Warren, this is Rose Silverstone, also known as Silver Cheetah."
"Welcome to the Institute," She smiled. "Will you be staying with us?"
"Unfortunately no," replied Angel politely. "I just came to give Charles some information."
"Information?" She quirked an eyebrow and looked at Charles.
"About the war that is coming," Warren elaborated unnecessarily. "I wish I could help you all more but my father…"
"What's the information?" pressed Rose. She felt sympathy for the man but this was important. "Does it concern Magneto?"
"No," said Warren. "It concerns humans."
"What?"
Xavier sighed. "Trask is creating Sentinels."
A/N: And there you go! The third chapter of The Next Generation, but enough with the buildup. Next chapter, we're going to get right to it! Action, drama, craziness, would you expect anything less? Til next time! Read, review, and show the love!
