Awakening

Hey all! Hope you enjoy the chapter, I won't even pretend to own anything I don't, but you already know that.

"Hey! Who're you?"

It was rather amusing, the fact that it wasn't until I was only a hallway and a half away from Charles' office that I was finally noticed. I supposed that just because the house was filled with teenage mutants, didn't mean they were any less teenage.

And, like a majority of teenagers, they weren't very observant.

"Who? Me?" I asked with a small smile as I turned and looked at the boy behind me. He had light brown hair that was cut short and pale blue eyes. He was looking at me curiously, with a hint of suspicion

Well, it seemed like Charles might actually have a few students with real potential here.

"Yes, you." The boy replied with a slight eye roll. "Did one of the professors just bring you in?"

Ah, he thought I was a new student, oh well, at least he noticed.

I giggled a bit as I shook my head.

"No, I'm not a student; though I've been here before. I'm simply visiting an old friend." I told him, trying not to plunge into my memories as Benjamin that were currently flooding my mind. I glanced at the boy again as he stared at me in thought.

"Who did you come to see? Perhaps I can bring you to them?" The boy asked, a slight quiver to his voice showing that he wasn't just being helpful.

I opened my mouth to protest, as I really didn't need an escort around my old home, but thankfully I was saved from answering by a timely arrival.

"That won't be necessary, Bobby." The boy's eyes widened as I turned to see Charles rolling down the hallway towards us, a calm look on his face, though a dazed look in his eyes.

I silently cursed myself as I realized that I hadn't blocked my mind before coming in. Charles knew that I was here from the moment I appeared at his gate, more likely than not, and had probably been subjected to the hazardous storm that was my screwed mind.

Lovely, because that was exactly what I wanted my older brother to know.

"You knew I was here." I accused Charles as I also threw up all of the mental barriers around my mind that I could. Now, not only were they protecting my mindscape, but the flood of surface thoughts as well, the ones that were currently mixing with random memories.

Charles' eyes revealed nothing as they flickered between me and Bobby just brief moment.

Smiling softly at Bobby, he continued, "Penny here has an appointment with me. So why don't you return to class before someone realizes your gone?"

"My apologies for not coming to meet you, but I'm afraid your current state of mind was a bit…overwhelming… for me." Charles told me as Bobby paled and fidgeted with the end of his jacket.

"I really don't think you want to get caught playing hookie kid, especially not when you practically live here." I advised sagely with a shake of my head, as I remembered the many times I had been caught ditching school in my various lifetimes.

Of course, that was before I flinched back in shock at what had just come out of my mouth.

Well that was fucking random.

Bobby just stared at me, completely bewildered. "You're my age though."

"Keep in mind that looks can be deceiving." I told him tiredly, squashing the urge to rub my temples. Giving the boy one last piercing look I turned on my heel and strode off towards Charles' office, my head pounding once again.

"Just return to class, Bobby." I heard Charles sigh before I sensed him turning to follow me.

Rolling my shoulders I slowed to allow Charles time to catch up to me, as I shifted the invisibility shield that I had around the Arc. While Charles and a few other of the staff had seen it the day before, I didn't want it getting spotted more than usual.

It made me feel exposed, vulnerable when my Arc was on display, whether that was idiotic or not I really didn't care. I had a feeling that Dad felt the same way; especially the way he slowly started covering it more since the Stane incident the year before.

"Hope I didn't confuse him too much." I sighed as Charles appeared at my side. "I'm afraid that I tend to complicate things without meaning to."

Charles gave me a piercing look as he replied, "Oh I doubt that. Even if he is only a child, the people here…well; most of them have rather open minds."

I chuckled softly, knowing that he was probably right. The people in this world were either annoyingly pig headed or strangely open minded.

Look at Tony, he was a perfect example!

"I'm afraid that I must ask…but are you as open minded as I remember?"

Charles turned to look at me with a raised eyebrow and a chuckle in his throat.

"I sure hope so, for it is a talent I am rather fond of. But why do I have a feeling you've kept many things from me? It appears that your life is much more complicated than you've said."

I couldn't help but, I snorted and then laughed bitterly. "My life is always complicated Charles, you should know this already."

"Yes, I suppose it is." Charles admitted, though he gave me a look saying that he would like some answers.

I just nodded simply as the door to his office opened. I glanced at my old friend, and I couldn't help but noticed that while he did have Albus' Soul…something was troubling him.

I just hoped that the something wasn't me.

"So," He sighed as he turned towards me from behind his desk. "Tell me what's happened since the last time I saw you."

"Last time as in yesterday? Or last time as in Ben last time?" I asked with a tilted head, giving him a grin as Ben's death crept up behind my eyelids.

A small smile flickered across Charles' face and he shook his head, "Whichever you'd prefer."

I sighed because to be honest; I had bits and pieces of my past at the moment…stupid Fati messing with my head.

"You know that Ben wasn't my first life," I started and Charles nodded simply, I had a vague recollection of telling him that, but I couldn't remember completely what I had told him. "Well, thankfully, it hasn't been too many lives since then…though to be honest I can't remember exactly how many."

I shrugged and Charles looked at me curiously. "When I fought Loki's Puppetmaster, she sorta messed with my head a bit…and while I did spend most of the night last night sorting through memories…the lives I have lived are extremely numerous. As such, I wasn't able to get through all of them and have been plagued all day by random flashbacks triggered by the smallest things."

I shook my head slowly, trying to force back the memories that I could, focusing on the here and now. I felt Mortem pushing some of his power into my mind through the Bond, and sighed when my mind seemed to calm just a bit.

Though it was throbbing worse now, and was an actual headache.

"Because of the fact most of my memories are currently randomly floating around my head, I don't remember exactly what has happened since the last time we've talked." I summed it up for him with a shrug, wishing that I could give Charles a better answer.

He nodded slowly, "From what I saw…" He trailed off slowly, "I am surprised you are functioning as well as you are."

I gave Charles a fond smile and said, "Functioning through it all is something I'm rather good at."

My old friend and basically the man who had been my brother nodded. "That always was one of your talents."

Sighing, I decided to get back to what I wanted to talk to Charles about, or rather one of the main reasons I had come here.

"I can't really tell you what's happened between my time as Benjamin and yesterday, but I can explain what the whole thing in New York was about…to the best of my abilities. Though I'm going to warn you now; I can't tell you the whole story regarding who I am at the moment, for it's not just my secret to share. Though if you figure it out…"

I trailed off and Charles gave me an amused look at my smirk. Ah, he still knew me well, or rather, well enough.

"What happened yesterday? The fact that we are not alone is hardly surprising…but how did you get involved? Why did Mortem feel compelled to bring you here? I always got the feeling that he was…uncomfortable around other people." Charles asked, the curiosity shining through on his face.

I couldn't help it, I burst out laughing. Oh, Mortem being uncomfortable around people…that was hilarious.

"Oh, he just doesn't like people most of the time." I waved it off, trying to make it seem perfectly normal, though I had a feeling that Charles knew I was keeping things from him. I was glad that he wasn't pushing the subject with me, for I wasn't sure if I would be able to lie straight to his face. Dance around the truth, yes, but lie completely? That was another matter entirely.

"Anyway, things I can't completely reveal…I basically died yesterday, and it was taking me longer to wake up than usual." True, it had taken me longer to Awaken because Insania had snagged my Soul…which I still couldn't completely place. I was missing a puzzle piece there, I knew I was.

"The situation I had been in wasn't…pleasant, and Mortem felt it fit to remove me while I was vulnerable. Loki, a being from another world, and yes he is the Loki from Norse mythology that isn't completely mythology, was being controlled by a very powerful being…who've I've encountered before."

I took a deep breath and continued, that really was all I could say on the matter of Fati, my Duties wouldn't allow another world.

"Anyway, she's a bit of a bitch," They let me say that… "And basically manipulated Loki and a race of aliens into attacking Earth just to try and mess with me. I'd appreciate it if you didn't share that fact with anyone…"

I gave Charles a sheepish smile and he nodded his face grave. I don't think he liked the fact that I had a very power enemy.

Eh, I didn't really like it either, but it was hardly news.

"Of course, I had no intention of sharing anything unless you asked me to." Charles informed me, and I smiled softly at the man who appeared to be so much older than me.

"Thanks," I nodded before continuing. "I thought I could handle her, but she…got the best of me in a moment of distraction and managed to mess with my head rather badly." I winced, but Charles didn't push it, thank god.

"Anyway, Mortem and a few friends showed up, by this point your people and the Avengers had already taken care of the Chitauri, that's what the alien things are called by the way, and she fled. Loki came out of it in one piece for the most part, and was escorted home by his wife and daughter. Thor's going to be sticking around for a few days, and the Tesseract…that's the cubical alien power source that has caused a hell of a lot of trouble for earth in the past, and what powered that portal yesterday…has already been sent back to Asgard…"

Hel took it back last night, and Dad was the only one who had bothered to ask what had happened to it.

"So, everyone's just trying to straighten the mess out, and I'm sure I'll come back and tell you more of the story once I remember it…" I trialed off at that, frustrated at myself. It was really annoying. I couldn't remember much of my time as Ben, and I had no idea how many lifetimes had passed between then and now.

However, I did remember that Lynx had been my life before this one, and remembered a fair bit of that life. So basically, my talk with Fury was going to be a bit more comprehensive than this one.

But it was also going to be more chaotic, that was obvious. But it was Nick, so it was to be expected.

"Do not be too hard on yourself." Charles scolded me softly before smiling again. "I'm just happy to see you again, and know that your alright."

I chuckled, I wasn't sure if that was the word I would use…but it was true.

"Oh, Charles, there is one other thing I came here to do."

I was quite pleased with myself, when twenty minutes later I felt the heavy energy in the air around me flare and a brief pale green dome sprung back into life around the property before fading from sight.

As Benjamin, I had been able to manipulate a specific type of energy that no one had seen before. It had been a rather curious mutation for Xavier to study, and it was only after I had Awaken that I had realized what my mutation truly was.

Magic.

Oh, not the same magic of my First Life, but magic all the same. Knowing what I did now, that this was the same world as Asgard, I knew that it was that type of magic that I had weld, mostly using runes that I had known from Asgard.

Sure, I hadn't figured it out as Ben, but maybe I had subconsciously known that it was the same dimension.

Either way, I had been powerful, and had set up a type of ward around the property using my imagination and a lot of charged runes.

Sadly, a few years after my death, according to Charles, the wards had fallen. This of course I had been more than happy to restore, along with a few upgrades.

What Dad didn't know, that I wouldn't be surprised if Jarvis did, was that I had stolen one of the shield generator prototypes from the lab just that morning, and had brought it along with me. Setting the generator up at the base of the wards, and calibrating the thing so it wouldn't counteract with my old magic (now tweaked a bit with my Immortal powers) was a bit harder than I had thought.

But I got it done, and in a reasonable amount of time.

As soon as the school was protected, and the dome faded from sight, I had waved goodbye to Charles, thrown a personally powered shield over the base of the ward and generator, before vanishing.

Of course, I left just as people flooded from the building, ready to bombard Charles with questions.

Nope, didn't feel bad at all.

Now of course, I had to face Fury…

And what a lovely conversation that was going to be.

Tracking him down hadn't been all that hard, hadn't even taken me a few minutes. I had appeared directly onto the Helicarrier, before vanishing, masking my energy signature, and then popping onto the Bridge. When Nick wasn't there, I popped in on his office. Sadly, he wasn't there either.

Slightly annoyed, I threw out a wave of energy, searching for my old student.

Slightly surprised, I found him on an old observation deck that was currently unused, two levels above the Bridge. I was only slightly surprised because I could remember that Fury had a habit of going onto a roof when he was stressed or thinking about things.

And since the top of the Helicarrier was a bad idea when it was airborne, the highest observation deck made a lot of sense.

I didn't make a lot of noise as I appeared in the room; I barely even breathed as I observed Fury standing at the large window, his shoulders tense, and lost in thought.

Shaking my head slowly, and feeling bad for the man, I walked towards him slowly, trying not to startle him.

"Rough few days, huh?" I said softly when I was only a yard away.

Almost faster than I could see, Fury spun around and I could only blink as I was suddenly staring down a gun that was only inches from my face.

"See your reflexes are as sharp as ever." I gave him a soft smile as he blinked in shock and slowly lowered the gun, his eyes bright with confusion and suspicion.

"…Stark, what are you doing here?" He asked slowly, the grip on his gun never relaxing, even if it was now pointed towards the floor.

I chuckled softly as I strode past him towards the window and gazed out over the blue and white view. There were many clouds in the sky, but we were above most of them, causing the sky above us to be bright blue, and I could catch glances of the ocean below the clouds. I didn't really know what ocean we were over, but I really didn't care. I was here for only one thing, to get Fury on my side, and to explain a few things.

"I brought you chocolate cake," I told Fury after a stretch of silence. A large piece appeared in my hand as I extended it to him, I had summoned it myself, so I knew exactly what was in it, and how it would taste.

That was something about Nick that I also remembered, he had loved chocolate cake, especially mine.

Fury blinked at me a few times before his eyes narrowed, and he didn't move to take the cake.

"Why are you here? Shouldn't you be helping your father, blowing something up, or doing whatever it is Starks do in their free time?" He drawled with a raised eyebrow and I gave him a dull look. I wasn't impressed.

"Come now Nick," I sighed as I shook my head, the tiny attributes of Lynx's shining through in the way I said his name and the slight southern tilt on my words. "Surly you remember, I'd be ashamed if you didn't."

Fury didn't move, and he didn't speak. He knew what I was talking about, but he was denying it. I wondered if he had guessed at all before I had appeared. Probably not, I mean…we hadn't really had the chance to actually speak to each other in this time period.

"I'm afraid I don't know what you're talking about." Fury said coldly, but I just rolled my eyes and placed the cake on the window's support beam, knowing that Fury would take it sooner or later.

"The last time we spoke…truly spoke, I told you that we would see each other again, but that I wouldn't look the same." I told Fury as I stared into his eyes. He recognized my eyes, I knew he did, for the emotion was shown in his gaze, but he was just denying it. He didn't want it admit it, because he didn't like things he didn't understand.

He never had.

"I told you that I would bring you a piece of your favorite cake, and that I would explain then." I just stared at him, very glad that the memory of my death as Lynx had been one that I had sorted the night before.

"Well," I continued softly, turning back towards the window. "I'm here now. I know it's not the best timing, and I know that you're going to deny it. But surly Nick…after everything you've seen in the past few days, in the past few years in fact, you aren't going to deny that this is possible? I may look different, I may be a Stark, and I may have a few new quirks, but at the core I'm still the same person. Or at least, I believe I am."

I sighed, staring unfocused at the sight before me. "Sometimes, it's hard, living so many lives over and over, never quite sure if you're the same person or different; it wasn't until recently that I've had to deal with people from my other lives, and Nick…I just want you to know, that I'm not looking for anything from you."

My eye flickered over to Nick, whose face was closed off and even I couldn't read him.

"I just thought that you deserved an explanation, and thought that you should know a few things. I don't know what the future holds for us, for SHIELD, for the Avengers, but I do want you to know Loki isn't a threat, he was just a pawn used by a bitchy chess master who I will take care of.

"I also want you to know," I gave him a soft, sad smile, "that I don't want you to be ashamed or hesitant to ask for help. Things aren't easy, they never are, and whatever you need…even if it's only to keep Tony off of your back for an hour, or you want me to hack the Council,"

I gave him a tired, but evil smirk here, "Just let me know."

Shaking my head, I turned and strode towards the door, knowing that Fury would need to process.

"Oh, and I would appreciate it if you didn't mention this to Coulson, Nicholas, or I'll be tempted to bring up Spring Break of '88."

I could feel Nick stiffen behind me and I couldn't' help the smirk that danced on my lips as I vanished from the room.

In the lab, twenty minutes later, I would feel the stasis charm I had placed on the cake brake, as Fury picked it up.

God guys I'm so sorry…the part with Charles just didn't want to get written, and on top of that I was gone all week on a school trip, and I couldn't write the whole time…it was awful! Anyway, hope you like the chapter; I hope to have another up soon though no promises.

OH IMPORTANT NOTE! I realized that I messed up on some of the dates regarding the Hp stuff in the explanation, so I went back and fixed it. If you want to give it a once over things will make a bit more sense :) especially if you read HOA.

Thanks to everyone who's reviewed, followed, or fav'ed! You all rock!
Cp