Memories
Shades of Blue
Disclaimer: I don't own the X-Men or any of their characters. Tora and Weapon X-ii are my own though.
Tora sat bolt upright, the last of the nightmare slipping away. It had been a mix of past, present and an odd distorted universe, where things were different and she was running wild in the woods, searching for something precious. And then a voice had spoken out 'Heal me, let me join with you'. Then something had burned her mind, trying to break through the barriers thrown up around her.
She got up, slipping on her bathrobe as she did so. Logan was breathing steadily. No nightmares for him tonight. She pushed the door into Jamie's room open and sat in the chair next to the cot. He looked so peaceful and quiet. It would be his first Christmas soon. Christmas was good. She'd been rescued just after Christmas. The Christmas after that she had revealed her relationship with Logan and Etana had come to them. Last Christmas she had come home. Ergo, Christmases were good. She placed her hand on Jamie's chest and watched as a hand curled around her index finger and the soul band on it. Her other hand went up to the slender chain and the stone hanging from it. In the year and a half she had worn it, the necklace had never warmed. Looking at Jamie, she sighed, Somehow, she thought Etana would have loved to help with him. Suddenly, shockingly, an image came to mind. Etana rocking Jamie and cooing softly. But it was so real. Like Etana was actually sitting in the chair opposite with Jamie. Then the silver eyes looked up and she spoke.
"Don't worry. You'll understand soon enough."
Tora shook her head and Etana disappeared. Even the scent faded away. That was just plain weird.
Phoenix sighed.
"She should have come straight to us."
"She was working eighteen hours straight and having interrupted sleep. She thought it was a hallucination."
"Good point. Another reason I decided never to have kids. That and Nathan and Rachel were quite a lot of hassle."
"Tell me about it."
"HANK MCCOY, YOU LEAVE THAT LAB RIGHT NOW!"
"No…"
"Right then, I'm coming in."
"NO!"
Tora ran her claws down the length of the door, breaking in.
"Right Hank, I need to see what's wrong now."
"It's not pretty…"
"Come out from under the table this instant. According to Tessa, you ran away just after she touched you."
A blue fur covered hand extended from under the lab table. A very pawlike hand.
"Hank…?"
Beast straightened up, stumbling slightly with his new build.
"Hank… You're beautiful."
He shook his head.
"I'm an animal Tora."
"No Hank! If anyone is the animal, it's me. You weren't here, but when I arrived, I ate with my bare hands. I lived on instinct alone. You're the most human of all of us."
Hank buried his face in his paws.
"I can't even hold a pen anymore."
"So what Hank? You can dictate and we can write. You're still one of the eight smartest people on the planet."
"Am I though? I'm devolving Tora. Going further back down the evolutionary tree."
"Hank, you are an idiot. A very smart idiot. Your senses are almost as good as mine and Logan's, you're almost as flexible as Kurt, you're stronger than most. Hank, you're not devolving, you're evolving."
"But I'm not me anymore."
"Right."
Tora walked over to the comm-link and flicked it on.
"Logan, can you bring Jamie down to the Medi-Lab?"
Hank sat in uncomfortable silence while Tora glared at him for being an idiot. The doors slid open but stopped half-way, Tora's forced entry having broken them. Logan froze.
"Hank, I can tell you, ya smell a lot better than ya used to."
Tora glowered at him and snatched Jamie before holding him out to Hank. At the sight of his favourite cuddle-toy, the baby reached out his hands.
"Bew!"
Hank froze.
"Bew?"
"UNCA BEW!"
Then Hank reached out and Jamie snuggled into the rich royal blue fur.
"See Hank. Jamie still knows you're you. And if anyone doesn't, then they aren't worth the atoms they're made from."
Hank smiled slightly, displaying sharp canine teeth as Jamie cuddled his favourite 'Uncle'. He was happily spending more and more time with Hank than anyone else. He would sit and watch as Hank did experiments and had taken to playing with the test-tubes when no one was watching. Hank was planning to introduce him to Amadeus Cho and wondered if Jamie could be the next Reed Richards. At any rate, he seemed quick.
Phoenix laughed happily.
"It took Jamie to show Hank he was the same person after all those changes."
"Sometimes children can see with one eye what adults miss with a thousand."
"Yes."
Tora sat in silence and watched Kitty and Piotr. They were dancing around each other, both afraid to make a move. Why couldn't they be like Luke and Eloise who had admitted they fancied each other like mad and were now going out? Piotr had taken to painting Kitty and she seemed fine with modelling, it was just any conversation about a relationship and they would both make excuses and leave. Tora was in favour of locking them in a room together until they admitted they loved each other. It would be so much easier on her nose. They were throwing out enough pheromones for her to be able to sense. Sighing she got up and walked away, passing the mansion's other 'problem couple', Remy and Rogue were either fighting, just friends or dating. Yet another couple she wanted to lock in a room with a power dampener. Actually, that may not be a bad idea… Rogue really wasn't that fond of her powers.
She passed some students and heard the whispers. Of course there were whispers. Unfortunately for the students, Mrs Logan had very, very good hearing.
"Excusez-moi, but I ask you not to make assumptions about my married life, merci beacoup."
She left students blushing and walked along to Jean's office.
"I can't keep up Jean. You want me to teach three different subjects at five different levels, counsel six students, look after Jamie and act as mission controller whilst also training two hours a day. I'm good Jean, but not that good."
"I'm sorry Tora, we're all rushed."
"Give Gambit half my Espionage classes. He can deal with the theft side of things. He only has Projectiles to teach. And Rogue can take over Sabotage if I train her. And I'll teach French and Japanese, but not German, Russian, Spanish and eight other languages."
"I'll speak to Scott about it."
"Thanks Jean. Oh, and we're having a girls night in in the rec room. No men allowed and I've got a student to babysit."
"So who's coming?"
"Me, Kitty, 'Ro, Betsy, Tessa I think, maybe Danielle…"
"But not Frost?"
"I asked her but apparently she has better things to do. Hank's helping her with her secondary mutation."
"I'll be there."
Phoenix laughed.
"Those girl nights kept me sane."
"You and the rest of them Jean."