Memories

Fluffy Bunnies

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If you want to use Tora, or any of my other characters, PM me.

"Tora wasn't just some woman. Ya gotta understand that."

"Yer drunk Logan."

"Not quite. But I'm givin' it a damn good try. But Tora… She could hold her own in any battle… Never backed down… Stubborn as a mule and with a kick three times as good… Best field agent Fury ever met… I loved her…"

"Logan, yer drunk."

"Maybe."

"Yerv drunk enough to fell an army. Even yer healing can't keep up wi that amount."

"Only just realised she'd dead… So came down here… Decided ta try and get drunk… Last time I managed it…I was…can't remember…it's almost impossible fer me ta get drunk… But I think I've managed it."

He rocked back slightly. Even his healing factor couldn't keep up with a glass every few minutes. Especially when the glasses spiralled right across the bar.

"Right old man, lets get you home."

"Elf?"

"Charles told me you'd be here. Now come on. You're going to have one hell of a hangover tomorrow."

"It'll be gone in five minutes…"

"Yes. But you still have a hangover."

"Makes me forget…"

"Right. We're getting you home now."

Kurt hauled Logan up and dragged him outside. He'd only seen Logan drunk once before and that was the night after 'Tora's' funeral. After that he'd been cranky for a day. Odd. This time, it hadn't been Tora's death, but Jean's that had driven him over the edge. The idea that the two most powerful X-Women, even if one denied it vehemently, could die within two weeks of one another, had been inconceivable. But Tora had destroyed her inner gorgon in a way so final and absolute, it was likely she would never return. And the Magneto impostor had seen to it that Jean died in agony. Scott had taken it badly. But Logan had taken it even worse. Therefore, he was drinking in a grubby, rather shady establishment on the edge of town. Somehow, Kurt had the feeling Logan wouldn't be drunk by the time he got home, but when he woke up, the hangover would kill him for about five minutes before his healing kicked in. Normally, Tora would have found him, dragged him home and given him a pack of breath-mints before he went this deep into a drunken stupor. But Tora wasn't here. Sighing, Kurt managed to get Logan into the pick-up and drove home quickly. Sometimes, Wolverine was more trouble than he was worth.

Laughing, the three cosmic entities, two nestled inside human minds, leant on each other's shoulders. Millennia of playing safe and keeping in with immortals had created a bond of trust and friendship that was almost impossible to break.

"I never knew my death had such an…adverse…affect on him…"

"You and me both sweetheart."

"DEATH!"

"What?"

"Where did you pick up those ridiculous colloquialisms?"

"Reeve spent a lot of time with the Avengers, remember?"

"Reeve? Death's Apprentice? The one with the half burned body and the skeleton on the other side?"

"That's him."

"He used to freak me out."

Tora stepped backwards, as much as a being of mind and soul can 'step'. A body, fully assembled, was in front of her.

Finished!

Finally. You were getting rather…tiring.

Moi? You tell a lie.

You were moaning and moaning about how bored you were and so on.

Maybe… So how do I get back into my body? And how do I get back.

Step into it as if you were getting into clothes. Then step into the pool yonder.

You actually said yonder. I'm impressed.

I felt poetic language should be used. Now, I believe you wish to return home?

You bet I do.

Then slip back into your body.

Tora moved forward and felt the comforting flesh and bone slip into place. Her mind found it's niche and her soul went…somewhere. She wasn't certain exactly where.

She flexed her arms. The well-defined muscles had been forfeited for a quicker return. She had a feeling Scott would have her back on intensive training for over a month to make up for the loss of strength.

I'm ready.

Then walk into the pool and concentrate on where you want to be.

The water was cool, but not unpleasantly so. Frowning, Tora thought the same two words over and over again.

Jamie's Room, Jamie's Room, Jamie's Room, Jamie's Room, Jamie's Room, Jamie's Room.

Her head sunk under the water and suddenly colours blurred to form the bedroom. She gasped as air, real, fresh air filled her lungs. Scents drove her nose wild and her eyes, having not been used for about a month, struggled to adjust.

I'm home… I'm HOME!

She laughed, happily and freely. Suddenly the door burst open and Logan charged in.

"GET AWAY FROM MY SON YOU… Tora?"

"Salut. Do you know how long it takes to rebuild your body from the individual atoms?"

"Tora…"

"I've been trying to find out where a single carbon atom went because my body wasn't working."

"Tora? Oh… Why? Tora…"

"It's me Logan."

Then the claws were under her throat.

"Prove it.

"You hog the duvet, complain about me playing Queen but happen to love 'Crazy Little Thing Called Love' and 'Another One Bites the Dust'. You hate me waking you up before seven, unless I'm prepared to stay in bed until half-eight. You're ticklish on the soles of your feet and you like calling me Taiguresu when we're-"

And now he believed because deep down he wanted to.

"OK, OK. Tora, please don't let this be some sort of cruel trick."

"I'm back Carcajou. You aren't getting rid of me that easily. I was sort of busy for the last… How long have I been gone?"

"A month…"

"Well, for a month I've been trying to rebuild my body. I didn't think you would like me back incorporeal. I think the others should know. Where's Jean and 'Ro? We're overdue a long chat over coffee."

Logan fidgeted nervously.

"Logan?"

"Jean… Tora, Jean died last week."

She froze, the smile on her face turning into open-mouthed shock.

"What…? How…?"

"Magneto… gave her a stroke. She possibly could have healed but…"

"But?"

"I don't know… When Scott was caught with- No. I shouldn't tell you…"

"Logan."

It was her warning tone, the words used when she was leaning on the edge towards anger.

"What did Scott do?"

"Tora… He swears it was nothin' more and it sure smelled that way but…"

"But?"

"Jean found him with Emma Frost."

"Right."

It was her dangerous voice. Her pupils had a roaring dragon in them.

"Right."

"Tora?"

"I think I'm going to have a little word with our fearless leader."

"Tora, please don't… The others will want to know you're back… Tora…"

She marched out of the room, ignoring his pleas to calm down and let the others know she was back before she smashed Scott's head through a wall. Students who saw the wiry woman who still hadn't changed out of her blue Dragon costume dropped what they were carrying and stared. Hank, who happened to pass in the corridor stopped, turned and ran after her.

"Tora. Tora? I think you should come with me to the Medi-Lab just… Tora? Logan, what's she doing?"

"I'd say she's going to do something horrible to One-Eye."

"You told her? Logan…"

"Look, she asked for Jean. Can you go and tell the others?"

Muttering about Canadians who should know better, Hank ran off to find the others. Logan managed to keep up with Tora until she reached Scott's office. Not even bothering to knock, she pushed the door open.

"Tora? You're back? That's…that's great…"

She didn't answer. Instead, she raised a fist up and chikted out her claws. Water swirled around them. Then Scott saw Logan standing behind her, looking slightly guilty.

"Tora…?"

"Vous…Vous connard!"

She slammed her other fist into Scott's nose. The glasses he was wearing cracked, allowing a splinter of red light to fly out. Cyclops managed to fit his glasses back in place but wasn't ready for the knee brought to his groin.

"Vous mensonge, tricherie bâtard!"

"Tora…?"

"Je vais m'assurer que vous n'avez jamais plus avoir d'enfants, si c'est la dernière chose que je fais."

Logan managed to grab her arm before she sliced Scott's face. As much as Scott deserved a good slap for treating Jeannie like that, he didn't deserve an angry Tora castrating him. He was surprised Tora had sworn. Normally, she preferred not to use profanities. Now she was cursing with the best of them. He would have to get Remy to translate what she was screaming at Scott right now.

"Puissiez-vous mourir d'une mort lente et douloureuse impliquant lapins pelucheux!"

"Des lapins pelucheux?"

Gambit had arrived and his red-on-black eyes were wide with shock.

"Remy, help me here."

"Des lapins pelucheux?"

"Remy!"

"Des lapins pelucheux?"

"Monty Python et le Saint Graal."

"Ah."

Kurt and Ororo soon turned up and managed to restrain Tora, whose screams had Remy rolling on the floor laughing.

Finally, the others dragged her out, still screaming death threats. Scott turned to Remy.

"Gambit, what was she saying."

"Da femme, da femme…she say, she hopes you die a slow and painful death… involving… involving… fluffy bunnies."

And unable to hold it in any longer, Gambit started laughing so hard he fell over.

"Fluffy bunnies?"

"J'ai dit qu'elle étaiten colère!"

A final scream flowed down the corridor. It sounded like Tora was more than a little mad.

"I'm touched at her care."

"I thought that was very un-Tora-like of her."

"She had just spent ages rebuilding her body. She was allowed to be grumpy."

A.N. And let that be a lesson to never cheat on your wife when her best friend (who may or may not be dead) is 'dead' and then let your wife die, so when her friend comes back, she has an extra reason to hate you.