Memories

Repression

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

Beast sighed.

"She –to all intents and purposes- appears fine. But, Logan, we don't know enough about Dragon to know what's wrong. If it were Phoenix, we could easily find information…legends…something about what's going on. Dragon's a blank sheet."

Logan stared at Tora, lying behind the sound-proofed glass, reading with an oddly vacant expression.

"What do you think happened?"

Hank shrugged.

"Emotional loss of control? Logan, Tora is an expert on repressing her emotions. If something happened that caused her to lose it, it would be all too easy for Dark Dragon to make an appearance. You yourself saw the inside of Tora's mind. Describe it to me."

Logan shuddered.

"It… It wasn't like anyone else's. Everything was made of this crystal. Clearish, strong, yet I saw her run right through it. Everything was distorted. It looked like someone had taken a gallery –long hall, floors around the side, clear ceiling- and handed it over to Escher. And the sky through the ceiling…"

"Logan…?"

"It was blood red. There were stars and what I reckon were nebulae. It wasn't like anything I'd ever seen. Heck, I reckon it wasn't anything anyone had ever seen. And Emma made us go down instead of up. Everything went dark and it looked like there were bloodstains on the walls and…Hank, the place scared me. It was so beautiful on the surface but when you went further down it was so…broken and corrupted. And that scared me, because that was Tora's mind."

Hank blinked.

"We may require Rachel to delve deeper into Tora's subconscious, see if we can find a way of fixing this."

Logan shook his head.

"I just need to talk to her. Let me go in there, I'll-"

"Not until you tell me what you said that caused her to act like this."

Logan shook his head.

"It doesn't matter. It's never going to be mentioned again."

"Was it Kurt?"

In the room beside them, Tora's head tilted, almost as if she heard what they said. Logan shook his head.

"I'm always careful about that. When she wants to talk about it –and sometimes she does- she opens the conversation."

"Do you think it could be our alternate-reality guests?"

Logan shrugged.

"Darkholme says she's been avoiding him, but then Tigress said that's more out of awkwardness than anything. You know, because those two are…er…"

"Engaged in a relationship of a certain type?"

"Yeah."

"Well, Tigress seems fine around you…"

"They're totally different people. Maybe even more than Darkholme and the Elf are."

Beast glanced back towards Tora.

"Yes… Yes, I can believe that."

Logan looked towards her as well.

"Trust me, Hank. I just need to talk to her."

Beast bit his lip then glanced from Tora to Logan and back again.

"Fine. There won't be sound recordings, but if I tell you to leave, you do. Without argument."

Logan nodded then opened the door. Tora raised her head from her book, an oddly sorrowful look in her eyes.

"I'm sorry. Logan, I could have destroyed so much. I… I lost control and that is inexcusable."

"No… Tora, you've done so well. Keeping all that locked up inside you and never letting it show. It was my fault. I didn't mean what I said. I was angry… Bitter… I hurt you…"

Tora sat up.

"I… I'm sorry I've been so distant… It's just…recently…"

"It's him, I know."

"No! No, Logan, it isn't."

"It's…not?"

"No. It's… Logan, you and the kids are the most important things in my life yet suddenly I find out that because someone else has died, I'm going to die as well. And I keep wondering… Why not you? You're the one who I would do anything for. So why was it…him? Why not you or the kids? Why does he have to be the one I'll die for!? And I hide because I'm so ashamed of what happened and how weak I am and what you'll think of me!"

Logan was by her side in an instant.

"There's nothing wrong with feeling, Tora. Feeling makes you human."

And she gulped softly.

"Yes But bad feeling feeds Dark Dragon. And all I'm capable of feeling right now is…bad stuff…"

Logan reached out and –rather self-consciously- patted her on the back. She glanced at him.

"Is that supposed to make me feel better?"

"Er… Yes?"

She blinked then the slightest of smiles graced her face.

"Hug. Now."

He smiled softly then slid his arms around her shoulders and rocked her gently back and forth.

"Oh, how endearingly cute…"

Death ducked as two hands shot towards her as their owners' screamed in unison.

"DEATH!"

Curt flipped backwards, singing loudly.

"Oh, there were twelve green bottles, sitting on the wall; twelve green bottles, sitting on the wall; and if one green bottle; should accidentally fall; there'd be eleven green bottles, sitting on the wall!"

Patriot glared over his shoulder.

"Poison! QUIT SINGING!"

"You aren't my team leader, Eli-Boy! There were eleven green bottles, sitting on the wall-"

Hawkeye glared at him as well.

"Poison, shut up."

"Okay!"

He flipped over the next man's head and fired webbing into his eyes.

"Take that, racist scumbags!"

Wiccan sighed.

"That was last week, Curt. These guys want to set fire to the ozone layer."

"Oh… Take that, environment-wrecking scumbags!"

The leader cackled manically.

"Too late, Young Avengers. Our machine is already on! You'll never figure out the controls in time!"

Curt sighed.

"Oh well. Looks like I'll just have to…make some!"

And everything slowed to a standstill and Kate froze, stepping towards the arrow she had just loosed which hung in the air. Curt shouted out a warning.

"It still has its kinetic energy! Touch it, and it'll be like it hit you."

And then everyone rounded on him.

"What did you just do?"

Curt shrugged.

"I'm chronokinetic. I mean, I only found that out last week, but Tommy knew and I've been training and this is great because Rachel said I wouldn't be able to stop time completely for years!"

"You…stopped…time? Okay, is this some creepy Poison thing?"

"No. It's a Dragon-mutant thing. Long story and this is really very tiring so can we work on defusing the missile?"

"Missile…? Oh yeah!"

They crowded round and started arguing. Finally, Curt sighed.

"Stand back. I'm just going to cut it into itty-bitty bite-sized chunks. Works for Dad all the time."

"Yes, but your dad heals from basically anything."

Curt smirked.

"Yeah. So do I. Also, I'm bulletproof. Beat that, Dad!"

Hulkling shooed the other Young Avengers away.

"Come on, give him another three years and he'll be better than the Beyonder."

Curt grinned.

"I heard that, Teddy!"

"Oops, I meant the Bee! You know, that guy who used Pym Particles?"

"Never heard of him."

Teddy leant in towards Eli.

"That's because he doesn't exist, idiot."

"I heard that as well!"

And then he laughed, time snapped back to normal and they punched most of the rest of the bad guys until the New Avengers turned up and started laughing hysterically.

"What? What?"

Finally, Ms Marvel spoke.

"I love the little bees stuck on your backs! Anything we should be aware of?"

They rounded on Curt, who smirked and shot up a web.

"Bye, suuuckaaaas!"

Phoenix glanced over at her masked host.

"I mean, really."

"Be a little more polite, Jean. Remember your family?"

Logan did a double-take. Tora was sitting in his chair, in his office, wearing clothes he would never imagine her in. Willingly, at least. Hair up in more than just a quick ponytail or bun. And just a trace of make-up, much less than most women would wear but shocking in the fact he doubted Tora had ever worn make-up in her life.

"Er… Tora?"

"I cleared it with Hank. Better go and get cleaned up. Our reservations are for seven and they won't let you in like that."

"Wait… What?"

"There's that new Japanese restaurant opening tonight. In Salam Center. You know, the extremely posh one."

"Er… Why?"

She sighed.

"What really rather important event happened six years ago today?"

Logan's face flushed bright red.

"It's our anniversary… Tora, I am so sorry…"

She smiled.

"It's fine. Just go and get sorted out. Also, you're paying."

"What? I thought you booked the seats…"

"Yes, but I also got you another anniversary present. So the meal can be your present for me."

He blinked then she rose and walked out before glancing back in.

"Seven. I will castrate you if you are late. Compris, mon cher?"

He couldn't halt the grin spreading across his face.

"I won't be. Also, whose clothes are those?"

She blushed.

"I got Ray and Kitty to help me pick them out. Like them?"

She span around, arms above her head like a ballet dancer, showing off the neat cut of the dress. She smirked.

"Although I did decide I don't love you so much I'll wear heels for you. Seriously, I need to be able to run in this."

He laughed. She smiled as well and he marvelled at the effort she'd been putting into appearing more positive since their talk. She still dressed in dark colours and in the field she still didn't banter with her opponents and wore the aggressive and dark uniform she had adopted after Hope's return. But she was more cheerful and didn't bit the heads of students anymore. Well, she was still terse around Quire and Kubark. But that was really rather to be expected. Tora's relationship with the Shi'ar was a little strained. Especially with Gladiator. There was still that rather embarrassing incident on the Moon to be contended with.

She closed the door and Logan started humming as he started sorting his desk out, already feeling a little thrum of satisfaction in his chest.

Phoenix smiled softly.

"He never stopped loving her. Even when she lost control and threatened everything, he never stopped loving her."