Memories
Fears
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If you want to use Tora, or any of my other characters, PM me.
The door opened and everyone looked up. The eight hour wait had been horrendous. Laura came in first, still carrying Curt, who was groaning. Rachel stepped in and immediately collapsed into a chair looking exhausted. Eloise silently let Luke envelop her in an embrace yet no one spoke. Logan's voice finally cracked.
"Where's… Where is she?"
"Right here."
They all turned to see Tora standing in the door, Jeanne draped around her neck like a fur stole. Her face was expressionless and there was still the gleaming silver headdress on, although she'd changed on the journey into her usual jeans and shirt ensemble. Logan stared at her but she wasn't giving anything away from her body language.
"Tora…?"
"That's me, you idiot. Whatever possessed you to come after me with only Wanda for back-up? Are you freaking insane, you stupid, stupid man!?"
But then a smile split her face.
"And only you would be so stupid but then I knew that when I married you, you impulsive fool. Come on, when have you ever thought something out before you went charging in?"
He grinned back.
"I remember spending a rather horrific week of sleepless nights wondering whether you'd stab me if I proposed."
She looked at him in surprise.
"You never told me that."
"Well, I never knew how you'd take it…"
And then she held out her arms wide and raised an eyebrow.
"No greetings hug? I'm disappointed, Logan."
She suddenly disappeared under the influx of X-Men who all took the opportunity to hug her, ruffle her hair (something they would never dare try in normal circumstances) and generally fuss over her. She took it good-naturedly for a while then gently disentangled herself.
"Come on, guys. I've had a shadow for the last however many days. Need a little privacy here."
And then she looked back at Logan and the slightest twinkle sparkled in her eyes.
"So then, exactly how worried were you?"
"Not at all."
"Laura said you'd been crying."
The look Logan shot his clone told her quite plainly that she wasn't under any circumstances to ever mention anything like that ever again. Tora was still smiling brightly.
"Well? Were you or were you not worried sick?"
"You know how I was, you irritating woman."
"Oh, you idiot. Come on. Hug."
And then they were embracing and laughing and those close by pretended to ignore the little whispered "J'aime tu."
"Oh, that's so sweet!"
The masked woman rolled her eyes.
"You said that about the video of the dancing kittens, Jean. And I just said it was cruel and you yelled at me."
"You're a killjoy, you know that, don't you?"
Tora sat on the wet grass, legs crossed neatly and eyes closed. She touched her fingers to the ground and sent out tendrils of water, searching for something. She found it, a tiny firefly buried deep in the ground. Something warm flitted into her mind, something huge and knowing, yet also small and weak.
Dr…Dra…gon…
Tis I.
I…I…come… The…girl…?
She isn't ready yet. You have to wait.
I…am…done…wait…ing…
You have to wait. You can't force your way in. She isn't mature enough to fully understand…
And…you…were…?
I have never been a child.
Neither…has…she…
We're not ready. We're a fractured race, divided in two. This isn't the time… Let me explain…
We…have no…more time… If I do not…come now…when I do come…it will be…to burn…
You cannot! Give me more time!
Time…is in…such…short…supply…these days…
No! Phoenix, you can't! Hope isn't ready, the X-Men are torn into factions, the Avengers need to know what we're doing, the Gri-
I…come… I…come… I…come…
NOOO!
And the firefly was burning brighter and brighter into an inferno as she felt the flames draw closer and closer and closer and she tried desperately to pull herself out of the mental lock she was in. But she couldn't and the flames enfolded her and embraced her and lapped gently around her.
Phoenix, you can't!
I have to…
She isn't ready for an entire cosmic entity to suddenly pop into her head!
Who said anything about an entire cosmic entity?
No! Phoenix, you can't! She'll panic, she's still just a child! A scared little girl who lost her father!
Jean Grey was naught but a scared little girl when I came to her the first time.
And we all know how that turned out!
And you were still little more than a child when Dragon came to you!
I was a mother!
Children can still have children.
I knew what I was doing!
No. You didn't. You fought and struggled and expended energy in a fight you could not hope to win.
I'm stubborn.
Yes. Dragon always has been.
I am not Dragon!
Yes, you are. You were born to be Dragon.
I wasn't! I don't believe in fate or destiny!
Yet you have met both of them.
I don't…can't believe that our lives are predestined!
Because if you do, that will make your oh, so precious 'free will' mean nothing at all. You should know better than that, my friend. You know that free will has no place in our world.
There is free will! There has to be! I cannot believe the Father would condone my childhood!
There is always a plan, Dragon. Always.
No! I refuse to believe it!
You're a fool, a naïve fool, Dragon.
I have never been naïve. My faith in the good of humanity was shattered as a child. I cannot ever believe I was fated to be tortured.
When one is the Dragon Incarnate, one has no free will. You were fated to follow the path that would lead you to the Dragon. You had no choice, although you had the appearance of free choice.
I don't…can't believe you!
You have to.
I won't and shan't. Can we change the subject?
You have to help me.
I can't. Phoenix, if you force my hand… You could destroy everything I've worked to keep together.
Like what? A family that's going its own way? Friendships that are breaking because you're so distant? Or how about a relationship that only works because you're both too stubborn to admit it has run its course.
Tora leapt up, her hands clenching into fists and her nails digging into her palms, little streaks of blood trickling from the cuts. In her anger, she forgot that this was a telepathic conversation and shouted out loud.
"That's not true, you overgrown starling! That's not true, and you know it! You're playing with me, you stupid bird! That's all a lie, because you're trying to get me mad enough to help you! It won't work! It won't!"
If that had been my intention, it seems to have worked. You really need to control that temper. Flying off the handle is not a valid method of dealing with anything. Unless you're Lord Rage, of course.
"GET OUT OF MY HEAD! I WON'T HELP YOU! And if you come within three parsecs of Hope, I will do everything in my considerable power to tear you apart."
And she felt such sorrow emanating from Phoenix.
If I do not come for her now, this is what shall happen. Please… Dragon… Tora… Do not force my hand…
And Tora fell to her knees and screamed as she saw what could be.
Phoenix had the decency to look embarrassed.
"I'm sorry. I did have reason to panic."
"But forcing yourself into her head like that. It was asking for trouble."
A.N. And we can all see where this is going, can't we?