Chapter 36 - All That Was Unspoken
While Kurt and Mia were talking, Rachel and Nate were completely distracted by the fact that their mother had come to say hello - or goodbye, really. While Rachel had been old enough when she died that she had some memories of her mom - and had been seeing her mother in the Phoenix fire, occasionally - Nate had been young enough when it all happened that he really did feel like he was meeting her for the first time, like Mia had felt with her father.
He had a million things he wanted to tell her or ask her or talk to her about, so he felt like an idiot when, for some reason, the first thing out of his mouth was, "Dad wasn't kidding. You and Rachel look exactly alike."
Jean broke into a crooked smile at that - though the smile was definitely much closer to Nate's than he was expecting to see. "Love you too. I'm still not sure who you take after most."
"What, no digs about me being just like my dad?" Nate said, somehow falling back on an old joke even though he had a million other things to say.
Jean shook her head. "Not from what I've seen, no," she said. "There are definitely some similarities, but … I see a lot of myself peeking out."
"Thanks," Nate said. He stared at her, still trying to process it all. "So, you… you've been watching…?"
"Of course I have," Jean said. "Why wouldn't I? You're all wonderful kids."
"Yeah, no, of course. I just…"
Jean rolled her eyes and shook her head lightly. "Not every second. Don't worry."
"I was more worried about you having to watch me set Dad up, but now I'm gonna be thinking about other things…"
"I was on board for that, actually," Jean promised. "Annie's wonderful - and she can help him exactly how he needs it."
"Told you," Rachel said, bumping shoulders with her brother. "Hi, Mom. Quick question - are you the one talking to me in the fire, or is that the Phoenix playing tricks? Because I'd like to know for sure one way or the other."
"Does it feel the same as I do now?" Jean asked with one eyebrow quirked up slightly.
"Well, no, but this is also caked in Wanda's magic, so…"
"That sounds like some firebird nonsense," Jean said. "This is a peek at those of us that are close, still. What you've seen is anchored in memories of what I was with the Phoenix. So … the answer is that it's based in me, but it's not direct. I want you to be happy and to consider your family and friends before whatever promises are being whispered in your ear."
"I… figured. But I do like seeing you, even if it's not you," Rachel admitted.
"A little trick, then," Jean told her, looking as if she was sharing a bit of troublemaking. "You control it. If you ever question how close it is to me, command it to be truthful."
"Yeah, tell it who's boss," Nate teased, and Rachel shoved his shoulder.
"I miss you, Mom," she said, ignoring her brother for the time being.
"I miss you, too. All of you. I missed out on too much in person … but I've been with you every step of the way."
"Yeah, you missed out on Nate getting a girl pregnant at eighteen," Rachel teased her. "I would've loved to see your reaction to that."
"David is a blessing," Jean said with her nose up slightly.
"That's not the part I would've paid to see, though," Rachel shot back.
"Well … that's too bad. No one is going to say that I was anything but graceful about it."
"Yes, the absolute picture of grace," Charles teased as he came to join them.
"You hush," Jean said in a mock severe tone.
Nate laughed as Rachel gasped dramatically. "You can't tell Grandpa Charles to hush," she said in a falsely scandalized tone.
"That's your father's hangup, not mine," Jean teased right back.
"Yeah, but I think I like him," Kate said, coming to join the group too now that it wasn't just Jean and her kids - she'd been trying to give them space until then.
"And you," Jean said, focusing on Kate. "You're exactly what Nate and the team needed. You already know that, but it needs to be said."
Kate blushed brilliantly. "Out of respect for the dead, I will not argue," she said in her best haughty voice - because she didn't know what else to do when she was still unsteady.
"You may argue, or don't," Jean shot back in the same tone. "But my minions will argue on my behalf once I can't do it myself."
"That's us. We're minions," Nate said, and Kate stuck her tongue out at him.
"I'm just good with reporters," Kate said with an easy shrug.
"Are you kidding me?" Jean almost laughed. "You're so much more than the mouthpiece. You got Magneto's grandsons to reconsider their viewpoints on humans. Come on."
Kate blushed again. "Which reminds me. James said the Big, Bad Master of Magnetism is around, and I've been meaning to play chess with him. I'm told that's the way to change his mind, and he needs to help me convince Tommy he's not disposable. Think you can help me with that?" she said, blatantly redirecting. The truth was she'd been thinking of quitting the team, and she couldn't hear it right then.
"I don't think that's the right button to push," Jean said. "Mostly because Tommy refuses to listen to anything Erik has to say. You're lovely at changing the subject with finesse, but he just flat slams the door shut and runs away."
"Besides," Nate said, nodding toward where it looked like Erik was talking to Billy and Wanda. "I think they're doing their own family thing. And Mom needs to say hi to David." He gestured to David, who was weaving around Kate's legs while she held his hand.
"I do," Jean said, glad to see the little guy when he could see her. "This whole arrangement isn't going to last for much longer, either. Sorry to say."
"That's alright. I'm glad we got to have it," Rachel said, even as Kate hoisted David up to say hello.
As soon as Wanda cast the spell and Tommy had brought Mia over to her father, he sat down by his mom to make sure she was okay - and grinned when he realized his uncle was doing the same thing.
"Hey, Uncle Pietro," he said, sitting on Billy's other side so that Wanda was flanked by her brother and her sons. "Heard you got to help kill the other demon king, so we're two for two, you and me."
"That's what tag teams are for," Pietro shot back. "Nice work on the creeps in Latveria, by the way."
Tommy brushed his knuckles off on his chest. "Yep, yep - and did you see me tie a knot in Azazel's tail? Because that was fun. You know. Before he hijacked my girlfriend."
"That was excellent," Pietro agreed. "I especially liked the parts where he couldn't really retaliate against you, so … nice to see you able to stretch."
"Is this just going to be a meeting of the Mutual Admiration Society?" Billy teased, flopping onto his back, visibly worn out.
"When you're this amazing, what else is there to do?" Pietro asked with an open-armed gesture.
"Yeah, Billy, duh," Tommy laughed. "Keep up with the rest of us."
Wanda smiled at both of them. "Oh, you really should have gotten to stick around," she told Pietro. "You could have been doing this with him this whole time."
"You would have loved and hated every second of it," Pietro told her with a fond grin.
"The universe would have imploded," Billy teased, still lying down.
"You're looking about as bad as the last time I saw you," Pietro said to Billy.
"Last time, all my power got drained to stop a demon king. This time, all my power got drained to stop a demon king. The world rhymes, and I'm very tired," Billy said, though he gave Pietro a little wave. "Hi, by the way."
"I'm very glad you managed to get rid of that creep without any dimension-altering issues," Pietro said.
"Me too," Billy said. "It's because Mom helped me. I didn't have to tap into those powers."
"If you could have figured out how, it would have been faster, though," Pietro teased.
"Oh, in a snap," Billy agreed.
"He only does that when he's wishing brothers out of existence. Everything else…" Tommy grinned crookedly. "He has to be dramatic about it."
"Runs in the family," Billy said, nodding toward Erik, who was headed their way.
"Oh, hey, speaking of family," Tommy said, getting to his feet when he saw Erik. "I don't know how long this spell will last, seeing as Heaven doesn't need the connection anymore."
"They're allowing for a few liberties to be taken," Pietro said, looking a little more serious.
"Great. In that case, I've gotta go get… I'm gonna go complete that family reunion over there. And the other one. My boss should get to see her late husband," Tommy said, thumbing over his shoulder and then zipping off.
"I'll pin him down when he gets back," Wanda said, sounding tired as she gestured for Erik to join them. "I'm sorry about that."
"I've earned it," Erik said. "And I certainly don't blame him."
"Yes, but…" Wanda sighed. "I remember how you were with them before. And he deserves to get to know you in this state."
"Heaven mellows people, huh?" Billy said without sitting up. "Hi, Grandfather."
"We can say that," Erik said with a warm smile. "You should rest."
"Yeah, but I don't want to miss anything, so I'm just gonna lie down right here and be part of things without exerting any more energy," Billy said. "Mom's got it handled, right, Mom? She wasn't a battery for the last demon-slaying, so she's still got some juice, but I'm spent."
"It's wearing to clean up messes," Wanda agreed.
"But it is good to see you," Billy told Erik. "We… you know… left off on a weird foot when you died… sorry…?"
"I apologize for how that ended," Erik said. "The alternative would have been far worse than I had considered."
"Yeah, I've been over it a lot in my head since then," Billy admitted. "Not always on purpose, you know? But anyway, I just… I hope you're not offended, you know, all the stuff I said at the trial and everything."
"No," Erik said, his expression warm as he watched Billy. "I'm not offended - it was the truth from your viewpoint. James and I have made amends, anyhow."
"Yeah, he told me. Which helps, weirdly. Even before getting to see you." Billy sat up on his elbows. "And for the record, I'm really glad that Heaven decided to weigh all the good you got to do for mutants in your favor. I was worried about that for you and, you know. I'm babbling. I'm tired."
"Because you need rest," Erik insisted.
"I promise I'm gonna sleep for a long time when this is all over," Billy said. "Probably in the jet on the flight home, actually."
It was just about then that Tommy returned, depositing Storm with Kurt and then, about a minute later, Scott with Jean and his kids. And the next thing he knew, he was with the rest of his family in a flash of red light and couldn't shake the compulsion to sit down and stay seated.
"Really, Mom?" Tommy said
"Really," Wanda said with a nod. "You won't get another chance like this, so I need you to be reasonable and try."
"I'm being very reasonable," Tommy argued, pointedly refusing eye contact with Erik. "If you don't have nothin' nice to say and all that. Am I stopping you and Billy from hanging out with him? No. I'm glad you guys like each other."
"He gets that from you," Pietro said to Wanda. "One hundred percent you."
"I don't know what you're talking about," Wanda teased him without missing a beat. "I was never the problem child."
"Uh-huh. You go ahead and think that."
As Wanda chuckled under her breath with her brother, Tommy let out a long, tired sigh as he looked toward Erik. "So. Hi."
"Hello," Erik said almost with a sigh of relief. "I'll keep it short and simple: I simply wanted to apologize for everything that I did wrong. Yes, I am aware the list is extensive. This is all-encompassing. And for whatever worth you may find or not, I am proud of you."
Tommy gave him a tight smile and rested his chin on his knees. "Did you know I was spying for Storm practically since I got to Westchester?" he asked rather than address what he'd said.
"I did not," Erik said, smiling once again. "But I'm glad you did."
"Me too." He pressed his mouth into a line. "I guess I just want to ask why you didn't know. Why I didn't have to try hard to be overlooked. I mean, I'm a damn good spy, and it turns out I'm a brilliant physicist. I love Genosha, and I love being part of it. And I guess I just… it's not like he was born first or anything, so why'd you pick him?"
"No, as I understand it, the two of you came into being at the same moment." Erik sighed. "I can't give you a reason that would make it any easier to understand. And though I certainly didn't mean for it to be the case, I suppose I was trying to protect you." He glanced over to Pietro. "I know that you were compared to your uncle far too often - and though I meant it from a place of affection, I can see how that could have been misconstrued."
"What he's trying to say," Pietro said, when it was clear Erik was having trouble conveying his meaning clearly, "is that he was so crushed when I died that he had to try and preserve the new king of the speedsters, or he would have been doing the wailing widow walk for the rest of his life. That would have ended tragically and dramatically about thirty seconds after you stubbed your toe."
"I mean, I kinda figured he was doing the wailing widow walk the second Charles Xavier died, but yeah, that's a good explanation too."
"You have no idea," Pietro said, smirking crookedly as he leaned toward Tommy. "They're in Heaven, and they're both trying to be proper still. It's insanity."
Tommy rolled his eyes at his grandfather. "Listen, I know things. From Mia. You can actually go get him, you know. It's allowed."
Erik gave him a dry look. "This is certainly not the discussion I was expecting."
"Go get laid, Grandpa. You'll feel better," Tommy said dryly - which was immediately followed by Billy choking on his own laughter as Pietro and Wanda both burst into laughter as well. "Noh checked. It's allowed. Book yourself a room or something. I dunno. Just seems weird for you to get to Heaven because of the parts of your life where you did follow his philosophy and then, you know, not do anything about it."
"You should meet him, too," Pietro suggested to the twins.
Billy looked over to where the Summers family was talking. "Only if we make Grandfather go steal his boyfriend to bring him here. I'm too tired to mooooooove," he said dramatically.
"Oh, that has to happen now," Pietro cackled before he started pushing Erik to move.
"I mean, it literally has to, because Mom made me sit here, and these two are dead weight," Tommy said, gesturing to his mom and brother.
Scott hadn't gotten much of a warning before he was on a beach, standing with the rest of his family - including Jean, apparently.
"Oh. Okay," he said, still processing it as Jean beamed at him and Tommy zipped off immediately. "What.." He looked around at who was there and slowly started to smile as he put it together.
"I guess he thought you needed to say hello," Jean said. "By the way … hi."
"Hi," he said, smiling crookedly. "What's a girl like you…"
Jean snorted laughing. "Oh, man. What a way to start in." She shook her head, still grinning. "We're wrapping things up, apparently. And everyone is rushing to steal a moment."
"Yeah, I think I figured that out when I saw the people we sent away were around," Scott said. He came over to Nate to snatch up David, who was already trying to get to his grandfather so he could get thrown in the air as always.
"They're so lucky to have you," Jean said, still grinning - and it was clear she couldn't stop.
Scott smiled and let David climb onto his shoulders. "Annie told Tommy he was absolutely not carrying her anywhere while she's feeding Chance, but if she'd known…" He trailed off. "You've seen him, right? He's amazing."
"Of course I've seen him," Jean said, shaking her head. "And Chance too - he's gorgeous, Scott."
"All my kids take after their mothers," he said without missing a beat.
"What a shame," she said.
"Oh my god, Nate, your dad… I understand so many things now," Kate whispered to Nate, who looked like he wasn't even sure how to begin to address that, so he instead cleared his throat and stepped toward Charles, drawing his dad's attention and prompting Kate to cackle a quiet, "He didn't even see Grandpa Charlie what the heck, Nate."
"That's just how it is," Charles said, meeting Kate's volume. "Always has been, too."
"It's adorable is what it is. Your dad has game? Since when?" Kate teased, and Rachel snorted audibly.
Scott shook his head at Kate, realizing what she was up to - and then stopped when he realized Charles was there too and broke into a softer smile than the broad one he'd been wearing for Jean. "Hey, Professor."
"Don't let me slow you down, Scott," Charles laughed.
"Hey, it sounds to me like we're not going to get another chance for this," Scott pointed out. "You're part of this family too."
"Like it or not," Kate said, grinning at Charles.
"The hope is that there will be no more close calls that earn anyone another chat before their time," Charles said, smiling warmly at the group of them. "And you're all doing remarkably well. Thank you."
"That means a lot, coming from you," Rachel said, smiling wider than she had in a long time watching her family together.
So, of course, that was about when Erik came over, half dragged along by Pietro, who was cackling to himself. But when Erik looked like he didn't want to be there, Pietro said: "I bring a message from the princes asking their stepgrandfather to come join the family reunion. Their words exactly."
"That certainly sounds like them," Charles said in an even timbre.
"Don't let us keep you from your step-grandkids," Nate said, and Kate snorted, which had him grinning wider.
"I'm simply happy to be able to tell you all face-to-face how much you mean to those of us on the other side," Charles said. "I know you'll do us proud."
"I know they will," Scott agreed, jostling Nate's shoulder with his, and Charles smirked, slipping off with Erik and Pietro and leaving them to their jokes-
-only to be immediately greeted by Tommy brightly calling out, "HEY, STEP-GRANDPA!" as loudly as he could when he arrived.
"I'd tell you to ignore him, but we all know that's not going to happen," Wanda laughed, waving their heavenly visitors over.
"I wouldn't want him to change one bit," Charles promised.
"That's right; I'm perfect just the way I am," Tommy said, and Billy rolled his eyes at him.
"You can come sit with us if you want," Billy said, obviously trying to smooth things over if only because he did actually want them to stick around. "We've heard a million stories about you growing up. It's nice to spend real time before the magic fades, you know?"
"I'm sure the stories were from a colored viewpoint," Charles teased, though he was smiling all the same.
"Rose-colored," Tommy couldn't resist saying.
"The bright mood is lovely to see for a change," Charles said.
"Hey, we killed a demon king. The second in, like, what, a couple weeks?"
"Neither were technically kings," Charles pointed out, keeping a straight face as he had to tease. "Just arrogant."
"Yeah, yeah, we still get a parade," Tommy said, still crookedly smiling.
"I thought that was a monthly affair?" Charles said, his eyes twinkling as he glanced at Wanda, who picked up on the teasing fast.
"Every other. They trade months," Wanda said, which had Billy cackling.
"That sounds far more reasonable," Charles agreed.
Billy shook his head, but he was enjoying seeing his grandfather happy. So, he let the teasing happen and slipped closer to Erik to whisper, "Teasing aside, you… seem like you're happier. And I'm glad for it."
"And aside from your concerns regarding self-control, you seem to be growing up nicely," Erik replied low.
"I'm trying. Kinda scared I'll cause a national scandal with some literal bastard kids. Or are they - if it's magical…?"
"Nonsense," he said. "Don't concern yourself with scandals."
"I have to. He's already got so many people who don't like him. I don't want to make it worse, you know?"
Erik chuckled. "Are we talking about the same boy? The one who definitely does not care what the general consensus is? The one who has only been careful about appearances because of how it would affect you or Tony Stark? Or the team?"
"He cares," Billy said. "He doesn't care like I care, but he cares." He laughed. "I promise that made more sense in my head than it did out loud."
"He would challenge those that speak up and cause trouble to do so in a range where he could correct them," Erik said, still smiling.
"Yeah." He paused. "Don't take this the wrong way, but I kinda think it'll be good to, you know, have… have a king married to someone who can scare the world away from messing with Genosha. Mom's good at it, but I'm not scary."
"Well, if that was your criteria, well done. Unless the challenger in question is under the age of ten."
"It wasn't, but I've been thinking about it the older I get. The throne and stuff. James is stepping into his stuff with Tony, and it's made me think about… the… future oh god talk to me about something else right now please."
"You'll be wonderful," Erik promised. "Your brother, too."
"Tommy. Yeah," Billy said, latching onto the new topic. "I keep waiting for him and Mia to run away together. Seems like something they'd do, right?"
Erik looked toward Wanda with a troublemaking expression. "Yes, it absolutely does. Though I would hope they'd do so in the States first."
"... why…?" Billy asked, suddenly suspicious.
"It doesn't matter," Erik said with a wave, knowing full well that Billy could start digging on his own. "Just an errant thought that a good friend mentioned not long ago.."
"Huh." Billy shrugged. "Anyway, I'm glad you two got to talk. And… I'm sorry, you know, again, for the whole… complicity in your murder."
"I'm sorry I wasn't more reasonable when it would have made things easier for everyone," Erik said. "I'm sure your mother will correct all that I left in disarray."
"You did a lot of good, Grandfather. And Tommy and I got to grow up safe. I know from talking to James and his family what a blessing that was."
"Yes, the two of you had entirely different experiences as children," Erik agreed. "And all I wanted was for all of you to be safe."
"I know." Billy smiled at him, tightly. "I get it. I do."
"I'm sure you do," Erik agreed. "I trust you and your brother will continue to look out for each other - and your interests."
"And hopefully, he'll keep me in check. The temptation to just destroy everybody, especially after stuff like what happened to Kate…"
"Of that I have no doubt. Tommy will keep you level and remind you to relax."
"Yeah, but if I tried to tell him I'm relying on him to be my moral compass, he'd look at me like I was nuts."
"You'd panic him," Erik said. "Try not to do that."
Billy laughed under his breath and sat back, watching the rest of his family as they chatted and teased each other and laughed as long as the spell would last.
When Tommy had run back to Westchester, the only explanation he had given both Ororo and Scott before scooping them up was that the battle was won and that there was some stuff they needed help with wrapping up.
And then, Ororo found herself standing with Mia and Kurt - and saw that several other long-passed family members were there talking with their still-living loved ones.
The kicked-up sand had barely settled before Kurt broke the silence, smiling as soon as he saw Ororo. He broke into a deep bow. "It's good to see you again," he said, his eyes sparkling with warmth. "Exactly the goddess you have always been."
Ororo stared for some time before she let out her breath behind her hand. "Kurt?"
"I don't know how long we have," he admitted, gesturing for her to join him with Mia on the beach. "Azazel is dead. Heaven has allowed us this time as a reward, but it will fade eventually."
Ororo couldn't stop staring at him, a smile caught in the corner of her mouth. "Then we should make the best of each moment we have," she said, sitting so that he was between her and Mia as they watched the waves. "I've missed you."
"And I you."
"I want to know everything," Ororo said. She smiled as she turned to face him. "I know from what I've been told that you and the rest of those we lost have been watching everything. You know what we've been up to. But tell me how paradise is treating you. Tell me you've found some dashing heroics to get up to even there."
Kurt broke into a laugh. "Nothing like we used to do," he admitted. "But I do have stories. I should tell you, for example, how our good friend had to be fished from Purgatory by his wife."
Ororo smiled. "She would do that," she agreed, settling in to listen as Kurt told the two of them about Heaven, about their family on the other side, and about how much he missed them.
No one wanted to interrupt Tony and James; though James was solidly out, Tony was plainly out of his depth. Between needing to pry James's hand away from the death grip he had on Azazel's hair and the interruption from that task to have a highly unexpected chat with his parents as well, it just … wasn't something anyone wanted to get in the middle of.
So naturally, that was where a bit of pure whimsy came … when Rachel was the first to notice that the Starks weren't alone. There was a deeply familiar figure that seemed to almost dance between them before she spotted Rachel watching her - and then, in a blink, she glided over gracefully as if on wheels.
It took a moment for Rachel to put the name with the face, but as soon as Jubilee winked at her with one finger over her lips, she realized in an instant who she was watching creep up behind her father.
"Ho-lee sha-moly, fearless. You lost the visor but still have the most insane tunnel vision of anyone everrrr." Jubilee said just next to Scott - and barely outside of his peripheral.
Scott startled visibly and then laughed as he turned around to face her. "And I can't even spin you around," he said.
"I know, totally lame spellwork, right?" she laughed.
"How long have you been lurking?" he asked, grinning wider by the second. "If I'd known you were here, I would have come to find you. I didn't get to see you when I visited."
She put one hand on her hip. "Where else would I be, huh?"
"Wherever Logan and K are, I assumed," Scott pointed out.
She closed one eye and tipped her head. "Okay, so you're not totally wrong, but you're not right, either." She pointed one finger at him. "Don't jump to conclusions. I've been around when I can be, but you know … gotta be the social butterfly when I can. And you didn't see me last time because your priorities were with Big Red and Ol' Charlie."
"In my defense, I thought I was there to stay, so I had planned on getting to everyone else."
"So you're so totally lucky that wasn't the case, because you would have been slapped stupid for eternity by literally everyone you've ever known."
"Oh, I see. Magneto gets to hang out, and I get slapped," Scott teased.
"Um … Magneto got slut shamed so hard?" Jubilee shot back with a telltale crack of bubblegum.
"He got what and I missed it?" Kate asked, sounding like she was utterly crushed.
Jubilee cackled. "It's so. Funny. He totally got the bimbo treatment." She was nodding seriously, but Jean was grinning wider and wider.
"I… I need details. I need so many details. I need to be able to tell this to Tommy when he's down," Kate said delightedly.
Jubilee tipped her chin down, then gestured dramatically toward where Erik was with his family. "I mean … just look at him."
"I know, right? He's lucky I was on my best behavior for Billy's sake when I was around him because he's such an easy target."
"Best … be-hav … what? Even is that?" Jubilee asked with her nose scrunched up.
Kate cackled. "Oh my god, how come we didn't get to be on the same team? This is a crime and I've only known you ten seconds."
"Losers got in the way," Jubilee said with a shrug. "That's all it was."
"Still, I feel like my father-in-law has been holding out on me for stories."
"Oh. Totally. Like … so much has been like … redacted or something."
"I am the Black Widow's daughter. I'm sure I can un-redact the fun stuff."
"I'll have to pass that by the big Kahuna," Jubilee said with a tone of suspicion.
"What, Grandpa Charles? I'm sure he'd-"
Jubilee snorted and fell apart laughing at that, but she left it to Scott to explain.
"She called Logan that for forever," Scott explained to her, still grinning. It was so refreshing to see Jubilee again.
"Yeah, Logan wasn't the only one with a reputation for handing out nicknames," Jean said.
"Aww, something else James got from him. You've seen him and his little prince, right?"
"That leans more to his mom's nicknames," Jubilee said. "She had a thing about doing that, too."
"I remember," Scott said with a crooked smirk.
Jubilee turned toward Scott suddenly with a much more serious expression. "Oh. Right. You, mister, are not to overthink things. Logan totally was going to say hi, but he's occupod-o at the moment, and I doubt this spell will last long enough for everyone to get a chance to stop in."
Scott raised an eyebrow. "Occupied where, exactly?"
"Don't look at me like that. I just said don't overthink things. And here you are. Overthinking literally everything."
"You've met me."
"I know, but you're, like, in therapy. What's the deal? Don't you trust your therapist-in-law?"
"I'm using that!" Rachel called out from where she was talking with Jean.
Scott shook his head at Rachel but kept his focus on Jubilee. "You're telling me not to overthink the fact that he and K aren't joining everyone else to say goodbye. That's a tall order for a perfectly mentally healthy person, Jubes."
"Ye of little faith," Jubilee said. "I'll bet …" She looked around the crowd, leaned over to look past Scott to take in who all was in attendance in one way or another, then crossed her arms with a huff. "... well. No one here, probably, but like … normal people could take that as reassurance."
"It's fine," Scott said.
"Oh! My! Gawd! I hate that when it comes flying out of your face," Jubilee said, pulling at her hair for maximum dramatics. "You beat it out of me. Jeeeeeeez. Fine. Whatever. This is the last powwow before Heaven pulls the plug on the back and forth. Like, for everyone. They're taking some time with James while he's asleep, so it's a little different approach than this? And they have to focus on that, so …. Logan figured you'd be fine with literally everyone else."
"Was that so hard to explain?" Scott teased her, though he looked visibly relieved to have the explanation.
"I mean … yes, because I'm trying not to put a damper on everything."
"I'm glad they're with him. That's where they should be," Scott pointed out. He smiled. "Besides, it's been too long. Come join the party while you can, huh? I'd have brought my littlest, but he's eating right now, and Annie didn't want to deal with a crowd while that was going on."
"He's adorable," Jubilee said. "And just FYI, James let her peek at what Jean was like up here when she was watching you guys? So like … that's all good. Just in case they didn't tell you anything."
"She mentioned that he'd helped her through that particular anxiety, but I think she mentioned it at about three in the morning when Chance wasn't sleeping, so the details are lost on me," Scott admitted with a sheepish smile.
"Oh my God, you've never wanted to be telepathic more, have you, you nosy little Summers, you."
"I'm the only one! I think it's fair to let me borrow it for a minute," he teased without missing a beat.
"Ab-so-lutely not," Jubilee teased. "Can you imagine how horrible those practices would have been if you were nagging everyone in their heads, too?"
"But consider: I could also have known what you were thinking," he laughed.
"I don't think you want to know that," she said loftily.
"School full of horny teenagers!" Nate called over his shoulder.
"Don't project on me, big daddy," Jubilee shot back.
Scott laughed again. "Man, I've missed you."
For the first time, Jubilee lost a lot of her big, blustering mood. "I missed you too," she said, smiling softly.
"I haven't had the chance to tell you, but I was so damn proud of how much hell you gave them defending our kids," Scott told her seriously. "And so sorry we couldn't save you."
"I did everything I could and took as many of them with me as possible," Jubilee said.
"I know." He let out a long breath.
"And I was the one to catch K when she showed up … swearing like nobody's business and threatening bodily harm on heavenly bodies." She grimaced. "Fun times."
"I'd hug you if I could," he told her softly.
"I'd return it and paff anyone that looked at you cross-eyed."
Scott smiled at that. "That's the Jubilee I know."
While Scott was talking to Jubilee and Nate and his sister were with Jean, Kate had taken a step back. She was doing better for all the time spent on the beach, but it was all a lot, and all the people were … well, it was a lot like the last time, with Hydra, in the aftermath, when she could barely stand to be around anyone, let alone a crowd.
"It's a lot to take in, isn't it?" Katherine Summers said over Kate's shoulder.
Kate jumped slightly but then recognized Nate's grandmother and let her shoulders drop. "I'm still a work in progress," she said with a shrug, stepping a little farther from the rest of the group.
"You're doing well," Katherine said. "It may not feel that way, but I think you are. I might be a little biased, though … looking after my namesake…"
Kate chuckled at that. "Yeah, you're … the closest thing I've got to one of those, I guess."
"Lucky me," she replied. "You're amazing, you know."
"I know," she said automatically, out of habit. "You're pretty cool too. How the heck did you end up with Corsair? I gotta ask."
"Chris?" She sighed. "He … was a lot different back then. I think everything that happened in space before I died messed with his head. A lot."
"I get that," Kate said quietly.
"Never thought you'd be sympathetic to the space pirate, hmm?"
"I must be going crazier than I thought," Kate said, smirking.
"Not if you take into account everything that got him to break," she said. "It broke my heart to see him that torn up."
"I only really got the overview," Kate admitted. "I mean, getting kidnapped and enslaved… god, I get that. What it does to you."
"It's … much worse than that," Katherine said. "He knew I wasn't killed right away. And all the horror stories about the Shi'ar are true."
"Oh." Kate felt herself going paler. "I'm sorry."
"That's what tipped him over and gave him the whole personality shift."
"Oh god. Should I be worried about that with Nate? A whole new personality from the-"
"You're alive," Katherine reasoned. "So is David … and his siblings, too. I think you'll be alright."
"Good. I couldn't live with myself if my mess turned him crazy."
"You keep him sane," Katherine promised. "And that's not speculation."
"Right. You… probably saw more than I did how he reacted with the department."
"Yes, I saw everything, and I stuck with him when I wasn't with Scott or Alex or Rachel or you."
"That must have been… you must have been worried about history repeating. I'm worried about that sometimes."
"Very much so," she agreed. "But I also think Nate's stronger than Chris was."
"Lifetime of practice," Kate said in a tone full of affection.
"And some wonderful parents, too." She tipped her head toward Kate. "You ended up with some wonderful parents as well, though I doubt they'd believe it if they heard it.."
"Yeah, Mom and Dad need to hear it more," Kate agreed. She looked past Katherine and let her shoulders drop. "It's stupid," she said quietly. "I'm just sitting here going over in my head who might have come for me, and the only relatives I have on the other side are in hell."
"No, it's not," Katherine promised. "It's not stupid to hope to see someone you've missed for years."
"Mia got to meet her dad, and… mine I'm pretty sure were in Hydra, which makes it even more screwed up to look for them, doesn't it?" Kate said. "And even my adopted family… Mom's parents… if they're there, I don't know that they'd look for me, and Dad's father is for sure in hell."
"I don't know what to tell you that might make it sting less," Katherine said. "I can tell you that sometimes, they simply can't handle the thought of a peek when they can't keep you. That can be what keeps some people back."
"Yeah, that's fair. Might be why Dad's mom isn't here. He's pretty insistent that he only got genes from her," Kate said with a crooked smile.
"I'm sure she's around. There were several that even James didn't meet while he was here - and he was supposed to stay."
"I guess when you have time, you don't rush to see everyone." Kate shrugged and noticed that Katherine's form was fading a bit. She tried to subtly wipe her eyes. "Thanks for coming to talk to me. I'm glad the other Kate Summers is amazing too."
"Thanks for making sure my name stays awesome," Katherine said. "I'm glad you're in the family, Kate."
"Glad to continue my Barton family tradition of building an epic family for myself," Kate shot back. "Tell Jubilee she and I have to hang out in eighty years when I come over there, huh?"
"I'm very sure she won't give you a choice in that," Katherine laughed.
Kate grinned as Katherine's form flickered again. "Just promise you won't tell anybody I ever compared myself to Corsair, huh?"
Katherine laughed at that, the sound lingering longer after her form had faded, and Kate slipped over to where the others were, briefly squeezing Nate's arm when she saw that everyone - everyone - was emotional in some way or another. "Let's go home, huh?"
"Yeah, it's overdue," Nate agreed as he looked around at their group … gathered up in little patches across the beach a distance from the pyre that Tommy had built so quickly. Everyone was quiet, and even Tony had given up attempting to look pulled together as he sat with James apart from the others.
"Glad you got to see your mom," Kate said softly. "I like her."
"Yeah, she's … kind of great," Nate agreed.
Kate nodded at that and bumped her shoulder against his. "By the way, love you lots. Don't go turning into your grandpa, okay?" she teased.
"Love you more," Nate said, frowning at her. "Why … why the hell would I … what?"
"No reason. Just thinking about grandparents and patterns," she said easily.
Nate looked around the beach pointedly. "There are surprisingly few parallels."
"Yeah, I know. My first parents weren't anywhere to be found; I know about breaking patterns," Kate said, trying to steer him a different way. Trying to explain why she'd been thinking about Corsair was a whole thing.
"I'm sorry you didn't get to see them," Nate said, trying to catch her gaze.
"Hey, they were, as far as I've found, Hydra agents. So screw 'em," Kate said. "I got better ones anyway."
Nate kissed the side of her head. "Sure did."
For an instant, when James saw his parents waiting for him, he panicked.
He felt totally justified in that, too, since the last time he saw them in a setting like this, he'd died … and Billy had gone to so much trouble to keep him alive. So naturally, the first thing out of his mouth when he saw them was a nearly gasped out 'no'.
Logan and K shared a look - and the two of them both dove into damage control. "Wait - you're not dead," K told him, looking so concerned that the statement in itself was enough to get him off the ledge of panic. "You did it - all of you. Billy and Wanda got the spell in line to suck his powers out, and I'm pretty sure you traumatized Tony when he had to pry your fingers out of Azazel's hair."
"He'll be fine," Logan said, taking up a seat next to James while K occupied his other side.
"Wait … that's it, then," James said more than asked, since he knew that Heaven had said once this was resolved, the connection to the other side would be severed until it was time for him to join them … or not, depending on how the rest of his life ran. His whole expression shifted to one of pure sorrow since … now that he had gotten to know his parents, the prospect of letting them go again was just as daunting as if he was letting go of his siblings or his dad. "No…"
K smiled softly and brushed his hair out of his face. "You know we'll be close by anyhow."
James was jostled as Logan put his arm around James's back. "And you've got a little more than the others do for your 'see you later'," Logan told him. "Yes, they're all getting the chance to say their goodbyes and thank yous."
K wrapped herself around him from where she was seated. "But we get to have another chance at a hug. And I'm not at all mad about that part."
"Me either," James agreed, shifting to put an arm around each of them. It was a little overwhelming - in all the best ways. Mostly because this, with them there in his dream instead of as a specter while he was awake, meant that he could touch them … and he could get a good dose of their scents one last time.
They'd had plenty of chances to talk in the months that James had them to himself along with just about everyone that had been with him in Heaven, so they didn't have a lot to discuss or too much deep wisdom to be imparted. But before it was through, James had to at least ask if there were any last-minute thoughts they had for him.
K and Logan shared a look, but it was Logan who spoke up. "I know you're trying to do everything right and keep things on the level everywhere, but screw that. With our luck? The way things go? Don't take anything for granted."
"Usually, we're the ones that have to say goodbye first. To friends, their kids … their grandkids. They always died first from accident or old age or disease. It's always been harder because, no matter how much you love them, they just ... their lives aren't made to last as long as ours do. It's the worst thing about your powerset," K said when Logan seemed to be still trying to gather himself for how he wanted to relay his message.
"Just … whoever you end up with … Billy, or if you outlive him and keep going - you gotta love 'em like someone's working twenty-four hours a day to take them away from you. They might be, who the hell knows," Logan said as K smiled at both of them.
"We like Billy," K said. "He's … a little dramatic, but his heart's in the right place. Don't torture him too much."
"I don't plan to," James promised.
"That also means don't torture Erik just because you can," K continued. "He's given you his blessing … don't hold his head under water just to remind him what a jackass he could be."
Logan chuckled, and James smiled crookedly - matching Logan almost exactly for expression.
"I love you two," James said, then took the time to wrap both of them up in long, lingering hugs. He really didn't have anything to say to them at this point. He just wanted to sear those scents into his brain so he could dream of them more clearly again. And they both seemed to know exactly what he was doing - because neither of them tried to regulate him.
When James woke up to the sound of a monitor beeping, he didn't open his eyes right away, searching the back of his eyelids for any final whisper of his parents … or Jean, Kurt, Jubilee … Charles … Erik … any of them. But that had been all there was to see … just the darkness … until he finally, slowly, opened his eyes to look around him.
To his relief, there wasn't a whole entourage. He could hear a few family members down the hall trying to discuss things quietly, but … that never worked out as well as they meant it to. He could hear Tony in the mix … and it would have sounded almost like a debrief had it not been for the fact that the tone leaned more to gossip or even therapy. Yes … Craig's voice was there, too.
He had yet to move, but he knew his siblings would be with their families, and his Dad was rightfully with Annie and Chance. But that was how he found himself thinking over Logan and K's parting thoughts before their extended hugs. They were right, of course …
Soft footsteps near the door drew his attention, but he didn't turn to see who was there before Billy stepped in and spoke up incredibly softly. "Are you alright, or …"
James finally turned his way, then wordlessly shifted to one side of the bed, waving him over as he made room. As soon as Billy got close enough, James pulled him over and positively wrapped himself around him - using his shoulder as a pillow as he just … held on.
Just about everyone on the team was headed home on the jet, since draining a demon's essence and maintaining a connection to Heaven for goodbyes was, it turned out, incredibly draining for both Wanda and Billy.
But Tommy didn't want to spend all that time in the jet with everyone in the emotionally compromised states they were in. He shot a brief text to Kate to ask her if she wanted to get away from everyone too, but when she said she didn't want to be carried, that was that.
Mia, on the other hand, was sorely tempted, though she and her mom were also in odd headspaces, and she wasn't sure if she wanted to skip ahead of the trip with Tommy or stay with her mom and listen to old stories.
So, for the moment, Tommy headed back to Genosha on his own. Which was a shame, because that meant he was alone with his thoughts.
The whole run back home, he found himself trying not to think too much about his grandfather and how happy he seemed with his boyfriend and his son. Sure, he was a little resentful that he had a happy family there instead of having built one there with them, but… it kinda put things in perspective. How much he'd missed the ones he lost.
He wasn't sure he was ready to forgive his grandfather yet, though.
So instead of thinking about that, he was thinking about what his uncle had said. Something about a loophole in his grandfather's law.
And hey, if he could help Billy, he was all for that. He just had to sit down and do some research…
