Spider-Man & The X-Men: Dreams & Nightmares
Author's Note: Well, so much for consistently updating this fic whenever a new episode of X-Men '97 releases, lol. Also, speaking of X-Men '97… This show is so freakin' good, y'all. Every episode has been PEAK fiction. I watched the season one finale, and it makes me sad since it means we all have to wait for season 2 now. But while we're waiting for season 2, I'll do my best to make sure that you guys are still getting your X-Men fill by updating this fic. And just to let you guys know, I still haven't forgotten about the Spidey/X-Men Evo fanfic! Life's just been busy, and I haven't had the time to write as much as I would like. But anyway, it's time to reply to some reviews!
TheCrimsonSpider: I will say this particular fanfic is already taking place in the X-Men '97 timeline, but that doesn't mean I can't create other Spidey/Rogue fics within the timeline too. Never say never!
CRUDEN: *Deadpool Theme Song Intensifies*
NeoTyson: Yeah, Deadpool flying the Blackbird is basically an accident waiting to happen, lol. And will they find MJ? Guess it's time to find out.
That's all the reviews! To all my breathtaking readers, make sure to leave a review, and I'll reply to it in the next chapter. Let's get this party started!
Intro Music: X-Men '97 Theme Song
Chapter 8: Hide and Seek Part 2
BGM: Patsy Cline - Crazy
Chaos. Madness. Insanity. These were the words that could describe the vibes of the Blackbird right now. Why is that, you may ask? Well, when you have the infamous merc with a mouth known as Deadpool being the pilot, craziness is bound to happen. Believe it or not, after initially looking like the Blackbird was doomed to crash, it's actually been a relatively smooth flight.
If you don't count Deadpool's singing…
"Hey, this is my jam!"
Deadpool was controlling the radio of the Blackbird, and he was singing every song he heard.
"You can't sing." Wolverine grumpily said, trying to discourage Deadpool because he didn't want to hear him sing, but his attempt would prove to be futile.
"Sure I can! I got the pipes of an angel! Just listen to this!" retorted Deadpool, as Cyclops proceeded to facepalm himself.
"Here we go…" Cyclops spoke, preparing himself for the worst.
"CRAZYYY! I'M CRAZY FOR FEELIN' SO LONELYYYYYYYYY!" It's begun. Nobody was able to stop Deadpool's concert now. "I'M CRAZY!"
"I regret everything." By the tone of his voice, Gambit felt like he made a mistake by deciding to come on this mission.
Rogue looked over at Gambit, replying with, "It'll be over soon. There ain't no way he can keep this up forever."
Gambit flashed a smirk as he began to shuffle his cards. "Wanna bet?"
"Can I get in on this?" Spider-Man asked, but that's when it hit him. "Oh wait, I'm broke."
Sometime later…
BGM Changes to Tomorrow (Annie)
"The sun'll come out… Tomorrow! Bet your bottom dollar that tomorrow there'll be sun!" Deadpool was still singing his heart out, and it caused Jean to sigh.
"He's still singing, guys." Jean pointed out unenthusiastically.
"How long is this going to go on?" questioned Cyclops, not believing what he was seeing and hearing. Okay, well, maybe he can kinda believe it since Deadpool is quite literally insane.
"I don't know how much more I can take." said Wolverine, being tempted to throw Deadpool out of the Blackbird. Unfortunately for Wolverine's sanity, Deadpool had no plans on stopping.
A few more moments later…
BGM Changes to Shoop by Salt-N-Pepa
"HEYYYY YEAH, I WANNA SHOOP, BABY! SHOOP!"
10 minutes later…
BGM Changes to Careless Whisper by George Michael
"SO I'M NEVER GONNA DANCE AGAIN, THE WAY I DANCED WITH YOU OHHHHHHHHHHHH!"
SNIKT!
"SHUT UP!" shouted Wolverine, fully revealing his claws.
Deadpool turned around, making sure to pilot the Blackbird with one hand while looking back at Wolverine. Could he have simply activated autopilot? Sure, but Deadpool thinks that would be making things too easy. "Sheesh, you're always so grouchy, Wolvie! Just relaaaaax."
"You expect me to relax when you're singing every stinkin' song that comes on the radio?!" countered Wolverine, using every ounce of willpower he had to not stab Deadpool in this very moment. Cyclops felt the need to stop this before Wolverine and Deadpool did something reckless.
"The last thing we need is blood splattered all over the Blackbird, Wolverine." Cyclops told him, which made Wolverine turn to him immediately and growl.
"Can it, boy scout!"
Wolverine, Deadpool, and Cyclops would continue to argue. This earned a collective sigh from Rogue and Jean, while Gambit tried his best to ignore the antics. As for Spider-Man, he wasn't even listening to that mess, because his mind had already drifted off somewhere else. As always, he started thinking about Mary Jane. He's been searching for her for so long. Is she actually still out there? And if so, where is she anyway? All he needs is some type of hint to give him hope, something to keep him believing that MJ is alive, no matter how unlikely it is.
Rogue took one look at Spider-Man, seeing that he was staring into space. "Ya still with us, Spidey?" she asked, wanting to check up on him.
Momentarily, Spider-Man snapped out of it. "Hm? Oh, yeah, yeah, my bad. Just thinking about some stuff."
"Thinking about MJ?" Jean added, and it made Spider-Man give Jean a blank look, wondering if she was reading his mind. Jean noticed the silence and wanted to clear things up. "I didn't read your mind, I promise. I'm only assuming."
"You're okay, Jean." Spidey assured her. "And yes, I'm thinking about MJ." he confirmed, having a pause. "I appreciate all of you guys so much for trying to help me find her, but… I have no idea if she's even still alive, you know?" He was hoping that bringing some of the X-Men along on this search mission wouldn't prove to be a complete waste.
"I wouldn't worry too much about finding your girlfriend, Spider." Gambit said, soon adding to his comment with, "You got us to help you now, and the cards have always been in our favor." he finished, forming a small grin on his face. This statement caught Spider-Man by surprise, especially considering the last conversation he had with Gambit wasn't a pleasant one. Although… Was Gambit actually sincere with his words? Sure. Half of it was due to simply doing the right thing, and the other half of it was if they did end up finding MJ, then maybe Spidey could finally leave Rogue alone. Ah, doing good deeds for selfish reasons. You gotta love it.
"There ain't no doubt in my mind that we're gonna find her, sugah." Rogue confidently declared, placing her gloved hand on Peter's shoulder. "But what you gotta do for yourself is to make sure you don't stop believin'."
Under his mask, Spider-Man smiled at Rogue, appreciating her for trying to encourage him. Gambit shook his head and rolled his eyes at the sight, while in contrast, Jean smiled at the interaction.
BGM: Journey – Don't Stop Believin'
The song on the radio had changed, causing Wolverine, Deadpool, and Cyclops to stop arguing with each other. "Ohhhhh snap! Get ready to sing-along, everybody!" exclaimed Deadpool.
"I'd rather die." Wolverine bluntly said, crossing his arms.
The song continued to play, and for a moment, it seemed like nobody was going to join in on the sing-along… until somebody broke the silence.
"Just a small-town girl…" Rogue sang, proceeding to add, "Livin' in a lonely world. She took the midnight train goin' anywhere." Believe it or not, Rogue actually had a pretty good singing voice, and her southern accent helped with her own style. Oddly enough, the beginning of the song actually fits how she feels about herself too.
"Atta girl, Rogue!" Clearly, Deadpool approved of Rogue deciding to join in on the fun. "Ooh, ooh! My turn!" he said, quickly clearing his throat. "Just a city boy, born and raised in South Detroit! He took the midnight train going anywhere!"
After Deadpool finished, he looked at everyone else. "Come on, guys! Don't be shy!"
"Ah, what the heck?" Jean shrugged, figuring she would give it a go. "A singer in a smokey room, a smell of wine and cheap perfume." As she was about to sing the other lyrics, Cyclops surprisingly joined in.
"For a smile they can share the night, it goes on and on and on and on." As Cyclops said this, he smiled at Jean, and she returned the favor by smiling back.
"What's happening right now?" Wolverine couldn't believe what he was seeing or hearing.
"Strangers waitin', up and down the boulevard," Gambit started off, not believing he was actually doing this, but since everybody else was singing, he didn't want to feel left out. "Their shadows searchin' in the night…"
Wolverine's eyes widened, refusing to accept what was happening. He felt like he was in the Twilight Zone. "You too, Cajun?!"
"Streetlights, people…" Now Spider-Man would join in on the fun. "Livin' just to find emotion! Hidin' somewhere in the NIIIIIGGGHHHT!"
Wolverine threw his hands in the air, knowing there was no way he could stop this whole thing now. "I give up."
Deadpool gave a thumbs up to Spider-Man. "That's what I'm talkin' about, Spidey!" he yelled, going on to count down with his fingers. "Here it comes! Sing together now, everyone! Three, two, one!"
"Don't stop believin'! Hold on to that feelin'! Streetlights, people!" With the exception of Wolverine, everybody was singing in unison. "Don't stop believin'! Hold on! Streetlights, people!" Who knew that Deadpool could inspire almost everyone to sing? Still, he felt like his job wasn't done until he got Wolverine to sing as well.
"Come on, Wolverine! You know you wanna join in!" Deadpool spoke.
"No." Wolverine replied, doing his best to ignore everything that was happening, no matter how impossible it was.
"Just sing those three iconic words!" Deadpool begged, but Wolverine wasn't budging. However, when everyone else started to bug Wolverine to sing, it caused him to grit his teeth in pure frustration.
"Ya might as well join in on the fun, sugah." Rogue told Wolverine.
"Yeah, there's no use in fighting it now." Cyclops added.
"Don't be a party pooper, Wolverine!" said Spider-Man.
"Might as well get it over with and say those three words," Gambit advised.
"We're gonna bug you the entire time if you don't sing!" Jean spoke, her tone being playful.
"Alright, alright! If it gets everyone else to shut up, then I'll sing!" Wolverine was officially waving the white flag. "Don't stop believin." he sang, his tone being very unenthusiastic, but it didn't matter. The rest of the X-Men considered it a success that Wolverine even sang anything in the first place.
Deadpool started clapping for Wolverine's less than inspired attempt at singing. "That's the spirit, Wolvie!"
In a weird way, Deadpool's persistence in getting everybody to sing lightened the mood quite a bit. This is what Professor X was hoping for, and this is exactly the reason why he sent this specific group out to work together. Will these happy vibes last? Time will tell.
Though, as Deadpool was busy clapping for Wolverine, he had completely forgotten to pilot the Blackbird, unintentionally causing it to go off course. "Uh, Deadpool?! The Blackbird!" Spider-Man pointed out, and it made Deadpool realize what was happening.
"Oh, right, right. I'm on it!" Deadpool assured, getting the Blackbird back on track before they could potentially crash.
Meanwhile, at the X-Mansion…
Professor X, Storm, Beast, Jubilee, and Aunt May were all drinking tea together in the kitchen. It was rather peaceful, considering the double love triangle group was busy searching for MJ. "So, May," Charles started, taking another sip of his tea before speaking again. "Does Peter have any future career plans? Aside from being Spider-Man, is there anything else he wishes to do with his life?"
Upon hearing Charles' question, it didn't take long for Aunt May to come up with an answer. "Before he dropped out of college, he was hoping to become a scientist. From what I know, he wanted to be a science teacher like his mentor Dr. Connors, but unfortunately… Well, money was an issue." she explained, basically saying that Peter couldn't afford to go to college. "I'm also sure his Spider-Man duties didn't make attending college any easier either."
Charles gave a nod, as Beast would take note of Aunt May's explanation. "A science teacher, eh?" said Beast. "Peter does have a great scientific mind, so it makes perfect sense."
"I think he would be a really good teacher," stated Jubilee, giving her two cents on the matter.
"I agree," Storm said, looking to Charles with a small smile. "Wouldn't you agree as well, Charles?"
"Certainly," Charles confirmed. "In fact, when Peter and the rest of the X-Men return, I'll have a conversation with him on teaching some of our students. I'd imagine he and Hank would be working together a lot if he accepts."
Aunt May's eyes lit up when she heard this. "Oh, I think that would be wonderful!" Clearly, she was happy about the opportunity Peter was going to get. She knows that being Spider-Man was a big part of her nephew's life, but she thinks he can't forget about his life outside of the mask as well.
The X-Men smiled at Aunt May's reaction, and they would continue drinking their tea. But as time went on… something… strange started to happen. As Charles was drinking, he quickly set his teacup down and reached for his head. He felt like he was going through a bad headache, to say the least. And as you would expect, this caught the attention of the rest of the X-Men.
"Charles, is everything okay?" Storm asked, concern being in her voice.
It took a moment for Charles to recover, but after taking a deep breath, he was finally able to give an answer. "I'm…" he paused, proceeding to look up at the X-Men and Aunt May. "I'm not sure."
DING DONG!
Somebody had rang the doorbell, and naturally, everyone wanted to see who it could be. "That can't be everybody else, right? It's too early for them to be back." Jubilee pointed out. And considering that Charles just went through a headache, everyone was now on their guard.
"I don't have the best feeling about this…" Beast said. He didn't know why, but his gut feeling was making this situation feel eerie.
Afterwards, the group went to the front door. Charles would be the one to open it, and when he saw who was responsible for ringing the doorbell in the first place, it was safe to say that he and the rest of the X-Men were shocked.
"Morph?" Charles said, not expecting this in the slightest. All of them hadn't seen Morph in so long, so it was good to see him again. But when they took a longer look at him, they noticed that Morph wasn't in the best condition whatsoever. Cuts, bruises, blood… he looked like he just went through a war.
"P-Professor… Everyone…" Morph was trying his best to speak, but it was clear that he was struggling to do so. "All of you have to run now… B-Before it's too l-late…" Morph clutched to his side, going on to grit his teeth. "She… She…"
"Everything is going to be okay, Morph." Charles assured. "We'll take care of-"
BGM: Star Wars Revenge of the Sith – Anakin vs. Obi-Wan
It was at this moment that Charles' so-called headache had returned, and it felt even worse than what it was before. Outside the X-Mansion, a large amount of fire started to surround the area, and slightly above the X-Mansion, a person with a fiery aura was looking down at the X-Men and Aunt May. Their eyes had all widened, and it was now arguable on who they were more surprised to see.
"Jean?" Charles managed to say, and without another second being wasted, a loud sound would echo throughout the area.
SCREECH!
"Shouldn't she be with the other group right now?!" Jubilee pointed out, not having a single clue on what the heck was happening.
Well, if it wasn't already clear enough, it was supremely evident that the rest of the X-Men had to do something. Storm would be the one to take the initiative. "Hank! Jubilee! Get Charles, Morph, and Aunt May to safety! I'll buy you all enough time to escape!"
"But Storm-!" Jubilee tried to interject, but Storm would quickly put an end to it.
"There's no time! Now go!" Storm commanded, and at a moment's notice, her eyes started to glow, and the weather became more intense.
"We must make our exit, Jubilee!" Beast said, grabbing Charles out of his hoverchair, while also grabbing Morph, and immediately started to make a run for it. Jubilee couldn't believe what was happening right now, but she knew Storm and Beast were right. She had to get Aunt May to safety.
"Let's go, Aunt May!" Jubilee shouted, grabbing Aunt May's hand as both of them ran as fast as they possibly could.
"This isn't what I expected when I agreed to move into the mansion!" exclaimed Aunt May. With everybody else running away, this left Jean and Storm to themselves. And deciding not to waste another second, both Storm and Jean began to fly to each other, and what would follow afterwards would prove to be quite the spectacular lightshow in the sky. Jean and Storm were in a clash, constantly trading blow for blow which in turn made multiple fiery shockwaves consistently appear. Thunder and lightning from Storm would always follow after the initial impact.
And then…
BOOM!
Everything turned to white.
Back on the Blackbird…
BGM: Bell Biv DeVoe – Poison
Everything seemed to be going fine with the Blackbird group after the sing-along, regardless of how ridiculous it was. It wouldn't be too much longer before they made it to the George Washington Bridge, but just when things were going smoothly…
Jean immediately clutched her head, letting out a loud scream that caught everybody's attention.
"Jean!" Cyclops yelled, running to his wife's side. "What's wrong?!"
Jean tried to reply, but it was too painful to do so. All she could do was continue to yell out in pure agony.
"Deadpool! We need to land now!" Wolverine commanded.
"I'm trying to find a spot!" Deadpool replied, and as he tried to land safely, it's like he had completely lost control of the Blackbird. Jean was losing control of her powers, and as a result, it dramatically increased the speed of the Blackbird. If something wasn't done soon, then they were going to crash land right into New Jersey and kill many people in the process. "Oh, this isn't good." stated Deadpool, soon adding, "Uh, guys? We're in big trouble."
"Well, that's just great!" Gambit sarcastically said, trying to hold on to something.
Things were looking dire, and something needed to be done quickly. How could they stop the Blackbird without attacking Jean? This was a tough situation to tackle, but if anybody can come up with a gameplan… it would be no one other than Spider-Man.
"Deadpool! Open the hatch! I got an idea!" Spider-Man commanded.
"I have no clue what you have up your sleeve, but sure!" Deadpool then went on to press a button, and the hatch soon opened.
Spider-Man then looked at Rogue. "Rogue, fly me up to the Blackbird! I'll use my webs to bend the wings to maneuver us!"
Rogue's eyes widened. "Are you sure that's gonna work?!"
"I have no idea!" Spider-Man confirmed. He's stopped a train before, but this seemed to be the next level. Knowing they had no other options, Rogue grabbed Spider-Man and placed him on top of the Blackbird. From below, the people of New Jersey were screaming in horror, figuring that it was only a matter of time before the Blackbird ended up killing them.
Shooting multiple webs, Spider-Man was bending the wings of the Blackbird with pure strength and willpower. Emitting a powerful yell from his vocal cords, it was clear that he was straining himself to the absolute max, but he knew he had to do this to protect everyone.
As for Rogue, she got right in front of the Blackbird and tried to use her super strength to prevent it from crashing. Much like Peter, she was screaming too, but she also knew what she had to do.
Within the Blackbird, Jean still wasn't feeling well, and as time passed, it's like her condition worsened. In fact, it got so bad that she was now starting to hear a singular, creepy voice that sent chills down her spine.
"Tell me your dark desire."
And in that moment, Jean's mind had completely snapped.
"THEY SHALL KNOW MY INFERNO!"
Green flames had completely engulfed the Blackbird, and what followed afterwards was a singular, massive explosion appearing in the sky.
And then…
BOOM!
Everything turned to black.
END OF CHAPTER 8: HIDE AND SEEK PART 2
BGM: Spider-Man TAS 1994 Ending Theme
Deadpool: What the heck just happened?! Are we dead?!
Wolverine: We're not dead, you idiot!
Cyclops: Where's Jean?!
Gambit: Things can't get any worse, right?
Spider-Man: Trust me, speaking from experience, it can get even worse.
Next time on Spider-Man & The X-Men: Dreams & Nightmares!
A Heart's Desires
Rogue: Somethin' tells me we're just gettin' started, y'all.
Author's Note: How many weeks did it take for this chapter to get published? At this point, I have no idea, but I'm happy it's done now, lol. If you guys haven't noticed, things are starting to pick up, and all I'll say is this. There's a reason why I titled this Spider-Man and X-Men fic as Dreams and Nightmares. I think you guys will fully understand why when y'all start reading the next chapter. But anyway, as always, if you guys like what you read, LEAVE A FOLLOW AND A FAVORITE! DON'T FORGET TO READ AND REVIEW! See ya guys next time!