psinex@yahoo.com Crosswalk Timeline: Custody Battle by Phil Hartman DISCLAIMER: They're all Marvel's. Please don't sue. NOTES: This falls between First Step Chapters 1 and 2 in continuity ... NOTES 2: The title for this actually comes from a Shifting Sands messageboard message of Alara Rogers' from heaven knows when - before my Days of Future Hope arc over there, so maybe two years ago (?). Thanks, and a bow to Alara. -------------------------------------------------------- 8/24/97: State Highway 47, Westchester County, New York: 07:30 hrs EDT: -------------------------------------------------------- He tossed a little in his sleep; the drive from Jackson to Atlanta the night before, and then the flight from Atlanta to JFK, had been exhausting on him. #Not that he doesn't deserve to sleep,# the boy's mother thought, looking in the rearview mirror at the small brown-haired form snoozing in the back seat. #He's been an angel through all of this ...# She turned off the highway onto Graymalkin Lane, memories and fear catching in her throat as the school came into sight. #Ain't really changed a bit,# the woman reflected, auburn and white hair ruffling a little under the road's sudden rocky state. #Something's different, though -# She hit the brakes, startling her son into wakefulness, as a screaming black-clad figure came flying out of the school's front door and shot past, landing in a thicket across the road. "THAT WASN'T FAIR !" the figure - a young teenaged boy, the woman realized, relaxing as he climbed out of the debris of his impact unharmed - yelled to the figures on the front step. "You snooze, you lose, Billy boy," an umber-haired girl in a similar black uniform teased loudly. Her eyes met the woman's, and the woman parked her car with a faint smile. #Tough girl. I like the old place already,# the woman grinned inwardly. She turned to check on her son, his blue eyes wide with curiosity, as he looked around. "'Re we here, Mama ?" the boy asked. "Sure are, hon," the woman smiled. "Lemme get out first an' check, though - things mighta changed since ah was here last." She left the car, nodding as the teens approached with tentative smiles. Her eyes widened in joyful surprise as a red-haired girl appeared on the front porch, flanked by a smaller boy, and gave a shriek of recognition. "AUNT ADDIE !!!!" the girl cheered, running to greet the woman. "It's been FOREVER !!!" "Rachel Summers, as ah live an' breathe - ya've grown, sugah," Adelaida O'Malley grinned, hugging the girl. "Nate - mah God, boy, ya've gone a' become a man while ah was gone." "Hi, Aunt Addie," Nate smiled, hugging her carefully. The Summers' kids' eyes widened as Adelaida's son got out of the car and ran to stand shyly at her side. "An' this's th' reason ah came back," the once-and-former Rogue grinned, slipping an arm around the boy's shoulders. "Mah son." -------------------------------------------------------- "ROGUE !!!" Storm and the rest of the X-Men took turns hugging, laughing, and generally fawning over Adelaida as she got settled in the kitchen. They gaped as her son peeked in from the living room with a shy smile. "Th' reason ah left right after ah got back from th' Savage Land in '90," Adelaida said softly. "Mah son, Charlie - Charles Xavier Lehnsherr." "No wonder you came directly to X-Factor after the Zaladane affair instead of going to Muir," Beast nodded. "Hello, Charles - I'm Dr. McCoy -" "Mr. Fuzzy !" Charlie smiled, hugging Hank. "Mama tol' me all 'bout ya ! We gotta pic't'r book inna car !" "Scrapbook," Addie explained, sitting down to the leftover breakfast the second New Mutants had left behind. "New students, huh ?" "It's ... a long story," Hank said, letting Charlie clamber into his lap and start devouring some leftover quiche. He cast a sympathetic glance at Logan, who just whispered in Addie's ear. "Mah Lord - ah'm sorry," Addie flushed. "Poor Sean ... he was such a nice guy (SEE CT: Bloodletting). Is Moira - ?" "She's hangin' in there - givin' X-Force th' run o'Muir, lettin' Theresa an' Sam work out their grief too," Logan replied. He sniffed the air, then gave Addie a wry smile. "Y'r lookin' in th' wrong place f'r his dad, Rogue," Logan said with unusual gentleness, nodding at Charlie. "Ah know," Addie sighed. "Ah saw th' CBNC broadcast last month. All them poor Acolytes ... an' them S.H.I.E.L.D. agents' families ..." ~You're being forgiving, considering what happened - MY GOD !~ Betsy sent, going pale. ~Your telepathic resistance - it's - ~ ~Gone with Carol,~ Addie thought gently. ~Link me in, Betts, an' ah'll give y'all th' rundown on th' past six years.~ The X-Men "watched" as a series of images flicker-flashed through their minds, finally culminating in the image of a newborn baby being handed to a crying, joyful Addie. And her holding the child, flesh to flesh. "He's - ?" Hank breathed as the link ended, looking at Charlie with respect. "Show'em y'r power, sugah," Addie told the suddenly-scared Charlie. "'S OK." "O-Ok," Charlie nodded. He concentrated, a faint blue outline surrounding him, and the silverware began to float. "Hot darn," Logan whistled. "Hank, Omega-class ?" "Easily," Hank nodded. "A biomagnetic shield must have protected him from your power, Adelaida -" "Nope. Genetic immunity (1)," Addie grinned. "Betsy, try t' scan him." Psylocke concentrated, but blinked in surprise. "I haven't detected a mindshield that powerful since - well, of course," Betsy suddenly smiled. "It does make sense." "So does why ya went t'ground," Logan nodded. "No Ms. Marvel powers an' a kid - wish ya'd wrote or called, Rogue." "Ah had a new career, Logan," Addie replied, steel coming into her tone. "P.I. an' momma. Whatevah Magnus did in th' Savage Land all them years ago left me able t' control mah absorption power. Charlie's immunity was jes' a nice bonus." "So you pick through others' psyches for money ?" Storm said, discomforted. "Adelaida - I know you had to make a living, but we would have -" "Ororo, ah love y'all like mah own flesh an' blood, but this place ain't no place t'raise a child," Adelaida said softly. "At least, it wasn't f'r me, until things started gettin' ugly in th' world. Th' FOH's on th' move, an' publicly-known an' respected mutant or not, ah got a child t'think of." "An' y'r worried 'bout his dad showin' up," Logan said, not as a question. "Ah need t'know - he needs t'know th' whole truth 'bout his past," Addie insisted. "Speakin' o' which, ah think ah need t'talk t'your new students, Wolvie." She regretted speaking as agony crossed Logan's face for an eyeblink. "Logan - ah'm sorry - someone die ?" Addie asked, rising to take Logan's hand in her own. "One o' Gen X," Logan grunted. "Not y'r fault. I'll go get th' kids - all o'em ?" "All o'them," Addie said, smiling a little again. "Ah've missed Ray an' Nate." "An' Charlie oughta get t'know his nephews an' niece." -------------------------------------------------------- "HE'S WHOSE SON !?" Bill Shade looked at Charlie with the biggest expression of shock any of the New Mutants had seen him manifest. "Calm DOWN, Bill - don't scare him," Luna demanded, smiling as Charlie took her hand. "Hi, Charlie - your dad's my grandpa !" "REALLY ?" Charlie asked, wide-eyed and smiling a little. "But'cher so big." "My dad's a lot older than you are," Luna smiled back. Her eyes widened, and she laughed as she said, "What if Dad and Aunt Wanda found out about Charlie ? That'd be -" "WHEREISHEROGUEHOWCOULDYOUNOTTELLUSABOUTOURHALFBROTHER!?!?!?!" "Rogue," Wanda Shade smiled, rolling her eyes as she and her twin brother entered the room. Crystal hung back, looking at Charlie with amazement as Luna hugged her. "He's amazing," Crystal laughed. "But how - ?" "Someone got a little some-some in the Savage Land," Bill grinned lecherously. He yelled when May Parker smacked him over the head with a pillow from the love seat. "Child present, doof," May snickered. "Be polite." "Hello, Charles," Wanda said, kneeling before her half-brother. "I'm your big sister, Wanda. And the boy with the foul mouth is my soon-to-be-grounded son, your nephew, Bill. His brother, Tom, is beside him." "Hi," Charlie smiled wider, hugging Wanda. He waved to Tom and Bill, who shook his hands and let Pietro slide in front of them. He looked at Charlie for a long moment, utter shock on his face, before he looked at Adelaida. "My God, my father actually produced something of worth on this planet besides myself and Wanda," Pietro muttered. "I apologize for before, Adelaida - I was just ... surprised. And that's very hard to do." "Not counting the time Lockjaw left his bone in Pietro's slippers," Crystal teased. "Sore feet, hon ?" "You try dog drool at 6 a.m., wifey dear," Pietro shuddered. "NOT a nice way to awaken." "Ya c'ld say hi t'Charlie," Addie interrupted. "Of course," Pietro said, looking at Charlie again. "Hello, Charles - er, Charlie. I'm your older brother, Pietro." "Hi," Charlie smiled, hugging Pietro's legs. Crystal and Wanda finally broke into torrents of laughter at the look of bewilderment on Pietro's face. "Someone who doesn't think I'm an egomaniac," Pietro slowly smiled. "I could get to like this." "He does care, Daddy," Luna giggled. "Wait until he gets to know him," Archangel chuckled, entering the room. "Adelaida - we've got the Professor on the line. Something about Brazil ?" "Thanks, Warren," Addie nodded. She picked up the phone, deliberately avoiding the gaze of the man beside Warren. #Not now, not him ...# the woman thought, fighting back emotion as Remy LeBeau cast a curious look at her, then Charlie, and to Addie again. "Adelaida ! Child, it's delightful to hear from you again," Professor Xavier's voice intervened through the staticky connection. "I've got some news. It seems there's a young man down here with whom I've got a -" A sudden gurgle, a buzzing sound, and an explosion leapt from the receiver. "Professah !?" Addie yelled. She looked at the others with an ashen face and said, "It went dead." The Cerebro alarm went wild, and Addie scooped the frightened Charlie into her arms as the X-Men and the others raced for the elevators. "Mama, what's wrong ?" Charlie asked, snuggling against his mother. "Ah'm not sure, sugah," Addie lied. #But ah think y'r daddy's comin' back.# -------------------------------------------------------- She'd suited up in her original costume; someone had found Charlie a miniature X-Men uniform from the clothing creator, and shuffled him off to the Danger Room with the New Mutants for the kids' protection. #An hour,# Addie reflected, seeing how the spandex showed off her still-vibrant figure in the reflection from the War Room's machinery. #An hour 'til he arrives.# She looked at the holotank's globe, seeing the blue triangle closing on the mansion with a pink square beside it designating Xavier. Both were on an arcing orbit from Brazil. "Th' plane's ready t'get goin'," Logan called. "Y'r sure 'bout this ?" "Do ah gotta choice ?" Addie smiled grimly. "Ah asked f'r it. Ah'm gonna do it." They walked to the hangar in silence until Logan finally said, "Gumbo's goin' too." "Ah know. Ah know y'r Blue Team's roster," Addie said quietly. "He settled down ?" "Not a prayer," Logan said. "Still sits on th' roof." "Typical," Addie snorted. They laughed a little in remembrance, boarding the Blackbird and greeting Hank and Betsy before strapping in. "No fifth member ?" Addie asked, a little surprised. "Bishop'll be joining us with Gambit. Our membership's remained stable for six years," Hank said, performing the pre-flight check. "Except for the Avalon disaster, we've been quite lucky - low-level mutant supervillain activity." #Th' Avalon disaster,# Addie reflected. A rogue arm of S.H.I.E.L.D., co-opted by a Friends of Humanity sect, had somehow procured a nuclear missile after the X-Men had failed to stop Acolyte raids during an attack on the satellite a week before. #Not that th' Prof failed t'scrub Erik's mind clean o' most thought, from what Betsy tol' me,# Addie thought with a twinge of an emotion she couldn't quite identify. #Still, Avalon blew up, takin' that Humanity's Last Stand sect with 'em. An' the Acolytes ...# #But not Erik, ah reckon.# ~Apparently not, if the Cerebro data is true,~ Betsy sent sympathetically. Addie flashed her a mental hug and smiled. Her face reverted to normal as Gambit and Bishop boarded, taking their seats. "Card ?" Remy offered, strapping in. "Ah don't play, 'cept Go Fish," Addie replied politely. "With mah son." "Good kid," Remy nodded. "Talked t'-" "Touch him, Marauder-boy, an ah'll make ya a woman," Addie hissed. Remy flinched, even as Bishop repressed a chuckle. "Y'gotta bring dat up," Remy muttered. "Din't I c'nfess, chere ?" "AFTAH AH SUCKED YA DRY AT THAT PICNIC, YA IDJIT !" Addie howled, rage crossing her face. "Ya HAD t'charge that pie up an' try t'kill Bishop ! Mah God, ah was a month pregnant ! Ah din't even KNOW ah was havin' Charlie ! An' ya jes' saunter over, slappin y'r hand on mah shoulders, KNOWIN' mah powers ! It's a miracle ah was able t'get rid o'y'r stinkin' mind !" "Warren f'rgive me," Remy pouted. "After several dozen feathers in sensitive areas," Bishop grinned wickedly. "De codename Gambit, not Pincushion," Remy grumbled. -------------------------------------------------------- "Coming up on target," Hank said after a half-hour of flight due south. "He's rather direct, isn't he ?" "He's slowin'," Logan grunted. "Rogue, no flight, huh ?" "Gone with Carol, sugah," Addie said, unbuckling her harness. "Lemme see if ah c'n -" The plane suddenly froze in place, and a voice crackled over the speakers. "Xavier is unharmed. Cut your power," the voice - authoritative, Germanic-accented, slightly edgy - called. "I'LL CUT Y'R LIVER !" Logan roared until Hank glared at him. "Sit DOWN, Wolverine," Beast whispered. "The Professor's life is on the line here." He powered down the engines, arching an eyebrow as the external airlock opened of its own accord. "'Come into my parlor,'" Hank mumbled, opening the inner hatch after the pressurization cycle had completed. The X-Men and Addie watched as a coughing but otherwise unhurt Xavier was unceremoniously dropped to the floor of the plane from within a blue glow. The glow's owner strode into the cabin and removed his helmet with a tired expression. Finally, his eyes met Addie's. "Hello, Erik," Addie nodded. "Ah think we gotta talk." "Finally, someone who's willing to," Erik Magnus Lehnsherr smiled mysteriously. -------------------------------------------------------- "... so, after he wiped my mind, the residual psi-link allowed me to 'jump' from his subconscious back into my own body when we shook hands," Magnus explained as the Blackbird came in for a landing. He smiled at Addie and said, "You look well." "Motherhood suits me," Addie said, taking a deep breath. #Better get this over with b'fore we get int' the main event.# "LeBeau's, I imagine," Magnus asked matter of factly. "Yours," Addie gulped. Magnus' eyes widened imperceptibly. "And you hid - him ? her ? - from me ?" he asked. "A boy. Charles Xavier Lehnsherr," Addie said, slowing her breathing. #He ain't tore the plane apart yet, that's a GOOD sign -# Magnus' eyes widened further. A blue glow danced around his hands as the plane landed. And he began to laugh. The X-Men - and the awakened, still-uncomfortable Xavier - looked at the Master of Magnetism as he unbuckled himself and fell to the floor, howling with a belly laugh. "D-Do - you KNOW the IRONY of it all !?" Erik bellowed, standing and wiping his eyes. "Named for my best friend and ideological opposite ... seriously, Adelaida, I can understand why you hid. I wasn't exactly lucid the past few years." "Power surges will do that to you," Xavier mumbled, guilt flowing beneath every word. "And they will make you do foolish things," Magnus nodded as the mutants disembarked. "Stupid, STUPID Magnus !" "Been readin' Jeff Smith's stuff 'gain ?" Addie smiled. "The children at the orphanage in Brazil love it," Magnus said, stopping with her at the foot of the ramp. They linked hands, and he looked into her eyes. "Adelaida ... I want - I need - to change," Magnus breathed. "Having rampant power surges is still no excuse for the bloodshed of the past few years. Avalon is on my conscience, sanctioned by the governments or not. I have to try and protect our people another way - Charles and I were talking before, and he thinks if they'll accept me -" "Grandpa ... ?" Magnus looked up, surprise and a smile slowly spreading across his face as Luna and the Shades ran to greet him. Wanda and Pietro hung back, but parted as Charlie came running to his mother with a huge grin. "Mama ! Y'r back !" the boy cheered, letting Addie pick him up. He looked at Magnus, who had pulled some of his long hair back into twin pigtails, and slowly smiled. "Daddy ? Charlie asked after Magnus had hugged Luna and shaken Tom and Bill's hands. "Hello, Charles," Erik smiled hesitantly. "I'm your father." Addie set Charlie down, watching as he looked at Magnus with big eyes. Finally, he extended a hand and said, "I missed ya." "I missed you too," Erik white-lied, kneeling down. Charlie hugged him, smiling, and Erik scooped him into his arms. "Daddy," Charlie giggled, snuggling into Erik's shoulder. Erik, Addie and Charlie walked out of the hangar, stopping briefly to greet Wanda and Pietro. Wanda squeezed her father's hand with a wistful smile, while Pietro gave the family an odd expression. The collected X-Men and the rest of the New Mutants were waiting in the hall, Xavier resting in Hank's arms. "I ... understand if you want me to leave," Erik began. Xavier shook his head even as Charlie looked around in panic. "I owe you my sanity and more, Erik," Xavier said softly. "The X-Men have heard my request, and judged." "If you'll accept it, welcome home." Erik looked at them, then at Addie and Charlie, and gave a wry grin. "That, Charles," Magnus chuckled, "happened when my son welcomed me back." -------------------------------------------------------- TBC in Crosswalk Timeline: First Step -------------------------------------------------------- ===== __________________________________________________ Do You Yahoo!? Bid and sell for free at http://auctions.yahoo.com