psinex@yahoo.com Fires of Tomorrow Chapter 6/60 by Phil Hartman DISCLAIMER: They're all Marvel's, except for Aidan, Melanie, David, Danny and Deanna, who're mine. Please don't sue. WARNING: More mature language, mature matters, etc. -------------------------------------------------------- 1/29/2004: X-Mansion Front Hall: Noon: -------------------------------------------------------- "Hello, Piotr," Deanna said coldly. "Won't you come in ?" Colossus entered, hanging his coat on the rack after setting down a suitcase and looking at Dee with a pitiable expression. "Deanna, the least you could do is call me Father," Piotr asked. "I did -" "You did Mom dirty, and then you come back after a year in Australia, wanting to start being a father," Dee growled. "Then you have the - the NERVE to show up and beat the living SHIT out of Uncle Pete, make Mom cry, and scare the hell outta me, then take off for friggin' Ukraine and set up a whorehouse !" Piotr looked aghast, but sighed and took his suitcase halfway up one of the staircases. "Your accusations are fair," he said, running fingers through black hair going white at the temples. "I ... have been a thug. But I do want to be here for you now that you -" "SAVE IT !" Dee screamed. "You HAD your chance, 'Father,' and you BLEW it ! Take your frickin' art and your nymphomania and SCREW OFF !" She phased into the floor, sobbing, leaving the other girls looking at Piotr with shock or fury. Colossus just sighed and headed upstairs. #What is that Christian saying - 'as ye sow, so shall ye reap' ?# he thought, finding a guest room and slipping inside. He began to unpack, merely nodding at a sudden PAMPH and the corresponding stench of brimstone. "What're you doing here ?" Alexa asked bluntly, playing nervously with her blue curls. "I thought you were in the Ukraine, painting cancer victims to raise funds." "Da," Piotr replied. "But Godspotin Xavier asked me back because of the rising violence among mutants here in the United States." "Funny. Internationally it's been pretty bad too," Alexa said sarcastically. "Big, strong Russian men seeking out nubile young -" "Alexa, either insult me and leave or go comfort Deanna," Piotr snapped. "I know Excalibur collectively hate me, and I don't blame them. What I did to Kitty was inexcusable ..." "Aunt Kitty can handle it !" Alexa yelled. "Dee's the one you abandoned, you metallic meathead ! You ran off with the X-Men to Dallas and faked your own death, then played around in Australia until the Shadow King crapola came down, and THEN you beat up Uncle Pete -" "I was wrong," Piotr muttered. "I have admitted that, and faced criminal charges." "'Crime of passion,'" Alexa sneered. "So was your screwing a 14-year-old girl and getting her pregnant 13 years ago." "And Franklin did not do the same ?" Piotr shot back. Alexa looked around nervously as Colossus frowned and nodded. "I have heard what happened. Franklin is not being pilloried, now is he ?" Piotr retorted. ~Franklin did not abandon his mate and child,~ Xavier's mindvoice replied from outside the door. Alexa looked up sheepishly as the Professor entered the room, looking from Piotr to the girl and back again. "Alexa, please leave us," Xavier asked. Alexa vanished in a teleport, and Xavier sighed deeply before beginning to speak again. "Seven years, Piotr," the telepath finally said. "How has the Ukraine been to you ?" "An enlightening experience," Piotr nodded. "Godspotin ... my presence here is disruptive at best -" "Do not run away from her again, Piotr," Xavier said in an iron tone. "Deanna needs her real father. She may loathe you for your decision to stay away from her, but she should have the option to get to know you if she wishes to." "And if she does not ?" Piotr asked, watching Xavier leave. The Professor looked over his shoulder and said, "Then you will have to either learn to live with her under the same roof, or you will have to leave. But I'm not going to throw you out without both of you giving it some effort." He left Piotr to finish unpacking, not noticing the tall man's eyes clouding. #If I were religious, I would pray,# Piotr thought wryly. #But I am too much a product of the Soviet system ...# #Still, Lord, a little help would be appreciated right now ...# -------------------------------------------------------- Medlab: 13:00 hrs: -------------------------------------------------------- "Aye, his weight's fine," Moira clucked, holding a stethoscope to Aidan's bare chest. Ray kept the baby distracted as Moira listened to his heart and lungs, finally nodding. ~Cold,~ Aidan complained telepathically, fussing aloud a little. "His cognitive ability's jes' amazin'," Moira grinned. "I'd be int'rested t'know how much his brain's folded ..." "A brainscan ?" Ray asked, putting Aidan's shirt back on him. "Isn't he a little - well, little ?" "T'wouldnae be too invasive," Moira replied. "But t'is up t'ye, lass n' lad." "I don't see why it'd be a problem," Frank shrugged. "Aidan might not like it, though - how about it, kidlet ?" Aidan looked at the neuroscanner, then clung to Ray tighter. ~Scary,~ the baby sent, peeking at the machine with wide eyes. "We'll talk about it," Ray told Moira. "You don't have to be afraid," she continued, talking to Aidan. "It won't hurt." ~Mama stay ?~ Aidan asked. ~Sure,~ Ray promised, kissing the top of his head. The baby looked at the scanner again, but gave a little cry and looked at the closet. ~Sad Dee !~ he sent. Moira cupped a hand to her ear and opened the door, her eyes widening at what she found. "Deanna ... ?" Moira asked. The girl looked up at her, wiping her eyes, and stood shakily, trying to smile. "S-sorry," she mumbled, coming out. "It's just - my dad's here -" Moira cursed horribly and slammed the intercom button, yelling, "CHARLES ! GET YUIR BALD HEAD IN HERE NOW AN' EXPLAIN WHY THE BLUIDY HELL YE BROUGHT THAT BODACH RASPUTIN BACK !" "Geez, Aunt Moira, watch the language," Ray pouted, covering Aidan's head. "There's an impressionable young child here." "Sorry," Moira half-smirked. "'M in a mood - ye ken how I get -" "Moira, if you wanted to get my attention, you could have been a little more subtle," Xavier replied, entering the room with Piotr. "We need all the skilled X-Men we can find with the current wave of violence going around." "Oh aye," Moira replied bitterly. "You'd rather a raping, child-abandonin' leftist hedonist be an X-Man than X-Force, who've shown more intelligence in their whole career than this brute's got in his bluidy pinky !" "STOP IT," Deanna pleaded. "Look ... I don't need everyone standing up for me. Besides, he's here now, and we're not getting anywhere by shouting ..." "Yui've been sobbin', lassie," Moira replied, handing Deanna a box of tissues. "I'm nae buyin' yuir change o' heart." "I'm still really mad !" Dee yelled. "But ... it won't change anything. Could ... could I just talk to my dad alone for a minute ?" Xavier and Moira traded a look, and nodded. "We'll be nearby if ye need anythin'," Moira said. She glared at Piotr and added, "Anythin' at all." She and Xavier left, followed closely by Frank, Ray and Aidan. ~Big man scary,~ Aidan sent, peering back over Ray's shoulder. "Chyort vozmee - how old is that boy ?" Piotr tried to laugh, sitting at Moira's desk. "He's a lot smarter than most 6-week-old babies," Dee said nonchalantly, pulling up a chair. Their eyes met, and the girl took a deep breath. "Look - I know it can't've been easy, finding out you were a dad," Deanna began. "And ... you did make a little effort. Sort of." "Da, but I also pulped Wisdom," Piotr admitted. "Not a very polite way to reenter your life. And then, I almost went to jail ..." "And when you got off, you fled Scotland," Deanna sighed. "And the criticism ... and me." "I was still very much a child, Deanna," Piotr said. "I needed to learn to be an adult before I could begin to be a father. It's taken me seven years just to finish 'sowing my wild oats.'" "So, was Darkstar worth it ?" Deanna asked evenly. "That is a cheap rumor put forth by mutant gossipmongers," Piotr replied with a hint of wounded pride. He turned red and said, "I have been ... I have slept around, Deanna. Badly. And I have been no more a father to young Peter in the Savage Land than I have been to you. Nereel and I ... that was a boy's immature fantasy." Piotr offered Deanna his hand and said, "I am a man. A flawed, sometimes childish man, but a man. I have stopped being a 'mimbo,' and I want to try to offer you the other half of your heritage. I do not ask you to give up your life, or your beliefs - just to listen, and to judge me on the evidence." Deanna looked at him, then said, "You know, the one person who never talked about you with a curse was Mom. She tried to paint you as a guy who screwed up, but who was trying to grow up." She took Piotr's hand and said, fighting a smile, "I wanna think Mom was right." "She raised a wonderful daughter," Piotr smiled back. "Katya must be doing something correct." They stood, releasing each other, and left, not noticing a sudden blip in an EEG above the one occupied bed. Moira reentered, casting one last suspicious glance back at Piotr, and checked the patient's chart. She arched an eyebrow, then did a double-take at the EEG and whispered, "... Rogue ?" The woman in the bed mumbled, her eyes fluttering open, and looked at Moira with a fearful expression. "Doc ... ? How long ah been out ?" the Mississippi Marauder asked. -------------------------------------------------------- Kitchen, 10 minutes later: -------------------------------------------------------- "EEEEEEEE !!!!" Dazzler and Longshot nearly tackled Rogue when she appeared, drawing grins from their fellow Australian-period teammates. "Oh my GOD," Ali laughed. "Seven years, girlfriend ! Where've you BEEN !?" "Ah don't rightly 'member all o'it," Rogue shrugged, sitting at the table beside Wolverine, Storm and Colossus. "Ah'm jus' glad t'be back." Her face twisted, and she muttered, "Zaladane USED me ..." (1) "It was not your fault, Rogue," Ororo said gently. "If you need to talk ..." "Ah wanna hit somethin', but with Carol's psyche an' powers gone, all ah got is mah 'sorbption power," Rogue pouted. "An' that skank Zaladane was a sorceress - all her powers were magic. They went when th' White Queen fried my brain an' kicked that hussy out." "You're welcome," Emma replied dryly as she and Xavier entered. Charles took Rogue's gloved hand and smiled. "We've missed you, child," Xavier said. "Welcome home - if you'll stay. I know I failed you in not getting rid of Zaladane sooner ..." "Aw, jes' relax, Prof," Rogue grinned. "Ah'm torqued, but not at y'all. B'sides, Carol's outta mah head f'r th' first time in years ! Ah'm ME 'gain !" "And it's a you we're happy to see," Psylocke called, entering from a shadow. Rogue looked her over and shook her head, finally grinning. "You done got a makeover an' a half, Betsy," the Southerner winked. "What's with th' tattoo ?" "Long story," Psylocke replied, sitting across from Rogue. "I'll share it with you over dinner at Harry's - care if Warren joins us ?" "You an' Angel ?" Rogue laughed. "Oh, that's a pair I GOTTA see." "Den mebbe we make it a foursome ?" a Cajun voice called from the back door. Rogue looked up and into red-on-black eyes amidst a half-shaven face. #Oh mah Lord,# she thought. #Ah done woke up t' th' man with th' X-ray vision. Not too bad lookin', tho'.# "Remy LeBeau, AKA Gambit, meet Rogue," Xavier said. "Remy is a former thief who can infuse inanimate matter with kinetic energy, causing it to explode upon impact with another object. He also has a low-grade telepathic charm, and hyperagility. Rogue, Remy, possesses a touch-range mnemonic and parability absorption talent." "'Low-grade' ? An' here I t'ought I be de ladies' man o' dis party," Remy winked. "You in de mood t'go out, chere, or you lookin' t' rest after 7 years bad luck ?" Rogue stood and met Remy's gaze before smirking. "You give me 10 minutes an' a wardrobe, swamp rat, an' ah'll meet that bet," she grinned. "Ah, a gambler," Remy said. "I do so enjoy a good challenge -" "Enough with the posing !" Ali demanded, grabbing Rogue's shoulder. "Comeon - I've got all sorts of stuff in your size !" They headed upstairs, while Remy just lit another cigarette. "We livin' in int'restin' times, dat be f'r sure," Gambit chuckled as Xavier choked on the fumes. -------------------------------------------------------- Men's Wing: 19:00 hrs: -------------------------------------------------------- "C'mon ..." Joe stood before his mirror, concentrating as he tried to summon the image he'd seen days earlier in the locker room mirror. "Problems, roomie ?" Erik teased, crashing on his bed. "Still seeking Ms. Right ?" "Whoever she was, she was real, 'Rik," Joe frowned. "I just can't figure out who she WAS ..." ~Joe~ The boy jumped, looking around fearfully, and said, "I heard something !" Erik looked at him, then sat up hurriedly. "There's somethin' weird about your psi-sig," he nodded, casting out with his nascent telepathy. "Can I mindscan you ?" "Gotta be easier 'n playin' tag with this - OH MY GOD !" Joe cried as an image flickered between the boys. ~Joe,~ the phantom cried, flickering in and out. Joe reached for her, while Erik held his breath - - and she was gone. "NOOOOOOOO !!!!" Joe sobbed, hitting his knees. "It was her - 'Rik, you saw her, it was HER !" "I know, man," Erik whispered as the other Mutants and adults came running. "I saw Gail too." -------------------------------------------------------- Alexa found Erik sitting on the dock an hour later in a coat and stocking hat, tossing rocks out at the frozen lake. "It was her ?" Alexa asked, cuddling up to Erik. "Sure looked like her," Erik sighed, leaning on Alexa's shoulder. "I didn't get a psi-print, but Joe sure as hell thought it was her. He'd know." "Y'scan their telepathy was on before Gail died," (2) Alexa whispered. "What if Joe - mindsucked her when she passed on, and he stored her away in his subconscious ?" "Stranger things've happened," Erik shrugged. "But where does that leave Bill ?" "Dunno," Alexa mumbled. "But we can't be sure of anything until Aunt Jean and the Professor -" She shrieked when she fell over, and looked around as smoke wafted where Erik had been. "Erik ... ? This isn't - oh SHIT," Alexa whispered. "That was a teleport effect ..." -------------------------------------------------------- "What the HELL !?" Erik fell to a stone floor, looking around at a bank of high technology. He gaped when its' operators looked at him, and their leader hit one knee. "Hail, young Lord," Amelia Voght bowed. "Uhm ... guys, I'm not Magneto anymore," Erik gulped. "All his memories're gone from my head ... ?" "I know," a bass voice replied, making Erik's eyes bulge. He turned on one heel, gaping as a tall figure approached carrying an object under one arm. "Hello, 'little brother,'" Magnus smiled. -------------------------------------------------------- Footnotes: 1: Emma psionically freed Rogue from Zaladane's control in Strange Attractors 11. 2: Gail died with Bill in SA 15. -------------------------------------------------------- NEXT: It's time for a revival - - MAGNETO STYLE !!!!! -------------------------------------------------------- end _________________________________________________________ Do You Yahoo!? Get your free @yahoo.com address at http://mail.yahoo.com