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marysuevirus2024-06-28 04:07 pm
ladydeathfaerie) wrote in marysuevirus2024-06-28 04:07 pm
Among the Strong
Title: Among the Strong
Chapter Twenty Two: A Contest of Wills
Fandom: the Marvel universe
Rating: 18 and up
Warnings: graphic violence, language, sex, dark themes, anything else i can toss in.
Disclaimer: the recognizable characters and places contained herein are the property of Marvel. i'm merely borrowing for the sake of entertainment. no money is being made from this venture. Haley belongs todazzledfirestar Morgan belongs toginevra Roxxy belongs tonanaeanaven Jehnna belongs to silverfox_chan and Dare belongs to me. the concept and title of The Mary Sue Virus are used with permission from dazzledfirestar .
Author's Notes: this is almost entirely Daz's fault. okay. so it really isn't. its actually almost 100% my fault. Daz just did a whole lot of encouraging. this fic is going to be kind of dark, so please keep that in mind while reading.
Among the Strong - the index
The knock on the door was surprising, given the lateness of the hour. But if the knock was surprising, the person on the other side of the door was absolutely unbelievable. He stared at his sister, taking in the blank look on her face and the swell of her belly. Tristan frowned and wondered if he needed to have a 'chat' with Logan again. Finally, she offered him a faint smile. "I know. The last person you expected to see this late at night is your big sister."
Tristan nodded. "Emphasis on big." Dare stared at him a moment, long enough for him to see a hint of fear flicker in her eyes. He stepped back from the door and motioned toward the interior of his room. She managed a grateful smile before she stepped in and moved to settle on a chair. Tristan shut the door and took a moment to study her.
She was clad in a black tank top and a pair of black shorts. Her hair was longer than he remembered and her roots showed well enough to say she hadn't had a chance to color it in some time. Even sitting as she was, he could tell she was jittery. Not that she showed it by actually moving. It was in her posture, because she looked like she would bolt at the slightest provocation. He wondered for a moment what had happened that had put that look on her face, that had carved away some of her confidence. Then he decided it didn't matter. What mattered was she was here. Now. And she needed something from him. The challenge would be to get her to admit it to him.
"That chair can't be comfortable, Dare. Why don't you sit on the bed?" he suggested lightly. One hand motioned to the bed on the other side of the room. Somehow, and he didn't know how, Tristan had gotten lucky and he didn't have to share with any of the other students. Maybe it was because he was the brother of one of the X-Men. Maybe it was because Dare had threatened the professor over it. Maybe it was some other thing entirely. It didn't matter beyond the fact that he was glad he didn't have to share with anyone else. They'd likely not be very understanding about Dare's late night visit.
She glanced at him a moment, then nodded and stood from the chair. When she settled on the end of the bed, he saw the relief in the tiniest change of her expression. Tristan claimed the chair she'd just vacated, settled his elbows on his knees, stared at her, and fell silent. Waiting.
"They told you what happened, yeah?" she asked after a solid minute of staring at some point over his shoulder.
Tristan considered how to answer. Then he sighed and shook his head. "I know a little bit. I got mostly the basics. Apocalypse's horsemen took you and seven other X-Men and gave you to Mr. Sinister. Despite several people looking for you, no one could find where you'd been taken. You've been missing for the past week and there wasn't much hope that any of you would come back."
"Those are the very basic basics," she returned. Tristan watched her gaze dip toward the floor. He swore he could see the internal debate just by looking at her. Finally, she sighed and her gaze lifted to meet his. He couldn't even begin to unravel the slew of emotions in her gaze. "We were sent out to investigate the disappearance of both Blue and Red. And the New Mutant. All three teams were just suddenly gone. When we got to their last known position, we found transport. Nothing else. No one else. And then a portal opened."
"The horsemen," he guessed. Dare nodded. Tristan watched as she rubbed absently at her swollen belly.
"The fight was laughable. It didn't take them long to put us all on our asses. Morgan went first. Then Jehnna. War hit me with a blast to the chest. That's the last thing I remember until I woke up in a room. With Remy."
He couldn't miss what her words meant. His gaze slid to her belly, almost as if he expected to see some physical mark of Gambit on her person. Other than the baby in her belly. "Sinister is responsible for this," he stated, his hand motioning toward her. Dare nodded and glanced away.
"We were blocked off from our powers and he was pumping the room full of pheromones. We didn't really have much of a choice. Especially not when he put us in a clear cube with a bed and locked us in there."
Tristan took a moment or five to parse what she hadn't said. Each time he did, he didn't like what he came up with. "Ew. He watched?"
"Sinister is a pervy mother fucker," Dare nodded.
"So why did he take you?"
"To create horsemen for Apocalypse," she responded quietly. Tristan frowned at that answer.
"That doesn't make any sense. Why would he need you to make horsemen if he already had horsemen?" His question saw her hands tightening over her belly. A gesture he recognized as protective. And she wouldn't meet his eyes, her gaze sliding off to the left. "Dare? Why would he need you to make horsemen if they already existed."
"The horsemen we faced... War had red hair and brown eyes. She was tall and she had a red, crystal-like armor. She fired off red energy blasts. Pestilence was petite, with blonde hair and poisonous, see-through green wings. She had bright green eyes. Famine stood tall. Her percussive blasts were filled with speed and heat. And Death. Death had black hair. Pale skin. Eyes that were red on black. And she used fire. She used fire like mine. It felt... charged. Like it could just explode when it hit something."
Tristan stared at her, trying to make sense of what she was telling him. Because that sounded an awful lot like... The moment he realized what she was telling him, his eyes went wide and his gaze once more settled on her belly. "You fought your own daughter?" Dare said nothing, just stared at him. "He used you as a brood mare. Made Remy get you pregnant so that you could have a mutant super baby he could turn into a nightmare. So why did he let you go while you're still pregnant? Why didn't he wait until the baby had been born?"
"I don't know," she said softly. He heard the fear in her voice anyway. She was afraid it would still happen. That Sinister would show up and take her baby.
"You should be with Logan and Remy. They can protect you better than I can," he said, rising to his feet. He'd taken two steps before he heard the lock turn. The sound of the bolt clicking into place saw him turning toward her. It was on the tip of his tongue to ask her what she was doing, but the question slid away when he saw just how frightened she was.
"I can't, Tristan. I... Don't tell them I'm here," she begged, tears already sliding down her cheeks. Those tears stopped him in his tracks. He found himself moving across the room until he could take a seat next to her on the bed of his bed.
"Why are you hiding from them?" he asked gently. Tristan thought he knew why. He could still recall how she'd acted when she'd told him about Creed and what that sick sack of shit had done to her. He'd seen then that she'd felt that the man had left her dirty and wrong. He was fairly certain she felt the same way now. She didn't look at him, simply wrapped her arms tighter around herself and huddled as best she could while pregnant. "Dare. Come on. I'm your brother. You can tell me."
"I..." she began, then fell silent. He didn't know if she was trying to find the words or if she was having second thoughts. And he wasn't likely to find out anyway because there was yet another knock on the door. Dare turned wide eyes his way and shook her head.
"Who is it?" he asked, keeping his voice steady.
"Open the door, Uncle Tristan," Dee demanded.
He glanced at his sister. She looked torn. He could tell she wanted him to let Dee in. At the same time, she was scared. Probably of what Dee would think of her. That meant no one had told her about Dee's mutation starting to kick in. Which is what decided him. He rose to his feet and headed for the door. The thought that she'd keep using her telekinesis to turn the lock hit him, but he felt he was still stronger with his own and could counteract any attempt she made to keep the door locked.
As it was, Dare did nothing to interfere with Tristan letting Dee into the room. He'd barely gotten the lock turned when his niece had her hand on the knob and was twisting it. He had to practically jump out of the way to avoid having the door slam into him as Dee came hurtling through the opened portal in order to throw herself at her mother. He made sure to shut and lock the door even while he watched the two of them reunite.
It was an odd sight. For a moment or two, they simply stared at one another. Then they were both crying and hugging one another. Dare was saying something about fearing she'd never see Dee again while Deirdre was stating with the utmost confidence that she knew Dare would come home. She just knew it.
"I knew you'd come back, Mum. I told everyone who would listen. Even Da was skeptical. But I was right and now you're back!" Dee got out, her voice thick with her tears.
"I couldn't leave you, my girl. I left you once. Never again," Dare whispered. Her hands shook as they stroked slowly down the length of Dee's hair. "It feels like a lifetime since I've seen you."
"Its only been a week, Mum," Dee said on a laugh. Maybe she thought Dare was being ridiculous. Maybe it was just joy at seeing her mother again.
"It still feels like a lifetime." Dare leaned back so she could stare at Dee. "I've missed you so much. You and all of your siblings."
"But not Liam, right?" Dee asked. "He was a butt while you were gone."
"Of course I missed Liam. Horrible child," Dare laughed. It was soft. And real. And there was nothing clouding the sound. Just pure, joyful laughter. Then she tugged Dee into her embrace again, hugging her until the girl trying to wiggle free of her hold. "I missed all of you equally and you won't hear anything different from me."
"Da thinks I'm coming into my powers," Dee announced without preamble. That saw Dare pulling back to stare at her daughter in surprise.
"Please tell me you didn't burn anything." There was perhaps a faint touch of fear there. Dee shook her head, giving her mother a smile that was terribly impish.
"I did not. Aunt Roxxy calls it precognition. She says I have visions," Dee responded. Dare relaxed at that. Tristan was well aware of what kind of problems Dare had with her own powers. No doubt she worried about what would happen if she passed them on to any of her children. The look of joy fell off of Dee's face then and she turned solemn eyes to Dare's belly. "I didn't like it when I saw that weird guy trying to choke you. He could have killed you." At that, she lifted her gaze to Dare's face once more.
"I'm so sorry you had to witness that, poppet," Dare said softly. She cupped Dee's cheek with one hand. "Is Aunt Roxxy going to help you learn how to control your visions?"
"Yep. Da arranged it with her."
"You listen to your Aunt Roxxy. She's smart and she knows what she's talking about," Dare instructed. "And don't give her a hard time. Or you'll have me to deal with."
"Of course, Mum," Dee responded dutifully. Tristan could hear the trouble lingering in her voice. Then the girl put her hands on Dare's belly and left them there. "When am I going to be a sister again?"
"Soon. Morgan has already had her baby."
Dee hummed. Then she yawned. "I'm sleepy. Will you lay with me, Mum?" The question caught Dare off guard and, for a moment, Tristan saw tears glittering in her eyes. Then she shot a questioning glance his way. Tristan gave a nod and watched as Dare scooted up the mattress until she could put her head on the pillow. Dee laid next to her and he watched, silently, as the two of them drifted off.
Tristan put his back to the door and watched his sister and his niece fall asleep together. He felt a smile tug at the corners of his lips. He felt, even if it was for just this moment, that everything was right in his world.
He was going to enjoy it while it lasted.
~*~
He couldn't push from his mind the look of sadness she'd given him when he'd excused himself. And, buried within the sadness, there had been a look of betrayal. Guilt flooded him. He hadn't felt this much guilt in a long time. Not since Harper's death. He hadn't wanted to leave Haley's side when he saw that face. But the longer he made Jean wait, the worse things would be. He was going to have to make this up to her some how.
"Scott! Are you listening to me?" Jean's voice, edged with only a single strident note, cut into his thoughts and brought him back to the here and now. The here was the room he and Jean shared. The now was apparently a conversation he'd wanted to have once he and Haley had settled back into life in the mansion.
"Of course, Jean," he responded, even though she no doubt knew he hadn't been listening at all.
She regarded him for a few seconds before some of the anger in her eyes melted into hurt and disbelief. For some reason, he had a hard time buying her reaction. "How could you do this? To us? To me?" Her tone was a touch on the melodramatic side and he had to force himself not to cringe away from it. Had she always been this over the top? If she had, how had he never noticed?
"You're going to have to be a little more specific, Jean. I'm not entirely sure what it is you're accusing me of," he replied. Jean watched as he shifted his position until his feet were planted shoulder-width apart. He crossed his arms over his chest, a sure sign he was not happy. He swore he saw her eyes narrow just the slightest.
"Really, Scott? You're going to play innocent with me? When its obvious from what I walked in on in the medlab that you've been playing something with Haley! Did you forget she's already in a relationship? Did you forget you are, too?"
His teeth ground together at that. As if he'd forget he'd made a commitment to Jean. That Haley had made a commitment to Johnny. As if he'd forget any of that shit the entire time he and Haley had been locked together like animals in a zoo. "I didn't forget. You know I didn't."
"So you say. But I walked into you practically..." Jean's voice rose at the end, then faded away so that a pair of big, fat tears could roll down her cheeks. Once upon a time, he'd have been moved by the display. A lifetime ago, when things hadn't been complicated, he'd have moved to her and offered her sweet words and an apology and he'd have held her until the tears subsided. But he'd just spent a year of his life watching Haley struggle with tears. He'd spent time coming to realize the difference between real tears and crocodile tears.
Once upon a time, he'd never have thought that Jean would manipulate his emotions like that.
"You walked into me having a conversation with the woman I've just spent an entire year locked in a room with. A woman who is, I might add, having my baby. I apologize if my emotions have upset you," he responded.
"You were gone a week, Scott!" Jean retorted. There was heat in her words. And more. Genuine fear. Whatever else had happened, she's obviously been worried about whether or not he'd come back.
"Maybe it was a week here, Jean," he said, gentling his voice. He really didn't like upsetting her. But it was as if she purposefully didn't want to understand that he'd had no choice in how things had played out. Which was ridiculous. Surely she didn't think he was entirely willing in what happened? Unless her anger stemmed from something beyond his actions. That couldn't be. Could it? "But it was an entire year where we were. And we were being pumped full of pheromones all hours of the day. Was I expected to attempt to resist those pheromones?"
Jean stared at him a moment, as if she was having a hard time with what he'd said. Did she not believe that it had been a year? Haley's very swollen belly should have been a clue. Though, thinking on it, maybe that was what this was about. Not that he'd cheated on her or whatever it was she thought had happened. But that it had happened with Haley.
He'd never once looked at another woman in the entire time he'd been with Jean. Well, he'd looked. He'd mentally noted attractive women. But he'd never once thought about them in any other way, shape, or form. And now, he'd had sex with another woman. Copious amounts of sex. With a beautiful woman. And they were bound together in ways he and Jean weren't. Was Jean having issues with the fact that the other woman was someone she knew? That it had been Haley with whom Scott had been made to have sex.
He could admit that, back in the day, he'd been attracted to Haley. Enough that he'd wanted to ask her out on a date. But then Harper had been killed and Scott had laid the blame for that at his own feet. And then he'd thought it would be in poor taste to ask her out. She'd just lost her brother and it had been his fault. There was no way she'd have wanted to date him after all that. So he'd let it go. And Jean had been there, waiting.
"No," she said, pulling him away from his thoughts. And it sounded so much to him like she was having a hard time admitting that. As if she seriously thought he'd have been able to hold out against the shit for a whole year. "You couldn't help that Sinister made you want to have sex with Haley. But, Scott. You act like you're in love with her. How do you think that makes me feel?"
"I'm sorry, Jean. I never meant to hurt you. But its hard not to develop strong feelings for someone, one way or the other, when you literally spend all day and all night with them for an entire year." It was a reasonable statement. Sinister had done his best to play to their wants and needs. And, by pairing him with Haley, he'd managed to fill a need and a want that Scott had managed to squash and hide for the past ten years. There was no way he'd be able to do that now. Not after having tasted it. Hell, he hadn't just gotten a taste. He'd feasted. There was no going back.
"Well, you're home now. You can forget about all that," she told him. As if such a thing could ever happen. The only way he'd forget about everything, about Haley and the amazing sex and their deeper connection and the baby, was if she meddled with his memories. If she... Scott paused that thought and considered it. Would she attempt to meddle? Would she try to suppress everything?
"You honestly think I can forget about my child? My daughter?" he asked softly, doing his best to keep the sudden pulse of anger from his voice.
Jean stared at him, as if considering best how to answer. "We can always adopt her, Scott."
"Haley is her mother, Jean. She has a say in whether or not she wants something like that to happen." And, after all of the fears and worries they'd shared in that room, Scott knew for certain Haley would never agree to such a ludicrous idea.
"Haley has a family with Johnny. Surely she can see that the best place for your daughter is with you," Jean returned. The casual way she spoke left him stunned. How could she think that Haley would give up her child? How could she even think that asking was the proper thing to do? "We can raise her as our own."
"Jean... " he began, but stopped. Something told him she'd never come to an agreement with him about this. That baby was Haley's as much as his and there was no way he was going to let anyone, not even Jean, deprive her of her daughter. "We are not going to take Haley's child from her. I'm not pulling her family apart like that."
Jean gave him a look that held confusion and hurt. Scott ignored it. Because he was more than certain that it was just an act. "She's your daughter, too, Scott. You have a say in how she grows up. Where she grows up. Who raises her."
"You're not her mother, Jean," he said, voice firm. He knew she could hear his growing anger in them but he didn't care anymore. Her eyes darkened with her own anger as she stared at him.
"Don't tell me you actually love her?" There was a lack of disbelief in her tone that gave him pause. Any other woman would have asked that with all the emotion available to them. Jean was... flat. As if she had been expecting it. Scott found that curious.
"And if I do?" he asked, trying to feel her out. Jean stared a moment before heaving a sigh and waving a hand in the air as if to say it didn't matter.
"I'm sure you'll forget about it soon enough. Once you do, things will go back to normal." He didn't like the certainty in her voice. There was something going on here. Something beyond her being upset by what had come to pass while he'd been Sinister's captive. It was almost as if she knew he'd forget.
"Do you really think I'll forget my own feelings, Jean?" Scott asked, taking a step closer to her. Jean offered him a brittle smile before turning and moving toward the window. It was black as pitch out and he didn't know what she was looking at. If she was looking at anything. He felt like she'd turned her back on him so he couldn't see what was in her eyes. She didn't want him to know what she was thinking. Which made him wonder all the more what was going on in her head.
"Haley will go back to her life with Johnny and leave you in the lurch. She'll take your daughter and she'll keep her from you." Jean said it with such certainty. There was a niggling sensation at the back of Scott's brain. Almost as if something was trying to take root there. As if someone was trying to plant a seed of doubt. Scott stared at her back and frowned. Surely Jean wasn't trying to influence his thoughts. Surely she wasn't attempting to ensure she got her own way by messing with his mind.
"I don't think you're giving her enough credit," he said quietly.
"Haley Stone has always been flighty when it comes to her partners," Jean responded. Again, he felt that sensation. She turned to face him, giving him the opportunity to see the concern on her face. Her expression was softer, but only just."You saw how she was always on and off with Piotr. How she put him aside when she got pregnant with Johnny's baby. The same way she put Johnny aside when she got scared. How many other men has she done that with? What makes you think she won't do the same thing to you, Scott? I'm only looking out for your well-being. I don't want to see her use and manipulate you. I don't want to see her hurt you."
Manipulate? Hurt? Were they talking about the same Haley Stone? That sensation stroked the back of his brain again and he brushed it aside. For just a moment, he was sure he saw a startled look cross Jean's face. Then it was gone. But it was enough. He filed that away for the moment and instead focused on their conversation. "I think you're wrong. Haley Stone is one of the most selfless individuals I've ever met. She damn near died defeating the alien invader. Or have you forgotten that? She's risen to every challenge thrown her way. She's a good X-Man and an excellent team leader. Maybe you need to stop and take a look at why you've decided to paint her as the villain."
"I'm not, Scott. I just..."
He cut across whatever she was going to say with his own statement. "I need to head back down to the infirmary. Henry said something about check ups for everyone and I'd like to get that over with before the night is over."
He was at the door when her felt her mind touch his.
"Don't wait up," Scott said, not bothering to turn around. He was out in the hallway before she could think to say anything, the door closed firmly behind them.
There was something weird going on. He needed to figure out what it was. He'd get on it right after he tried to figure out how to repair his relationships first.
~*~
Logan stared at the door with a frown on his face. He and Gumbo had been searching for Dare for the better part of an hour. They'd tried the gazebo. The boat house. They'd checked the Danger Room. They'd gone through classrooms. The wine cellar. The hangar. The cupola. The garage. The basement and sub-basements. They'd searched every room they could think of and hadn't caught a whiff of her.
And he'd been trying. To catch a whiff of her. Logan had tried to scent her out, figuring it would be the easiest way to go. But it hadn't worked out so well. Because her scent had been muted. Changed. There were no hints of fire and ash to her scent. What had lingered on the bed was a muted version of the smells he'd come to associate with her. And there had been hints of Kurt that lingered. Remy's scent had clung to her. And some odd, muskier scent that he couldn't put a name to.
The lack of fire and ash, that one defining part of her scent that he'd always known and recognized, had made it damn near impossible to track the girl. He didn't understand it. It was like her scent was fading away because she was fading away. Which shouldn't have been possible. And which set off a host of alarm bells in his head.
Remy hadn't had much luck, either. He'd sworn he'd be able to track her through the link he had with her. But it had been little more than static for him. A faint sense she was there. but nothing more definite to use to track her down. As if she didn't want to be found. The thought was unsettling and he could tell that his companion was as rattled by it as he was.
Reluctant to stand there and look like a fool, Logan rapped a pair of knuckles against the door. There was the soft sound of scraping from the other side, then a muttered complaint about yet another late night visitor. He had no time to consider what it meant, because the door opened just far enough for one grey eye to peer through the crack at them. He heard a sigh, then Tristan was slipping out the door and pulling it shut behind him.
Looked like they'd found her.
"Go away," the boy ordered. He looked put upon and he sounded angry. Why were all of his interactions with the boy loaded with anger?
"Not without Dare," Remy said. Tristan's gaze shifted his way slowly, as if he had all the time in the world to stonewall them.
"No."
"Look, kid," Logan began. Tristan turned a dead-eyed stare his way that looked too much like some of the looks his sister gave when she was about two seconds away from losing her temper.
"No. Go away." There was no emotion in Tristan's voice. None on his face. But Logan could tell he was a second away from throwing hands. Again. "You fucks need to leave her alone and let her get her head on straight."
"Tristan," Remy started. But the boy's empty gaze swung his way and something in Remy's face changed. The Cajun fell silent before he could really begin.
"She's sleeping. And she really doesn't want to see either one of you," he told them. That didn't shock Logan much. He'd expected as much where he was concerned. No doubt Dare was sure that he'd hate her for things well beyond her control. He wished he knew why she thought that, what drove her thoughts into such bizarre and frightening realms. But it was obvious to him that Remy was surprised and hurt by the news.
"Why not? She shouldn't be alone right now." There was an insistence in the Cajun's voice that told Logan he was worried about her state of mind. Logan wondered at that a moment, then decided it wasn't important at the moment. What was important was Dare.
"I don't know why she doesn't want to see you. She didn't let me in on that and I don't read minds, so her thoughts continue to be her own. Also, she isn't alone. I'm here. And I'd be in there with her right now if not for the two of you." The need to protect his sister, to help her, was obvious in the kid's statement. Logan understood then the source of the kid's animosity.
"You don' understand de t'ings she go through," Remy insisted.
"I don't need to understand them. I just need to support her through whatever is eating her alive right now. I can tell just by talking to you two that you're going to smother her in an effort to make her understand she hasn't got anything to worry about. But you can't solve her problems for her. You can't even be honest about your feelings for her." Tristan shifted his attention to Logan with those words, an indication that Tristan was talking about him. "Hell, right now, you are her problems. Go away and leave her be. She'll come find you when she's ready."
"Look, kid. I know I've got a terrible track record with Dare. I ain't always been there when she needed me. Or there in the way she needed me. But I've seen her go through this shit before. She shouldn't be alone right now."
"You already know my opinion on all that," Tristan said quietly. "And, as I said, she isn't alone. I'm here. She can talk to me if she wants. I'll listen and I won't judge. Can you say the same?"
"You don' spend de last year wit' her, trying to keep her from folding in on herself," Remy pointed out.
"I'm sure you did a bang up job on that," the boy snorted. "Now go away. You're not coming in my room.
Logan wanted to throttle the kid. He was a stubborn and pig-headed as his sister. A glance toward Remy said he was ready to toss a card or two to get his point across. That was the problem when tempers got heated. Everyone wanted to start throwing punches instead of talking it out. Hell, he was guilty of that himself. He knew that the situation was rapidly growing beyond their control. He just didn't know how to calm everyone's temper and convince the kid to let them in. Remy was right. Dare didn't need to be alone and despite his insistence, Logan wasn't sure Tristan was the right man for the job.
"Have you found her?" Kurt's voice came out of nowhere. Just like he did. his sudden appearance behind them put Tristan even further on edge.
"She's holed up in Tristan's room," Logan told him.
"Why do we not go in and retrieve her?"
"Kid says she don't want to see us," he told the elf. Kurt's expression turned puzzled.
"Why would she not want to see you?" His question was directed Logan's way.
"She thinks I'm gonna hate her for what happened while Sinister had her. And she should know better than that. I didn't hate her when she came back from Creed's RV. I ain't gonna hate her for this." There was no way in hell he'd ever hate her. That didn't mean he didn't have his problems with this shit. But that was his thing. It had nothing to do with her and taking it out on her wouldn't solve any problems. It would only make more.
"That does not explain why she would not wish to see Remy," Kurt said. There might have been a touch of hesitance in his voice, but he finished through on whatever he was thinking. He turned to look at the man in question. "When she woke earlier, she asked for you. It upset her that you were not here."
"It upset her? How?' The way Remy asked the question suggested Kurt's words might have sent a few thoughts running through his head.
"She started crying. And then she said that you lied to her." Kurt frowned. "Why would she think that? What would you lie to her about, mein freund?"
Remy was silent a moment or two, his gaze unfocused as he gave consideration to the question. Then he sighed and muttered some curse words very softly under his breath. "She t'ink I lie about loving her."
"Did you?" Tristan's voice cut into the silence, bringing their attention back to the boy. Some of the anger had died. Some of the blank expression had slid away. Logan saw the face of a young man who was concerned and worried about his older sister.
"Of course I don' lie," Remy returned. There was a kind of exhaustion in his voice that suggested it had been a long running fight between the two of them. "It take so long to convince her."
"Why would you need to convince her of something like that?" Tristan asked. His voice was a mix of emotions, most prominent confusion and anger. Logan could well imagine where that anger was being pointed.
"Before Dare and I got together, she went out with Remy for a while," he explained. Tristan stared at him for a couple seconds, then turned his gaze toward Remy. Then back to Logan.
"Why the fuck would she leave him for you?" The implication in that question was blatantly obvious. Remy was better looking and Dare should have stayed with him. Logan couldn't argue the point. He believed Dare deserved the very best there was in life and, more often than not, he didn't think he was the very best.
"Because Morgan was in love with him," Logan told the boy. He'd asked her about it once, back closer to the beginning of their relationship. They'd only been together for a few months and there were times when he'd smelled the lingering sadness on her. Usually after Morgan and Remy had been on a date. And she'd told him that Morgan loved him and she'd never get in the way of her best friend's happiness.
"Dare in love wit' me, too," Remy said quietly. That drew Logan's attention his way. Hell, it drew Tristan and Kurt's attention his way. Remy seemed ignorant of the attention, lost in thought for the moment. Logan had to admit that Remy's revelation was expected, yet still a complete surprise. He'd known from almost the beginning that Dare had continued to harbor feelings for the other man. But she'd never spoken of them and they'd never gotten in the way of their relationship. But Logan hadn't ever considered that she might have still been in love with Remy. "An' she keep it hidden for ten years."
"How does someone even do that?" Kurt wondered softly.
"I don' know. I had to fight to get her to tell me. An' den she tell me she don' deserve me. It don' make sense. An' every time I tell her I love her, she don' believe me," Remy said. When he looked up, memories crowded close to the surface and dulled the look in his eyes. "When she find out about de baby, she shut down. She don' talk. She don' do anyt'ing unless I make her."
"Why? I thought girls were supposed to be happy about babies." Tristan sounded confused. And he sounded very young all of a sudden.
"Most of the time, they are," Logan assured him.
Remy filled in a little more. "But Dare know dat we don' get to keep de baby. Sinister take it an' give it to Apocalypse."
"She told me she fought Death and that Death looked like her," Tristan said. His eyes slid toward Remy. "And you. But what does that have to do with her not wanting to see you?"
"I pull her out of her head by tellin' her I love her. By convincin' her I love her." Remy's gaze slid Logan's way. There was regret there. And, again, that touch of fear he'd seen earlier. "We got a link. Since Creed an' de RV. It still work when Sinister hold us. I use it, and my charm, to prove to her I love her."
Logan thought about it for a few moments before he shook his head. "Christ. No wonder she said you lied. You spent all that time making her believe you loved her, then you weren't there when she woke up. She thought you manipulated her."
"Now you see why we need to take Dare wit' us," Remy told Tristan. Some of the hang-dog expression had disappeared. In its place was resolve. He obviously intended to do whatever it took to make Dare believe him again. He just needed the chance.
"She's not going anywhere," Tristan replied. Surprisingly, it was Remy who lost his temper. Remy, whose anger rose to the fore. His eyes flashed a moment and Logan swore he saw a hand creep toward his pocket. Shit. Things were about to get out of hand.
"What're y'all doing, hanging out in the hall like this?" Rogue's question shattered the growing tension. They all looked at her, standing just a few feet away. She'd crossed her arms over her chest and she was giving every last one of them the hairy eyeball.
"They're trying to convince me to let them take Dare with them. I've already told them she's not going anywhere. No one seems capable of listening."
"Look, you little shit," Remy spat. This time, his hand was going for his pocket. Rogue was just suddenly between Tristan and the three of them. There was a rather unpleasant look on her face.
"Hold up there, sugar. You ain't gonna try and throw a card inside the mansion, are you?" she asked Remy. Her question seemed to snap him out of his temper and he held up his hands in a gesture of surrender. "That's what I thought. I can't say I know what anyone is goin' through. An', to be honest, I don't wanna know. What I do want to know is why you think Dare needs to go with you?"
"She need our help," Remy began.
"Y'all call this help? Standing in the hallway, trying to bully her brother into doing what y'all want him to? How is any of this helpin' her? Seems to me she needs to be with someone who ain't got any kind of agenda."
"Rogue, she is distraught. It is only natural that Logan and Remy wish to help ease her distress," Kurt interjected.
"An' its only natural that she need a little time to breathe without someone tryin' ta tell her what she does and doesn't need. Now, why don't y'all just go on off to bed and leave her with her brother. She'll come find ya when she needs to talk. Don't make me knock ya through a few walls to get my point across,"
Logan glanced first at Remy, then at Kurt. The way Remy's shoulders sagged said he'd give up the fight. For now. As a group, the three of them turned away from Tristan's door and headed up the hallway.
Rogue was still standing there, staring after them, when they turned the corner.
Chapter Twenty Two: A Contest of Wills
Fandom: the Marvel universe
Rating: 18 and up
Warnings: graphic violence, language, sex, dark themes, anything else i can toss in.
Disclaimer: the recognizable characters and places contained herein are the property of Marvel. i'm merely borrowing for the sake of entertainment. no money is being made from this venture. Haley belongs to
dazzledfirestar Morgan belongs toginevra Roxxy belongs tonanaeanaven Jehnna belongs to silverfox_chan and Dare belongs to me. the concept and title of The Mary Sue Virus are used with permission from dazzledfirestar . Author's Notes: this is almost entirely Daz's fault. okay. so it really isn't. its actually almost 100% my fault. Daz just did a whole lot of encouraging. this fic is going to be kind of dark, so please keep that in mind while reading.
Among the Strong - the index
The knock on the door was surprising, given the lateness of the hour. But if the knock was surprising, the person on the other side of the door was absolutely unbelievable. He stared at his sister, taking in the blank look on her face and the swell of her belly. Tristan frowned and wondered if he needed to have a 'chat' with Logan again. Finally, she offered him a faint smile. "I know. The last person you expected to see this late at night is your big sister."
Tristan nodded. "Emphasis on big." Dare stared at him a moment, long enough for him to see a hint of fear flicker in her eyes. He stepped back from the door and motioned toward the interior of his room. She managed a grateful smile before she stepped in and moved to settle on a chair. Tristan shut the door and took a moment to study her.
She was clad in a black tank top and a pair of black shorts. Her hair was longer than he remembered and her roots showed well enough to say she hadn't had a chance to color it in some time. Even sitting as she was, he could tell she was jittery. Not that she showed it by actually moving. It was in her posture, because she looked like she would bolt at the slightest provocation. He wondered for a moment what had happened that had put that look on her face, that had carved away some of her confidence. Then he decided it didn't matter. What mattered was she was here. Now. And she needed something from him. The challenge would be to get her to admit it to him.
"That chair can't be comfortable, Dare. Why don't you sit on the bed?" he suggested lightly. One hand motioned to the bed on the other side of the room. Somehow, and he didn't know how, Tristan had gotten lucky and he didn't have to share with any of the other students. Maybe it was because he was the brother of one of the X-Men. Maybe it was because Dare had threatened the professor over it. Maybe it was some other thing entirely. It didn't matter beyond the fact that he was glad he didn't have to share with anyone else. They'd likely not be very understanding about Dare's late night visit.
She glanced at him a moment, then nodded and stood from the chair. When she settled on the end of the bed, he saw the relief in the tiniest change of her expression. Tristan claimed the chair she'd just vacated, settled his elbows on his knees, stared at her, and fell silent. Waiting.
"They told you what happened, yeah?" she asked after a solid minute of staring at some point over his shoulder.
Tristan considered how to answer. Then he sighed and shook his head. "I know a little bit. I got mostly the basics. Apocalypse's horsemen took you and seven other X-Men and gave you to Mr. Sinister. Despite several people looking for you, no one could find where you'd been taken. You've been missing for the past week and there wasn't much hope that any of you would come back."
"Those are the very basic basics," she returned. Tristan watched her gaze dip toward the floor. He swore he could see the internal debate just by looking at her. Finally, she sighed and her gaze lifted to meet his. He couldn't even begin to unravel the slew of emotions in her gaze. "We were sent out to investigate the disappearance of both Blue and Red. And the New Mutant. All three teams were just suddenly gone. When we got to their last known position, we found transport. Nothing else. No one else. And then a portal opened."
"The horsemen," he guessed. Dare nodded. Tristan watched as she rubbed absently at her swollen belly.
"The fight was laughable. It didn't take them long to put us all on our asses. Morgan went first. Then Jehnna. War hit me with a blast to the chest. That's the last thing I remember until I woke up in a room. With Remy."
He couldn't miss what her words meant. His gaze slid to her belly, almost as if he expected to see some physical mark of Gambit on her person. Other than the baby in her belly. "Sinister is responsible for this," he stated, his hand motioning toward her. Dare nodded and glanced away.
"We were blocked off from our powers and he was pumping the room full of pheromones. We didn't really have much of a choice. Especially not when he put us in a clear cube with a bed and locked us in there."
Tristan took a moment or five to parse what she hadn't said. Each time he did, he didn't like what he came up with. "Ew. He watched?"
"Sinister is a pervy mother fucker," Dare nodded.
"So why did he take you?"
"To create horsemen for Apocalypse," she responded quietly. Tristan frowned at that answer.
"That doesn't make any sense. Why would he need you to make horsemen if he already had horsemen?" His question saw her hands tightening over her belly. A gesture he recognized as protective. And she wouldn't meet his eyes, her gaze sliding off to the left. "Dare? Why would he need you to make horsemen if they already existed."
"The horsemen we faced... War had red hair and brown eyes. She was tall and she had a red, crystal-like armor. She fired off red energy blasts. Pestilence was petite, with blonde hair and poisonous, see-through green wings. She had bright green eyes. Famine stood tall. Her percussive blasts were filled with speed and heat. And Death. Death had black hair. Pale skin. Eyes that were red on black. And she used fire. She used fire like mine. It felt... charged. Like it could just explode when it hit something."
Tristan stared at her, trying to make sense of what she was telling him. Because that sounded an awful lot like... The moment he realized what she was telling him, his eyes went wide and his gaze once more settled on her belly. "You fought your own daughter?" Dare said nothing, just stared at him. "He used you as a brood mare. Made Remy get you pregnant so that you could have a mutant super baby he could turn into a nightmare. So why did he let you go while you're still pregnant? Why didn't he wait until the baby had been born?"
"I don't know," she said softly. He heard the fear in her voice anyway. She was afraid it would still happen. That Sinister would show up and take her baby.
"You should be with Logan and Remy. They can protect you better than I can," he said, rising to his feet. He'd taken two steps before he heard the lock turn. The sound of the bolt clicking into place saw him turning toward her. It was on the tip of his tongue to ask her what she was doing, but the question slid away when he saw just how frightened she was.
"I can't, Tristan. I... Don't tell them I'm here," she begged, tears already sliding down her cheeks. Those tears stopped him in his tracks. He found himself moving across the room until he could take a seat next to her on the bed of his bed.
"Why are you hiding from them?" he asked gently. Tristan thought he knew why. He could still recall how she'd acted when she'd told him about Creed and what that sick sack of shit had done to her. He'd seen then that she'd felt that the man had left her dirty and wrong. He was fairly certain she felt the same way now. She didn't look at him, simply wrapped her arms tighter around herself and huddled as best she could while pregnant. "Dare. Come on. I'm your brother. You can tell me."
"I..." she began, then fell silent. He didn't know if she was trying to find the words or if she was having second thoughts. And he wasn't likely to find out anyway because there was yet another knock on the door. Dare turned wide eyes his way and shook her head.
"Who is it?" he asked, keeping his voice steady.
"Open the door, Uncle Tristan," Dee demanded.
He glanced at his sister. She looked torn. He could tell she wanted him to let Dee in. At the same time, she was scared. Probably of what Dee would think of her. That meant no one had told her about Dee's mutation starting to kick in. Which is what decided him. He rose to his feet and headed for the door. The thought that she'd keep using her telekinesis to turn the lock hit him, but he felt he was still stronger with his own and could counteract any attempt she made to keep the door locked.
As it was, Dare did nothing to interfere with Tristan letting Dee into the room. He'd barely gotten the lock turned when his niece had her hand on the knob and was twisting it. He had to practically jump out of the way to avoid having the door slam into him as Dee came hurtling through the opened portal in order to throw herself at her mother. He made sure to shut and lock the door even while he watched the two of them reunite.
It was an odd sight. For a moment or two, they simply stared at one another. Then they were both crying and hugging one another. Dare was saying something about fearing she'd never see Dee again while Deirdre was stating with the utmost confidence that she knew Dare would come home. She just knew it.
"I knew you'd come back, Mum. I told everyone who would listen. Even Da was skeptical. But I was right and now you're back!" Dee got out, her voice thick with her tears.
"I couldn't leave you, my girl. I left you once. Never again," Dare whispered. Her hands shook as they stroked slowly down the length of Dee's hair. "It feels like a lifetime since I've seen you."
"Its only been a week, Mum," Dee said on a laugh. Maybe she thought Dare was being ridiculous. Maybe it was just joy at seeing her mother again.
"It still feels like a lifetime." Dare leaned back so she could stare at Dee. "I've missed you so much. You and all of your siblings."
"But not Liam, right?" Dee asked. "He was a butt while you were gone."
"Of course I missed Liam. Horrible child," Dare laughed. It was soft. And real. And there was nothing clouding the sound. Just pure, joyful laughter. Then she tugged Dee into her embrace again, hugging her until the girl trying to wiggle free of her hold. "I missed all of you equally and you won't hear anything different from me."
"Da thinks I'm coming into my powers," Dee announced without preamble. That saw Dare pulling back to stare at her daughter in surprise.
"Please tell me you didn't burn anything." There was perhaps a faint touch of fear there. Dee shook her head, giving her mother a smile that was terribly impish.
"I did not. Aunt Roxxy calls it precognition. She says I have visions," Dee responded. Dare relaxed at that. Tristan was well aware of what kind of problems Dare had with her own powers. No doubt she worried about what would happen if she passed them on to any of her children. The look of joy fell off of Dee's face then and she turned solemn eyes to Dare's belly. "I didn't like it when I saw that weird guy trying to choke you. He could have killed you." At that, she lifted her gaze to Dare's face once more.
"I'm so sorry you had to witness that, poppet," Dare said softly. She cupped Dee's cheek with one hand. "Is Aunt Roxxy going to help you learn how to control your visions?"
"Yep. Da arranged it with her."
"You listen to your Aunt Roxxy. She's smart and she knows what she's talking about," Dare instructed. "And don't give her a hard time. Or you'll have me to deal with."
"Of course, Mum," Dee responded dutifully. Tristan could hear the trouble lingering in her voice. Then the girl put her hands on Dare's belly and left them there. "When am I going to be a sister again?"
"Soon. Morgan has already had her baby."
Dee hummed. Then she yawned. "I'm sleepy. Will you lay with me, Mum?" The question caught Dare off guard and, for a moment, Tristan saw tears glittering in her eyes. Then she shot a questioning glance his way. Tristan gave a nod and watched as Dare scooted up the mattress until she could put her head on the pillow. Dee laid next to her and he watched, silently, as the two of them drifted off.
Tristan put his back to the door and watched his sister and his niece fall asleep together. He felt a smile tug at the corners of his lips. He felt, even if it was for just this moment, that everything was right in his world.
He was going to enjoy it while it lasted.
~*~
He couldn't push from his mind the look of sadness she'd given him when he'd excused himself. And, buried within the sadness, there had been a look of betrayal. Guilt flooded him. He hadn't felt this much guilt in a long time. Not since Harper's death. He hadn't wanted to leave Haley's side when he saw that face. But the longer he made Jean wait, the worse things would be. He was going to have to make this up to her some how.
"Scott! Are you listening to me?" Jean's voice, edged with only a single strident note, cut into his thoughts and brought him back to the here and now. The here was the room he and Jean shared. The now was apparently a conversation he'd wanted to have once he and Haley had settled back into life in the mansion.
"Of course, Jean," he responded, even though she no doubt knew he hadn't been listening at all.
She regarded him for a few seconds before some of the anger in her eyes melted into hurt and disbelief. For some reason, he had a hard time buying her reaction. "How could you do this? To us? To me?" Her tone was a touch on the melodramatic side and he had to force himself not to cringe away from it. Had she always been this over the top? If she had, how had he never noticed?
"You're going to have to be a little more specific, Jean. I'm not entirely sure what it is you're accusing me of," he replied. Jean watched as he shifted his position until his feet were planted shoulder-width apart. He crossed his arms over his chest, a sure sign he was not happy. He swore he saw her eyes narrow just the slightest.
"Really, Scott? You're going to play innocent with me? When its obvious from what I walked in on in the medlab that you've been playing something with Haley! Did you forget she's already in a relationship? Did you forget you are, too?"
His teeth ground together at that. As if he'd forget he'd made a commitment to Jean. That Haley had made a commitment to Johnny. As if he'd forget any of that shit the entire time he and Haley had been locked together like animals in a zoo. "I didn't forget. You know I didn't."
"So you say. But I walked into you practically..." Jean's voice rose at the end, then faded away so that a pair of big, fat tears could roll down her cheeks. Once upon a time, he'd have been moved by the display. A lifetime ago, when things hadn't been complicated, he'd have moved to her and offered her sweet words and an apology and he'd have held her until the tears subsided. But he'd just spent a year of his life watching Haley struggle with tears. He'd spent time coming to realize the difference between real tears and crocodile tears.
Once upon a time, he'd never have thought that Jean would manipulate his emotions like that.
"You walked into me having a conversation with the woman I've just spent an entire year locked in a room with. A woman who is, I might add, having my baby. I apologize if my emotions have upset you," he responded.
"You were gone a week, Scott!" Jean retorted. There was heat in her words. And more. Genuine fear. Whatever else had happened, she's obviously been worried about whether or not he'd come back.
"Maybe it was a week here, Jean," he said, gentling his voice. He really didn't like upsetting her. But it was as if she purposefully didn't want to understand that he'd had no choice in how things had played out. Which was ridiculous. Surely she didn't think he was entirely willing in what happened? Unless her anger stemmed from something beyond his actions. That couldn't be. Could it? "But it was an entire year where we were. And we were being pumped full of pheromones all hours of the day. Was I expected to attempt to resist those pheromones?"
Jean stared at him a moment, as if she was having a hard time with what he'd said. Did she not believe that it had been a year? Haley's very swollen belly should have been a clue. Though, thinking on it, maybe that was what this was about. Not that he'd cheated on her or whatever it was she thought had happened. But that it had happened with Haley.
He'd never once looked at another woman in the entire time he'd been with Jean. Well, he'd looked. He'd mentally noted attractive women. But he'd never once thought about them in any other way, shape, or form. And now, he'd had sex with another woman. Copious amounts of sex. With a beautiful woman. And they were bound together in ways he and Jean weren't. Was Jean having issues with the fact that the other woman was someone she knew? That it had been Haley with whom Scott had been made to have sex.
He could admit that, back in the day, he'd been attracted to Haley. Enough that he'd wanted to ask her out on a date. But then Harper had been killed and Scott had laid the blame for that at his own feet. And then he'd thought it would be in poor taste to ask her out. She'd just lost her brother and it had been his fault. There was no way she'd have wanted to date him after all that. So he'd let it go. And Jean had been there, waiting.
"No," she said, pulling him away from his thoughts. And it sounded so much to him like she was having a hard time admitting that. As if she seriously thought he'd have been able to hold out against the shit for a whole year. "You couldn't help that Sinister made you want to have sex with Haley. But, Scott. You act like you're in love with her. How do you think that makes me feel?"
"I'm sorry, Jean. I never meant to hurt you. But its hard not to develop strong feelings for someone, one way or the other, when you literally spend all day and all night with them for an entire year." It was a reasonable statement. Sinister had done his best to play to their wants and needs. And, by pairing him with Haley, he'd managed to fill a need and a want that Scott had managed to squash and hide for the past ten years. There was no way he'd be able to do that now. Not after having tasted it. Hell, he hadn't just gotten a taste. He'd feasted. There was no going back.
"Well, you're home now. You can forget about all that," she told him. As if such a thing could ever happen. The only way he'd forget about everything, about Haley and the amazing sex and their deeper connection and the baby, was if she meddled with his memories. If she... Scott paused that thought and considered it. Would she attempt to meddle? Would she try to suppress everything?
"You honestly think I can forget about my child? My daughter?" he asked softly, doing his best to keep the sudden pulse of anger from his voice.
Jean stared at him, as if considering best how to answer. "We can always adopt her, Scott."
"Haley is her mother, Jean. She has a say in whether or not she wants something like that to happen." And, after all of the fears and worries they'd shared in that room, Scott knew for certain Haley would never agree to such a ludicrous idea.
"Haley has a family with Johnny. Surely she can see that the best place for your daughter is with you," Jean returned. The casual way she spoke left him stunned. How could she think that Haley would give up her child? How could she even think that asking was the proper thing to do? "We can raise her as our own."
"Jean... " he began, but stopped. Something told him she'd never come to an agreement with him about this. That baby was Haley's as much as his and there was no way he was going to let anyone, not even Jean, deprive her of her daughter. "We are not going to take Haley's child from her. I'm not pulling her family apart like that."
Jean gave him a look that held confusion and hurt. Scott ignored it. Because he was more than certain that it was just an act. "She's your daughter, too, Scott. You have a say in how she grows up. Where she grows up. Who raises her."
"You're not her mother, Jean," he said, voice firm. He knew she could hear his growing anger in them but he didn't care anymore. Her eyes darkened with her own anger as she stared at him.
"Don't tell me you actually love her?" There was a lack of disbelief in her tone that gave him pause. Any other woman would have asked that with all the emotion available to them. Jean was... flat. As if she had been expecting it. Scott found that curious.
"And if I do?" he asked, trying to feel her out. Jean stared a moment before heaving a sigh and waving a hand in the air as if to say it didn't matter.
"I'm sure you'll forget about it soon enough. Once you do, things will go back to normal." He didn't like the certainty in her voice. There was something going on here. Something beyond her being upset by what had come to pass while he'd been Sinister's captive. It was almost as if she knew he'd forget.
"Do you really think I'll forget my own feelings, Jean?" Scott asked, taking a step closer to her. Jean offered him a brittle smile before turning and moving toward the window. It was black as pitch out and he didn't know what she was looking at. If she was looking at anything. He felt like she'd turned her back on him so he couldn't see what was in her eyes. She didn't want him to know what she was thinking. Which made him wonder all the more what was going on in her head.
"Haley will go back to her life with Johnny and leave you in the lurch. She'll take your daughter and she'll keep her from you." Jean said it with such certainty. There was a niggling sensation at the back of Scott's brain. Almost as if something was trying to take root there. As if someone was trying to plant a seed of doubt. Scott stared at her back and frowned. Surely Jean wasn't trying to influence his thoughts. Surely she wasn't attempting to ensure she got her own way by messing with his mind.
"I don't think you're giving her enough credit," he said quietly.
"Haley Stone has always been flighty when it comes to her partners," Jean responded. Again, he felt that sensation. She turned to face him, giving him the opportunity to see the concern on her face. Her expression was softer, but only just."You saw how she was always on and off with Piotr. How she put him aside when she got pregnant with Johnny's baby. The same way she put Johnny aside when she got scared. How many other men has she done that with? What makes you think she won't do the same thing to you, Scott? I'm only looking out for your well-being. I don't want to see her use and manipulate you. I don't want to see her hurt you."
Manipulate? Hurt? Were they talking about the same Haley Stone? That sensation stroked the back of his brain again and he brushed it aside. For just a moment, he was sure he saw a startled look cross Jean's face. Then it was gone. But it was enough. He filed that away for the moment and instead focused on their conversation. "I think you're wrong. Haley Stone is one of the most selfless individuals I've ever met. She damn near died defeating the alien invader. Or have you forgotten that? She's risen to every challenge thrown her way. She's a good X-Man and an excellent team leader. Maybe you need to stop and take a look at why you've decided to paint her as the villain."
"I'm not, Scott. I just..."
He cut across whatever she was going to say with his own statement. "I need to head back down to the infirmary. Henry said something about check ups for everyone and I'd like to get that over with before the night is over."
He was at the door when her felt her mind touch his.
"Don't wait up," Scott said, not bothering to turn around. He was out in the hallway before she could think to say anything, the door closed firmly behind them.
There was something weird going on. He needed to figure out what it was. He'd get on it right after he tried to figure out how to repair his relationships first.
~*~
Logan stared at the door with a frown on his face. He and Gumbo had been searching for Dare for the better part of an hour. They'd tried the gazebo. The boat house. They'd checked the Danger Room. They'd gone through classrooms. The wine cellar. The hangar. The cupola. The garage. The basement and sub-basements. They'd searched every room they could think of and hadn't caught a whiff of her.
And he'd been trying. To catch a whiff of her. Logan had tried to scent her out, figuring it would be the easiest way to go. But it hadn't worked out so well. Because her scent had been muted. Changed. There were no hints of fire and ash to her scent. What had lingered on the bed was a muted version of the smells he'd come to associate with her. And there had been hints of Kurt that lingered. Remy's scent had clung to her. And some odd, muskier scent that he couldn't put a name to.
The lack of fire and ash, that one defining part of her scent that he'd always known and recognized, had made it damn near impossible to track the girl. He didn't understand it. It was like her scent was fading away because she was fading away. Which shouldn't have been possible. And which set off a host of alarm bells in his head.
Remy hadn't had much luck, either. He'd sworn he'd be able to track her through the link he had with her. But it had been little more than static for him. A faint sense she was there. but nothing more definite to use to track her down. As if she didn't want to be found. The thought was unsettling and he could tell that his companion was as rattled by it as he was.
Reluctant to stand there and look like a fool, Logan rapped a pair of knuckles against the door. There was the soft sound of scraping from the other side, then a muttered complaint about yet another late night visitor. He had no time to consider what it meant, because the door opened just far enough for one grey eye to peer through the crack at them. He heard a sigh, then Tristan was slipping out the door and pulling it shut behind him.
Looked like they'd found her.
"Go away," the boy ordered. He looked put upon and he sounded angry. Why were all of his interactions with the boy loaded with anger?
"Not without Dare," Remy said. Tristan's gaze shifted his way slowly, as if he had all the time in the world to stonewall them.
"No."
"Look, kid," Logan began. Tristan turned a dead-eyed stare his way that looked too much like some of the looks his sister gave when she was about two seconds away from losing her temper.
"No. Go away." There was no emotion in Tristan's voice. None on his face. But Logan could tell he was a second away from throwing hands. Again. "You fucks need to leave her alone and let her get her head on straight."
"Tristan," Remy started. But the boy's empty gaze swung his way and something in Remy's face changed. The Cajun fell silent before he could really begin.
"She's sleeping. And she really doesn't want to see either one of you," he told them. That didn't shock Logan much. He'd expected as much where he was concerned. No doubt Dare was sure that he'd hate her for things well beyond her control. He wished he knew why she thought that, what drove her thoughts into such bizarre and frightening realms. But it was obvious to him that Remy was surprised and hurt by the news.
"Why not? She shouldn't be alone right now." There was an insistence in the Cajun's voice that told Logan he was worried about her state of mind. Logan wondered at that a moment, then decided it wasn't important at the moment. What was important was Dare.
"I don't know why she doesn't want to see you. She didn't let me in on that and I don't read minds, so her thoughts continue to be her own. Also, she isn't alone. I'm here. And I'd be in there with her right now if not for the two of you." The need to protect his sister, to help her, was obvious in the kid's statement. Logan understood then the source of the kid's animosity.
"You don' understand de t'ings she go through," Remy insisted.
"I don't need to understand them. I just need to support her through whatever is eating her alive right now. I can tell just by talking to you two that you're going to smother her in an effort to make her understand she hasn't got anything to worry about. But you can't solve her problems for her. You can't even be honest about your feelings for her." Tristan shifted his attention to Logan with those words, an indication that Tristan was talking about him. "Hell, right now, you are her problems. Go away and leave her be. She'll come find you when she's ready."
"Look, kid. I know I've got a terrible track record with Dare. I ain't always been there when she needed me. Or there in the way she needed me. But I've seen her go through this shit before. She shouldn't be alone right now."
"You already know my opinion on all that," Tristan said quietly. "And, as I said, she isn't alone. I'm here. She can talk to me if she wants. I'll listen and I won't judge. Can you say the same?"
"You don' spend de last year wit' her, trying to keep her from folding in on herself," Remy pointed out.
"I'm sure you did a bang up job on that," the boy snorted. "Now go away. You're not coming in my room.
Logan wanted to throttle the kid. He was a stubborn and pig-headed as his sister. A glance toward Remy said he was ready to toss a card or two to get his point across. That was the problem when tempers got heated. Everyone wanted to start throwing punches instead of talking it out. Hell, he was guilty of that himself. He knew that the situation was rapidly growing beyond their control. He just didn't know how to calm everyone's temper and convince the kid to let them in. Remy was right. Dare didn't need to be alone and despite his insistence, Logan wasn't sure Tristan was the right man for the job.
"Have you found her?" Kurt's voice came out of nowhere. Just like he did. his sudden appearance behind them put Tristan even further on edge.
"She's holed up in Tristan's room," Logan told him.
"Why do we not go in and retrieve her?"
"Kid says she don't want to see us," he told the elf. Kurt's expression turned puzzled.
"Why would she not want to see you?" His question was directed Logan's way.
"She thinks I'm gonna hate her for what happened while Sinister had her. And she should know better than that. I didn't hate her when she came back from Creed's RV. I ain't gonna hate her for this." There was no way in hell he'd ever hate her. That didn't mean he didn't have his problems with this shit. But that was his thing. It had nothing to do with her and taking it out on her wouldn't solve any problems. It would only make more.
"That does not explain why she would not wish to see Remy," Kurt said. There might have been a touch of hesitance in his voice, but he finished through on whatever he was thinking. He turned to look at the man in question. "When she woke earlier, she asked for you. It upset her that you were not here."
"It upset her? How?' The way Remy asked the question suggested Kurt's words might have sent a few thoughts running through his head.
"She started crying. And then she said that you lied to her." Kurt frowned. "Why would she think that? What would you lie to her about, mein freund?"
Remy was silent a moment or two, his gaze unfocused as he gave consideration to the question. Then he sighed and muttered some curse words very softly under his breath. "She t'ink I lie about loving her."
"Did you?" Tristan's voice cut into the silence, bringing their attention back to the boy. Some of the anger had died. Some of the blank expression had slid away. Logan saw the face of a young man who was concerned and worried about his older sister.
"Of course I don' lie," Remy returned. There was a kind of exhaustion in his voice that suggested it had been a long running fight between the two of them. "It take so long to convince her."
"Why would you need to convince her of something like that?" Tristan asked. His voice was a mix of emotions, most prominent confusion and anger. Logan could well imagine where that anger was being pointed.
"Before Dare and I got together, she went out with Remy for a while," he explained. Tristan stared at him for a couple seconds, then turned his gaze toward Remy. Then back to Logan.
"Why the fuck would she leave him for you?" The implication in that question was blatantly obvious. Remy was better looking and Dare should have stayed with him. Logan couldn't argue the point. He believed Dare deserved the very best there was in life and, more often than not, he didn't think he was the very best.
"Because Morgan was in love with him," Logan told the boy. He'd asked her about it once, back closer to the beginning of their relationship. They'd only been together for a few months and there were times when he'd smelled the lingering sadness on her. Usually after Morgan and Remy had been on a date. And she'd told him that Morgan loved him and she'd never get in the way of her best friend's happiness.
"Dare in love wit' me, too," Remy said quietly. That drew Logan's attention his way. Hell, it drew Tristan and Kurt's attention his way. Remy seemed ignorant of the attention, lost in thought for the moment. Logan had to admit that Remy's revelation was expected, yet still a complete surprise. He'd known from almost the beginning that Dare had continued to harbor feelings for the other man. But she'd never spoken of them and they'd never gotten in the way of their relationship. But Logan hadn't ever considered that she might have still been in love with Remy. "An' she keep it hidden for ten years."
"How does someone even do that?" Kurt wondered softly.
"I don' know. I had to fight to get her to tell me. An' den she tell me she don' deserve me. It don' make sense. An' every time I tell her I love her, she don' believe me," Remy said. When he looked up, memories crowded close to the surface and dulled the look in his eyes. "When she find out about de baby, she shut down. She don' talk. She don' do anyt'ing unless I make her."
"Why? I thought girls were supposed to be happy about babies." Tristan sounded confused. And he sounded very young all of a sudden.
"Most of the time, they are," Logan assured him.
Remy filled in a little more. "But Dare know dat we don' get to keep de baby. Sinister take it an' give it to Apocalypse."
"She told me she fought Death and that Death looked like her," Tristan said. His eyes slid toward Remy. "And you. But what does that have to do with her not wanting to see you?"
"I pull her out of her head by tellin' her I love her. By convincin' her I love her." Remy's gaze slid Logan's way. There was regret there. And, again, that touch of fear he'd seen earlier. "We got a link. Since Creed an' de RV. It still work when Sinister hold us. I use it, and my charm, to prove to her I love her."
Logan thought about it for a few moments before he shook his head. "Christ. No wonder she said you lied. You spent all that time making her believe you loved her, then you weren't there when she woke up. She thought you manipulated her."
"Now you see why we need to take Dare wit' us," Remy told Tristan. Some of the hang-dog expression had disappeared. In its place was resolve. He obviously intended to do whatever it took to make Dare believe him again. He just needed the chance.
"She's not going anywhere," Tristan replied. Surprisingly, it was Remy who lost his temper. Remy, whose anger rose to the fore. His eyes flashed a moment and Logan swore he saw a hand creep toward his pocket. Shit. Things were about to get out of hand.
"What're y'all doing, hanging out in the hall like this?" Rogue's question shattered the growing tension. They all looked at her, standing just a few feet away. She'd crossed her arms over her chest and she was giving every last one of them the hairy eyeball.
"They're trying to convince me to let them take Dare with them. I've already told them she's not going anywhere. No one seems capable of listening."
"Look, you little shit," Remy spat. This time, his hand was going for his pocket. Rogue was just suddenly between Tristan and the three of them. There was a rather unpleasant look on her face.
"Hold up there, sugar. You ain't gonna try and throw a card inside the mansion, are you?" she asked Remy. Her question seemed to snap him out of his temper and he held up his hands in a gesture of surrender. "That's what I thought. I can't say I know what anyone is goin' through. An', to be honest, I don't wanna know. What I do want to know is why you think Dare needs to go with you?"
"She need our help," Remy began.
"Y'all call this help? Standing in the hallway, trying to bully her brother into doing what y'all want him to? How is any of this helpin' her? Seems to me she needs to be with someone who ain't got any kind of agenda."
"Rogue, she is distraught. It is only natural that Logan and Remy wish to help ease her distress," Kurt interjected.
"An' its only natural that she need a little time to breathe without someone tryin' ta tell her what she does and doesn't need. Now, why don't y'all just go on off to bed and leave her with her brother. She'll come find ya when she needs to talk. Don't make me knock ya through a few walls to get my point across,"
Logan glanced first at Remy, then at Kurt. The way Remy's shoulders sagged said he'd give up the fight. For now. As a group, the three of them turned away from Tristan's door and headed up the hallway.
Rogue was still standing there, staring after them, when they turned the corner.
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I think Dare having to get away and just be somewhere uncomplicated makes perfect sense. Even if she didn't have to deal with the heepign scoop of pre-existing trauma, having space to breathe and think seems like a good thing. And Tristan is a good brother, trying to protect her as best he can. I love that Dee is such a calming effect too. Though I worry what'll happen if her powers kick in and Dare's not ready for it.
Wow. Just... wow. Jean would catch stony hands if Haley heard about half of this conversation. And what the fuck is she up to? Mm. Methinks Scott needs to keep a close eye on who is and isn't in his head these days. I love that he stood his ground though and that he's apologetic about the situation but not his feelings. Here's hoping Jean comes to her senses and stops being shady.
Rogue's right. Arguing about Dare's business in the hallway isn't doing anybody any good and hopefully after some rest, everyone can be in a room and not behave like brats. Hopefully. I mean it's never happened in 40+ years, but we can hope for a miracle.
Great work, hun! Things are getting so messy!
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i do believe that every one of them needs space. they've spent a year basically in solitary confinement with their chosen partner. returning to the outside world and all the people in it has to be disorienting. especially when you don't know which way is and which way is down. but, yeah. all that pre-existing trauma makes it so much worse for her. plus there's the confusion as to why Sinister didn't take the babies. and the fear that everything she knew for the past year was a lie. Tristan is safe, as far as she's concerned. he'll call her on her bullshit, if he feels its necessary. but he isn't going to let anyone fuck with her. he can see that she's just... rattled. and she needs time. and he'll knock everyone on their asses if it gives her the time she needs. honestly, i think Dee is possibly the best thing for her. but yeah. if her visions start kicking in... well, let's hope Dare's ready.
Jean totally went there and i think she's lucky Haley didn't hear any of it. i feel like Scott is starting to suspect there's something hinky going on. so... i'm sure he'll be on his toes. and i can't see him backing down where the baby is concerned. so it will be fun to see how that all goes.
its kind of sad that Rogue, who was utterly unreasonable in the main fic, is the voice of reason in the here and now. its nice that she's had time to learn and grow. and that she isn't holding anything against anyone anymore. i doubt they'll ever not behave like brats.
glad you enjoyed. and yes. super messy. which seems to be the way i like it.
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I'm glad that Dare has her brother to go to. And that whole conversation with Dee was priceless. Of course I especially enjoyed the bits about Roxxy. ;) Them drifting off to sleep together while Tristan watched over them was so sweet.
I'm having trouble finding any sympathy for Jean, despite what is clearly a bad situation all the way around, when she's being so self-centered. It's almost like she doesn't care about Scott's feelings at all. And that right there should be a huge red flag for him.
Interesting that Logan and Remy couldn't use their individual gifts/mutations to track down Dare. Honestly, I'm surprised it took them so long to check Tristan's room. Speaking of Tristan, good on him for standing up to them. Dare is NOT alone. Stupid men. How the hell did Rogue end up being the voice of reason? And can I just say that I'm really digging this version of her? Threatening to knock them through some walls made me giggle.
Looking forward to whatever comes next, bb. *smooches*
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i like that, too. it would have been so easy to leave her an only child, leave her estranged from what blood family she had. but i've given her the shaft so many times that i felt maybe she deserved that bit of happiness. so its wonderful that she has her brother and that, instead of being all 'ew, my sister' about it all, Tristan has turned into Protective (older) Baby Brother. i suspect he'd knock anyone who hurt her right on their ass at this point. Dee is awesome and i love the way she's been fleshing out. i won't say that she's Dare's favorite because Dare doesn't have a favorite (but Dee is absolutely Dare's favorite). Tristan and Dee are a safe spot that i don't know if anyone else can be for her.
Jean is being a twat. we can all agree on that. there is absolutely something going on in that woman's mind. we might even find out what it is, too!
so there are things going on here that will absolutely be revealed later. things that will explain why they couldn't easily find her. they should have been able to. but she found a way to ensure they wouldn't be able to find her. at least not for a while. Tristan has balls if he's threatening Logan. again. i think he might be able to get the drop on Remy because why would he suspect Tristan of throwing a punch? i will admit to never being a huge fan of Rogue's. but i feel like she got a raw deal in the main fic. i'm trying to undo some of that stuff here. hopefully i can manage it.
glad you're looking forward to more. i'm looking forward to what comes next, too! we'll see when i get there. but it probably won't be this weekend. my brain needs a break. thanks for reading, hon!
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