Invasion: MSV Chapter 30

[dazzledfirestar.livejournal.com]

Chapter 30?? Wow... when did that happen? Yeesh... and I'm not even celebrating with random smut... something is out of wack with the multiverse, I swear... Oh, and I'm kinda in love with the last little exchange it this one... okay, I'm really in love with it. LOL

Title: Invasion:MSV
Fandom: Marvel Universe
Rating: 18+
Disclaimer: I do not own any of the recognizable characters here. They and the world this is set in are the property of Marvel Entertainment. The Purple Team is the property of ginevrasm (Morgan/Faye), ladydeathfaerie (Dare), sessys_fangirl (Jehnna), nanaeanaven (Roxxy) and dazzledfirestar (Haley). They are not to be used without permission. I make no money from this, and it is simply a form of entertainment.
Warnings: graphic M/F sex, preg, language and as always... ANGST

Logan grumbled a little as he moved toward the group that had congregated outside the Professor’s office. He could hear the yelling all the way down the hall, and he was pretty sure that had very little to do with his superhuman senses. “How long’s he been goin’ like that?”

Bobby checked his watch. “Forty five minutes. He goes another fifteen and Hank owes me fifty bucks.”

Logan shook his head a little and listened. He had expected this to turn into a battle for the ages; a screaming match that would have done the Cassidy clan proud, but the only raised voice he could hear was Scott’s, and occasionally the Professor interjecting his disappointment. Hmm… that wasn’t a good sign. He wondered vaguely how long it would be before the dam burst and Haley started fighting back.

~*~*~*~

Haley’s lips were pressed tightly together, her eyes fixed on the edge of the Professor’s desk. She resisted the urge to check her watch. How long had Cyclops been going now? She really wondered.

“It was the most irresponsible, reckless, childish thing I think you’ve ever done!”

That did it. “Excuse me?”

“You heard me.”

She turned and glared at Scott. “You self righteous, self important son of a bitch! If I had listened to you and the Professor, four people would have lost their lives in some pretty fucking horrible ways.” Her voice gained volume as she continued. “Aren’t we supposed to help people? Aren’t we supposed to be the good guys here? You were going to let them die!”

“There was no sign that they…”

“Fuck you! I fucking told you they were alive!”

The professor’s voice cut through the room. “Haley, had we taken some more time, perhaps looked into your connection a little more…”

“The connection that you thought was wrong?”

“If you had given us more time…”

“Then we would have been bringing bodies back, Professor!” She leaned on the desk. “We barely got there in time as it was!”

“Nonetheless, you should have trusted your peers here.”

“Why? You’ve made it pretty fucking obvious in the last two days that you don’t trust me, my judgment or my abilities.” She lifted her hands from the desk. “Even before this, that was becoming clear.” She reached down, unclipping the comm. device from her belt. “I quit.”

“Haley,” the Professor sighed heavily. “We trust you. You are a natural leader, and obviously your team is more than capable enough to handle anything thrown at you.” He folded his hands on the top of the desk. “I’m sure once you calm down...”

“I am calm, Professor.” The pulsing muscles in her jaw gave the lie away.

“So you would leave your team, turn your back on them because you think we do not trust you?”

“Don’t try to guilt me into staying.” Her eyes narrowed. “My team… my friends will be there for me whether I’m here or not. Whether I’m an X-Man or not!”

“I don’t doubt that.”

“Well, I’m glad we found something you don’t doubt.”

“Haley, that’s not necessary.” The Professor raised his hand to stop Cyclops from starting in again. “Perhaps I misjudged the situation.”

“Perhaps? I can name four people in this very building that would say you really misjudged.”

“That doesn’t change the fact that you stole the Blackbird!” Cyclops’ jaw tensed again.

“And who here hasn’t done something reckless and ill advised when it came to their personal shit, Scott?” She turned her glare on him. “Would you have stood by and bought the load I had handed to me if it were you?”

“That’s not the…”

“I’m sure you wouldn’t have. Neither would Logan, Remy, Warren, Hank, Jean… hell, most of the people you consider upstanding leaders of the community have done something similar or worse over the years.” She turned back to the Professor. “But I’m not worth the effort it would take to give me the benefit of the doubt. That’s it isn’t it?”

“Not at all. Everyone who has done something like this faced consequences, Haley. And you get the same treatment.” The Professor let out a long suffering sigh. “There are other things you did not consider in this. Did you stop to think of the danger you could have brought on this school? On the students here?”

“What?”

“Experience has taught us all that Victor Von Doom is not one to let such things go easily. He, no doubt, has more information on you than you think. He knows you are a mutant and an X-Man and that would bring him here, should he decide to take revenge.”

“So, what? Was I supposed to weigh the lives of your students over the father of my child?” Her eyes narrowed again. A memory welled up in her and she spoke without thinking. “Nobody bats an eye when someone comes looking for revenge against anyone else around here… like you.” The weight of her words fell on both the men in the room. “Nobody cares if your personal shit gets people killed.”

“Do you want that kind of guilt on your head?”

“No, but I don’t want to have to tell my child that mommy stood by and did nothing while daddy was tortured and killed either!”

“I believe Kitty would mention something about ‘the good of the many’ at this point.” Charles didn’t crack a smile. Haley couldn’t entirely suppress the dry laugh that threatened to leave her. “You put your own desires ahead of what is good for your team and this school.”

“You know what? I’m a little tired of the whole self sacrifice bag at this point.”

“Haley…”

“I almost died for the greater good, Professor. I think the greater good owes me one.”

“That has nothing to do with…”

“I think it does. I think that you owe me more than just brushing off my concerns. I think I’ve proven myself… my team has proven themselves enough times to earn a little more faith than we’ve gotten.” Her arms crossed. “I’ve earned more than an ‘it’s all in your head’ explanation, Professor.”

“Again, I misjudged the situation and I am sorry for that.”

“Good.”

Another long suffering sigh left the Professor. “But you will be suspended…”

“She’s already on leave, Professor!”

“Once you are back from your maternity leave.” Another of the Professor’s glances fell on Cyke.

“And if I don’t want to come back then?” She left off the ‘or ever’ that she wanted to tack on.

“That is your choice, of course.” Charles picked up the comm. device she’d dropped on the desk and held it out to her. “Until then, please think about your choices and remember that you are not the only one affected by them.”

“Fine.” She took the device from him and put it back on her belt. “Are we done? I’d like to go see my fiancé.”

Scott opened his mouth to start in again, but the Professor waved him off. “Yes, for now.”

She didn’t spare a glance for either of them before she turned and left the room. She was surprised by the crowd outside. Her eyes fell on Bobby and she couldn’t help the small smile that crossed her face. “Who won the bet?”

Bobby checked his watch and sighed. “Hank.”

“Good, he owes me dinner then.” She sighed and started toward the elevator that led to the subbasements. Her team followed.

“How bad was it?” Jehnna’s voice was quiet.

“Bad enough.” Haley’s cheeks started to burn. Maybe the Professor had a point about leaving her team. “I… I threatened to quit.”

“What?” Dare forcibly turned the taller girl to face her. “What the fuck do you mean you threatened to quit?”

“I mean I told them that they didn’t have any faith in me, my judgment, my abilities… and I wasn’t going to take it anymore.” She shrugged Dare’s hands off. “I’m sick of this Power Puff fucking bullshit. If any of the chosen would have come to him and said that someone they cared about was in danger, the fucking cavalry would have been there in a heartbeat. But apparently I don’t know what I’m doing and I couldn’t lead you guys out of a paper bag.” She took another deep breath. “I’m tired of it.”

“So…” Roxxy’s lips narrowed for a moment as she considered what Haley had said. “How did that go over?”

“Like a lead balloon. I got the standard ‘we trust you’ bullshit speech, and the ‘if it had been anyone else, there would have been consequences’ line.”

“And there would have been.”

“I am aware of that, Rox.” Haley sighed and leaned against the wall. “So if I come back after I have the baby, I’m suspended.”

“For how long?” Morgan frowned a little more.

“Fucked if I know.” Haley pushed herself off the wall as the elevator doors opened. “Wasn’t really in the mood to negotiate that.”

“Are… are you going to come back?” Jehnna was fiddling unconsciously with the lapel of her coat.

Haley stopped and faced her team. She’d worked so hard to get to that point. She’d lead them through hell and back; metaphorically of course, but still. They were her friends, her family. Could she give that up just because the stick up Scott’s ass seemed to be expanding at an exponential rate? Or because the Professor’s holier than thou attitude had nearly cost her the man she loved? How could she even begin the weigh that out? “I’m really going to have to think on that one.” She spoke quietly.

“And if you don’t? Then what? See if the new family will make it the Fantastic Five?” Dare snorted a little, but there was far less derision there than there had been. Hmm… maybe a joint roasting of Doom had done more good than the rest of them had thought.

Haley shrugged. “I doubt it. I don’t want to give this up guys, I really don’t.”

Roxxy sighed and put an arm over her shoulders. “We know that. But you’ve got time to think about it.” She threw a look at the others. “For now, I think you’ve got enough on your plate.” Roxxy pointed her best friend in the direction of the med lab. “Go make sure he’ll be ready for the wedding.” Haley nodded and smiled a little before heading off to do just that.

“So what do we do if she doesn’t come back?” Morgan’s frown deepened a bit. The only thing that kept them in the loop most times was Haley’s sheer force of will. Without her, well, it was going to be a hell of a lot easier for Cyclops to push them into the background.

“I don’t know.” Roxxy heaved a sigh. “But it’s her decision. I’m sure once she calms down…”

“I don’t know. I’d quit if they pulled that kinda shit with me.” Dare shrugged. “I wouldn’t blame her, actually.” The other three girls stared at her for a moment. “What? There’s only so much shit one person can take. Shit rolls downhill and she’s been a dam for us. You guys know that as well as I do.” She shrugged again. “This might just have been the last straw.”

“But, she was right.” Jehnna’s brow furrowed a little. “That’s got to count for something, right?”

“Here’s hoping.” Morgan hit the button to call the elevator back. “I need a shower… I’ve got Latveria all over me.” She wrinkled her nose a little.

~*~*~*~

“So,” Haley’s voice drifted through the med lab and brought a smile to Johnny’s face. “Is he going to live?” She smiled and moved toward Hank and his patient.

“I should think so.” Hank slipped his glasses into the pocket of his lab coat. “There may be some scarring though, and you’ll have to take it easy for a few days.”

Johnny shrugged. “I have a feeling that will be better enforced than usual, Beast.” She sat down next to him and he slipped an arm around her waist.

“You’re damn right it will be.” She turned to the doctor. “Oh, and Bobby owes you some money.”

“Ah, so our fearless leader kept his ranting to under an hour?”

“Just barely.”

“I’ll have to thank him.”

“And you’ll have to buy me dinner.”

He chuckled lightly. “As soon as time permits, it shall be done.” He moved away from the couple with a small shake of his head.

“How’d it really go?”

She swallowed thickly. “I quit.”

“What? Haley…”

“The Professor gave me time to think it through.” She tried for a casual shrug. It didn’t work. “If I come back after the baby is born, I’ll face a suspension, but…”

“There is no but about this, and you know it.” He turned her to face him. “Haley, being an X-Man has been more important to you than anything and…”

“No, you’re more important to me than anything.”

“…I won’t let you throw that away.”

“But…”

“No. You’d regret it. Take it from someone who’s quit a few times over the years. You’ll regret it if you leave.” He pulled her a little closer, pressing a kiss to her temple.

She sighed and rested her head on his shoulder. “You’re probably right. But… what if I’d listened to them? What if I hadn’t…?”

“You didn’t listen, and you did get there in time. Anything else doesn’t matter.” His lips touched hers for a moment.

She sighed heavily. “You can stop trying to make me feel better now.”

He chuckled a little. “I thought that was part of the new job description.” She shrugged, lifting her lips to his again. “Whatever you decide, I’ll back you up.”

“I know that.” She lifted her eyes to his. “What would I do without you?”

“I shudder to think.” He pushed her hair off her forehead. “You’ve got to be running on fumes at this point, babe. Go get some rest.”

“No,” she snuggled up to him again. “I don’t want to leave…” she yawned in spite of herself.

“You both need rest.” Hank came back toward them. “But I’m sure no one will complain if you spend the night here, Johnny.”

“You mean no one will complain much.” Haley sighed.

“Well…” Hank shrugged. “Given the recent marks on your record, I’d say that having your fiancé spend the night in your room is the least of the higher ups concerns. And if not then I’ve made some serious breaches in protocol with Rosemary these last few years.” He smiled and turned his attention to Johnny. “Besides, I’ve already arranged for your teammates to spend the night here.” Hank winked at Haley and got a laugh. “I won’t tell if you won’t. But get some rest.” He turned his back to them and chuckled lightly. “ Lying here I love to think you near me, your arms encompassing me, my head buried in your shoulder, catching the rhythm of your breathing and living for a few exquisite moments as one being.”

“Hank?”

“Yes, Haley?” He turned to see something like mischief sparkle in her eyes.

“What did I tell you about the quoting?”

“What are words but a means of conjuring up flesh?”

“Hank…”

A low rumbling chuckle filled the room. “Oh, you love it.”