31Hey guys! Welcome to my amazingly lovely story "For One Moment". It seems a bit like crazy chaos, but I promise will calm down soon, so please, enjoy and review!
Disclaimer: I do NOT own the X Men, Marvel comics. Generally I like to keep my OC's to a minimum, so you don't even have to worry about that.
So enjoy!
Over the past two years the mansion had gone into serious renovation, though none of the students knew why. It had expanded up, back and down. Another floor was added on top of the house and below. Three new wings were added and transformed into empty bedrooms, just ready to fill up with new Mutant students. The Danger room had be moved to the second underground level, now much larger and more vigorous with the types of training and simulations there. The only good part the students had thought of so far was the extra bathrooms that had been built- including adding a few more to the wing where all the X Men currently slept.
As it was, Logan just came in from the new garage, added into the back of the house, which was double the size of the old one. He nodded to the three mutants in the kitchen who were pooled over a tub of ice cream. "Stripes, Half-Pint, Elf."
They each nodded and smiled at him, Kurt's mouth full of ice cream. Kitty smiled and whispered "Hi, Mr. Logan." Rogue ran up in front of him, blocking his path.
"Logan, do we know what the renovations are for? The professor still isn't telling us nothing." She stared up at him with her hands in her pockets.
"Look, Stripes, I told you before. When Chuck wants you to know, you'll know. Until then, I ain't spilling my guts for you. So boot it." He gave her a soft smile – she was one of the few who could get such a reaction from him.
X Men, please report to the front foyer. This is not an emergency and uniforms are not required, but people who get here fast enough will receive an edible reward.
Kurt's eyes lit up at the word 'edible reward' and the spoon of chocolate chip cookie dough ice cream fell out of his mouth when he teleported away. Kitty and Rogue calmly walked to the front foyer, where they saw their favourite fuzzy dude munching on a rather large cookie.
"Cookies, Professor? I'm like, totally fine with that." Kitty grabbed a cookie from the plate he was holding and sort of swayed as she ate her cookie.
Rogue, however, was not as easily swayed. "What's the catch?" Scott, Jean, Beast, Ororo, Logan, Jamie, Amara, Rob, Ray, Sam, Bobby, Jubilee, and Tabitha filed into the foyer, a few taking a cookie, a few not. Rogue looked them over and sighed.
The last two years had changed them all. Scott and Jean were still a couple and were home, permanently, from college as anti-mutant problems had been so harsh there. Jamie had shot up over the last two years, and now, at 15, was 5'8 and likely to still be growing. Amara had grown out her hair to be down to her waist and was finished growing. Sunspot seemed the same, though he was more confident in all areas – it turned out the boy was a rather good cook. Jubilee had finally come back after her parents saw anti-mutant rallies in their town and figured she would be safer with other mutants. Tabitha rejoined the X-Men after leaving the brotherhood, but was still terrible at following the rules.
Romantically, things were fairly steady. Rahne visited often from Muir Island, and she and Rob seemed to be on excellent terms. Rogue had caught them, on occasion, holding hands and snuggled up in the Recreational room. Jubilee and Bobby had started dating two months after she got back, and they seemed happy, but maybe a little rocky. Rogue shook her head lightly and turned her eyes back to the Professor.
"As you all know, we have added many new things to the mansion over the last two years. And now, all the new rooms are built and everything is ready. Almost." Charles nodded to Logan who opened the door to reveal many moving trucks. "We just have the furniture to move around." A groan was omitted from the students.
Logan quickly handed out tasks to everyone. People started moving immediately, and powers were certainly being used. Boom-Boom had the quick suggestion that they blow a hole in the ceiling and just 'throw' the furniture up, but received only a scary glare from Logan in response.
Time went by quickly. Kurt teleported bed pans up the stairs while girls carried mattresses. Jean levitated as many things as she could –nightstands, lamps, mirrors- while Scott, Bobby, Jamie, Ray, Sam and Beast carried more heavy things such as dressers and bookshelves. Roberto carried whatever he could find, since he was swelled up, enjoying how the sun was shining down hot and heavy.
Rogue and Kitty were upstairs with Ororo, Jubilee and Tabitha, arranging things into the rooms. They had moved up boxes of bed sheets, pillows, and other necessities.
At the end of the day, everybody sat in the living room, looking fairly worn out. Even Logan looked like he could use some sleep.
"X-Men, you have done an excellent job today. All the rooms are now fully equipped and ready for all the new mutants to come in."
"What new mutants, Professor?" Jean questioned, looking up from where she had been resting against Scott.
"Ah yes, of course. You have all noticed how the anti-mutant activity has changed and become more aggressive in the last two years, and I fear it will only get worse. So I have invited every mutant I could find to come and stay here, in the mansion. A great many are coming from all over. It will be more crowded, but the renovations were to enable the mansion to hold a large mass of people more comfortably."
He paused, folding his hands under his chin. "Some of the mutants coming here you will have interacted with before. Please try to leave old grudges behind and remember that now all of us must band together and fight for our place in a world that we hope, will come to a better tomorrow. I wish you all good night." With that, his wheelchair left them with a slight 'whrr' noise and they all sat in silence.
"Ororo, Logan, Dr. McCoy…do you know how bad the protests are?" Scott asked quietly. It was almost too harsh to grasp, the idea that they had to all live together because they could not be accepted by society.
"Well child…they're have been protests, and open criticisms, and some property damages all around the country. More then a few mutants have been assaulted simply because of what we are." The weather goddess answered softly.
"We have to stick together now. Because right now…each other is all we have." Dr. McCoy added softly. It seemed as though at that moment, everyone in the room's head drooped slowly.
One by one, they all faded away, walking to another area of the mansion. Soon only Rogue and Logan were left. He looked her in the eye, a neutral 'lost-in-thought' type expression on his face. Her eyes looked lost and sad –in mourning for the pain of their kind around the world. Silently, Logan stood and moved to the couch where she was sitting and sat down next to her. Rogue moved her head into his lap and just rested. Not really crying, just sort of weeping without tears.
He stroked her hair slowly, comforting. Logan and Rogue had grown so close over the years. He was her father now. She really didn't want to know who her real one was – she had a great big, overprotective, angry, disgruntled Canadian to take the role for her.
They sat like that for two hours, Wolverine just holding his adopted daughter. Soon, she was done and she sat up, and looked at him with sad eyes, emerald orbs lost to grief.
"I know it's hard to think that we have to face this, Stripes. But we're going to be okay." She nodded, smiling sadly.
"I know, Logan." She paused for a minute, looking away and then looking back. "Can I help you train the newbies?"
He chuckled lightly. "Of course you can." He hugged her, careful to avoid skin-to-skin contact. "We'll give 'em hell together." Rogue calmed as she rested in his arms.
"That reminds me, Stripes. Couple things are going to be going on in the next few days as the new recruits roll in." Green eyes met brown ones as he spoke. "The Professor thought it'd be a good idea to have everybody's DNA on file…something about comparing similar X genes for training or something or other. And he wants me to try and help you train to see if we can work with your powers a bit better. Maybe even…find a way to help you control it. And the psyches."
"The psyches? But Ah can't control them…Ah've tried so many times Logan, but they keep getting' free…"
"Well, Chuck figures that while Apocalypse had you, you help control of the powers you absorbed for a really long time, so you have the power to still use them even now. That maybe Apocalypse gave you a power boost that you still have with you. I think. I wasn't really paying attention. I just let 'Ro listen and I just kinda sit there until he interests me."
She smirked. "And details about meh don't interest ya?" And for that, he took his knuckles and rubbed them against her skull while she laughed.
Rogue stood outside the Bayville Train Station, waiting for the new recruits to get off. Kitty was sitting in Scott's car next to Kurt while Rogue leaned against the driver's door.
"Man, vhen are ze newbies getting here? I'm hungry." Kurt muttered. Rogue smiled. You're always hungry, she thought.
"You're always hungry!" Kitty protested.
"I'm a growing boy!" He answered, as always.
The three of them grinned. Kurt, now 19, wasn't actually growing anymore but he still ate the same.
"Ah have ta agree with ya, Kurt. It'd be nice if they got here. Ah'm tired." It had been three days since her training with Logan, and the intense meditations and working with psyches was wearing Rogue out.
Just then, four people walked up to them. A girl with long turquoise hair that reached down to her waist, a bald man with numerous tattoos, a tall, blonde supermodel looking woman and a shorter girl with long brown hair and tanned skin. When the darker skinned girl approached, Kurt nearly fell out of his seat.
"Amanda?" He asked. She smiled and waved.
"Hi Kurt." He jumped out of the car and hugged her, whispering that he had missed her and another mushy things that Rogue didn't care to listen to.
"But you're not a mutant!" He whispered. "I mean…of course I want you to come to the institute…" The German boy started rambling, confused and his ex-girlfriend placed a slender finger over his lips.
"I'm coming to stay at the institute because some people knew I was in love with a mutant and they weren't very nice to me." He grinned and started hopping up and down and then stopped.
"You're in love with a mutant? Who?" Rogue's adopted brother's eyes filled with sadness. He hadn't moved on from Amanda. Kurt really hadn't wanted to move on from her, but it seemed now she had moved on from him.
"Oh, you know him. He's blue and fuzzy." She climbed into Scott's car, saying 'hi' to Kitty and Rogue. Rogue rolled her eyes at Kurt and turned her eyes to the other three.
"Ah'm Rogue." She held out a gloved hand and they each shook it.
"Sonia." Stated the girl with the turquoise hair, that was cascading over her in long thin braids.
"Andrew." The guy with the tattoos nodded and climbed into the car. Turning to the supermodel blonde girl, Rogue noticed she really looked like a stereotypical model. Barbie has hit the mutant world. The girl smiled.
"I'm Pherma." She flipped her hair back and stepped into the car gracefully. Rogue raised an eyebrow and tried not to laugh.
Kitty and Kurt introduced themselves on the way home. They talked about powers and such. Sonia could turn herself into a tree, which Rogue thought was kind of neat. Andrew wasn't anything special, according to him. Just you know, super strength, speed, and he could translate any language. It was Pherma that was so very interesting.
"I give off these pheromones that attract single men to me." She casually stated. Extremely casually stated, Rogue considered.
"Wow. Do you, like, ever get a moment's peace?" Kitty asked. Rogue was driving, as to not kill anybody who they brought home from the train station.
Pherma laughed. "I'm pretty good at avoiding the guys. And just single guys, not ones who are married, coupled, or have met their soul mates. So hopefully, I'll be okay at the Xavier's."
The talk on the ride home was similar. Talking about where people were from, bands they liked, what they had been doing. When Rogue pulled into the mansion, everybody felt more comfortable with the people in the car.
Kurt carried Amanda's bags for her, to be all impressive. When Pherma walked in, a lot of eyes turned to her. Poor girl. She must be so tired of it. Xavier rolled in and introduced the new mutants.
"I would like to introduce Pherma, Andrew, Sonia, and I believe most of you have met Amanda." Kurt had his arm and tail wrapped around her possessively, but not having to worry because a good few eyes were on Pherma.
Kitty showed them all to rooms. Pherma, Amanda and Sonia were all sharing a room, so it was a quick trip. Sonia seemed quiet and shy, and Pherma was outgoing and talkative. Amanda was the same – polite, friendly and a general sweetheart.
"So this guy walks up to me and says 'girly, you look damn fine. I bet you'd look twice as good on my pillow tomorrow morning." Kitty rolled her eyes, smirking. "So what I did was I got him into the bathroom and got him to strip down, right? And then I nicely shoved him out into the club, naked, in front of everybody. Then I jumped out the window and threw his clothes in the trash and took off." Kitty burst out laughing as they reached the room on the third floor, where the Professor had insisted these three girls stay.
"Well, are you single?" Kitty asked. Pherma looked up and nodded.
"Yeah, but none of the guys here have a chance." Kitty raised an eyebrow, silently wanting an explanation. The new mutant didn't take the time to explain. Pherma tossed her blonde locks over her shoulder and dropped her luggage next to one of the beds. She was only staying with Sonia and Amanda until she had picked out a room from one of the adult wings. Sonia seemed to walk over the window and had half of her body stuck out it.
Kitty stuck her head through a wall to see Sonia scouting out of the roof. "What are you, like, up to?"
"Checking out the roof to see how much sun it gets." Sonia chuckled at the look of utter and total confusion that crossed Kitty's face. "I'm a tree. I need sunlight for energy, just like plants. So I like to go up on roofs and sunbathe. I always have a great tan, too." Sonia winked a sea green eye at Kitty and then climbed back into her new room. The girls braids flowed as she walked, and Kitty grinned. She did indeed have a great tan.
Dinner was served at 6:30, to give the four new house members time to settle. Storm had cooked, and of course there was enough food for everyone. During dessert, a few…more comical events had taken place.
"Bobby!" Jubilee cried, slamming her spoon down into her empty dish. Storm had made angel food cake that night – a soft sponge cake, topped with a huge mass of blueberries, strawberries, raspberries and blackberries and then whipped cream.
"What?" He said. The Iceman's eyes were clearly focused on Pherma, who was politely making conversation with Storm about what life had been like in Los Angeles.
"You won't stop staring at her!" Jubilee pointed angrily to Pherma. "And I'm your girlfriend!" Pherma and Storm's conversation halted as they turned to Jubilee and Bobby's argument.
"You know I'm not interested in her! I was staring off into space, Jubes! You know that!" He glared at her. And she glared back.
"As if! You were completely absorbed in Miss Supermodel! I'm sorry not all of us look like we just jumped off a runway!"
"Jubes, you're beautiful! I don't want you on a runway, I want you here! Screw supermodels, I want you. We've been over this!" She crossed her arms and turned her back to him.
He wrapped an arm around her waist and pulled her close to him. She resisted, but he moved against her and started whispering in her ear. He was singing softly, just enough so that Kitty –who had been next to Jubilee – could hear. It was their song, 'You and Me' by Lifehouse. Kitty smiled and returned to her ice cream as Jubilee's expression softened and she smiled at her boyfriend.
Amanda leaned over to Kurt. "Does that happen a lot?"
He smiled. "Almost every day." They laughed, and he reached for her hand under the table. She grinned at him. I missed him so much, she thought. It's been far too long.
Xavier cleared his throat, and everybody looked to the head of the table. "Now, the new recruits have a training session with Logan in the morning. Older X-Men have a schedule posted in their rooms as to when they're helping. Amanda, you are not expect to attend practice, but you are most welcome to watch. Scott, Jean and I are going to Hawaii in the morning to pick up the mutants who have been staying with Alex. I trust the mansion will be fine when we return, because we also expecting the Brotherhood to be arriving soon." A few widened eyes turned to the Professor. "We must remember, X-Men, that they are not our enemies. Because we need each other now. All mutants must band together, remember. So I expect you to treat each of them as allies, not enemies. Fighting will not be tolerated, and you will be punished for such actions. Am I understood?" Nods went around the room.
"Excellent. Good night, X-Men." And the Professor wheeled off.
Everybody stood and dishes got passed down the table. Jubilee and Bobby were on dish duty tonight, and Rogue had training with Logan. So she walked over to the elevator and pressed the down button which took her to area of the danger room that was used for sparring where she and Logan tried to work on her powers and controlling in the psyches.
He was already there when they got there. "Hey, Stripes. Just give me a minute." Logan had a cigar in his mouth, and Rogue grinned. It was the only area of the mansion where the Professor allowed Logan to smoke, and even then it was rare that Charles was accepting of his habits.
Soon, Logan and Rogue were sitting cross-legged, facing each other in the middle of the room. Rogue had her eyes closed and Logan was speaking slowly.
"Concentrate on Storm's psyche. Call it forth into your mind."
Blackness. That's all there really was, usually. I mean, sometimes it changed to show random bits of other dark colours, but mostly was blackness. And then, out of air, Storm appeared.
"Think about her powers. Think about her ability to fly. Concentrate on flying."
Storm reached out her hands and began to float in Rogue's mind. White swirls wrapped around the weather goddess' body. She roamed around the blackness freely – a little bit of light.
"She is inside of you. The power is inside you. Search for the power."
But there was just Storm, and the blackness. The Power was no where…it was too hard to see. She couldn't find it. Rogue pushed herself, looking around everywhere, and then studying Storm closer.
"Focus on the power."
The white swirls surrounding Storm's body as she flew around became stronger and began to almost glow.
"Bring the power to you."
Rogue called to it, called to the swirling power. She wanted the glow to surround her, too. She wanted to fly and be free like Ororo.
"Bring the power to you."
Ever slowly, the white light seemed to grown and expand, and started to flow towards Rogue. The darkness was expanding and her head was pounding – like somebody had tried to use her for their new drum set. The white and the darkness were swirling, swirling
Darkness and noise and light and silence…
Her green eyes flew open and she screamed, seeing her body suspended a good two feet off of the ground. Rogue fell suddenly, crashing into the mats, landing on her left arm with a large thud. Logan ran to her as the Southern Belle rolled over, clutching her arm.
"It's okay, Stripes. I don't expect you to have control this soon…" Those were the last words she remembered before blacking out.
Pherma walked up to Jubilee after dinner. The firecracker girl had been sitting in the Rec. Room, watching some television program Pherma had never seen in her life. Pherma sat down next to the younger girl, curling her feet under her.
"Can we talk for a second?" Jubilee nodded and turned the television off and faced the newer mutant resident to the house. "I wanted to tell you about my mutation. Because at dinner you seemed really upset when you thought Bobby was looking at me. I can't say whether he was or not, I just feel you should know." Jubilee inclined her head to one side, which Pherma took as a sign to continue.
She slowly explained about the pheromones and chemicals her body gave off. Jubilee became much more comfortable by the time Pherma finished.
"So you see, you can't blame Bobby…he's just responding to the chemicals. So don't have anymore fights on my account, okay? I can't stand it when people fight on my account."
The young Asian girl hugged the older mutant and got up and walked away, smiling. Probably in search of her little boyfriend… The door bell sounded throughout the mansion. More new mutants? Pherma bounced up and headed in the direction of the door.
It didn't help much that she got lost twice and walked into three walls on her way there.
When Pherma finally reached the door, she saw Rogue, Kitty, Kurt and Logan staring at the four young boys in the door way.
"Who's this?" Pherma inquired.
"Pherma, meet the Brotherhood of Mutants."
Thanks for reading guys, see you soon! Chapters 2 and 3 are already written, so I'll be posting those shortly. Please review and let me know you're reading!