Phoenix here. Okay once again thanks to the people at Nifty's. Thanks to everyone who's joined my group. Thanks to the people who've sent me alla those emails to help keep me inspired.
As always, thanks to Jake and Rick, Mike and Carlos. You my bois.
Thanks to the ever supportive Chellebelle, I'm comforted to know that someone cares.
To Alex-Dude, I'm trying to aim for the sex, but I want to make sure the story is believable too, so please bear with me. And I confess, it's going to be new ground for me, the most I've ever done with a guy is swap spit. So I will have to-for want of a better phrase-research this.
Thanks for the kudos Chad H.
To gogo, for all those kind words and all the messages. I'm especially grateful to you, you probably know more than anyone what I'm going through.
Special Thanks to my now favorite ex editor Tom. I got your email, and I gotta sy it was very encouraging. Sad to I'll probably never take the advice and get this revamped and published, 'cuz I'm in the closet and will most likely be there for eternity. i never wanted to write anything like this for that reason too, it was more so I could get it out of me, not go crazy and be open SOMEWHERE. But your words REALLY meant a lot to me. Here's to you!
{}-Telepathic conversations.
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I got up early the next day. I wanted to have some time to mentally prepare myself for the ordeal of facing the guys again. Both Scot and Bobby had said that things weren't as bad as I thought they were, but I just wanted to make sure. Besides, Bobby had hinted that Amara was mad at me for bringing her up, in the argument that Ray and I had going on the day before. I didn't know what to make of that, but if I made Amara mad, hell, thatwas a good thing in my book. I seriously disliked her now. Maybe as much as Jean disliked Emma Frost. I got dressed, and began pacing the floors in my room, back and forth. It's a habit of mine, more than once I've been told it's annoying, but I didn't give a damn about that, it helps clear my head. When I felt that I was ready, I opened my door and went downstairs. It was currently 8:30 am. Classes officially began at nine. As luck would have it, the first class I had that day, was a mutant class. Elementals, with Ororo a.k.a. Storm. What this meant, was that I'd have to face Ray again. I went down the hall. The rest of the guys just usually hang out in the Rec-Room before classes. No doubt they'd all be there. I decided to go there myself. I couldn't act like a coward all the time, couldn't hide myself from them. Besides, Bobby said that they weren't all that mad at me, and I had promised him I'd be there too. The night before, he said he'd hold me to it. I couldn't help but feel extremely privileged at having a friend like Bobby. He really pulled me through some stuff here at the mansion. Last night's blue funk was no exception. I still had the hots for him, no doubt. Sigh, I guess Fate had other plans in mind. I'd better watch myself around him. With Jacob gone, I'd be a horny, horny teenager soon enough. Hell, I'd have to rely on jackoffs for a while.
Jacob.... I wondered if he was mad at me. He didn't react anywhere near as mad as I thought he would,when I broke the news to him the day before. I knew he was mad at Bobby, the look he tossed him made even me cringe. And the fact that he was more than hesitant to replenish Bobby's energy in the Danger Room, confirmed it. I had tried as hard as possible to suppress our Mind Link. Thankfully, it seemed to be working. I had to not only withdraw physically from him, but mentally as well. It would be...easier that way. Until, he learned to get along with Bobby. If he really loved me, it couldn't be that hard. I was a bit thrown off that he didn't even try to rally support for my plan in the Danger Room. What was an even tougher blow, was the fact that he didn't at least try to calm Ray down. Hell, he said he loved me. He used to say it all the time. Didn't he love me enough to act like a regular, run of the mill friend and put in a good word for me? And then there was Amara to think about. I wondered how she would take it when she saw me. She probably was mad I'd blamed her for Jamie's knock out. Hell, it was true and they all knew it. Although Ray wouldn't admit it.
Well, there's the Rec-Room doorway. I'd made it. Now to take the first, and hardest, step. Bracing myself, I opened the door. I didn't want to just waltz on in looking at them. I just looked at the floor and headed inside, slowly. My plan was to just act like I came there on my own and if they called me over, then I'd go. That way it wouldn't look like I went over to them begging for forgiveness, and it'd be a good tester to see if they were mad or not. If they called me over, I'd know everything would be normal and I'd act normal. If they didn't call me over, I'd know they didn't want to have anything to do with me. Either way, I'd know how to act. And I'd avoid any possible embarassment too, always a plus. I finally mustered up the courage to look up. I saw them all on the long couch, in front of the Bigscreen. Jamie and Roberto were playing video games on a PS2. John and David were arm wrestling, with might and main. Jacob was in a corner by himself, reading. I didn't see Jubilee or Ray there. Neither Amara, which was ALWAYS a plus. I heard Bobby before I saw him.
Bobby: "Hey, Rick, wait up!"
Wait....he was behind me? What was he doing there? He should have been in here before me. I timed everything right. So in case anything went wrong, I'd only have to spend a minimum of time with them. I stopped, waiting for him. I was a little thrown off. Was I just going to go greet them all, and Bobby wouldn't have been there in the room with me? Gulp. He was the only one of them who talked to me since yesterday. I don't why, but it made me feel a whole lot better that he was there. He had caught up to me by now. He was breathless, as if he had been running.
"Uh-Bobby?"
Bobby: "Yeah."
"Where were you coming from in such a hurry?"
Bobby: "Your room."
My room? What was he-
"What-were you doing in my room?"
Bobby: "Not in, outside of it actually. I was waiting with the guys out here and it was getting late. I thought you were gonna be a no-show, so I went up to your room to see if you were still there."
"Oh, I was coming, but-"
Bobby: "Which side of the staircase did you take?"
"The left, why?"
He hit himself on the head.
Bobby: "So that's how come I missed you. Anyhow, you gonna go in, or stand around here all day?"
We went in. Bobby walked in his usual confident stride. I lagged somewhat behind him. Still a little nervous. He made it over to them before I did. Now that I was here, I was suddenly hesitant. Bobby, however would have none of it. He actually came back and pulled me into the group.
"Uh-hi guys."
I expected the worst. I guess I didn't give them enough credit. They didn't even admonish me in the least about the day before. As a matter of fact, they surprised me.
Jamie: "I'm glad you decided to stay Rick."
"Huh? How did you kn-"
Roberto: "Bobby told us. I'm glad you saw sense too."
I looked over at Bobby in pure gratitude. I told him how much I appreciated it too, mentally.
{Thanks Bobby, for everything.}
Just then John and David came over, and pretty soon, things seemed back to normal. I mean, I didn't know how Ray, Jubilee or Amara would react to seeing me again, but things seemed okay between us here. I glanced at Jacob and called out telepathically.
{Hey.}
{Jacob: Hey. You all right?}
{I'm coping. You?}
{Jacob: I'm not, but I will be, when you decide come back to me.}
{When you decide to drop your grudge against Bobby. What if some other gay guy had it in for me, what would you do then huh? Besides, I see you have an admirer.}
{Jacob: Yeah, I'll have to figure out how to let her down easy.}
{Why bother? She'll just move on, all on her own. She bounces back easy. Hell she dealt with my rejection, Bobby's and Roberto's all in two days. She can't have her heart broken.}
{Jacob: I-I'm over the Bobby thing. It's okay, he's just your friend. I trust you, just come back.}
{You didn't want to heal him yesterday Jacob, replenish his energy. You realize that if you didn't, he wouldn't have been able to shield me from the Sentinel's hit yesterday? What if something like that happened on the field? I want to be sure. And I doubt that it would take you only one day to get over it. I'm going to tell you something.}
{Jacob: What?}
{You know that I told Ms. Grey about your fight yesterday?}
{Jacob: What? Why?}
{She sensed something was wrong and badgered it out of me. Anyhow, when I told her about Bobby, she was all for telling the Professor. But I tried to calm her. She said she'd talk to Bobby, and if he dropped charges, she wouldn't tell. You know that she did talk to him yesterday?}
{Jacob: So now I'll have Xavier on my case?!}
{You didn't let me finish, and you don't give him enough credit. He dropped it. You're off the hook. He took the first step Jacob. He let it slide. Think about how you made him feel in the Danger Room when you didn't want to help him. He actually stood up to Ray for me, even listened to my plan. Why couldn't you do that? I just said we had to stop, you know.... I didn't say we couldn't be friends until this got sorted out.}
{Jacob: I was just-upset, that's all. But, if I had it to do it again, I'd mind control Ray and make him listen to you.}
I smiled at that. At least he wasn't going to give me a difficult time and make things harder for me. He smiled with me, weakly, but it made me feel better. He had something to ask me though.
{Jacob: Rick, just promise me one thing.}
{What?}
{Jacob: Promise me that you'll wait for me. Give me a chance to change. That you'll still be there waiting for me. And while you're waiting, you won't-you know-be with anyone else. Just-we are still a couple, right?}
{Yeah, we are. And I promise, I will Jacob.}
{Jacob: One more thing, could you call me Jake once in a while, it's always Jacob, now with you.}
{Okay Jaco-Jake. And this could be good for us. As friends we can get to know more about each other before we commit our lives to a serious relationship. I just don't want to rush things and end up getting hurt, that goes for you too, 'cuz, I really, really love you Jake, I might not say it often, but I want you to know it, okay?}
{Jacob: Same here. But, let's try and not spend too much time away from each other, okay? Let's try and sort this out in good time, I don't want to be away from you longer than I have to be. It feels like you left me completely, I only get hushed mumbles from our link.}
{I don't want to mind link for a while okay. That's something we'll have to give some time.}
{Jacob: I understand, it's okay. Mumbles are better than nothing. Still, if you ever need me, I'm just a mind link away.}
{That goes for you too.}
We were snapped out of it by David.
David: "Why are you so quiet all of a sudden Rick?"
"I was just thinking."
David: "Oh. Jacob, aren't you going to at least say Hi to Rick?"
It plain slipped me that Jacob hadn't said a word out loud to me in all that time. It must have looked odd.
Jacob: "Hi Rick. Everything all right?"
It was but a poor imitation of what we'd just shared. I decided to ask them what I'd been longing to ask them.
"Guys, ah, is Ray mad at me?"
Jamie: "Well, he was yesterday, but Jubes said she was gonna "Persuade" him to get along better with you."
"Persuade him?"
John: "Oh hell, she's gonna lay him out."
Roberto: "Either he behaves, or he ain't gettin' any."
David: "And we all know how cranky he gets when he doesn't get any!"
We all had a good laugh.
"So Jubilee's not mad at me for cussing out her hubby?"
Bobby: "Nah, she told him he should have listened to your plan, then she wouldn't have chipped her nails trying to pick up and throw those spider mines."
I'd have to thank her for it. No wonder they weren't here this morning, probably slept in late, after goodness knows what. I wondered where Amara was. I had the distinct impression that she was going to try real hard with Jacob. Guess I was wrong. Still, I liked it that she wasn't here next to him. We relaxed a bit more. Then bell went and we all had to go to our individual classes. Jacob had to go to his Advanced Biology class with Mr. Mcoy, Jamie had to go for a Mathematics class. Roberto, Bobby, John and I had Elementals with Ororo and David had a study period. I sighed, I wondered how Ray would take seeing me after my explosion. I would be seeing him next in Ororo's Elementals class. John and Roberto went down the hallway, to Ororo's class. I was lagging behind, partly because of my Ray paranoia, and partly because of Jaco-Jake.
{Jake: So uh-I'll see you later huh?}
{Yeah. See you later.}
Bobby: "Rick, you comin', or you wanna be late and have to deal with Ororo?"
{Bye Jake.}
{Jacob: Don't say goodbye, say see you later, let's just leave it at that.}
{Okay, see you later.}
I turned and left, following Bobby and the others in the direction of Ororo's classroom.
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Bobby: "Now, just go in there and don't give a fuck if Ray wants to be a Bitch, okay?"
"Uh-okay."
John: "Don't think he will though, I mean after Mr.Summers talked with him."
Roberto: "Yeah, and let's not forget bro, you got Jubilee on your side. Ray may act all badass, but he really loves her. He can't deny her anything for long."
Bobby: " 'Cuz then she starts denying him."
I appreciated their encouraging words. Amara was supposed to be here too. After all she was an Elemental. With that we went in. Most everyone else was there. This was already my most trying class, if Ray wanted to be a jerk, it could become even harder. Ororo hadn't tried to fool us. She made it perfectly clear that learning to control Elemental Energies was not going to be easy. A lot of Mutants with Elemental Powers never fully learn to control it. Fortunately for us, we had her for a teacher. She had the most perfectly balanced self-control. Always patient and encouraging. And to cap it all off, she was the Ultimate Elemental. She had the Elemental power so under her heels that she could manipulate their vast, incomprehensible energies, to the point of Weather Control. She was so powerful, that even as a child in her homeland of Kenya, she was recognized as one of Great Power. Her home tribe, not knowing anything of Mutations or Genetics, thought of her as a Goddess come down to Earth. In truth, she was very beautiful, inside out, had an unflawed character too. And Power? I knew that she was affectionately called Goddess here at the Mansion too, either that or Weather Witch, if someone was in the mood for a joke. Her usual codename was Storm. It's self-explanatory really. I was willing to bet that she could very well be the most powerful of the Xmen if she were roused. I saw a glimpse of it in the Professor's Office, when she "Talked" to Scot about his hassling me. Even Professor Xavier seemed troubled, and he's a real stiff.
She gave us accounts of her own experiences dealing with the Power. I could tell that she had a hard childhood, not knowing who or what she was. Considered a Goddess by her home tribe, but a Demon to rival tribes. They had fought tribal skirmishes over her, to control her and her power. Many chiefs wanted her to bear their children, with the selfish hope that the children would inherit her Gift. Her parents had died in a bomb blast in Cairo, Egypt. She herself was trapped under the rubble of the cataclysm for days before she was rescued. It left her severely scarred emotionally. She developed claustrophobia-the fear of enclosed, restricting places-because of it. She had to live on the streets. Picking pockets for a wicked man she didn't care to tell us more about. Until the fateful day she picked the pocket of Charles Xavier, then much younger, and with the full use of his legs. He was in Egypt, enjoying a tour of the Pyramids. Fate had delivered her to salvation. Hearing of her life always gave us inspiration, and made us ashamed whenever we thought thoughts like,
{"This is too hard. I can't do it, it's too much power to control."}
{"I can't take this anymore."}
{"Why did this have to happen to me!"}
She had been through so much, and we hadn't. We didn't even have the burden that she did. She had to watch her emotions, keep them on a tight leash at all times. I could relate somewhat. Sometimes when I got angry, the air would grow hotter, when I was scared, it could cause seismic vibration.....among -other things. But if she let her emotions rage out of control, we could very well see the likes of hurricanes, tornadoes, hail, sleet and snow. As such, we all took her class very seriously. Not all of us had serious control issues, some were lucky enough to just have minor flaws. Unfortunately, I was never very lucky. This class was my main reason for being here at the Mansion. And there was no way I was gonna let Ray (Or Amara) ruin it for me. That said I glanced around looking for Ray. Ororo hadn't come into class yet. It was then that I saw him come in. Luckily for him, Ororo was running late. I did see Amara though, she was on the other side of the room. Flirting with some boy. Guess, she had moved on. I sure hoped so. Ray was making his way over to us. I put on the best tough guy look I could manage and waited for whatever bomb he was going to drop on us. He came over and took a seat.
Ray: "Hey guys, how's it hangin'?"
John: "Low, and a little to the left."
They laughed, even me. At least it was nothing like yesterday. If they were willing to pretend that nothing out of the ordinary had happened, I was more than agreeable. A couple of times I saw Ray looking at me, even went so far as to open his mouth-though no words came out-no doubt trying to figure out how to say sorry. I gotta hand it to Jubilee, chick sure works fast. He didn't get to attempt it much more though, at that moment Ororo came into class. She immediately apologized for being late, but she had some matters to attend to. Without further or do, she began the day's lesson. I expected it to be like the others, where she'd pit us against each other and we'd have to struggle, using only Elemental Energy to take the other down. By pitting us against different people each time, we'd learn which Element had advantages over which. She didn't want to just tell us, she wanted to make sure we learnt from experience. But today's class would be different, instead of pitting us against one another, we would be in co-operative mode today. She was going to expound on the Balance of the Elements in Nature.
Ororo: "Nature is the Ultimate Force at work on this planet. A major aspect of its Power, lies within the Elements. Even the Ancients realized this Primal Fact. Albeit, in a way different from our understanding. But it was always there. Earth, Fire, Wind, Water and Electricity, the Elements. Even though we posess the Power to manipulate these Elements, we must never forget that what we are doing is manipulating Nature's Balance, for good or ill. As such if we don't maintain control at all times, even the best of us can throw things out of alignment. Now I know that many of you have differences of opinion. The Pyrokinetics, for example, think that Fire is the ulimate Element."
John: "YUP, DAMN RIGHT!!"
Ray: "What?!! Sit your ass down!"
Ororo: "See what I mean? And the Electrokinetics beg to disagree. But the plain fact is-No Element is superior to another in isolation. Certainly a particular Element may be better suited for dealing with a particular threat, but no more. Amara, Rick, won't you agree?"
Amara: "Well, I guess, I mean, I have Fire and Earth and I like 'em both just fine."
I heard the Bitches lecherous thoughts. The way she broadcasts them.
{Amara: Uh huh, Fire makes me HOT! And Earth, I get 'em all Rock hard!! They sure get their rocks off when they're wi-}
I cut her off mentally, she was so full of herself, it was disgusting. I mean, sure she was...beautiful. Why do some people insist on projecting their thought so loud? But she didn't have anything on Jubilee, and Jubilee wasn't such a slut.
Ororo: "And what about you Rick? You have all five of them within, as do I, what do you think?"
"Well, um, I think they're all great. Sometimes, it's best to use one or the other, but they all have their use I guess."
Ororo: "For the last few classes I've been matching you against one another, for you to get an appreciation of the other Elements. Now I want to make sure that you haven't developed disdain for those who control a different Element. We should all count ourselves blessed that we have been entrusted with Nature's most powerful of gifts. In Nature all the Elements work together. The rainwater and earth yield fruit, vegetation. Lightning helps fix Nitrogen in the soil. The wind is the result of uneven heating of the ground by the fiery heat of the sun. Even the Ancients saw that our physical form was made from the Elements of Earth, 26 of them, carbon, sulphur, nitrogen, iron and the like. We have the warmth of Fire within us. Our blood pulses with Water. 80% of our body mass is due to water. Our minds work via Electrical nerve impusles, our breath is as of the Wind. So we are all the Elements combined, working in tandem, which is what we shall be doing today."
This was getting interesting. We would be working together? Would be a new experience too. Before, she had us fighting it out. I wondered what exactly she had in mind. She soon clarified.
Ororo: "If you would be so kind as to join me outside, we will begin today's exercise. I have cleared it with Professor Xavier and the rest of the teachers. We will have a little outdoor excursion in the backyard for this morning."
Girl: "Yes! At least now we won't have that algebra test with Mr. Mcoy. Ms. Munroe is now officially my fave."
Ororo burst her bubble though.
Ororo: "All upper level Algebra students of Mr. Mcoy's, your test will be this afternoon, sixth period, hope that didn't ruin your opinion of me Jan."
With that we followed Ororo outside. The Mansion, 1495 Graymalkin Lane, was rather secluded, and the grounds were vast. No surprise, for everyone's safety, it was best that the school be kept away from prying eyes. And the vast grounds gave ample space for outdoor courses. Ororo led us outside and made us sit down on the lawn. Without further or do, we saw her focussing. Her eyes went white. The next thing we knew, we were surrounded by thick, billowing fog. We were honestly not expecting her to do that. It sure cut down visibilty, I couldn't see a foot in front of my face.
Girl: "Hey! Whose hand was that on my ass?! Roberto, if that's you, your head's gonna roll!"
I heard Roberto snicker.
Roberto: "It's not me Sharon. I wouldn't dream of layin' a hand on your ass!"
Girl: "Huh? Why, what wrong with it?"
Roberto didn't answer. She kept pestering him, girls, lol. Ororo didn't let us indulge in frivolities for long though.
Ororo: "I take it that you know that this is fog. Do you know how it's formed?"
From my Geogrpaphy classes I knew. Whenever warm, moist air passes over a cool surface, like water, cooler air, the cold ground and the like, fog and mist are possible. Ororo explained it for the benefit of the class. For those who never bothered to take Geography.
Ororo: "So, how'd you like to try it?"
Was she for real? Sure we were Elementals, but we couldn't-control the weather.
John: "But Ms. Munroe, we can't do that."
Ororo: "Why not? This is simple."
Bobby: "Well, how?"
Ororo: "Think of it like this. Each Element has Mundane and Subtle aspects. Take Fire, for example. It's lower aspect is the actual flame, but it's true property is HEAT. That's what I control, the subtle heat. You've never seen me throw out flames have you? Water's true property is cooling, Air, is movement, Electricity is vibration, Earth is stability. So if you work together, to move warmer air over cooler air, you can make fog, together. Care to try?"
She banished the fog that she had created. For the next hour, she had us visualizing. Trying to FEEL the heat, FEEL the coolness, FEEL the movement. To be painfully honest, I did find it a bit humorous. I mean, it sounded like the stuff artists talked about sometimes,
Feel, the paint, become one with the paint, lol.
Anyhow, in her own way, I supposed Ororo was an artist. After our introduction to the theory, it was time for the practical. This was going to be a stretch. I wouldn't say that we were in rival gangs or anything that farfetched, but there was rivalry. The Hotheaded pyrokinetics for example, always tried to show-off. Thankfully, the Hydros kept their cool. The Terrakinetics (Earth Elementals) were accussed of having rocks in their heads and the Electrokinetics were far too unpredictable. The Sylphs (Wind Elementals) were far too perky for my taste. I didn't know where to fall in. I was multi-elemental. So was Amara, she just went along with the Hotheads however, her newest boy toy was among them. I was about to go over and join the Hydros with Bobby, but Ororo summoned me over. I wondered what she wanted to say.
Ororo: "Rick, is everything okay? I heard about your ordeal yesterday from Scot."
"Everything's okay now Ms. Munroe."-I felt it best to refer to teachers properly when in a class.
Ororo: "You're sure?"
"Yeah. Just got a little hotheaded."
Ororo: "Oh, okay, well, you seem to be getting along well with the rest of the students, so I guess everything's okay."
"Ms.Munroe, I don't know who to join. There's the Fire people, Earth people...Water, Wind, Electric- Who should I go with?"
Ororo: "Actually, that is why I called you here. You'll be with me."
"You?"
Ororo: "Yes, You have the full complement and I'm going to make sure that you learn to use it to full capacity."
The ramifications of her statement hit me.
"Ms. Munroe?! You don't-You CAN'T think that I could, Do that do you?"
Ororo: "Why not? You have everything you need, the Five Elements, and you are going to get training from the best in the business. That's me by the way."
"But, you are talking about combining them. I only combined two together before, like Fire and Water to make Steam. Besides, you just said that what WE control is the Mundane form of the Elements. I don't see how-"
Ororo: "There is no reason you cannot learn. You think I started out perfect, I still am not."
"Did my dad learn how to?"
Ororo: "No, he was coming along fine too, but for some reason, he decided he didn't want to continue his tenure here at the Mansion. Pity...anyhow, now they've sent along you to be my apprentice, so what do you think?"
"I don't know, it sounds hard."
Ororo: "It is, I'll have confess, but don't tell me you're afraid of a little work. If you have the potential, why not develop it, the others are trying. They are working together too, for a change."
"So, what do you want me to do?"
Ororo: "How about trying that Fog creation? Do you remember how Fog is formed, or do you want me to explain it again?"
"It's okay...I took Geography, and we had a lot of Weather topics and Meteorology stuff."
Ororo: "Excellent. At least you'll have an undertanding of how the weather forming processes work. So, want to give it a try?"
"Okay, I'll try with the Fog."
And to be honest I tried. Got nothing for my efforts too. I just couldn't seem to focus on three Elements at a time. My limit appeared to be two. And to create these complex weather phenomena required subtle energies from multiple Elements. I tried warming air above ground. That was simple enough. And I preciptated cold water on the ground, but I couldn't use Wind to move the warm air downwards, to come into contact with the cold water. Hot air has a habit of rising, a no no for Fog. Ororo would allow me to use actual water for now, but she expected me to be able to use subtle energies eventually. It was frustrating. What was worse, I heard Amara snickering. When I glanced over at the rest of the guys, I saw that they had been having great success. They Hotheads had had warmed the air, the Wind Elementals had moved it down, and the Hydros had cooled the lower air, without actual Water, just cooling energy, the essence of water. The Fog was billowing around them, Ororo was beaming, no doubt proud. I felt stupid. She must have seen the crestfallen look on my face. She walked over.
Ororo: "Keep persevering Rick. Rememeber, they got it so fast because they worked together, they each had only one Element to focus on at a time. If you keep practising, you'll be able to combine three eventually, you are almost there already. you just need to believe in yourself. I know you can do this."
Just then Bobby came over, with a proud grin on his face. I didn't doubt that he was the one who did most of the cooling back there. He already had the true essence of Water nauturally. He walked over to me and asked what I was doing.
Bobby: "What are you trying to do over here."
"Fog."
Ororo explained what she was trying to teach me to do. I explained to him my predicament, I just couldn't focus on three Elements at a time.
"I'm really, really trying, but this is just too hard, I can't keep focussing on three Elements long enough, whenever I try, I lose control of the other two. I've been trying an entire hour. You guys're lucky, you got it in half and hour."
Bobby: "Hey, I have an idea. What do you say, I cool the ground, and you just focus on warming the upper air and bringing it down. For starters. Then, when we have the fog going, I'll start releasing my control, and you can slowly take over. Can't learn to ride a bike without training wheels."
Ororo: "Excellent idea Robert! Pity I didn't have that advantage when I started."
We got to it. Bobby focussed on cooling the ground. That left me free to warm the air, and use Wind to bring it down into contact with the cold lower layers of air. Mist began to condense, essentially, cloud formation at ground level. In no time at all, we had the fog billowing about us.
Bobby: "Okay, I'm going to start lessening power, that air is going to stay warm for a while, so hold off some of that power in warming it and focus it on cooling the ground, okay?"
"Yeah."
While, Bobby was cooling the ground, I made sure that upper air was really hot, so I could lay off on reheating for a while. As soon as Bobby left off cooling the ground, I took over. With only having to focus on Air and Water, I had the fog going good. It was really getting thick.
Ororo: "Yes, Rick, you're doing it! Just-careful-careful..even the best of us know when to stop.."
I was spending so much energy cooling the lower air, that the fog was starting to form ice crystals.
Amara: "Urrruugh! It's f-freezing, h-hold me Steve."
Hmph! If she was so hot, why didn't she just morph into her Fire Form?
I realized I had beter stop. The fog lingered though.
Ororo: "Now to dispel the Fog. Anybody know how?"
Turns out, only us Geography students knew what she had in mind. Heat the air, and it would rise, taking the fog upwards and away from the ground. And the morning continued. She didn't want to keep the Earth and Electric sudents out of the act. What she had in mind was Lightning, not just basic Electric discharge. This time, all of us would have to work together, in smalll groups. We'd need Fire's warmth to heat the Air. A source of moisture, hence Water, Air to move it all along-(All this for storm clouds), Earth-to accept-and stabilze- the charge and Electricity to supply the power discharge. Bobby wanted us to go join Ray, John and Amara. Roberto was busy with that Sharon girl. I didn't know if it would be a good idea. I didn't think Ray would give much trouble, but Amara.....The way Bobby figured was this. He'd supply moisture, Amara would use her Earth power to accept Ray's charge, John, would give us the heat, and I'd supply the Wind to sweep the warm, moisturized air mass upwards. He went to them and called them over.
Bobby: "Now, just try to get along with Ray, to hell with Amara-just ignore her if she says anything."
No problem there. Once again, Ray took the lead. I just shut my mouth. I wasn't going to try and start anything up again. Not two times in two days.
Ray: "Okay John, get that lighter out and start heating, Amara stand ready to accept the charge, Bobby, bring on the moisture....Rick, just move the whole thing up when they say it's okay."
"Yeah...okay."
And this worked okay for a while. By Amara's using the Earth force, wherever she focussed, Ray's lightning discharge hit the ground there. Ray seemed to be enjoying himself. As long as Bobby, John and Amara kept their thing up, he'd be able to blast lightning. I had to keep moving air up, to maintain the clouds. But I didn't see why Ray should have been the only one to have fun. He paused momentarily. I could control two Elements at once, and I was currently only controlling wind. So I decided to blast a bolt myself.
ZAP!!
John: "Whoa, Ray, take it easy! Yu wanna start a fire?!"
Bobby: "I bet you'd get off on it, you're the Pyromaniac."
Ray: "It wasn't me-who?"
"Um...sorry. I just wanted to try it."
Ray, however, was not impressed. He began blasting bolt after explosive bolt into the area that Amara was focussing on. I figured that with John's heating, the air would keep rising for a bit-Thank God I took Geography-so I relinquished the control of Air. I focussed on Earth, on a different spot that Amara was focussing his lightning on. Now, focusing on only, Electricity and Earth, I sent a bolt there instead. Ray looked shocked-no pun intended-okay a little one. He started forming bigger bolts. Not one to be bested, so did I. John and Bobby were cheering us on. Amara made some comment about US MEN. But if Ray wanted to play this game I could too.
Ray: "Amara, can you focus on more than one spot on the ground at once?"
Amara: "Sure thing."
So that was his game. He started flinging bolts down in several differnt locations. I started to do the same. Mustering as much power as I could. What was more, I arranged eight spots of Earth around me, in a circle. Then I started raining bolts in sequence, like a carousel, spinning. Even Ray shot up an eyebrow. Good, he noticed. Ohter students were coming over by now to enjoy the lightshow we were putting on. Ororo appeared to be enjoying it herself. Not one to be put of Ray joined in on the action. Eventually we went back to single bolts of lightning. We were both running out of juice by then. I thought that Ray was going to Bitch at me. But instead he proved to me how unpredictable Electrical elementals could truly be.
Ray: "Not bad."
"You, too."
We were still blasting the bolts, but weak ones. Almost nonchalantly.
Ray: "Listen, Rick, about yesterday...I didn't really mean to say alla those things to you."
"You think them. And you don't just say them to me, you say them ABOUT me, like behind my back."
Ray: "And I'm sorry about that, it's just-"
"It's Jubilee, isn't it? You hate me 'cuz you think it was me who threw her inside the mansion?"
Ray: "I don't hate you...and Scot explained to me that it wasn't you, not really."
"What about you accusing me of trying to take over your leadership?"
Ray: "I was..."
"You were..."
Ray: "Okay, I was wrong. I should have listened to you and at least heard your idea before I made a team decision. Look it's not easy for me to take advice sometimes okay. I've had to make it on my own."
I looked over my shoulder. I could see Ororo nodding her head in approval. I guess, in our own way, we were talking things through. We eventually came to a compromise. And I got the feeling that he was being genuine. I'd really have to talk to Jubilee as soon as possible. Ray must really love her if she could make him change himself so fast. Wonder if Jake'll change for me that way? He extended his hand and I took it to mean a handshake. I shook it, and he shocked me! Literally. I shocked him back, it ended with us laughing. Everyone was tired by now and Ororo decided to give us the rest of the morning off. It was almost lunch time anyway. I could tell that she was proud that we'd all come through on this.We decided to go to the Rec-Room and rest until lunch. First thing first, we'd go back to our rooms and get a shower and change of clothes before that. I went back to my room happy. Sure, that Bitch Amara hadn't said a word to me, but hey, Girls...Who Needs 'Em anyway...
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Jubilee was a pretty smart girl. Hell, she had to have the street smarts to make it on her own. She grew up in a plush section of Los Angeles, and had it all. Then her parents died and left her Aunt and Uncle trustees of their fortune. Unfortunately, Jubilee could never get along with them. It wasn't her fault. They were always cramping her style. When they found out that she was a mutant, they made life unbearable for her. Always fiercly independent, she took off, to make it on her own. It couldn't have made her Aunt and Uncle happier. They now had an all access pass to the Lee fortune. Freedom was always more valuable an asset to her. She ran away and lived on the streets, and slept in Hollywood shopping malls, swiping whatever she needed from the mall's stores. Living far away from her sheltered neighborhood, she met all types. As if by instinct, she developed the talent to read people. She met all types, and could judge a person accurately by the first impression or vibe they gave off. And these instincts told her that something was going on that didn't add up. She was troubled by her suspicions. Not because her suspicions were dastardly horrible to her, it was more to do with knowing everything that was going around her, made her more comfortable. Like most girls, she couldn't stand it if something was going down and she didn't know all about it.
There was just something about Rick. From the first time she met him, Jubilee liked him. He had this natural quality of...innocence about him. And that touched her. He didn't talk the dirty jokes that the other boys did, he didn't curse, well not until recently. And she didn't care what the gossip around the school said, that he attacked Ms. Grey, Mr. Mcoy, Bobby and Mr. Summers. But recent events had gotten her to thinking. More so was Bobby's outlandish behavior. Jubilee had known Bobby for a long time, no questions there. And she had never known him to act in the way he had been acting. Ever...to....anyone. Surely there was more to it than Amara's come ons.
She got out of bed late that morning. She had tried to soften up Ray, wasn't the first time she had used sex to calm him down. She'd never seen him so mad before though. A lot of his moods these days seemed to revolve around around Rick. She couldn't understand why Ray didn't seem to like him. Sure, there had been one or two mishaps that Rick had been in. The Danger Room incident-accident she corrected herself-that Bobby had gotten injured in. Ray had never seemed to fully forgive Rick for that.What was stranger to Jubilee was Bobby's reaction to it himself. She knew she was no expert on the human psyche, but she had expected at least some negative reaction from Bobby, he'd almost died. Bobby hadn't spoken one word of reproach about it to Rick's face or even told them anything bad. Jubilee didn't think that two, almost strangers, could be that close. At the time, she thought it was a brotherly affection. She wasn't so sure now....
By contrast, Ray had a lot to say about it. Whenever Rick wasn't around, the topic always seemed to revolve around that accident. Things became worse when she told Ray about the time that Rick, posessed by Juggernaut's fury, attacked her and injured her spine, almost killing her. That sent him into a rage. She reminded him that the keyword was almost, besides Jacob had healed her of it. Ray became friendlier with Jacob after he heard that. Looking back on it now, she wished she'd kept her mouth shut. Like Bobby did. She was again surprised that Bobby hadn't mentioned a word of that to Ray, they never kept stuff from each other. Ray's constant badmouthing of Rick was getting to her. He was mad with Rick, for calling off whatever Amara thought was going on between them, too. He was mad with Rick, for suggesting a better idea than his in the Danger Room battle with the sentinels. He was mad at Rick for both her's and Bobby's accidents. Bobby and Ray quarrelled a couple of times. It NEVER happened before. Ray would bring up his accident and flames would fly. Hopefully things would calm down now. She did her best to placate Ray, and that was all she could do.
She needed to talk with Bobby. Get to the bottom of his sudden metamorphosis. Bobby was becoming more and more badass by the day. The things he said about Amara for example. Although, certainly she had to admit some of them were true, it was the way he said it. With such disgust...And she found herself thinking that Bobby was taking an awful lot of interest in Rick. Granted, he took a lot of interest in all of his friends, but something different seemed to be going on there. And Bobby always jumped to Rick's defence. Yes, it was a given that he was fiercly protective of his buddies. But he'd never been so defensive about any of them before, not even Jamie, and he was the youngest. A couple of times, when questions were directed at Rick, Bobby would answer them, as if he were speaking for Rick, what was more, Rick didn't seem to mind and was perfectly content to let the current state of affairs go on. When they went out on the ill-fated excursion that Friday night, on Ray's clubbing plans, an incident occuured, an incident that opened her eyes. She was surprised that Amara didn't see it. Then again, Amara was too busy oogling Rick. These teenage girls were simpering at Rick, calling out to him, Rick waved over to them. Jubilee expected him to go over and at least say hello, but he didn't. She now knew that he was really just a shy person. Ray however would have none of it, he was all for going there and getting Rick some action. Jubilee sighed, that was back when they got along. Sure, they had fallen out over how Rick had spoken to Jamie that afternoon, Jubilee still didn't get why he spoke so harshly, but if Rick and Jamie could reslove it, she could too.. Anyhow, Ray wanted to call them over, but Rick said he didn't want to. Ray persisted, before Rick could even respond, Bobby just about shouted for him to call his idea off, that Rick didn't want it. There had been genuine anger in his voice tone. That threw her. That was her first clue that something might, just maybe, could be going on. She'd need more corroborating evidence to substantiate her suspicions. Bobby's complete forgiveness-not even forgiveness-he never even fell out with Rick over his accident-had provided it.
Then, there were the stares she would see Bobby throwing Rick. She couldn't deny THEM. Rick seemed unaware of them. She was prepared to think that they were just ordinary glances, but in light of recent events, she could see they weren't. Once she thought Bobby was staring at Lucy Parker, who was sitting immediately behind Rick. She thought that maybe that was the reason why he had been so hard on Amara and her lame-ass flirts, but it wasn't Lucy he was tossing those looks of longing. It was Rick. Lucy had long since gone from the cafeteria, and yet Bobby kept at it. Why didn't she see this before? Was Bobby....She so needed to go talk to him. What if he was going through something all alone and didn't have anyone to turn to? Another fact came to her attention. Whenever they were all together, with the exception of Rick, Bobby could never seem to stay put. He'd always excuse himself, going off to look for Rick and see where he was, to get him out with them. It came to her as no surprise that Bobby had went along with Rick's plan in the Danger Room, it came to her as no surprise that he had tried to calm Ray down. He'd done it before. When Ray got all up in Rick's face about yelling at Jamie and stomped off. It happened the day before too. When Rick left the Danger Room, saying he was quitting the team, Bobby had it out with Ray, again....worse than before. Jubilee wondered if she was blind all along. She'd go have a talk with Bobby, that very day, it couldn't be put off any longer. And it couldn't be healthy, all these mood swings he'd been having.
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Bobby entered his room, quickly tossing off his clothes and rushing into the adjoining shower. He wanted to get this over with as fast as possible. They were going to spend the rest of their free time in the Rec-Room, and Rick would be there. No way he'd miss that. He couldn't help but be happy. he had good reason to be. Firstly, it seemed that Ray had finally gotten around to accepting Rick. He'd really quarrelled with Ray yesterday and it looked as if Jubilee's persuasion ha worked wonders. He'd have to thank her, mybe stop acting the way he'd been acting too. That had really gotten her angry. And Rick had finally seemed to see that Jacob was bad news. Before yesterday's fight, Rick and Jacob had seemed almost inseparable. He'd hardly been able to see Rick in public without Jacob a few steps behind. Now, Rick seemed to be keeping his distance. in the Rec-Room, he'd barely even said two words to him. Thank God for small blessings. Ray and Jacob seemed to have bonded though, no doubt because Jacob had healed Jubilee of her spinal injuries. Maybe in time Ray would see him for the fool that he relly was.
He was really worried yesterday when Rick said that he'd be leaving the team. It made him so mad, it scared him. Ray was wrong and he knew it. Bobby wanted to just strangle him. And that frightened him to no end. He couldn't believe he'd even thought that about his best friend. Yeah...he had it bad, real bad. But it changed this morning. Ray had apologised, in his own way. Ororo's Elemental class had done it, got to love her. Rick seemed to be his old self again, and that was gratifying. The night before, he was afraid of the boy he might meet when he went to Rick's room. It wasn't that he afraid of Rick or his alter ego. But he just couldn't stand to see him upset, and the way he left the Danger Room, was a whole lot worse than upset. Rick, seemed to have composed himself a bit when Bobby went up to his room. They'd talked about Ray and his attitude and Bobby had tried his best to satisfy Rick that things weren't as bad as they seemed. When he heard that Rick wasn't going to leave after all, he could have jumped to the roof. He did have to admit that bitchy Amara might still have a slight grudge, but Rick got over it.
He didn't like it how Rick still thought about the accident in the Danger Room, the one where he'd almost been killed because of his alter ego. He honestly hardly ever thought about it, so he didn't see why Rick should beat himself up over it. Ray and his badmouthing Rick alla the time. Rick seemed to be on the verge of breaking down when he mentioned the times he'd lost control and damaged both him and Jubilee. No doubt the latter was a major source of Ray's anger. So when Bobby got Rick to laugh, it felt like a reward had been tossed his way. He tried to get him to come downstairs that day, to the Rec-Room. It was evening yet and they could chill. Rick didn't want to, said he was sleepy and Bobby made him promise that he'd come the next morning. Which was why when Rick didn't show up the next morning bright and early, he wondered if Rick was backing out on him. He went to his room, knocked repeatedly and got no answer. He wasn't sure if Rick was ignoring him, so with a saddened heart, he lumbered back to the Rec-Room. When he saw Rick at the entrance, he burst into a run. He had to basically push him inside, he couldn't believe Rick was this nervous. Eventually Rick saw that amongst everyone else, nothing had changed. Bobby remembered the look of pure gratitude and the mental communication Rick had sent him.
{Thanks Bobby, for everything.}
It felt as if his entire life, well all seventeen years of it anyway, was lived for that moment. It made him feel even better than when he found out that Rick's plan in the Danger Room as centered around him. It left him in a serious haze. Bobby knew that he couldn't go on like this for long. Eventually, he'd have to do something about it. Rick was the first person he thought about waking up, the last person he thought about going to sleep-(The fact that he jacked off on images of Rick immediately before bedtime contributed to that)-and he dreamt him all the time. If he didn't do something soon, he might go crazy. But he'd need to build up his confidence, courage first. it terrified him about the consequences if Rick spurned him. But he knew that eventually it had to be done. He just hoped that it wouldn't end up with Rick hating him. He already knew how Ray felt about people like him. He finished his shower, tossed on some clothes and rushed back downstairs. Maybe if he were lucky he could spend some time with Rick more or less to himself.
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He was thirty-one and alone. Utterly alone. He'd been that way for fifteen, excruciatingly long, hellish years. Scot Summers, the Field Commander of the Xmen. He was always accused of being too severe, too strict, disciplinarian, even off the field. But he couldn't help it. His role as leader kept his mind occupied, it made him forget, at least half of the time...These past few weeks had been exceptionally hard on him. He had to work in close proximity to Rick, training the junior team. A couple of times, he'd almost gotten careless, lax and nearly called him Josh. He knew he could never have a relationship with someone like Rick. But it brought pack painful, stabbing memories of Joshua. He'd been looking at the old photo album nightly now, it always ended with him throwing it across the room. But that wasn't the only thing he had to worry about now. Now Jean Grey was on his case, again. He still blamed her, part of him. It was her fault, he told himself. She pried into his mind, saw his secret, made him talk to his FRIEND, and it ended up with him as the loser. He resented her with a vengeance for it. He was the one suffering, alone. Joshua went off with Julie and Jean went off with Logan. Logan, who was goodness knows how much too old for her. When she and Logan split apart, Scot was glad, he wanted to see her hurt, let her know what it felt like. But last night, she decided to act up, in true bitchin' Jean Grey style.
When Rick had stormed out of the Danger Room, saying he was going to quit the team. The selfish part of Scot's personality was agreeable. It meant that he wouldn't be forced to be near to a constant reminder of what could never have been. Even his anger was true to Joshua's style. But eventually, he knew he'd have to see past his selfish reasons and do what was best for Rick. After his "Talk" with Ray-It left him feeling like he was becoming like Ororo-he went to look for Rick. He knocked on Rick's door, constantly. He got no response. He was smart enough to know that attempted forced entry was not a good idea this time around and so he just gave it up for the day. He'd do it the next day. He was hungry and went down to the kitchen. Jean was there, and surprisingly, so was Rick. He never knew they were anything more than aquaintances. Sure she was fond of him as a baby, but fifteen years away changes people. Granted, some people were more resilient against change. Anyhow, he decided to talk to Rick while he was at it. Rick was sulking. It took some doing, but Scot got him to agree to try again and not quit the team. When he accomplished that, he felt strangely happy...happy? He thought he wanted Rick to leave the team. But he had to confess, part of him, the side that won the argument inside his head, wanted Rick to stay. Anyhow, Rick agreed to, that was the most important thing. When he mentioned Joshua's and his hatred, Scot was speechless for quite a while. Rick attributed it to differences of opinion in leadership matters. If he only knew... Scot assured him that his relationship with Ray was NOTHING like that. When Rick left, Jean decided to start up her bullshit.
Jean: "You handled that pretty well."
Scot:"Yeah, I guess I did."
Jean: "I couldn't even get him to reconsider it. He seemed adamant on leaving the team."
Scot:"I'm glad he's not, he has great potential."
Jean: "Yeah, he does. Sigh...you'd have made a great father Scot."
"Why'd you say that?"
Jean: "The way you handled it. I think he looks up to you like a father. His own dad being so far from here and all. You're like his father figure."
Scot:"I wouldn't say so."
Jean: "Why? YOU, don't think that's the way he looks at you?"
The way she said it. It drove him up a wall.
Scot:"What are you trying to imply?"
Jean:"Scot...he's not his father, you can't-"
Scot: "What the fuck do you take me for?! A child molester?"
Jean: "I'm just saying-"
Scot: "Shit! That's what you're saying. I can't beleive you'd even think it, God!"
Jean: "Yes I'm thinking it! Because you're thinking it! We have a link Scot, a weak one now, but it's there and can never be broken-"
Scot: "You've been spying on my mind?!"
Jean: "What do you think I am?"
Scot: "What do you think I am? THIS coming from a woman who broke Xavier's most sacred tenet, Mind Invasion. I wonder what you're precious students would think if they knew..."
Jean: "Stop it! I didn't spy, I sensed it. It's all that's on your mind these days."
Scot: "You...it's your fault Jean, you ruined my life! I was the one who paid the price. And you got free license to go after Logan, but it didn't go as planned did it? he couldn't stop seeing you like a daughter. And I forgave you for it...and after fifteen years you came to attack me with this.."
Jean: "I'm not attacking you, I just want to make sure that he doesn't get hurt."
Scot: "What do you think I'd do Jean? Whisk him away. Brainwash him into thinking he's gay, and use him to fulfil my darkest fantasies about Joshua."
Scot hadn't realized how it sounded at first.
Jean: "You were the one who said it Scot, not me."
Scot: "Stay the fuck away from me and my thoughts, you got that?!"
Jean: "Are you afraid of what I might find, the skeletons in your big, dark closet?"
Scot: "Shut up!"
Jean: "It looks like I struck a nerve. Make sure you don't do anything to make that kid hate you Scot, you've seen what can happen. Don't think that if you can't have the father, you can have the son."
He didn't know what happened then. All his suppressed rage came to the surface. He hit her. It stung them both. Neither of them expected it. She felt her face tentatively with her hand and looked him in the eye defiantly. For a minute, he thought she was going to attack him. The rage on her face led him to believe so. She struggled with her emotions and restrained herself however, and spoke to him in a voice strained with suppressed anger.
Jean: "If you ever do that again, I swear to God Scot, I will forget everything that the Professor has taught us."
He left then. He couldn't stand to be with her in that room any longer. What made him madder was the fact that every word she'd said was true. He wanted Rick to look at him that way, deep down he wanted it. And Jean Grey knew it. He hated her for it. He hated the Link, she was right, it could never be broken, not entirely. He just went straight to his room after that.
Just Great, he thought. Another load added to his burden. How much longer he'd be able to bear it, was a mystery even to himself.
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Okay that's chapter eight. Be sure to let me know what you think and how you feel about where I am taking this.
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