Subject: [OTL]: (alt. Havok/Madelyne/etc.) Echoes in the Canyon Chapter 1/? (PG-15) Date: Sat, 21 Feb 2004 15:59:26 -0800 (PST) From: Phil Hartman will1@earthling.net Echoes in the Canyon by Phil Hartman DISCLAIMER: They're all Marvel's. It's all fiction. No money is being made off of this. Etc. NOTE: Alternate universe. Also, some language, occasional violence, mature themes, and relentless villain humiliation >) NOTE 2: Blame this on general dissatisfaction with Chuck Austen and Mutant X. That, and I'd like to think that there's at least one universe where Madelyne Pryor had a happy ending ... ------------------------------------------------------- Anchorage, Alaska: 09/24/1990: ------------------------------------------------------- Alex Summers was not a fan of the cold. #Comes from growing up where I did. Besides, I'm a heat manipulator. I don't like having to put out low-level therms,# the 21-year-old ex-X-Man thought, hugging himself through his down coat as he disembarked from the Blackbird. He'd only agreed to this vacation because of two reasons: First, he was eager to meet his grandparents. Secondly, he and Lorna Dane had not been getting along well lately. #Guess I can't blame Lorna for feeling edged out. But I finally find out that my dad's alive - and even my grandparents - and then to meet them ... and then there's the whole Scott and Jean thing,# Alex pondered, looking over his shoulder at where his brother and family were disembarking. Nobody - and that included Alex and Lorna, who had prided themselves on being a little more aware of their surroundings than the average X-Person, given their enhanced perceptions - had picked up on the fact that "Jean Grey" hadn't been Jean Grey from 1988 through the better part of 1989. When the real Jean showed up and promptly kicked the Phoenix Force's ass out of the X-Mansion, then all but took Scott right on the rug of the front hall, there had been quite a few embarassed X-Men. #The wedding was so sudden - not that anyone was surprised, they'd been talking marriage right before Jean disappeared - and then the twins were born, Scott and Jean've had hardly any downtime. No wonder Scott resigned from the X-Men,# Alex thought. #But Lorna's been feeling marginalized too ...# Their last conversation before Alex had left with Scott, Jean and Christopher had been ... interesting, to say the least. Alex had his degree, as did Lorna, but graduate student monies were only going so far. She wanted to settle down, and Alex wasn't adverse to that in principal. #At least, I wasn't until I met the twins. I love them, but I'm not ready for that kind of commitment. Lorna seems like she is, though. I just don't know when - I mean, we're 21, for Christ's sake! What about life? I'm not Scott ...# Alex reflected as Jean fussed over the infants she and Scott were bringing down the ramp. "Jean, I just don't want them to overheat," Scott sighed. Jean rolled her eyes as she closely examined the bundle of snowsuit and blanket containing a merrily-squeaking Rachel Anne, then beamed at where Scott was holding a similarly-noisy Nathan Christopher Charles. "We'll let them roll around when we get inside your grandparents' shack - Chris! I think that's them," Jean called to her father-in-law. Christopher Summers bolted down the ramp and stopped by Scott's side, his face filling with awe, as an elderly couple approached from the cabin beside the air service's main office. "My God. Christopher ... get over here, boy," Philip Summers called. Chris meekly obeyed, the usual swagger he'd evidenced as Corsair all but gone as he hugged his parents for a long moment. Alex was more than a little glad to see his father's arrogance toned down. #I love him. I really do. But you'd think he could've gotten back here a little sooner,# Alex thought with a pang of bitterness. He glanced over at where Scott and Jean tentatively approached Philip and Deborah with the 3-month-old babies, and fought back an urge to deeply sigh. #I'm angsting. Christ, I can't even get away from THAT. It's not my fault that I'm still single and childless, or that I'm not the hero that Scott is, or that I have a legitimate resentment of my absentee father. So why the hell do I feel so ... jealous? Left-out? This is all such total bullshit,# Alex thought, scowling. "Alex? Is that you?" Alex almost jumped - he was more relieved that he hadn't let off a plasma pulse - when he heard an old woman's voice behind him. He spun around and looked down, then gingerly returned Deborah Summers' hug. "I'm sorry, Grandma. I guess I'm just not very good company today," Alex said. "You've got a lot on your mind. Would it help if I told you you look like your mother?" Deborah said with a little smile. Alex shuddered a little and breathed, "Kind of ... I don't remember her very well." "You were tossed out of a burning airplane when you were six years old. I can't blame you for having memory problems. C'mon, let's go have a ridiculously large meal and fuss over your nephew and niece. Oh, and there's someone I want you to meet - Chris said you and your lady friend are on the outs, so I hope you won't think I'm being a meddling old biddy," Deborah laughed. "Hey, at least you're being honest. I can handle that a lot better than stewing in my own whininess," Alex replied with a sad smile. ------------------------------------------------------- After supper, and several long talks, Alex found himself in one of the spare bedrooms (the cabin had proved to be larger than it'd looked). He set his suitcase below the bed and sat down near the pillow before looking at his hands. #I can melt mountains, but I can't let go of some petty, sorry-ass emotions. God, this is pathetic. No, what's pathetic is sitting here and whining to myself. Get off your ass, Summers, and go LIVE. Better yet, call Lorna and work on repairing one of the better relationships you've got -# Alex told himself. His train of thought was derailed when the door came flying open and a red-headed person burst in, tossing down a duffel bag. "Tell ME that I'm an unfit pilot - land a burning 747, oh sure, but she's a woman and she's an unfit bush pilot!? What a crock of SHIT!" the woman - red hair, olive flight suit, and a figure Alex found a little disturbingly familiar - snapped as she stared into the mirror over the nightstand. Then she looked at Alex. Alex looked at her. And both said, "Who the hell are you?" "Alex Summers - Philip and Deborah are my grandparents ... and just why do you look exactly like my sister-in-law did about a year and two babies ago?" Alex rambled, getting to his feet. "Madelyne Pryor. I'm the pilot for the Summerses. And I have no idea what you're talking about. I thought this was supposed to be my room until Philip thrashes out my paycheck issue with Donaldson over in accounting," the woman said in a very Jean-like voice. "Well, they didn't tell me anything. They put me up in here for the duration of my visit. Maybe we should talk to them," Alex said, fighting to keep the "oh-my-God-it's-a-Skrull-version-of-Jean" tone out of his voice. Madelyne raised one red eyebrow and shot back, "No shit." #OK, maybe she's not a Skrull. Or maybe she's a vulgar Skrull. Still, the creepiness is definitely going through the roof here,# Alex thought as he followed Madelyne upstairs. "Oh! Deborah, I thought I told you to give Madelyne hotel money," Philip chided from the kitchen table as Madelyne and Alex entered the kitchen. "I didn't? Hmm. Must've slipped my mind. We do have - ah, Alex, you've met Madelyne. Maddy, dear, that's Alex, our younger grandson, and this is our son Chris, his father," Deborah said, smiling. Chris looked up and nodded, then spat coffee across the dominoes he and his father were playing. "That was my reaction," Alex mouthed to Corsair from over Madelyne's shoulder. "I must be - HOLY SHIT!?" Madelyne shrieked when Jean walked in carrying Rachel and Nathan. "Now, there's no need for that kind of language, dear. Everyone has a twin somewhere in the world, they say," Deborah gently admonished. "Jean, do the twins need bottles warmed?" "Er ... that'd be nice, Deborah, thanks ..." Jean replied, her eyes widening. The babies turned their heads and looked at Madelyne, whose expression softened when she looked at them. "They are cute," she said, smiling. "But it doesn't explain how the hell I look just like their mother." "Small universe," Alex tried to joke. Jean looked at him like she was going to shove him through a window with just her TK, then stepped aside as Scott came in covered in snow. "Front walk's shoveled - AAH!" Scott yelped upon seeing Madelyne. "Scott, this is Madelyne Pryor. She's our chief pilot. The poor dear seems to have ended up in Alex's room until we can get her paycheck cleared - something from Donaldson about 'paperwork going missing,'" Deborah clucked, shaking her head as she fetched two bottles of Jean's breast milk from the fridge and set a pan on the stove. "Ahk - 'Madelyne' - it's - er - nice to - meet you - Alex, has she said anything about 'fire and life incarnate'?" Scott whispered. "What the hell is with you people!? I'm sorry, but I've never met any of you before in my life ... oh my God ..." Madelyne snapped, then gasped. Nathan had squirmed free of Jean and was happily cooing as he floated in mid-air. "Got you, little man," Scott gently chided as he nabbed his son and cradled him. Nathan burbled, then was echoed by Rachel, while Jean gave Madelyne a nervous smile. "We're ... a rather unique family," Jean began. "And the last time we ran into another version of Jean, she tried to destroy the universe. If it hadn't been for Jean kicking said replica's ass and getting it to discorporate into its cosmic-entity form, none of us might be here," Alex pointed out. "And you think - well, folks, I'm sorry, but I'm not a mutant, or a cosmic entity, or even a very good actress. I'm just a pilot whose last run got her professionalism questioned by some hicks because I wouldn't smuggle moose antlers for them," Madelyne sighed, crossing her arms. "She's not Dark Phoenix in a flight suit, children. Now let's all go and have some coffee - well, not the twins, of course - and discuss this like adults. Unfortunately, someone's going to have to take the couch if Alex and Madelyne can't deal with being in the same room," Deborah said in a reasonable tone before handing Jean and Scott each a warmed-up baby bottle. Alex didn't slap his forehead until they were halfway to the living room and Deborah had turned to wink at him. #My God. My grandmother could rival the Hellfire Club for cunning ...# ------------------------------------------------------- A few hours (and a weird, "let's-not-kill-each-other" pact between Jean and Madelyne) later, Alex finally stumbled into the guest bedroom and disrobed to his boxers. It wasn't until he got into bed that he remembered he'd chosen to take the couch. "DAMNIT! Don't DO that! I hate being woken up in the middle of the night - damn. Deborah was right about you being cute," Madelyne huffed after she turned on the lamp by the bed. "Sorry - I should -" Alex began as he grabbed his clothes and backpedaled for the door. He stopped, transfixed by the Celtic beauty of the woman in the bed, who watched him for a long moment. #This is wrong. I love Lorna. This is like being horny for Jean, only even creepier, because Madelyne's all 'Twilight Zone,' and -# Alex thought, sweating. "I'm sorry. I just can't - I know Grandma thinks - but there's someone else - this is just too -" Alex stammered. "Hey, relax. It's the '90s. I'm an open-minded kind of gal. Whoever your lady-love is, she's very lucky. Look, Alex ... why don't we just forget about this and start over in the morning? As friends," Madelyne said, managing a smile. "Thank you SO much," Alex gushed, blushing yet again - he hated feeling like he was 13 around women when he was 21 - and slipped out of the bedroom. Madelyne breathed a sigh of relief and shut off the lamp. #Cute, but a little flaky. Besides, I just met the big schmuck. I'm not even interested in him ...# she thought. But she couldn't help but dream about blond-haired guys running on the beach in Bora Bora. ------------------------------------------------------- 9/25/1990: ------------------------------------------------------- "Well ..." #Yes, that WAS weird. But she's gone, so we can chalk it up to cosmic coincidence, right?# Alex thought over his breakfast. Deborah sighed and walked over to the table with her coffee - Scott and Jean had taken the twins to look through photo albums, while Philip and Chris were walking through the hangar and talking - before sitting across from Alex. "I'm sorry, dear. I really didn't have any business setting you and Madelyne up like that. I just thought that since your father said you were single, you might like to meet someone. I never meant to hurt you," Deborah said in a regretful tone. "I know, Grandma. But you'd like Lorna - I'll bring her to meet you next time. She was just ... the whole business with Scott and Jean getting back together, then having the twins, kind of made Lorna feel like she'd be intruding if she came along," Alex explained. Deborah clucked knowingly. "And your old biddy of a grandmother all but set you up on an overnight rut with a woman you don't even know. You must think I'm a madam," she said, sounding disgusted with herself. Alex tried not to spit his orange juice out. After a coughing swallow, he wheezed, "I'd - GHACK - never think that - KAFF -" "You're very kind, dear. It's just that I've got a tradition of matchmaking. I set your father up on a blind date with your mother, you know, when he was home on leave once. I prided myself on the knowledge that your father properly waited, and married your mother, before they - ahem - 'did the dirty deed,' as we used to say. I feel horrible about last night," Deborah sighed. "I think I know which side of the family we got the angst from," Alex tried to joke, reaching across the table to squeeze Deborah's hand. She kissed his hand, then managed a smile. "You're a good boy, Alex Summers. Don't let anyone ever tell you otherwise," Deborah said. "Now, tell me about this Lorna. Is it true she has green hair ...?" ------------------------------------------------------- tbc ... -------------------------------------------------------