Subject: [OTL]: (X-folk) Ships in the Day (PG; sequel to Gatherings) Date: Sun, 27 Aug 2000 11:17:34 -0700 From: Phil Hartman will1@earthling.net Ships in the Day by Phil Hartman DISCLAIMER: They're all Marvel's. No money is being made off of this. Please don't sue. NOTE: Ah yes, more of that revisionist history of mine >) -------------------------------------------------------- 11/1/93: New York City: 06:12 hrs EST: -------------------------------------------------------- "'Re they back yet ?" "I dunno - gimme the 'noculars !" "Leech wants a turn !" ~Kids, please ... take turns.~ "MOMMY !" Rachel and Nathan Summers cheered, hug-tackling the exhausted, but relieved, Jean and Scott as they and the rest of X-Factor alighted upon the team's floating Ship. "I missed you too," Jean smiled at her 6-year-old twins, and let Leech and Artie hug her too. "Hey, where're the X-Terminators ?" "Right here, Mrs. S," Rictor said, waving to the returning senior team of heroes. "You guys got through the demon night too ?" "You could say that," Scott said, nodding as Rusty, Skids, Taki, Boom Boom and Rictor walked or rolled over to them. "Thanks for watching the kids." "Uh, yeah - about that ..." Rusty began, smiling sheepishly. "Mommy ! Rusty an' Skids an' ev'body helped save us from these bad demon-people !" Nate blurted, smiling. "'Demon-people' ?" Scott asked, looking at his students. "Don't be too hard on 'em, sir. We were kinda t'blame f'r what happened." "The New Mutants !?" Iceman exclaimed, watching Sam, Gossamyr, Dani, Roberto, Doug, and Rahne approach. The first five each held two babies, while Rahne led a small blonde girl by the hand. "Oh my stars and garters," Hank breathed. "Illyana... ?" "Maybe we should compare notes ?" Dani asked. "Indeed," a third voice called, making everyone turn around. Ray and Nate's eyes bugged out, and Illyana gave a cry of joy before running from Rahne to the newcomers. "Ya're - y'all're - ALIVE ?" Sam gasped. "Well, if I am alive, tovarisch," Colossus said, smiling when Illyana hugged his leg and the other X-Men walked forward from Storm's wind-lift, "certainly the others must be." -------------------------------------------------------- "... and so, we pursued the Marauder-trace to America, where we encountered the Inferno," Ororo continued, pausing to let the audience move back from the edge of their seats. "We joined forces with X-Factor, and managed to defeat N'astihr." "And the New Mutants and X-Terminators did their share by destroying the pentagram over Times Square," Piotr said, nodding at the teens. "And by helping Illyana recover ..." The little girl said something in Russian and smiled at the Mutants, then cuddled closer to Piotr. "T'is been a horrid night, but finally things're all right again," Rahne said, cuddling close to a suddenly-blushing Doug. "But whyever did ye X-Men ha'e t'hide from the world ?" "We thought - incorrectly, perhaps - that we could do more good by operating under the cover of our 'deaths,' covertly, against the forces arrayed against us," Ororo said with a note of regret. "I am truly sorry if we hurt anyone." "We're none o'us blameless in this, Lady Ororo," Rahne said softly. She hung her head, while Doug slipped an arm around her. "To think we TRUSTED Magneto !" Doug snapped. "That backstabbing, helmeted doofus was working side-by-side with the Inner Circle during the demon invasion !" "But Rogue's been helping us," Roberto pointed out. "She wouldn't let Magneto do anything too insane - she's protective of little Charles." "Magnus, alongside the Hellfire Club ?" Havok muttered. "Why am I not surprised ?" "That was already in the works even before Dallas, 'Lex," Polaris pointed out to Havok. "We set that up, remember ?" "I still have my own doubts, Lorna," Ororo said, steepling her fingers. "In any case, we can no longer assume that we have the advantage of surprise. It is past time we took responsibility for our mistakes, and drew our forces together." "Er, no offense, Miss Ororo, but we've graduated," Sam pointed out. "We've been talkin' with the X-Terminators, an' - with the exception of Taki -" "I don't want any part of the superhero insanity. Last night was bad enough," Taki insisted. "- we think we can set ourselves up pretty well on our own," Sam finished. "Outside of the X-Men ?" Scott said, glancing at the rest of X-Factor and Storm. "Isn't this a dangerous time to divide our forces ?" "Funny. I could ask that same question of Storm." Everyone turned around, and Rachel and Illyana shouted, "KITTY !" "Hi, guys," Kitty Pryde said, walking in with the rest of Excalibur. She looked at Ororo with an odd expression and said, "What, no card ?" -------------------------------------------------------- "Kitten -" "First," Kitty said after she and Storm had walked out onto Ship's deck, "don't you EVER do that again !" Ororo hugged her for a long time, then looked at Kitty through tears. "Kitten ... I was wrong," the windrider said, swallowing. "I-" "Like you said, we make mistakes," Kitty said, smiling back through her own tears. "God, Ororo, I don't want to fight. Can we just start over ?" They hugged again, and finally released each other with a laugh. "Thank you," Ororo said, wiping her eyes. "I have heard of your 'Excalibur.' I am ... proud, that you and Kurt would continue after being so ... deceived." "O-RO-ro," Kitty said, rolling her eyes, "I just forgave you ! It's OK. You're not the one I'm mad at. And thanks about Excalibur - I'm proud of what we've accomplished too. Even that doof Wisdom." "That 'doof' could not keep his eyes off of you," Ororo said with a teasing smile. Her expression turned serious, and she added, "Kitty, I certainly do not expect you and Piotr to pick up where you left off. You are an adult, and I will not demean your decisions about your life. I just wish you the best." "Thanks," Kitty said, hugging Ororo again. "And ... I guess I'm not 'mad' at Piotr. Disappointed, maybe. But he did come to Limbo a while ago, to help 'Yana ..." "And when he could have returned to you, he followed duty over his heart," Ororo said flatly. She smiled when Kitty rolled her eyes again, and said, "I know, I should not abuse myself so. But consider the near-disaster our absence caused ..." "So ? We all got through last night OK. Maybe a little singed around the edges, but Illyana's a kid again, those babies the New Mutants - er, 'X-Force,' we're running out of names - saved are OK, and the demons are gone," Kitty said, smiling. "Ororo, you're acting like Scott." "Goddess," Ororo said, wincing. "You are right. I need to go do something totally un-Scott-like at once." "Stalk Forge and wait for him in his bed ?" Kitty suggested. "That Wisdom has not been a good influence on you," Ororo said, starting to laugh. "No, but he's a lot more fun." -------------------------------------------------------- "So." "Yeh, y'overgrown can opener," Pete Wisdom snorted, lighting a match on Piotr Rasputin's arm as they looked at the early-morning sun rising over Manhattan. "Get it over with." "What ?" Piotr asked innocently. "Th' whole 'musclebound-ex-boyfriend pounds on the fag-suckin', beer-swillin' bad-fer-yer-ex-girlfriend ex-spy' riff," Pete demanded. "Aren'cha goin' t' at least take a punch at me ?" "That would be an honorless action," Piotr said, sounding miffed. "Besides, I left Katya when I could have gone to her. I have no right to demand that we start our relationship anew." "Well, I'm glad someone here is acting maturely," Kitty said, air-walking up to stand beside the two Petes. "Piotr, since you didn't maul Pete, I'm willing to drop the entire 'You-walked-out-on-me' rant." "Deal," Piotr said, smiling weakly. "Katya - Kitty - I must return Illyana to our home in Ust-Ordynski. Then, I must return to the Savage Land ... I have ... learned of someone there whom I must repay." "Really ?" Kitty asked, slipping an arm around Pete. "Da. My son." "SON ?!" -------------------------------------------------------- "The armor suits you." "That," Betsy Braddock said with a warmth her expression belied, "was terrible, Brian. I've missed that awful humor of yours." "And I, your continual embarassment of me," Brian grinned, carefully hugging Betsy. "Must you return to Australia ? It's a bloody penal colony, for heaven's sake !" "We each have our places, brother," Betsy said, ruffling Brian's hair as she stood. She smiled at Meggan, who was playing with Ray, Nate, Illyana, Artie and Leech, and said, "Remember yours. Don't hurt her, or I'll have to tell on you to Jamie." "Good Lord," Brian said, ashen. "You still play dirty." -------------------------------------------------------- "So." "So," Scott said, smiling as Meggan and the kids waved, "small world." "Uh-huh," Alex said, walking along the deck with his brother. They exchanged a glance, and Alex said, "No zingers ?" "You saved Lorna from the Marauders," Scott said, shrugging. "We're a little past the age where sniping at each other is acceptable." "Oh, so I'm immature ?" Alex grinned. "You started it !" Scott laughed. "Did not !" "Did too !" ~Scott, behave, or I'll send you to bed without any supper !~ "Yes, Jean." -------------------------------------------------------- "Charles entrusted me with your physical training, and I ran off to Dallas and died," Stevie muttered to Dani as they helped the teen X-Terminators pack. "It's not like we exactly needed physiotherapy, Stevie," Dani said, smiling. "We did miss you, though." "Si," Roberto said, lugging in Rusty and Rictor's suitcases as the newly-christened X-Force checked out their shuttle. "And it'd be nice to have someone around to referee us ..." "Ah thought we'd graduated ?" Sam said, trying to dodge the goggly-eyes Boom Boom was making at him. "Oh aye, we graduated," Rahne said with sudden anger. "We 'graduated' so well that puir Warlock gave himself up t'the Magus t'save Earth !" "Maybe Magnus'll remember that when he 'considers' the Black King's 'generous' offer to join the Inner Circle as White King," Doug snapped, checking the instruments. "Oh, I'm sorry, it's too late ! Just like the mansion !" "The fight between Magneto and the Inner Circle levelled the mansion," Dani explained to an aghast Stevie. "Little Charles was safe with Rogue, but the above-ground portion of the school was trashed." "I don't blame you for telling Magnus to take a hike," Stevie said, frowning. "But you'd think Rogue would be a little more mature than that." "She was busy protecting her son. We cannae fault her f'r bein' a good mother," Rahne said, shrugging. "Through all o'this insanity with Magneto, Rogue's been a good teacher. I'll nae speak ill o'her." "I'll grant you that," Stevie said, leaning against the shuttle. "She showed more responsibility than I did. But maybe ..." "You don't have to make up for anything," Sam reassured her. "But we'd gladly have ya along f'r the ride." Stevie smiled and shook Sam's extended hand. -------------------------------------------------------- "You're sure you'll be all right ?" Jean asked Skids as X-Force and Stevie boarded the shuttle Ship had constructed for them. "We're big kids, Jean," Sally said, smiling. "Thanks for everything, but we need to find out where we need to go." She shook her head and muttered, "That sounded clear." "Take care. And call if you need anything," Jean said, hugging the young woman. Skids returned the gesture, then waved as she ran for the shuttle. "I'll keep them out of trouble, Jean !" Stevie yelled back when the shuttle started to lift off. "Bye, Illyana !" Rahne yelled, waving at the little Russian girl. Illyana waved back from Piotr's arms, trying not to cry, and hugged her big brother. "A shuttle for the two of you, to the Savage Land," Scott said, shaking Piotr's hand as a second craft emerged from Ship's innards. "Take care of yourselves, too." "We will, Scott. And thank you," Piotr said, making sure Illyana was buckled in before they took off. "And then there were seven," Logan grunted, watching Gateway's trademark teleportal open to return the X-Men to Australia. "What, no 'Lex or Lorna ?" "We've stopped the Marauders," Alex replied, slipping an arm around Lorna. "There any law that says we have to go back ?" "None," Ororo said, smiling. "Thank you for what you have done, Alex, Lorna. I ... think we all need to reassess staying in the Outback." "I hear Madripoor is nice this time of year," Betsy said, flashing Logan a wicked smile before she stepped into the portal. "'M goin' to Japan," Logan replied, stepping into the portal after hugging Kitty. "Been too long since I seen Mariko an' Amiko." "Two words: SHOPPING ATTACK !" Dazzler insisted, taking Longshot by the hand and dragging him into the portal. "C'mon, sweetie - we've got us a date at the Hollywood Mall !" "Those two are hopeless," Jean laughed, hugging Ororo before the wind-rider turned to Kitty. "Take care," Kitty asked, hugging Ororo. "You as well," Ororo said, smiling when Kurt hugged her as well. "And you, you silly elf - I have missed you, Kurt." "And I, you, Ororo," Kurt said, smiling back. "Don't be away long. We've missed you." "All of us," Amanda added, squeezing Ororo's hand. "We will return," Ororo said, walking into the portal before it winked out. "So," Scott said, looking at Excalibur, "You could stay a little longer if you want to ..." "Please, Aunt Kitty ?" Rachel asked, hugging Kitty's legs. Kitty knelt down and returned the hug, then said, "I'm sorry, Ray. But Brian's getting weaker, and Meg's losing control over her powers - I think it's something to do with their being away from Britain. But you ever need us, just holler, OK ?" "OK," Ray said, waving when Excalibur boarded their Ship-created shuttle and headed eastward. "So," Taki said, rolling forward while Iceman brought his bags to yet another shuttle, "I guess this is goodbye for a while." "We'll miss ya, Taki," Nate said, hugging his friend. Artie, Leech and Ray followed suit, while Jean took a deep breath. #Penny for them,# Scott thought, linking his hand with Jean's while Bobby and Taki's shuttle lifted off. ~We're at some kind of crossroads, Scott,~ Jean sent, leaning her head on his shoulder. ~The X-Men practically disbanded, the New Mutants have graduated, and Excalibur's actually receiving positive response from Europeans. I'm just ... a little overwhelmed.~ ~We'll make it, darling,~ Scott thought back. "Erm, o Fearless Leader ?" Hank called. The Summers and Warren looked at where Hank was pushing a few baby strollers full of babies forward, and he asked, "We should return these wee ones to their families, yes ?" "Never any rest," Jean teased Scott as he started to chuckle. -------------------------------------------------------- ;) --------------------------------------------------------