As I'm leaving the one I want to take
Forgive the urgency but hurry up and wait
My heart has started to separate
Look After You- The Fray
Peter Rasputin, also known as Colossus, was stepping out of the bathroom and going back to his room across the hall, when he spotted an unfamiliar beauty that was about to cross his path. He looked her over and marveled at how she appeared to know her way around the mansion.
“Good morning. Ma’am.” He smiled easily in her direction as she attempted to pass him.
She stopped, her clicking high heels coming to a stop. “Don’t tell me you go to this school?” She eyed his muscular body, and if Peter didn’t know any better, she was flirting with him.
“Yes, ma’am. I do.” He was quiet, as if regarding her because she might strike. Instead she grinned at him with a sort of awe in her eyes.
“Wonders never cease at this place…name?” She asked.
“Peter. Peter Rasputin.” He watched as she stuck out her hand and he shook it gently.
“Nice to meet you Peter Rasputin. I’m Emma Frost.” With that she turned and continued on to her destination which looked to be the Headmistress’s office. He smiled then and went back into his room where his room mate was still sleeping.
Bobby Drake rolled over when the door clicked behind Peter. He wiped the sleep away from his eyes. “It’s a Saturday, why are you up so early.”
“I’ve been up for hours, Drake. Five mile run.” Peter told him as he went about searching for clothes.
“Ugh…what is wrong with you? Does Wolverine have you brainwashed? I’ve got another two hours of sleep before self defense on a Saturday with him!” Bobby rolled back over onto his side, easily slipping back into a restful state.
Peter shook his head, his mind still on Emma Frost. The woman seemed to know her way around the mansion even though he’d never seen her around before.
~
Emma opened the door to the headmistress’s office and was surprised to see that not much had changed. A portrait of Charles Xavier hung behind Storm, who sat waiting. She didn’t look up when she heard Emma come in, as she continued signing documents that needed her attention. Only when she finished did she look up and by that time, Emma had made herself comfortable in the chair directly in front of her.
“Not much has changed.” Emma commented.
Ororo quirked an eyebrow. “Indeed.”
“I know your wondering why I’m here. As I said before, Storm I have come to collect my inheritance. Xavier owed me as much, and I plan to take it.” Emma shrugged, indifferent to how the other woman might take that.
“Charles owed you nothing. You left, you,” Ororo stood. “You are owed nothing.”
Emma smiled at how quickly the other woman became unglued. “Well that is not what Charles thought. At this very moment, my lawyers in England are faxing over part of the will that I received right after Charles’ death.” At Emma’s very words the fax began to beep behind Storm. She turned in a hurry and reached for the paper. Her eyes grew wide.
“This can’t be true.”
Emma stood. “As I have said, I only want what is mine.”
Storm only nodded looking the document over as something caught her eye. “It says that I am to sign over a million dollars to you.”
Emma clapped her hands together, pleased. “I have a pen, darlin. Shall...”
Storm turned to her watching as the words died on Emma’s lips and smiled. “The conditions are that you have to work here. For one year.”
Emma’s face dropped. “I never saw that, what are you going on about?”
Storm handed over the faxed will. “One never does read the fine print, darling.” She bit that last part out.
A disgusted look came upon Emma’s face. “I didn’t believe in his dream then, and I don’t now.”
Ororo stepped from behind the desk and went to leave. She paused by Emma’s side. “It doesn’t matter, Emma. He believed in you.”
Emma smirked and the other woman left her standing there as she centered her rage. She couldn’t believe her lawyer had failed to mention that.
~
Ororo made her way down the stairs, past the Rec. Room and into the kitchen where breakfast was already being made. She sighed because not only was this going to be a long day, Forge’s proposal was still on her mind.
Logan looked up as the white haired woman came in and he noticed the tension the followed her. He chuckled before asking, “How was the meeting?”
Ororo grabbed a cup of coffee and sat down at the table with him. “I hate that woman.”
“As I suspected.” Logan said thoughtfully as he finished off his own cup of coffee. “So what’d she want?”
This question seemed to agitate Ororo further. “A million dollars.”
Logan chucked and sputtered before regaining his composure. “What?”
Storm barely spared a glance to him. “She wants money that Charles left to her. Only thing is, she has to work here for a whole year.”
Logan was careful before he spoke again. “So she’s staying?”
This time she did look at the man. “God, I hope not. This mansion is not big enough for the two of us. Besides, Charles offered her a position here with the X-men along time ago and she declined. She wanted no part of us.”
Logan grunted. “Why is that, ‘Ro?”
Simply, “Her interest lay elsewhere with Magneto.”
That surprised the hell out of him. Emma Frost had been in cahoots with Magneto. She had left that out of her wild and adventurous tales that she’d told him last night. Everything about her had screamed the opposite of dangerous last night, and Logan had to admit his senses had never steered him wrong before.
Ororo finished up her coffee and turned to Logan who seemed deep in thought. “Just because she seems innocent, she’s far from it.”
“I never said anything about her being innocent,” Logan grunted. “So how was the date with Forge last night?”
Ororo had hoped he’d forgotten about that. The only thing she didn’t know was that when she was with Forge, Logan could smell it on her for at least two days. Somehow that annoyed the hell out of him but he didn’t know why. Ororo took her dishes to the sink and began to wash them as Logan moved to here about her date.
“We had dinner and went back to his place.” Ororo said nothing further.
Logan pried. He had nothing better to do at 7:00 in the morning other than to hear about her date. “Did you two do the hanky panky?”
“Logan, really?”
He laughed and held up his hands in defense. “I’m just saying, if you were my girl, you wouldn’t have been doing the walk of shame this morning.”
“Well…I’m not your girl. So shut up about it.”
He chuckled at that. “Fair enough. I’m gonna go shower. Try not to kill Emma.”
Ororo shot him a look. “She’s roped you in too, huh?”
He sighed. “I’m just trying to make friends, ‘Ro. You can never be in short supply of those these days.” He turned on his heel and left the room.
She finished up washing her dish, and his and turned off the sink. Sometimes, Logan annoyed the hell out of her and most of the time it was about other women. She didn’t know if she could handle Logan and Emma getting involved. That was just a little too much for her to think about. She yawned and decided to spend her day upstairs sleeping.
~
Emma eventually, after getting over the shock of the fine details, made her way out to Scott and Jean and Charles’ graves. She’d intended to come out last night and say a small, “Hello,” but instead she’d found the Wolverine out here. She wondered what connection he’d had to Jean, obviously he was thinking about her because of how she’d found him last night, that somber look on his face. She smiled, Jean did have a way of making men look somber.
She placed a single white rose on Scott’s tombstone and sighed. “For what it’s worth, Scotty. I did love you.”
She thought about the times she’d fought with Jean over Scott’s affections. She knew he’d always loved Jean. He’d loved her too, but their love hadn’t held a flame to Jean and Scott’s romance. He’d been willing to walk through hell for Jean, but not for Emma.
She’d accepted that fact. She couldn’t change that.
When they’d broken up for the last time, Scott had demanded something of her at that moment that she didn’t think she could do.
“Emma,” he’d smiled sadly. “Find someone who can love you like you deserved.” He’d walked away then, Jean had been waiting for him.
A single solitary tear dripped down her face at that memory. She had found the one, she’d thought but Scott would never be hers. Emma wiped at the tear and turned her attention to Charles’ grave, completely avoiding Jean’s grave.
“You son of a bitch. You thought you’d trick me into this life, didn’t you. I’m going to be the best damn teacher this school has seen in years. And when it’s all said and done you bastard, I’m taking the million and never looking back.” She turned slowly because her heel had been digging into the soft ground when she heard footsteps approaching. She saw blue out the corner of her eye and realized it was Hank McCoy.
“Aye, Blue.” She smiled when he came closer.
He regarded her in a slight manner. He’d found out about her arrival earlier this morning when he’d flown in from Washington, D.C. and had come upon her and Wolverine talking in the Rec. Room. “Emma.”
“Oh, Blue. Don’t be like that. Me and Charles were just having a conversation.” She continued to smile up at he fuzzy blue mutant.
“A bit one sided, don’t you think?” He asked finally breaking a smile.
She shrugged. “I guess but Charles always had a special sense of humor.”
“I suppose.” He wrapped an arm about her shoulders. “Come let’s get you some tea. You must be famished.”
Emma gave Charles Xavier’s monument one last look of annoyance before following the Hank inside to have tea. She did have a slight headache coming on at the moment, and tea always seemed to do the trick for her.
~
Bobby Drake ducked for all his worth as Wolverine swung on him and then did a sweep. He saw stars as he landed on his back. Eventually, his vision cleared and he found Logan standing on top of him, smiling that cocky ass smile. He stretched out a hand to the younger mutant, which Bobby took and was yanked back to his feet.
Logan cracked his neck and turned to the class. “Did you all see how I did that sweep? Practice on your partners for a few minutes. I’ll walk around and instruct.”
He watched as everyone paired up and Bobby Drake rubbed his back side. “Crazy bastard,” Bobby whispered under his breath, forgetting. Logan raised an eyebrow and shook his head.
He watched as Rogue paired up with Colossus, despite the fact that she no longer had powers, and smiled. She chose well when it came down to partners. Bobby was paired up to Kitty Pryde, much to Marie’s dislike. He could smell the contempt rolling of the two in waves.
He watched as they went through a series of punches and blocks, and kicks before trying to sweep. Colossus was victorious when he swept Marie’s legs from out from under her, but she quickly bounced back to her feet. Obviously, her head wasn’t in Advanced Martial Arts, as it whipped around and found Bobby and Kitty smiling at each other.
She got back to her feet and almost stormed over to where they were until Colossus stopped her. “Focus,” he told her.
Marie shook her head and glanced at Logan who seemed to be daring her with his eyes to start mayhem in his class. She cleared her head again and went through the blocks before trying and successfully sweeping Colossus. When he fell, he fell hard.
A good natured smile came upon his face as he got to his feet. “Good job, little one.”
Marie playfully punched him in the arm. “You’re good to practice on.”
“Glad I’m a good substitute for the Katya, then.” He remarked as he spoke of Kitty in Russian.
Logan dismissed the class a few minutes and left. He had other things he wanted to do on a Saturday, other than teach kids. He still didn’t know how he’d gotten roped into training these kids anyway, but they did seem to be getting better at defending themselves, especially Marie. He was proud of her for using self control that he sometimes didn’t have.
