Title: Convergence
Author: Sionnain
Fandom:XMen, Movie!Verse. Sometime after X2.
Pairing: Marie/Logan
Summary: Marie finds herself overwhelmed by Magneto's presence in her
mind, and the Professor thinks Logan can help her come to terms with
all the pieces in her mind that aren't hers.
Warnings: None
Rated: R
Word Count: 11,268

Link: http://www.livejournal.com/community/xmmff/133084.html

Thanks! ~Sionnain

Hi Everybody,

The next interview will be with Cschoolgirl, author of such stories
as "How to Be Insensitive," "In the Kitchen," "Number Thirteen"
and "Tonight It's Me!" among others. The stories can be read at the
WRFA archive (http://www.wolverineandrogue.com/fic/search.php).

I will be conducting the interview at the end of the month. Thus, if
you would like to suggest a question, please contact me by September
30th at the address below. Another announcement will be made
when the completed interview has been posted.

Thanks for your interest and participation.

Diane
deh@...

_"I can still feel him inside my head."_

	 Once again, she couldn't sleep. It always happened, the
night engulfed the mansion, lights were out by ten, and she lay in
bed staring at the ceiling, trying to think. Of course, whether it
was Logan, John, Eric, Paul or Bobby, she was never able to sort her
thoughts.

	 The moonlight filtrated cautiously into the room, afraid to
wake the other occupants. Rogue watched the shadows play with the
moonlight, trying to figure out why. But the reason never came. She
felt lonely, even with all the voices in her head she was lonely.

	 Logan kept thinking to take another road trip, looking for a
bar to spend the night. Eric always had different memories about
Poland to share, and in any case, it only enabled for Rogue to
believe that he was starting to develop and understand his powers
during the stay there. Paul, her dear friend, the only one with
happy thoughts, but mostly of the ones she wanted the most to go
away, how beautiful her lips and eyes looked, how he'd yearned to
kiss them, how impossible her trip to Canada seemed. John, something
was pissing him off, no matter what, mostly a general envy for Bobby
and everyone that he knew. Bobby, he was always confused about her,
whether it was good or not for them to be together, he loved her but
he yearned for her to much.

	 All of this was too much to cope. Clutching her pillow
tight, she still had the sentiments inside of her; she knew that she
was all alone in the world. No matter how much the people around her
tried to convince her that she belonged here, and she tried to think
that there is a place were she is meant to belong, be it here or not
she'd find it eventually.

	 "Best day of my life…" she whispered slowly, trying to
believe that she'd had worse or that tomorrow could be worse. But
she never was able to really believe it. I'm for real, this mutation
is a part of me, I walk around like a parasite, unable to reach for
anyone since I take too much of them for myself.

	 A lonely tear streamed to the side of her eye. She yearned
for it all: closeness, a mind of her own, normal life, touch... But
it is all impossible.

	 Ororo said it to her in the first day, there was nothing
that could hold back her curse; the school is for control… But
there is no way of controlling it. Touch is natural to all beings; touch is an
interaction between all beings. Touch… she yearned it so
much.

	 Paul died, she knew it, no one ever told her, but when his
thoughts stopped changing she knew, the coma could only last for so
long before it consumed him. Eric greatly wished for power, that's
all he wanted, "There is no land of tolerance, there is no peace,
not here nor anywhere else", he'd said that to her in New York, it
somehow didn't feel so long ago, but it was, five years ago.

	 Bobby feared her, distrusted her, believed to be vulnerable…
These thoughts corrupted her mind, made her self-esteem drop, she
was sulky during class, constantly ate less and less… Logan had
promised he'd look after her, and on the contrary she watched over
his dog tags, touching them at all times dangling on her
neck. "There's not many people that'll understand what your going
through," he said that to her when she was running again, she stayed
behind, but then again, probably not even him has understood what
she is going through, he is even more crazy than her, and troubled.
And John, dear John, he everyday talked about him wanting to be
close to her, which only depressed her more, he was not here
anymore, and she was not with Bobby now, they broke up barely a week
after he left. If he were her she still couldn't touch him, but in a
way, they both were similar. His family had countered him when his
mutation surfaced, he burned down their house. Many wounds, he
didn't wait for them to heal before leaving.

	 They all controlled her emotions, and pulled her in opposite
directions; she wasn't who she used to be. She's no longer Marie.
She became Rogue, the person that lures everyone, entrapping them
inside her head. Keeps them in her head. It was crowded, the amount
if "I" in her mind was overwhelming, during the day when she looked
at someone each one had a different reaction, eventually she stopped
looking at people. Whenever Kitty, Xavier or Scott cornered her to
talk, it wasn't her speaking. The word 'Bub' came out of her mouth,
but it didn't feel right, or the Dude from John.

	 The pillow in her arms, still clutched on top of her chest,
made her take the pain from her mind to her hands, which were
starting to lose the capacity of circulation due to the strength
that she unforced between them, the pillow became unmovable. She
felt alone. No matter what, she'd always be alone. Because if she
ever got close to anyone else, the process would repeat, she'd lure
them and after the first touch they'd fade away. Paul died, John
left within hours, Eric was in prison and after in a secret place,
Bobby finished their relationship and rarely talked to her, Logan
kept trying to find himself, which included long absences.

	 She herself was becoming more and more introverted, autistic
at some point, people around her she couldn't know what they
thought, not only because they didn't dare to mention it and because
she wouldn't dare touch them to find out, It would just increase the
crowd in her head.

	 Rogue laid in the heart of darkness, with a clutched pillow
on her chest and thoughts that were not hers taking over, the
loneliness was becoming ritual and tradition. There wasn't anything
much besides reclusion left for her.

Periodically, I go through and remove those members whose messages are
"bouncing" (that is, they're coming back to Yahoo as undeliverable).
I did another general sweep this afternoon.

Should you ever find yourself "removed" from the list (and you haven't
received an email with warnings from one of the mods), it's probably
for this reason.  You're not in trouble, but you may want to check and
be sure your MAILBOX isn't full before you rejoin.  Often messages
"bounce" if the mailbox is "over quota."

--Minisinoo
XMMFF Co-Mod

Hi Everybody,

Cschoolgirl's interview is still in progress, but I'd like to get
started on next month's interview. November's WRFA interview will be
with Artemis, the author of "Lose All the Battles", and
the "Shakespeare" and "Artist" series among others. The stories can be
read at the WRFA archive. I will be conducting the interview around the
beginning of the month.  Thus, if you would like to suggest a question,
please contact me by Nov. 5th at the address below. Another
announcement will be made when the completed interview has been posted.

Thanks for your interest and participation.

Diane
deh@...

Greetings, gang.  I'm in a quandry.

I've enjoyed the hell out of reading fanfic this summer; sort of
takes the edge off jonesing for X3 to be released.  But now I need
some answers/help on these topics:

* is there a list/forum/whatever to help in researching X-details?
For instance: I have read 3 different fanfic comments about how much
adamantium (by weight) Logan is carrying around inside him.  I can't
recall that 'that' specific detail is ever mentioned in the movies,
so I'm guessing that all those references are either assumed by the
fanfic author, or alluded to in the comics somewhere.  Having NEVER
read an X-comic, I have no clue, but I'm a stickler for details.

* I have found a lot of disrespect for "Mary Sue" characters (some
deservedly so), and yet I've really enjoyed a few of them.  I realize
that a MS is not in line with this list, since it's Movieverse, but
I'm looking for a general overview of fic-writers on well-done MS's.

I guess that's enough to get me started.  Any and all feedback on
these topics is greatly appreciated, and if you don't want to reply
on-list, please get back to me at wolf755@... (where you are
much less likely to get lost in the typhoon of Yahoo! bulk mail that
I delete unread).

*tips hat*

Wolf

I'm sorry for cutting in, but I must ask that folks reply to all
these questions offlist, thanks.  The terms of our group's FAQ allow
posting of stories, of messages about contests, interviews, and
websites, and discussion (feedback) on a particular story.  It
doesn't allow general research questions.  Just to clarify, from our
FAQ, available here:
http://movies.groups.yahoo.com/group/xmenmoviefanfic/files/

1. What's allowed?

A) Fiction based on the X-world of the films -- any genre, rating,
pairing (or none).  Unfinished works are permitted, but please
so-indicate in your story notes, as some readers prefer to wait for a
story to be completed before starting in to read it.  Crossovers are
also permitted.

B) Public feedback and discussion of posted stories is once again
permitted.  This rule has gone through waves.  Originally, the list
allowed public feedback, then due to the sheer volume of daily posts,
discussion and feedback was asked to be taken to our sister
discussion list.  But as traffic has been extremely light, we're
revoking the "stories only" rule.

If you're sending feedback on a story, it'd be helpful to place
"[FB]" in the subject header.  Also, simplifying the subject to title
and author would be appreciated.  ALL feedback will be assumed to
contain possible spoilers, so please don't read a feedback letter on
a story you haven't read yet and complain about spoilers.  Likewise,
any fiction based on a movie installment may be assumed to contain
spoilers for that movie.

Please do NOT post heavily critical feedback onlist, unless the
author has specified that such feedback is welcome.

C) Posts concerning fanfic matters (such as fanfic contests), as well
as archive announcements and site changes may be posted.  Please
indiate such posts with a [META] in front of them.


2. What's not allowed?

A) GENERAL DISCUSSION OF THE MOVIE(S) is not allowed.  This is not
the place for X1, X2 or X3 film reviews, spoiler announcements,
discussion of the characters, the actors, the director, or possible
spinoffs.

Please don't post an introductory "Hi, I'm new."  We're delighted to
have you and glad you're enthusiastic, but this list has over 1000
members now.  PLEASE keep that in mind, or other list members might
cheerfully skin you. :-)

** Please take any questions about the film[s] (even if asking for
fanfic) to our sister discussion list
(http://groups.yahoo.com/group/xmenmoviefanficdisc/), and/or to
X_MEN_FILMS. **

B) FLAMES of any kind are absolutely forbidden.  Goes without saying,
but I'll say it anyway.  You flame, we'll boot you, do not pass go,
do not collect $200.  What's a flame?  An ad hominem or personal
attack on another list member, or a post containing vitriolic
hostility towards an author, a story, a character, a pairing, etc.

C) NO REPOSTING of stories unless a year or more has passed.
Reposting your story after a week or month does NOT elicit more
feedback if you received little or none the first time.  It simply
annoys people.  The only exceptions to the 'no reposting' rule are
stories that suffered severe formatting problems the first time --
e.g., half the story was cut off, all paragraph spacers were
accidentally removed so it was one long paragraph, etc.  This does
not include editorial changes to fix spelling or grammar errors.
Don't post an unbetaed version then the corrected one; please have
stories proofread *before* posting, thank you.

It is, of course, perfectly acceptable to post a link to previous
chapters or prequel stories at the top of your current (new) story.

C) No virus warnings, get rich quick schemes, cookie recipes and
anything about a sick boy who wants 5,000 greeting cards before he
dies.  Also, one line "me too"s (especially with all the previous
story or post attached) are frowned upon.  Basically, if your message
is only for one or two people, please mail it to those people.

D) Although I'm not sure it qualifies as "disallowed" -- we do ask
posters to use normal spellings rather than chatroom abbreviations
(ur for 'your' NEways for 'anyway'), as a matter of courtesy.  An
email list isn't a chat room, and chat shorthand is hard to read.
Thanks.

**Repeated violations of the above may result in being placed on
moderated status, or even expulsion.  We generally give "Three
Strikes" before booting someone, but ...**

E) Any use of the XMMFF membership list in order to obtain email or
IM addresses for the purposes of harrassing other authors will result
in IMMEDIATE banning from the list -- no Three Strikes or moderated
period.

----
--Minisinoo
XMMFF Co-Mod

--- wolf_crescentwalker <atropa755@...> wrote:

> Greetings, gang.  I'm in a quandry.
>
> I've enjoyed the hell out of reading fanfic this summer; sort of
> takes the edge off jonesing for X3 to be released.  But now I need
> some answers/help on these topics:
>
> * is there a list/forum/whatever to help in researching X-details?
>
> For instance: I have read 3 different fanfic comments about how
> much
> adamantium (by weight) Logan is carrying around inside him.  I
> can't
> recall that 'that' specific detail is ever mentioned in the movies,
>
> so I'm guessing that all those references are either assumed by the
>
> fanfic author, or alluded to in the comics somewhere.  Having NEVER
>
> read an X-comic, I have no clue, but I'm a stickler for details.
>
> * I have found a lot of disrespect for "Mary Sue" characters (some
> deservedly so), and yet I've really enjoyed a few of them.  I
> realize
> that a MS is not in line with this list, since it's Movieverse, but
>
> I'm looking for a general overview of fic-writers on well-done
> MS's.
>
> I guess that's enough to get me started.  Any and all feedback on
> these topics is greatly appreciated, and if you don't want to reply
>
> on-list, please get back to me at wolf755@... (where you
> are
> much less likely to get lost in the typhoon of Yahoo! bulk mail
> that
> I delete unread).
>
> *tips hat*
>
> Wolf
>
>
>
>
>
>


--Min
The Medicine Wheel: X-Men Fanfic
http://www.themedicinewheel.net/



__________________________________
Yahoo! FareChase: Search multiple travel sites in one click.
http://farechase.yahoo.com

Some of you may already know of a rather infamous troll who goes by the
screen name “jeremycrawfordj2000.” This person contacts people via AIM
and Yahoo! Messenger, asks them to write specific stories for him, and
then becomes verbally abusive when they refuse.  He has a history of
this kind of behavior in several fandoms, going back at least a year
that we know of, and several weeks ago he contacted an XMMFF list
member, who in turn contacted us about his actions.

While the behavior of list members outside this forum is beyond the
scope of list moderators, this troll did specifically mention he’d
obtained the list member’s contact info via his XMMFF membership.  As a
result, he’s been removed and banned from the mailing list.

Given his long-standing history of rude behavior, we felt it likely he
will continue this behavior, and we felt it appropriate to alert those
who might not be aware so you can block him beforehand if you so
desire.

We’ve since made the member list accessible to moderators only so no
one else can use it to get contact info, but that doesn’t mean he
didn’t already get plenty before we banned him.

In addition, we’ve edited the FAQ to address this kind of behavior,
which will result in banning at the first offense.  There will be no
warnings.

If you have any questions regarding list policies, please feel free to
contact one of us.

Devil Doll, Mara, & Minisinoo
XMMFF List Moderators

Does anyone have the email address for an author named "Marvelous" who
wrote a story called "Ceremony of Innocence"? Her story used to be
found at

http://thesentinel.50megs.com/fanfiction/CeremonyofInnocence.htm

but the link is dead. I'd like to find the story again, if she archived
it elsewhere.

thanks,

Rachel

Pet Peeves
by ridesandruns
Rating: T for profanity, snarking
Characters: Scott, Logan, Jean, Hank, Darwin the beagle
Summary: Scott and Logan run errands, oh my. Jean's POV.

http://www.fanfiction.net/s/2639981/1/

Enjoy.

Hi everybody,

I'm a little late with this announcement, but just in case you haven't
seen, Cschoolgirl's interview is now up at the Wolverine and Rogue
Fanfiction Archive
(http://www.wolverineandrogue.com/fic/authiv/index.php) for your
reading pleasure. So, swing by, if you haven't already, and enjoy!

Diane

Thanks to the lovely and talented Devildoll, I now
have a new website.  The website designer for my old
one was unable to maintain it and I couldn't do it
myself.  So, for the past few months, I've just been
posting new stories to my livejournal.

Enter Devildoll, my heroine!  She has provided me with
a site that I can maintain myself.  All of my stories,
those that were on the old site and those that have
only been on livejournal, are up on it, with
illustrations.  In addition, there are a few essays on
fanfic issues, and capsule biographies for major
characters (both canon and original).

I'm sure I've made some mistakes in uploading and
editing, but I've gone over it a few times and caught
whatever I could.  Please check my new site out if you
get a chance.  It's at:

http://mo.fandomnation.com/fic/

And Happy Thanksgiving to those in the U.S.

Mo
http://mo.fandomnation.com/fic/
www.livejournal.com/users/mofic





__________________________________
Yahoo! FareChase: Search multiple travel sites in one click.
http://farechase.yahoo.com

TITLE: Magneto's Bad Day
AUTHOR: Mara Greengrass
AUTHOR'S EMAIL: fishfolk@.... Feedback is better than chocolate.
PERMISSION TO ARCHIVE: Please ask.
CATEGORY: Uh...humor?
RATINGS/WARNINGS: G
SUMMARY: What was the point in being one of the most powerful mutants in
the world if you couldn't even catch a cab?
DISCLAIMER: These people belong to Marvel Comics and Twentieth Century
Fox. I just fantasize about them.
NOTES: Just so you know, this is all Artaxastra's fault.

* * * * *

Honestly, Erik thought as he strode down 15th St, what was the point in
being one of the most powerful mutants in the world if you couldn't even
catch a cab?

He'd just barely resisted the urge to drop some of the cabs that had
zoomed by him into the Potomac, and then decided to simply walk. The
weather wasn't altogether horrible and it would allow him to walk off
the bad mood casued by his restless night and subsequent headache.

Around him, the homo sapiens went about their business and he did his
best to ignore them, from the self-important lawyers in their fancy
clothes to the disgusting children with their bad manners and
deliberately ragged clothing.

He was ignoring them. Ignoring th--

Erik stopped and turned to face an earnest young woman holding out a
pamphlet to him. Her t-shirt said "Jesus Made Me Kosher."

"Please, take it," she said, shoving the pamphlet at him.

Erik stared and her smile faltered slightly.

This was a member of those 'Jews for Jesus' he'd heard about. His stare
turned to a scowl. The young woman didn't know who he was, but she knew
this wasn't going well.

She took a step back and with a quick gesture, Erik dragged a newspaper
box behind her. She bumped into it and he stepped forward to stare down
at her.

"My people died by the millions in World War II," he said.

"But we--"

"People like you did it."

"I do--"

"I do not like you," he said carefully.

"Uh..."

"And I'm having a bad day already."

She stared up at him, eyes wide.

Erik stepped back, taking her pamphlets with him. Carefully, with great
attention to detail, he ripped every single one into several pieces and
dropped it into the nearest garbage can. When he was done, he stepped
back, raised his hand, and dumped the garbage can on her head, scraps of
paper floating around her.

He was startled to hear applause. Turning, he saw a small group of
people clapping for him.

Erik smiled and continued down the street with a spring in his step.
Really, it wasn't such a bad day after all. Even if there *still*
weren't any cabs.

--end--

A SIMPLE HOLIDAY MEAL
By Linda J.

Christmas fic for `05
RATING: PG-13 for strong language and violence
TIMELINE/UNIVERSE: movie, takes places after X2
SUMMARY: The brotherhood of evil mutants gather around the table for
a holiday meal.
FEEDBACK: Oh please. oh please, oh pretty, pretty please!!!!!

CH1
Normally the table Magneto sat in front of was used for much more
important business to advance the brotherhood's agenda. `This is a
conference room, not a dining room,' the mighty man of magnetism
groaned silently to himself as he quietly sat back in his chair,
legs stretched out under the table, crossed just at the ankles. With
his elbow propped up on the arm rest, he leaned over to one side
just a bit, lightly resting his cheek on the tips of his fingers; a
look of puzzlement and perhaps some displeasure could be seen on his
tired face. He quietly observed Toad, who was setting five
decorative plastic plates around the large metal oblong table while
Pyro came behind him and set up the plastic eating utensils along
with green napkins next to the plates. It was not the sight of these
two young men working together in harmony that Magneto found mildly
peculiar, but to see a candy cane sticking out of Toad's mouth like
a cigar just seemed a bit out of place.
"It's kinda odd for her to do something like this, isn't it?" Pyro
mentioned as he reached in a grocery bag and retrieved the plastic
glasses. "Odd indeed," Magneto sighed, breaking his silence but not
his aloof composure. "Yeah, Blue's always full of surprises, ain't
she Mags?" Sabretooth bellowed as he strutted into the room, taking
his place at the far end of the table.
"That's the most I've `eard you say in a month!" Toad pulled out the
candy cane and smacked his lips. "What's got you in such a jolly
mood?" The felinoid said nothing, then tilted his head back and
opened his mouth wide. He put a can of "Reddiwip" up to his lips and
pressed the nozzle to release the creamy sustenance of decadent
delight.
Still stretched out and leaning in his chair, Magneto focused his
unhappiness on the daring and impertinent thug. "We've discussed
this matter of you calling me "Mags" at least a hundred times,
Sabretooth. But I suppose a creature of your intellectual powers
would need to have something repeated at least a hundred times more
before it would find its way into that huge but essentially
ineffective cranium of yours." Sabretooth looked out across the
table, his mouth so full of whipped cream that it oozed out from the
corners of his mouth. Had anyone else dared to insult him like this
they would have never lived long enough to insult him again, but
Sabretooth merely grinned at the old man and licked the escaping
cream from his lips and beard. "It ain't my brains you keep
me `round here for…Mags."
Magneto almost seemed disappointed by Sabretooth's lack of anger and
quickly looked away, shifting his weight to the other side of the
chair. "At least that's one thing we agree upon." He then turned his
attention back to the more irritating situation at hand. "Does
anyone have an idea of how long this little get-together will take?"
"Why do you want to know, Magneto?" Mystique wondered as she walked
in the room carrying a roasted turkey on a silver platter; its aroma
instantly filling the room. For a moment or so all the men in the
room, including Magneto, just stared at her with lust in their eyes,
but for once it was not for her bare blue body. "You haven't made
plans for this evening, have you?"
"Maybe," Magneto grumbled under his breath.
"So change them," she softly commanded. "All the years we have
worked together, we have never shared a holiday meal."
"And the problem with this is…?" Magneto gently jibed.
"Nothing per se," Mystique explained as she set the turkey on the
table. "But aren't you always telling us how much like a family we
are?" The old man's eyes fluttered a bit as he sat up in his chair
to get a better look at his dinner. The bird itself was enormous and
caramelized to perfection; full of stuffing and sitting on a
luscious bed of leafy lettuce, colorful dried fruit and orange
wedges arranged around its sides. "I may have vaguely mentioned
something on the topic. Is that…" a faint sound of hopefulness broke
through his gloomy demeanor, "…apple and wild rice dressing?"
"Mmm-hmm," Mystique nodded enticingly. "We also have potato and
carrot latkes with scallion sour cream sauce, green bean casserole,
cranberry sauce…"
"Whole or jellied?" Toad anxiously interrupted.
"We have both," Mystique proudly declared. "There's also ..."
"Gravy?" Toad again broke in as Sabretooth stood up and leaned over
the bird. inhaling deeply. "I sure hope you made plenty of gravy."
"Made? I didn't make any of this," she indignantly informed him. "It
just so happens that this bountiful feast comes to you already
prepared."
"Oh great," Pyro suddenly looked quite upset. "In others words, this
is all glorified cafeteria food."
"This don't smell like no cafeteria food!" Sabretooth purred,
picking up a grape from the silver platter and popping it in his
mouth. Suddenly a very sour expression covered his face. "I think I
found a bad one."
"I didn't have time to run all over the store and find real fruit,
Sabretooth; those are fake." Without hesitation he spit out the blob
of wax onto the floor and kicked it under the table. "I knew that."
"Damn the bloody fruit," Toad urged. "I need to know if we have
enough gravy!"
"Yes of course," she reassured him. "Does a gallon of gravy sound
like enough?"
"Just a gallon?" No one could tell if the amphibinoid was being
sarcastic or skeptical.
"It better be," she fearlessly warned him. "Besides, I bought enough
food to feed even this little army, there's..."
"What about pumpkin pie?" Pyro was now the one to interrupt.
Mystique sighed in frustration. "Yes, we have pumpkin pie. There's
also cherry and chocolate cream. There's also..."
"Oh, what about eggnog? Did you get eggnog?" Pyro impatiently
interrupted. This time, however, Mystique didn't answer.
"OK, you," she grabbed Pyro around the collar and began to pull him
out of the room with her. "You just volunteered to help me bring all
the crap to the table."

CH2
"It's not e'ry day we get to sit back and relax for a bit." Toad
took off his leather jacket and folded it over his seat then plopped
himself down in the metal chair. For a moment or so the three men
sat around the table listening to the faint sounds of clanging metal
and Pyro complaining coming from the kitchen. "Wouldn't you two
rather be doing something else tonight?" Magneto proposed, hoping
that if Toad and Sabretooth were to leave then Mystique might give
up on this whole ridiculous idea spending a little quality time
together. Suddenly Sabretooth's eyes became quite dreamy as he gazed
upwards. "Well there is this little cathouse in town I've been dying
to check out…"
"Ahem!" Toad faked a cough and gave him a hostile look.
"Oh yeah," it was as if the felinoid suddenly remembered
something. "Sorry Mags, but we promised Blue we would stay here
tonight."
The felinoid's answer seemed to depress the old man, and he sighed
hopelessly, "Oh joy." He then looked back toward the turkey. "Well,
perhaps it will not be completely intolerable." Just then, however,
the noise of Sabretooth spraying more whipped cream into his mouth
and hearing Toad slurp his own saliva from his candy cane caught his
attention, "or not."
"Hey," Magneto figured Toad must have been getting bored waiting
when he recognized the antagonistic tone in the amphibinoid's
voice. "You're gonna share that, right?"
"Hell no, Wart" Sabretooth sneered back. "Just keep suckin' on that
teeny little stick of yours."
"Yeah, chum?" Toad was almost gleaming with mischief. "I've got a
stick you can suck on, and trust me, it ain't a bit teeny!"
"Humph," Sabretooth grunted. "I got one already and it's ten times
bigger than yours! Wanna see?"
Magneto just rolled his eyes as Sabretooth reached into a pocket in
his leather trench coat and pulled out a candy cane stick which was
a good ten inches long and about an inch thick. "See Wart, it's
called a Big Jim."  The giant seemed quite proud of his prize.
"Big Jim, huh?" Toad taunted. "My girlfriend likes to call mine
Kermit."
For a moment Sabretooth seemed a little confused. "Ah, no, I mean
the candy's called…"
"How nice," Magneto groaned. "Is this what you ruffians consider
lively dinner conversation?"
"Hey Mags," Sabretooth grinned devilishly. "So what do you call
yours?"
"I beg your pardon?" Magneto sat up shooting Sabretooth a very
insulted glare. "You know," Sabretooth then glanced down at his own
groin. "Your shlong…"
"Your wanker; your dick..." Toad added. "Your cock." Sabretooth went
straight to the point.
"I understand perfectly well what you two degenerates are talking
about," Magneto spat angrily and looked away, disgusted to the core.
"C'mon Magneto," Toad lowered his voice and leaned in closely as he
continued to taunt. "We're all buds here. We won't laugh."
"Toad, I assure you it's only out of morbid curiosity that has me
wondering why you suppose you would laugh." Magneto cocked his
eyebrow suspiciously.
"Well you know," Sabretooth almost whispered as he chose his words
carefully. "In case you call yours something…unique."
"Unique?" their leader repeated in a huff. Toad decided to speak up
on Sabretooth's behalf. "What `Tooth is getting at is you're a man
of high standards right? So it's rather hard to believe you'd name
your cock Bill or Ted…"
"You're absolutely correct about that." Magneto admitted.
"Oh, so you DO have a name for your cock!" Toad's eyes glimmered
with wicked joy. Just then Mystique and Pyro came into the room
carting the evening's banquet on a rolling tray.  "You left me alone
with the children, Mystique! You know how I despise being left alone
with the children," Magneto sneered at Mystique as she started to
place a large bowl of mashed potatoes on the table in front of him.
"You know how they get when they've been eating sugar," she coolly
reminded him. "Oh, is that their problem," Magneto rolled his eyes
and groaned. "I could have sworn it was that they are both witless
idiots."
"Alright you two," Mystique began to chastise Toad and Sabretooth as
if they were her sons. "I won't have either of you ruining this
dinner, understood?"
"Yes mama," Toad mocked as he reached over and grabbed a Brussels
sprout from the bowl. "Yeah, whatever Blue," Sabretooth conceded as
Mystique tapped him on the shoulder.
"Here, you, carve," she ordered as she handed him an electric
carving knife. "And this time, use this."

Ch3
Mystique gazed upon the table loaded up with a feast fit for a king
and rendered a smile, entirely pleased with her accomplishment. "You
know, for never doin' somethin' like this before, you did a damn
fine job, Mystique," Sabretooth warmly complimented her as the rest
of the men agreed. "Thank you very much, but I'll have you know that
there was a time when I did this sort of thing quite often."
"You, as a `appy `omemaker," Toad shook his head. "I woulda never
guessed it."
"Yes," Magneto joined in the conversation. "Mystique has lived many
a life." Mystique's smile broadened even more. "I do recall a time
when I had to wear an apron; however, I find I'm much more
comfortable with entertaining royalty and other heads of state." She
then raised her glass of wine for a toast. "Here's to a better and
brighter future."
"Anything would be an improvement compared to our past," Pyro
reminded everyone. "You're a fine one to talk," Toad scoffed. "When
it comes to suffering, you `aven't a bloody clue."
"Hey, I've had it hard too, you know," Pyro insisted. "Yes, I'm sure
all the X-men got together every night, tied you up, beat you and
then threw you into a closet," Toad argued back.
"I didn't live there ALL of my life, Toad; it just so happens I come
from a really shitty…"
But the instant he saw Magneto calmly raise his hand, Pyro went
silent. "I agree, no one should doubt your personal history was
nothing short of pathetic, Pyro; but since Mystique has gone through
the trouble of putting together this elaborate meal, and even though
I still see no real value in any of this, we should all show her our
appreciation and keep our tongues. Understood?"
"I say let `em argue." Everyone looked down at the other end of the
table where Sabretooth happily sat in front of what could have very
easily been his second plate full of food. He then tried to talk
with a roll he had crammed into his mouth. "If their lips are busy
flappin' that just …" he swallowed the roll, "…leaves more food for
the rest of us."
It didn't take long for Toad to stop picking on Pyro and set his
sights on Sabretooth instead. "Didn't you ever learn any manners?"
"Manners…manners…" Sabretooth tried to recall mockingly. "Nope;
musta been out that day."
"Obviously," Pyro murmured under his breath as he watched the
felinoid chomp down a turkey leg, bone and all. "You eat like that
all the time?"
Sabretooth took another bite from the leg and gave Pyro an odd look.
*crunch* "Yah."
"And it…doesn't…cut up your mouth or at the very least the lining in
your stomach?" Pyro curiously wondered. "Healing factor," Sabretooth
simply replied, taking yet another bite. *crunch*
"Well now that the family pet has shared what was on his mind,"
Magneto tried to regain control of the conversation and lifted his
glass, "I believe Mystique has made a toast, and we should…"
*knock knock knock*
For a moment or so everyone at the table exchanged confused looks
with each other. "I thought this was a secret lair!" Magneto snapped
angrily as he put down his glass. "X-men." Sabretooth's eyes
narrowed after sniffing the air. "Can we kill `em?" Sabretooth then
asked hopefully.
"Well let's find out what they want first, shall we?" Magneto calmly
stated as he got up to answer the door as a very sad and heartbroken
Sabretooth pouted.

CH4
Magneto valiantly opened the door to a porch full of obnoxious do-
gooders. The instant he saw them his stomach churned and his
patience grew thin. "And to what do we owe this untimely
intrusion?"
"Happy, merry Kwan-Hana-Christ-ka-zaa-mas!" Jubilee sputtered out,
trying not to giggle. "Gesundheit," Magneto mocked unhappily. "What
on earth do you think you're doing here?"
"Oh, show some holiday spirit, Erik!" Charles chuckled from his
wheelchair. "We're not here to start anything, just to spread a
little cheer."
"Yes," Scott plainly explained with a peculiar smirk on his
face. "We just want to wish you and your lackeys, I mean your
followers, a happy, merry Kwan-Hana-Christ-ka-zaa-mas,"
"And just what in God's name is Kwan-Hana-Christ-ka-zaa-mas?"
Magneto repeated impatiently.
"We're going out of our way to be politically correct this year,"
Rogue dryly informed him. "Well stop it!" he yelled back. Mystique
then came up from behind him and smiled. "You're letting the cold
air in Erik; invite them inside."
"I don't want to," the so-called alpha male complained under his
breath. "Oh, don't be a humbug," as she quickly stepped in front of
him. "Please make yourselves at home."
In an instant the X-men were inside and brushing off the snow from
their clothes. "We'll only stay for a minute," Storm mentioned as
she spotted a certain blonde-haired villain. "No need to rush off,
we have all different kinds of pie," Mystique tempted with a smile.
"Did she say pie?" Bobby spoke up then out loud. "Hey everybody,
pie!"
It didn't take long for those at the table to see the stampede of
teenagers heading their way. "Bloody `ell, we're under attack!" Toad
shot straight out of his seat. "We're not, but our dessert is," Pyro
quickly corrected him as he watched his former classmates make a
beeline toward the pie rack. Sabretooth meanwhile sat in his chair
growling. "Now can I?" he asked Magneto referring to the question he
had asked earlier. Magneto's face suddenly brightened as if to
concede.
"You'll do no such thing!" Mystique commanded. "Magneto says it's
OK!" Sabretooth argued. Mystique merely walked over to the pie rack
and started handing out plates. "We can all show a little good will,
can't we?" she remarked strangely as if she were sending a cryptic
massage. "But I don't see how killing…"
"Mystique said no mate, now just drop it," Toad reminded him in a
quiet but very serious tone. Sabretooth frowned considering the
number of mutants he would have to face alone and reluctantly gave
into his colleague's wishes. He glared viciously at Marie and
growled, "Yer just damn lucky you ain't a bunch of Jehovah's
Witnesses."
In just a matter of a few minutes there were a dozen or so kids as
well as the other guests standing around Magneto's beloved metal
conference table making light conversation and chowing down on
pie. "So," Scott dared to ask as he stood dangerously close to the
felinoid, "you don't like Jehovah's Witnesses?" Sabretooth shoveled
another mouthful of candied yams into his mouth and thought about
the question. "Oh for the most part they're OK," he took another
bite. "But the older ones can be a little tough and chewy."
"You're kidding, right?" Kitty asked Sabretooth in disbelief.
"Does that look like the face of a kidder?" Toad chortled
disgustedly; he could hardly believe he had to point out such an
obvious fact. Kitty turned to give Sabretooth a good look just as he
turned to look at her with a broad smile and licked his lips. "S-s-
scott, I wanna go now."
"Yes Scott, I think we should leave before we wear out our welcome
here," Charles commented politely and in a flash the X-men left as
quickly as they invaded, leaving behind an array of dirty disposable
plates and forks. "Well that was fun." Pyro noted sarcastically.
"Whoopee," Toad added with equal disdain. "Yes," Magneto included in
a tired worn voice. "I hope you are happy, Mystique; I don't think I
can take any more of this `celebrating'."

CH5
"I know this little holiday celebration I planned hasn't been
entirely wondrous, but I for one would like to have at least a few
favorable holiday memories in my life." Suddenly Magneto seemed
remorseful as he began to realize how important it was to Mystique
that he not only participate but enjoy what she had coordinated for
him and his `brothers'. "My apologies Mystique, I really do
appreciate all that you do for me, and this dinner is no exception;
it's just that I'm not really accustomed to looking on the brighter
side of life, as it were. So, where are those latkes?" as he seemed
to perk up and forced himself to smile. "And I believe I'd like some
of that white meat, Sabretooth."
For the next several minutes or so the dinner went splendidly; that
is, until Toad decided it was time to reminisce. "Speaking
of `bad `olidays'," Toad mentioned as he greedily smothered his
mashed potatoes with ladle upon ladle of gravy, "did I ever tell
you `ow I used to spend Christmas in the orphanage?" Pyro, who was
still a little sore at Toad for his earlier remarks, immediately
spoke up. "Only every chance you get." Toad looked up from his plate
for a moment and glared at Pyro.
"Not that your stories of being rejected and mistreated as a mutant
child aren't fascinating, Toad, I mean, for being someone who has
lived a sheltered life I can only imagine the shame and disgrace you
must have suffered growing up."
"You think you're such a clever li'l shit don't you?" Toad viciously
concluded. "Yeah, pretty much." Pyro agreed sarcastically.
"Oh won't you two grow up!" Mystique snapped impatiently. "Haven't
either of you figured out by now that we've all had it hard? We all
have our own scared lives, our own wounds that never healed."
Mystique lectured them in a huff. "But that's what separates us from
the X-men. Those pussies haven't had it rough, they're either too
pretty, or too rich, or too cowardly to have ever seen humanity at
its worst. And if they did, they weren't smart enough to figure out
they needed to get just as ruthless in order to survive."
"An easy life makes one weak," Sabretooth spoke in a musing tone as
he lifted his head and gazed off into space. "Only by the fires of
tribulation may a will of iron be forged." A moment later however,
his concentration was broken by the deafening silence around him. He
looked at those surrounding him with astonished faces. "Vic, that
was remarkably…deep," Mystique gasped, seemingly impressed.
Sabretooth then glanced at Toad and Pyro who just sat there with
their mouths partially open while Magneto studied him
suspiciously. "Ah, yeah," his voice no longer sounding as
philosophically profound as it had a moment ago. "I think I got that
from a fortune cookie."
"Clearly that would be the case." Magneto seemed satisfied with
Sabretooth's explanation. After all, to consider his loyal attack
dog as having any real wit was not absurd, but ridiculously
absurd. "I'm just amazed you were able to comprehend the meaning
well enough to see its significance and apply it to this situation."
The big cat-man gave no response, but smiled to himself instead.
For the next several moments little more was said as the dinner
gradually came to an end. "Well, Mystique," at last Magneto seemed
relaxed and at ease, "I must say that I have found this evening to
be rather pleasant. I can't recall the last time I enjoyed spending
time with all of you. Thank you."
"Ah, are you getting all warm and fuzzy on us, Mags?" Toad cooed
teasingly. "Perish the thought!" Magneto surprising smiled and
lightly joked back. He didn't even seem bothered that Toad was now
repeating Sabretooth's favorite form of rebellion. "But when I
compare you scoundrels to those whom I've had the extreme
displeasure of knowing, I feel as if I'm among gods!"
"Oh, Charles is a bore," Mystique added to the conversation, "but
surely you don't think THAT little of him do you?"
"Of course not!" Magneto defended his friend. "I was mostly
referring to the homo-sapiens, like those who ran that little
plastic bubble in which they kept me imprisoned, for instance."
"Prison guards," Sabretooth nodded his head as if to agree. "Those
bastards really know the meaning of "season's beatings", don't they,
Mags?" Magneto leaned over his plate resting his elbows on the table
and took a long drink of wine. "So true," and the old man's face
suddenly seemed far too worn and weary for even a man his age. His
eyes gazed upward though he did not seem to be focusing on anyone
there. He took another drink and swallowed slowly; the jovial
atmosphere now was replaced by an eerie and very somber mood.
Magneto hardly noticed Mystique give Sabretooth a quiet nod to which
he got up and headed for the door. "Well Erik," Mystique announced
decisively. "I think it's time we gave you your present."
"Present?" he repeated stiffly. "Yeah," Toad spoke up bashfully. "We
all feel kinda bad that while we were all out having fun, you were
in that plastic shit hole." Feeling a bit humbled himself, Magneto
offered a subtle smile. "My brothers, you have nothing to feel
guilty about. Those days were bleak indeed, but not just for me, I'm
sure. Even though I was being led to believe that all of you had
been killed, I never stopped believing that someday one of you would
rescue me from that hell. I never lost hope on you, just as I'm sure
you never lost hope on me."  He then surrendered an awkward grin as
he saw the irony in his words.
"But you haven't seen what we got you yet!" Pyro said with a twisted
smile. "Would you like a tiny `int?" Toad teased as he pulled out a
small tape-recorder from his pocket and hit the play button. "Who,
who the hell are you freaks? Get the fuck outta my face unless you
want some trouble!" a vaguely familiar voice came from the recorder
that was quickly followed by the sound of gunshots being
fired. "Holy…shshshsh…"  Static was the last sound to come from the
speaker.
A peculiar look of curiosity and mischief crossed Magneto's
face. "Yes, that voice does ring a bell," he confessed amusingly. "I
just can't quite put my finger on the name." Just then Sabretooth
came strolling in with a large bundle slung over his shoulder; the
sound of muffled cries coming from it. "Blue tried to get me to wear
a Santie Claus suit, but that's where I drew the line. Well..." he
tossed the bundle onto the floor in front of Magneto. "Here you go
Mags! Merry Christmas!" For a moment or so, Magneto looked at the
bundle that was in the obvious shape of a bound man squirming and
yelling, then at his fellow evil mutants. "Well, ain't you gonna
open it?" Toad asked excitedly. Magneto slowly but curiously removed
the hood covering the man's face to reveal someone whom he was quite
familiar with. "Mister…Reed, isn't it?"
Magneto's expression of true delight was a stark contrast to that of
terror on his captive's. "Yes, I believe that is correct," Magneto
assured himself, then looked up at Mystique. "How on earth did you
know about my friend here?"
"When I downloaded the files from Stryker's computer, I read that
Mr. Reed had been transferred from your prison due to the excessive
and unauthorized use of force." Magneto chuckled at her answer a
bit. "Oh, not that Stryker really minded Mr. Reed taking his
frustration out on me of course, but he did nearly kill me once or
twice as memory serves and at the time I was still of importance to
the Colonel's plans."
Magneto then turned his attention back to the bundle on the
floor. "I must say, Mr. Reed, no one could match your brutality, not
even that buffoon Laurio. Yes, I really should congratulate you; you
would have made an outstanding officer in the SS. Was he any
trouble?" he then asked his colleagues.
"Not after he lost these." Sabretooth pulled out a bloodied rag from
his pocket and threw it onto the table close to Magneto who
carefully unfolded it to find what looked to be a set of
testicles. "It's times such as this, Sabretooth," he said with a
certain amount of pride, "that I remind myself why I keep you
around. And as for you, Mystique, I can't believe you went through
all this trouble just for me."
"Oh it was nothing," she sheepishly smiled and appeared to even
blush, in a shade of blue of course.
"Yeah, when I saw those X-men come in I thought the gig was up for
sure!" Pyro gasped excitedly. "So did I!" Toad agreed, almost
chuckling.
"I'm fairly certain Charles suspected we were up to something,"
Mystique joined in. "I'm sure they came over in the first place just
to see if they could uncover the plot."
"Well there's no point in wasting time," Magneto said with a
smile. "What do you say we take my new `toy' outside for a little
target practice? Pyro, would you like to go first?"
"Sure you don't mind?" the young man asked eagerly.
"No, of course not!" Magneto happily replied. "Say, I have an idea;
all of you did such a fine job putting this together for me, why
don't you take Mr. Reed outside and wait for me while I clean off
the table and put the dishes in the machine?" As Magneto began to
clear the table, he could hear the joyous laughter and conversations
coming from his followers, mixed in with the terrified screams and
pleas coming from their hopeless victim. `A little too much fire
from tribulation may forge the will of iron, but maybe perhaps it
also warps the hearts of gold,' he somberly thought to himself and
for a moment and even considered sharing it with his companions.
"Oh why spoil their fun," he finally concluded and went outside to
share in the villainy.
THE END

Hello all. I'm still out here, after various real-life issues, and am even
poking at what will hopefully be a Christmas ficlet in the next week. In the
meantime, I'd like to invite those interested to check out my latest endeavor,
which actually is more or less fiction-related.

"New York City, USA. Throughout its history, it has been a destination for
immigrants, a melting pot for cultures... and now, a refuge for mutants.
Manhattan is the home to a growing subculture for those whose natural gifts have
made them outcasts from ordinary society. They come in search of new beginnings,
adventure, or simply anonymity among the masses. Many find their way to Lusus
Naturae, a "mutie bar" where others like them gather. And some, willingly or
unwillingly, end up in the hands of the bar's mysterious owner--for the mutant
philanthropist Nocturne has plans of his own for mutantkind, and every lost soul
who drifts through his door risks becoming a pawn in his game."

Lusus Naturae is a new roleplaying game, set in the X-Men movieverse and
featuring all-new characters and settings. Explore an underworld in which a
"mutant mafia" is working toward mutant superiority, while mutants of good will
fight for the protection of humanity. Heroes and villains are equally welcome.
:)

http://animag.proboards76.com/index.cgi

Jordi
http://www.jordanna.net

Title: Pennyworth
Author: Jordanna Morgan (librarie@...)
Archive Rights: Please request the author's consent.
Rating/Warnings: G.
Characters: Logan.
Setting: General.
Summary: Logan finds something special beneath the Christmas tree.
Disclaimer: Marvel and Fox create the characters that sell. Not me.
Notes: Written for a Christmas-gift ficlet challenge at my AniMag LiveJournal
community. The character Kristen Mayhew is my own; this story is set prior to
the others in which she has appeared.



I'd had a bad day.

Maybe it was the racket the kids made, out playing in the snow when all I wanted
to do was smoke a cigar in some peace and quiet. Maybe it was the way Rogue
followed me around like a puppy, trying to drag me into their stupid games.
Maybe it was having to watch Jean and Scott under the mistletoe. Whatever it
was, I'd had enough of Christmastime at Xavier's School, and I decided I was
finally going to do something about it.

That night, I laid on my bed and listened until the mansion was quiet. Then I
got up, put on my jacket, and over my shoulder I slung the duffel bag I'd packed
hours earlier. I slipped out the bedroom door, then silently crept down a
staircase festooned with fake pine garlands and big red bows.

The tall fir tree next to the stairs was real enough. The tinsel dripping off
its branches couldn't mask its sweet green smell; it made me feel a little
homesick for the Great White North, and that made my decision feel a little
easier. I picked up my pace toward the front door.

Just as I stepped past the tree, I heard a little sighing sound behind me.

I turned and looked. In the middle of the packages under the tree, there was a
pink flannel bundle--and it was breathing. Morbid curiosity got the better of
me, and with a frown, I stepped closer.

The bundle turned over and stretched, letting go of a raggedy teddy bear, and
opened two huge blue eyes.

Most of the kids would have cringed if they woke up and saw me standing over
them, but this one just stared back at me and gave me a drowsy smile. I
recognized her as the runt who got sick a lot, and tried to dredge up a name:
Christie, Crystal… no, *Kristen*. The school's youngest, a little girl with
wisps of pale-blonde hair that made her look like a dandelion puff.

“What are you doing there?� I asked, trying for a soft voice and not really
succeeding.

Her answer was a sleepy mumble, but I thought I heard the word *claws*, and that
was enough to get my attention.

“What?�

Kristen sat up, pulling her teddy bear back into her lap. “Waiting for Santa
Claus. When he comes, I'm gonna ask him to leave a new bike at my house for my
little brother.�

“Oh.� It was Christmas Eve. I'd forgotten.

Something else about what the kid said took a moment longer to sink in. After I
thought of it, I bent down beside her. “So you've got a family someplace. How
come you're not spending Christmas with them?�

Wrong thing to say. Kristen dropped her gaze, rubbing the bear's ear in some
kind of nervous gesture, and answered in a sad voice. “Mom and Dad... don't
really want me to be home anymore.�

I knew what that meant, and for a split second my anger flared up, bright and
hot; anger at scared, ignorant normal people, or maybe the whole world. But then
she looked up at me, and the anger died away, quicker than I'd ever known it to
before. This kid didn't even know enough to be angry. Here she was, wishing for
a present for a brother who was probably being raised to think he didn't *have*
a sister.

“Are you going someplace, Mister Wolverine?� Kristen asked innocently.

I looked down at the duffel bag under my arm, then back at her, and didn’t
have a thing to say.

“You... oughta be in bed,� I fumbled at last.

“But I gotta talk to Santa.�

I floundered some more. “Well... he won't come unless you're asleep, you know.
Let's write him a note instead.�

That seemed to make her happy. I scrounged up a scrap of paper and pencil in the
library down the hall, then waited while she carefully wrote her message to
Saint Nick in large first-grader's scrawl. She set the note in plain sight under
the tree, then gathered her teddy bear and stood up. Holding out her hand, she
looked up at me brightly, as if she expected me to take it in mine.

I debated with myself for a moment, then bent down and picked her up.

As I climbed the stairs, Kristen snuggled against my chest, squishing the bear
between us. She gripped my jacket collar with fingernails that were painted a
pearly pink. There was a fresh, bubble-bath scent about her that I found
strangely calming.

Because she got colds so often, she had a small bedroom to herself. I shouldered
open the door, went in, and set her down on the bed. The teddy bear slipped to
the floor; I picked it up and put it in her arms, and she squeezed it and smiled
at me. I mumbled a good-night and turned to leave the room.

“Wait!� her little voice piped behind me.

I looked back. Kristen slid off the bed and scuffed across the floor in
slippered feet, moving to her dresser. She picked something up, then came over
and held it out to me.

“Merry Christmas, Mister Wolverine.�

Gingerly I took the object, a painted clay sculpture she had obviously made
herself. I didn't know what it was supposed to be; some kind of orange and
purple animal with a round bovine body, a tiny head on a giraffe neck, stumpy
legs, and a long tail. I stared down at it for a long time... not so much
because I was trying to figure it out, but because I was trying to ignore the
sudden itch in my eyes.

It finally occurred to me that gift-giving was usually a two-way thing, and I
fumbled in my jacket pockets, coming up with a Canadian penny. It was a few
years old, but it was still at least a little bit shiny. I gave it to Kristen,
placing it in her eagerly outstretched palm. She gazed down at it happily,
rubbing the maple-leaf design, cooing over it as if it were a diamond ring.

“Thank you, Mister Wolverine,� she said softly.

“My name's Logan,� I replied, and found that I needed to clear my throat.

Kristen climbed back into bed then, kicking off her slippers and laying down,
with her teddy bear in her arms and the penny still clutched in her small fist.
I pulled the covers over her, then quickly found my bag where it had dropped
beside the door, and left the room without looking back.

Downstairs, I retraced my steps toward the front door... but I found myself
drawn back to the Christmas tree, staring at Kristen's simple note to Santa
Claus. Suddenly I became aware again of the weight of something in my hand, and
I looked down at the painted clay whatchamacallit I held cradled to my chest.

Even I know that love given where it hasn't been received is something special.

Slowly, I climbed the stairs to my room. I unpacked my bag, tucking away old
clothes in drawers with a neatness that wasn't like me. Then I set Kristen's
gift on a shelf and laid down, staring up at it thoughtfully for a long time.

The place to be on Christmas is home--and finding that out was the best penny I
ever spent.

-------------------------------------------------
(c) 2005 Jordanna Morgan - send feedback

*awwwwwwwwww*

HOW cute is that? It's TOO cute! What a great little story, and just in
time for Christmas too! In my opinion, Jordanna, this is top ranked with
some of your best work. Thanks for sharing!

Whitewater (who has to get back to her Pirates of the Caribbean fic.
What *do* you do when your intended couple wind up brother and sister
instead??????)

The Spirit of Giving
by Ridesandruns
Rating: T for profanity
Characters: Logan, Rogue, Kitty, Jubilee, Scott
Summary: Wolverines are wily. Especially when it comes to revenge.
http://www.fanfiction.net/s/2731014/1/


Belated happy holidays, guys. Enjoy.

Ridesandruns

Yeah!!  This was funny!!

----- Original Message ----
From: xmenmoviefanfic@yahoogroups.com
To: xmenmoviefanfic@yahoogroups.com
Sent: Monday, January 02, 2006 01:27:09
Subject: [xmmff] Digest Number 1367

There is 1 message in this issue.

Topics in this digest:

       1. New fic: The Spirit of Giving
            From: "ridesandruns" <ridesandruns@...>


________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________

Message: 1
    Date: Mon, 02 Jan 2006 04:46:23 -0000
    From: "ridesandruns" <ridesandruns@...>
Subject: New fic: The Spirit of Giving

The Spirit of Giving
by Ridesandruns
Rating: T for profanity
Characters: Logan, Rogue, Kitty, Jubilee, Scott
Summary: Wolverines are wily. Especially when it comes to revenge.
http://www.fanfiction.net/s/2731014/1/


Belated happy holidays, guys. Enjoy.

Ridesandruns

Title: Elemental
Characters: Scott Summers, Remy Lebeau Summers, Alex Summers, Adam Darr
Summers; (also Rogue/Marie D'Acanto, Warren Worthington, Bobby Drake,
Jubilation Lee, Piotr Rasputin, Logan/Wolverine, Ororo Munroe, Charles
Xavier, the partridge in the pear tree, and the kitchen sink).
Rating: Teen/Mature (lots of strong language)

Summary: Someone is after the Summers brothers. The bad news is they've
already succeeded in taking Adam. The worse news is that Scott, Remy, and
Alex have to work together to save him. And you thought the Brady Bunch was
dysfunctional.

Notes:
I had so much fun with the friendship between movieverse Remy and Scott in
Prodigals (found at http://www.madweasel.com/kattsaerie/prodigals.html) that
I hitched it up a notch. Of course, you can't say "Summers brothers" without
bringing Alex/Havok along. By the time I starting sketching out the
relationships between those three, Adam-X/the X-treme threw himself into the
plot and wouldn't let go.

Thus, "Elemental" was born.

The novel tie-in to X1 first presented Scott Summers having some
girl-trouble at prom (Incidentally, the novel also spells this section
"prolog" which makes me twitch as much as the word "tyre). Nothing about
being orphanned or living in the streets.

Of course, it didn't say anything about brothers either and pretty much
lambasted the Jean-Scott age difference with "1986" printed clearly before
the prom scene, but I claim my right as a fanficcer to pick and choose
details. ;)

"Elemental" begins early in the summer of 2005 (thanks for the tip about
Senate hearings, Minisinoo!), three months after Jean Grey's death *cough*.
I've chosen to ignore Hurricane Katrina, not because I want to forget it
happened. I will admit to thinking "Oh! Plot point!" but mashed the
temptation down; I feel it's too soon to include it in a piece of
entertainment. Also, I would like to emphasize that the portrayal of
Christopher Summers is not meant to represent all those who work for the air
force/military/navy.

Much thanks to my betas, E and fyrechilde, as well as everyone who said that
writing a Big Story With Premeditated Plot isn't as scary as it sounded. The
re-writes however...

Title: Elemental
Characters: Scott Summers, Remy Lebeau Summers, Alex Summers, Adam Darr
Summers; (also Rogue/Marie D'Acanto, Warren Worthington, Bobby Drake,
Jubilation Lee, Piotr Rasputin, Logan/Wolverine, Ororo Munroe, Charles
Xavier, the partridge in the pear tree, and the kitchen sink).
Rating: Teen/Mature (lots of strong language)
Archives: Katt's Aerie (http://www.madweasel.com/kattsaerie/elemental.htm),
FF.net, LeBeau Library, Quills & Ink. Anyone else please ask. I'm not likely
to say no but I'd like to keep track.

Summary: Someone is after the Summers brothers. The bad news is they've
already succeeded in taking Adam. The worse news is that Scott, Remy, and
Alex have to work together to save him. And you thought the Brady Bunch was
dysfunctional.

--- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- ---
Chapter 1: Most Roads Lead Home

Sunshine left Xavier's Institute the day Jean Grey died. Heavy rain drowned
out any hint of summer time. Rogue would have chalked it up to Ms. Munro
except that it had been three months and a bit since that horrible day in
Canada. Ms. Munro was powerful but not that powerful. At least, Rogue didn't
think so.

"If it rains any more, we're going to have to build an ark," said Piotr,
glancing up from his physics textbook to trace patterns on the glass.

"Does ark building involve physics?" Rogue asked him.

Piotr smiled. "Yes."

"Fabulous."

The second floor study was empty except for the two of them. The gloomy
weather drove everyone else downstairs to watch movies, play foozball, make
cookies-- anything but dwell on the depressing atmosphere. The only reason
she and Piotr closeted themselves in the room was because Rogue desperately
needed help with her physics homework and Piotr was the only one who had the
patience to explain everything coherently.

"I'm so sick of this!" said Rogue, throwing her pencil down. "I understand
the concepts. I know how to solve the formulas. But when I try these stupid,
freakin' questions, I never seem to use the right formulas in the right
freakin' order. Why did I take the danged class anyway?"

"Because you want to blow Frank Gehry and Franklin Lloyd Wright straight out
of the water," said Piotr in that deep, mellow voice of his.

"Won't I have underlings to think about that? I want to be an architect not
an engineer; I'm just supposed to spontaneously come up with genius
designs."

The corners of Piotr's mouth lifted. "Yes, and I just pop acid to paint. We
all have to take some good with the bad."

"Isn't the saying 'take some bad with the good?'" Rogue said.

"I'm Russian. We're genetically pessimistic."

Rogue threw a kernel of her eraser at him. "That's not what I want to hear
from my tutor."

Brushing the bit of white rubber from his black hair, Piotr said, "At least
if you expect the worse, the mediocre becomes awesome."

"Keep it coming, Buns-o-Steel. I got a big eraser."

"You're just stalling."

"Damn straight. If I have to figure out the relationship between tickertape
and the angle of the incline one more time, I'm going to completely--" Rogue
broke off, seeing Piotr's attention dart to her left. Placing a finger over
his lips, he gestured to the window beside the table.

Slowly, Rogue turned her head. White-tipped fingers grasped the window
ledge, a ledge that just barely covered a shaggy head of hair. As she stood
to get a better look, another hand reached up over the ledge, holding
several little tools. They looked like they could be related to dental
equipment.

Piotr and Rogue exchanged glances. Piotr shrugged and, casually, went
metallic.

The climber had braced one arm on the ledge now. His head popped up, hair
plastered to his face, and he grinned, wiggling his fingers at them. The two
students stepped back, surprised, going into a ready stance. There was
something naggingly familiar about his features-- his cheekbones or
jawline-- but Rogue couldn't quite put her finger on it. His shades threw
her off.

"Uh, Pete?" Rogue eased her textbook and binder to one side. "Should we do
anything?"

"There's a man with lock picks climbing up our house," said Piotr. "I
definitely think we should do something."

"Like attack?"

"I was thinking of calling one of the teachers," said Piotr.

"You do it," Rogue said quickly.

Piotr's brows rose. "Are you sure? It would make more sense if I stayed
behind; he could have a gun."

Smirking, Rogue said, "It'll take him at least five minutes to pick the lock
and divert the alarms on that window. You'd've gotten some of the teachers
up here by then." When Piotr still looked doubtful, she added, "Five minutes
and counting, Buns."

She let out a small sigh when he finally turned on his heel and ran out of
the room. Piotr looked as though he would have questioned her knowledge on
lock-picking and Rogue didn't know how she would have replied. No one except
Logan and the Professor knew about her mutation's little mental side-effect.

Rogue knocked on the window. The guy looked up; the tip of his tongue peeked
out between his lips in concentration.

"We're calling the police," she said loudly.

The guy smiled again and continued to fiddle with something under the ledge.
Rogue put her books away-- if this was going to turn ugly, she didn't want
her homework damaged to top it all off-- and continued to watch the would-be
burglar.

Her indifference melted away when he pulled out a small drill and waved it
at her, mouthing a retort. Rogue couldn't quite hear him but the expression
on his face was enough of a hint.

"You are one cocky sonuvabitch," she said, trying to tamp down that part of
her that admired his ballsiness.

The guy bored a small hole in the window, less than a quarter inch in
diameter. Quickly tucking the drill away, he inserted a small tool in the
hole with a tiny blade at the tip. Angling the tool just so, he jabbed the
window sill, twisted and pulled, cutting a wire that Rogue hadn't even
realized was there. What a great time for the Voices to stay quiet.

She backed away from the window, tensed for a fight even as Cyclops'
instructions screamed at her to get out of the room and get help.

The window creaked open-- a mere hook-latch was nothing after disabling a
window-foil alarm from the outside. The burglar shoved the lower pane up
then, amazingly, lowered himself until only his fingers were visible again,
gripping the ends of the ledge.

*Now!* Rogue's mind hollered. *Get help now!*

She half-twisted for the door.

In one quick, smooth move, the burglar lifted himself back up over the ledge
and jackknifed feet-first through the window. His feet found purchase on the
edge of the table-- she shouldn't have cleared the mess, her subconscious
admonished-- and using that for traction, he curled his body up and over
into a perfect shoulder roll. Water droplets flew everywhere.

What Rogue did next was entirely her fault.

As the burglar came up from his roll, she kicked out with toe pointed,
exactly how Cyclops taught her not to kick. The pointy tip of her stylish
pumps caught on his collar so that when he reflexively dove away from the
kick, he dragged her with him.

Rogue's knees hit the carpeted floor with a muffled thunk. Her next move was
less amateurish, as her training--or mind-Logan-- took over. She slammed her
forearm against his throat and, after hearing him gag in a very satisfying
manner, grabbed his hair. She gave that handful of damp brown hair as
vicious a yank as she could muster.

"Yow!" He pushed her away but she still had his hair in her fist.
Frantically, he reached for her forearm. "Let go my hair, girl!"

"Not a chance in hell," said Rogue. She was trying to figure out how to get
out of his reach and still inflict pain. "You're stayin' right here until
our teachers come and then, you'll be in such shit."

His struggles eased. "What, they gonna give me KP duty for a month?"

Rogue smirked. "You're in a world of hurt an' you don't even know it."

"I think I know more than you can guess, girl."

"Stop calling me girl!"

"Whatever you say, sweetie-pie."

Rogue squawked.

"Princess? Shorty? Honeybuns?" He grunted, pulling his body into a more
comfortable position. "Throw me a freakin' bone here, sugar."

"That is completely disgusting," said Rogue. "You're not only a bad thief,
you're a dirty old man."

He frowned. "Hey, now you're being mean. I ain't a bad thief."

Cyclops' voice cut in. "But you're definitely a dirty old man." He stood at
the door, arms crossed, his mouth bracketed by frown lines that were deeper
than they'd ever been when school first started. Piotr stood behind him,
less aggressive although he was still in metal form.

Rogue looked up, relieved. "I managed to subdue him, Mr. Sum-- I mean,
Cyc--uh…"

"Rogue, Piotr, go downstairs and alert the professor," her teacher said.
"I'll take care of this guy."

Puzzled by his unusual curtness, Rogue nevertheless scurried out the door
after Piotr. Scott blocked the door again as soon as she slipped through.

The burglar got on his feet, still smirking despite the fact that he was
rubbing his throat.

"You'll take care of nothing," he said. "Bad enough this place has more
handholds than a cabinet factory, your alarm system is completely
craptastic."

"Well, you were the one who set it up," said Scott.

"Ever heard of upgrades?"

"Ever heard of doorbells?" Scott shot back. He pinched the bridge of his
nose. "What are you doing here, Remy?"

"What, I can't drop in and say hello to my favourite baby brother?" Remy
shook his head sadly. "Youth these days; they squander family ties like so
much gum wrapper."

"*I'm* older than *you*," said Scott.

"That has yet to be proven. For all anybody knows, I'm an extremely youthful
forty year-old."

"Remy, please, I've got marking to get back to and another class to prep
for. Make this quick."

The smile leeched out of Remy's face. He ran his hands through his hair,
leaving half of the shaggy locks standing straight up. Scott allowed himself
a smile; Remy's hair had always been a bane to his vanity.

"We need you to come home," said Remy abruptly. "Adam's missing again."

#

Excused from the impromptu introduction in Professor Xavier's office, Ororo,
Hank, and Kelly St. Anna, the newly-hired junior history teacher, headed for
the staff kitchen to muse things over. Logan set off in the opposite
direction muttering about piping in the pool annex while Kurt Wagner
teleported to... well, wherever he wanted on the grounds.

After the incident at Striker's base, enrolment boomed. To be honest, Ororo
thought the opposite would happen-- that the children's parents would take
them away in fear of other attacks and that other families would go into
hiding. In fact, some parents did withdraw their children from the school
but many more replaced them. Testing at Xavier's increased eighty-five
percent from last year and of the number tested, almost a third stayed in
the school. Storm supposed the rest of the children had minor mutations that
lent itself well to distance education.

The professor found the influx encouraging; he said it was a sign of
acceptance that he never would have seen five years ago. He had other
concerns, mainly to do with staff. Four teachers adequately met the needs of
forty-eight students. A hundred and fifty was a bit much. Besides adding to
the five core permanent staff-- Ororo, Hank, Scott, Kelly, and Xavier
himself-- Scott suggested a permanent cook since the school's licensing
didn't qualify it for the state's cafeteria program or the mobile kitchen
programs. The fall enrolment also called for a permanent school nurse and a
secretary. At the moment, Logan acted as the groundskeeper but he hadn't
indicated how long he would stay on.

"I don't remember Scott ever talking about his brothers to a great extent,"
Ororo said.

"The Summers brood exemplify the adage 'absence makes the heart grow
fonder,'" said Hank McCoy, the senior Biology and Literature instructor.
"The tales I could tell of our founding days. It would make your skin
crawl."

"Were they that bad with each other?" asked Kelly.

Hank only shuddered delicately in reply.

"You're one of the infamous five, huh?" Kelly snagged the closest bar-stool
and clambered on top. "Tell all. Scott used to mumble about 'The Bavarian
Hamster Incident' back in college."

"Yes, I've heard about that too," said Ororo.

"There are some things in life that are not meant to be revealed," said
Hank, bowing. "Consider that one of them." His colleagues groaned but Hank
was adamant. "Ask me anything else. The hamster, whether or not it was
Bavarian, will have to remain a mystery."

"Tell us about Scott and his brothers, then," Ororo said promptly. "Why was
Remy not in your original five? Isn't he only a year younger than Scott?"

"Less than," said Hank. "Remy chose not to enrol in the school. Not only was
he born with a physical mutation-- his eyes are sensitive to the infrared
spectrum-- but his powers manifested unusually early. I'd love to run a few
tests on his vision one day if only I could keep him still for longer than
five minutes. Perhaps if I bait a cage with a pack of cigarettes and a
bottle of Dr. Pepper... but I digress. Control came to him much easier than
Scott."

"Why?" asked Kelly.

"Apparently, Scott had been in a car accident as a child," replied Hank.
"While his mutation was latent, the brain damage he sustained did not affect
his every day skills. Unfortunately, that very section is needed to control
his optic blasts."

"That's such a shame," said Kelly. "He's way too young to be burdened like
that."

Ororo nodded but said nothing. Only when it came up in casual conversation
did she remember that society viewed Scott as handicapped.

"So it's just Scott and Remy?" Kelly said.

Hank shook his head. "No, no, no, that would be too easy. Nature, in its
perversity, created four Summers. Scott, Remy, Alex, and Adam. I believe
Alex is in Hawai'i studying volcanic rocks and Adam is in the home perch of
San Diego. Last I heard of Remy, he was in Louisiana. You will notice that
while they are all still in the United States, they have spread themselves
as far apart as possible."

"They hate each other that much?" Having no living relatives, Ororo found
the idea distressing.

"Hate is so strong a word," said Hank. "Rather, let us call it a healthy
respect for personal space. Perhaps even magnetic repulsion. You've heard of
the Aristotelian theory of the four humours-- melancholics, phegmatics,
cholerics, and sanguines? Or perhaps the four cardinal directions? The four
elements? "

"I think I get the idea," said Kelly. "I think it'll kind of nice to have
him around. Scott's looking more animated than I've ever seen him."

"True," said Ororo. "Warren will be visiting soon as well. Scott will have
all those near and dear to him then." She drew a wicker basket filled with
tea bags from one of the cabinets

Horror effused Hank's face. "Oh, my stars and garters, I'd completely
forgotten about Warren." He plucked it from Ororo's fingers and shoved a
beige ceramic container with the word "Coffee" emblazoned on its
circumference in large, raised black lettering.

"You'll need this," he said. Then his forehead wrinkled and he added, "We'll
all need it."

#

One wing away in the headmaster's office, two of the Summers brothers sat
before Xavier, one a long-time pupil, another a long-ago drop-out.

Remy never found Xavier's office as relaxing as Scott seemed to. There were
too many distractions-- huge diamond-grilled windows looking out into a
weary Italian garden, shelves over-flowing with thick leather-bound tomes,
mahogany and oak furnishings with better pedigrees than most of the
occupants in this building. Even the fireplace seemed to crackle richly in
its Italian marble surroundings. His fingers ached to fondle the treasures
and his mind kept calculating their resale prices.

"I'm very pleased to have you visit us," Xavier said, pouring tea from--
Remy's lungs double-clutched-- a Sevres tea set. "It's been too long."

"Y'know how it is when business is good, Professor," said Remy, accepted his
cup. He was holding a cup from a Sevres tea set. From the pattern, he'd
guess it was from the 1790s. He wondered how quickly he could drain it so he
could look at the stamp underneath.

There was a twinkle in Xavier's eye that made Remy think the older man had
skimmed that particular thought from his head. Indeed, when Xavier poured
Scott's cup, he tilted the pot just enough that Remy saw the factory mark
embossed on the base.

Jesus, he was growing a hard-on right fucking now.

"I'm glad that the market for antiques has grown again," Xavier said.
"Although I must confess a weakness for Bauhaus rather than Louis XVIII."

"Whuh?" was all Remy could come up with.

"Give it up, Professor," said Scott. "It's hard enough to get a full
sentence out of Remy when all his gears are working. This long after lunch
with all your family heirlooms around, he can barely remember his name."

Remy flicked a charged sugar cube at him which Scott caught unerringly and
zapped into oblivion.

Allowing himself one last Neanderthal snort, Remy pulled on his business
persona. "I was about to say, Professor, that the market is currently
booming. Recent events as well as the continuing economic trend towards
globalisation and robotics that're making people nostalgic for their
traditional roots and Scotty, if you clap, I swear I'm going to beat you
with your own glasses."

"I can't express admiration at your ability to memorize?" Scott asked. "Last
time you came, you were still working on reading three-syllable words."

"Professor, Scott's bugging me."

Xavier sipped his tea, presumably to hide a chuckle. When he lowered his
cup, he was all business. "So, how long do you think Scott needs a leave of
absence?"

Scott put his cup down. "Sir, you know Adam's a professional runaway. He's
probably sulking in one of his friends' basements because Dad took his
Mustang away."

Shaking his head, Remy said, "Actually Pops bought him a Land Rover last
Christmas."

"Fantastic," said Scott, deadpan. "Where the hell did Dad get the money to
buy a Land Rover? Did you lend him money again?"

"Do I look that braindead?" When Scott's expression didn't change, Remy
threw his hands up. "No, I did *not* lend him any money. I got better things
to do with my hard-earned cash than watch Adam and Pops burn it on bad car
mods and the latest combination mp3-DVD-blender-toaster-wide screen TV."

"I'm glad you finally learned your lesson after the first five times," said
Scott.

"You think I would've left New Orleans if it was like the other times?" Remy
demanded. "Adam's been gone for four weeks, Scott. His friends haven't seen
him--"

"They always say that."

"--and none of his theatre buddies have either. Believe me, no actor on
Earth would've turned down my bribes."

"I believe you," said Xavier.

Scott looked nonplussed. "Professor, we'll play right into his hands if I
go."

"I know that, too." He leaned back on his chair. "Perhaps Adam did run away
for attention again but what if this time, he encountered real danger? No, I
think it would be best if we looked into this matter."

Resigned, Scott sighed. "Whatever you say, sir."

"However," Xavier said before Remy's grin could fully form. "I also believe
that we are better equipped to find Adam here than if you two were to return
to San Diego this instant. Let me ask my connections, Remy. You may stay and
supervise if you'd like."

"I'd like," said Remy firmly. "It'll give me a chance to update your
security system. Did Scott tell you it was craptastic?"

"He mentioned something along those lines."

http://www.fanfiction.net/s/2739284/1/

It's a Scott/Logan adventure with some humor, LOTS of violence and
some of it is graphic.  There's vulgar language and some controversial
topics, so....  yeah.  Everything but sex, and there's even one veiled
allusion to that, so I rated it "M" just to be sure.

Minimal plot, and movie-verse-esque.

Bumpy ride ahead.  lol!

Wolf

Title: Elemental
Continuity: post-X2
Characters: ensemble but mostly Scott Summers, Remy Lebeau Summers, Alex
Summers, Adam Darr Summers
Rating: teen/mature for strong language, violence, and (future) sexual
situations

Summary, disclaimer, and author notes in [0/17]

---

Chapter 2: Past Interlude #1: Zurich, Switzerland - 1992
http://www.madweasel.com/kattsaerie/Elemental/EI02.htm

---
As always, feedback is much appreciated. Thanks to all who've replied so
far.

Cheers!
Katt
www.madweasel.com

Title: Elemental (Part 1)
Fandom: Post-X2
Characters: Ensemble but mostly Scott Summers, Remy Lebeau Summers, Alex
Summers, and Adam Darr Summers.
Rating: teen/mature for Quentin Tarantino-esque dialogue, slightly tamer
violence, and (future) sexual situations which may or may not have full
lighting.

Summary, Disclaimer, and Notes in [0/17]

---
Because posting just Chapter 2 would have been cheap.

Chapter 3:  The Brother I Chose
http://www.madweasel.com/kattsaerie/Elemental/EI03.htm

---

Cheers!
Katt
www.madweasel.com

Hi everybody,

I wanted to let you know that Artemis' interview is now up at the
Wolverine and Rogue Fanfiction Archive
(http://www.wolverineandrogue.com/fic/authiv/index.php) for your
reading pleasure. So, swing by, take a look and enjoy!

Diane

Hi Everybody,

The next interview will be with Sourspunk101, the author of such
stories as "She Was Lonely", "Sick of Dreaming in Black and You,"
and "Mere Inches" among others. The stories can be read at the WRFA
archive.

I will be conducting the interview around the beginning of next month.
Thus, if you would like to suggest a question, please contact me by
February 3rd at the address below. Another announcement will be made
when the completed interview has been posted.

Thanks for your interest and participation.

Diane
deh@...

I just got a notice from my host that there will be a period of
downtime on Sunday morning, 6am to 8am EST for maintenance, which means
you will not be able to access the following sites during that time:

wolverineandrogue.com
xmmff.com
fandomnation.com
haremuniverse.com

The danger-room.net site is with a different host and will remain up.

If you have a site hosted on fandomnation.com, I downloaded the weekly
backup earlier this evening, and I suggest, just to be safe, that you
not make any changes to your site until after the maintenance is
complete.

Devil Doll

GRAIL: a novel of resurrection
Minisinoo

Summary: At Alkali Lake, Jean Grey gave her life to save her fellows.
  But if so, what's risen from the water?  A little bit ghost story, a
little bit love story; a little bit mystery, a little bit suspense.

Characters: emsemble cast (everyone from X2 and then some)
Genre: mystery-suspense
Warning: adult audiences

http://www.themedicinewheel.net/grail/grail.html

Because I am a lazy soul and this novel is loooong, I kinda gave up
on posting individual chapters.  I beg forgiveness and indulgence.
The idea of specially formatting something like 60,000 words for
these final chapters just made me swoon. <g>  Since it's the ending
of a long project (over 2 years), many of you have seen me post parts
of it before, and have some sense if you like my writing style (or
not).

Those of you new to the group, or who have been dubious, some
additional information that might help you decide if the novel would
be of interest to you:

GRAIL *is* a full-scale novel, and in print, would run about 600
pages.  While I sometimes call it 'my' X3, the basic plot was
conceived very shortly after X2 was released ... I just didn't have
time, then, to write it.  So it's not intended to be a response to
the dubious rumors that have surfaced about X3; it's not a
'replacement' to the film.  It's a book, and narratives do different
things from movies.  This is just what I'd do with X3 if it were
handed to me (and I didn't have to worry about pesky things like
PG-ratings).

The novel is a true ensemble piece, and if the main character is,
indeed, Jean (and Scott and Warren, too), a number of other
significant characters play substantial and pivotal roles, including
several of the kids.  Among the other point-of-view characters are
Logan, Mystique, Storm, Rogue, Kitty (Pryde), and even Artie (little
snake-tongue).  Hank McCoy (Beast) is also present, although both he
and Warren Worthington (Angel) were included long before they were
known to be in X3.  They're different characters here (for one thing,
Hank is his pre-blue self), and different ages -- but they're
present.  Also, my inclusion of the Legacy subplot long predated
rumors about the Cure-virus in X3.

Please be aware that Grail IS an adult novel.  That means it may
include events and imagery not suitable for younger readers.  Take
the 'swim at your own risk' seriously.

Cheers!

--Min
The Medicine Wheel: X-Men Fanfic
http://www.themedicinewheel.net/

__________________________________________________
Do You Yahoo!?
Tired of spam?  Yahoo! Mail has the best spam protection around
http://mail.yahoo.com

hi.

  Now the egroups page lets members post, but not read messages?  What
happened, if I may ask.

  *puzzled & confused*

This was written for the new livejournal community
xmenflashfic.  Each week there will be a different
prompt or theme for people to write short fiction.
The first one is, appropriately enough, "First Times."

I figured I'd post to lists, too.

Title: A Fine Romance

Author: Mo

Email:  Mogbrg@...

Scenario: X2 Movieverse, although it takes place long
before either movie.

Pairing: Scott/Jean (yes, really)

Sequel/Series and so forth: This fits in with my two
X2 series: After the Fall and Returning Spring (I'm
working on the third one - working title: Summers in a
Sea of Glory). My Scott's gay and in my X2 fiction he
and Jean decided while in college to try and make a go
of being a couple, in spite of that. Here's how Scott
explains it to Logan in After the Fall:

"So Jean and I got an apartment together. In some ways
it was the stereotypical gay man/straight woman
friendship - we were often lusting after the same
guys. But then our second year in college it changed.
Maybe we'd both gotten our hearts stamped on too many
times, or something. We already had each other as
companions, study partners, roommates. It didn't seem
that strange to add sex to the mix. We definitely
looked on it at first as just friendship, friends who
fuck, you know? But over time it felt like more. And
when we came back here, after graduation, well we came
back as a couple. Got a room together. I started
building the school, with Charles. Jean was commuting
to the city for med school. My life seemed sort of
normal, all of a sudden. Respectable."

Scott was sitting in the dark.  That’s why Jean didn’t
see him when she came in.  Well, that and her
miserable and self-absorbed mood, which didn’t allow
for noticing her roommate on the couch.

She hadn’t been able to find her keys.  She stood
there outside the apartment door, rummaging through
her purse, the tears and the shaking making it hard to
locate anything.  And as she tried and failed to find
them - coming up with lipstick and her wallet and
assorted useless other things - the frustration making
her cry harder.

Jean thought she’d die if someone saw her falling
apart in the hall like this, especially Nosy Next Door
who was always gleefully telling her about the guys
who come and go when she’s not there.  Jean half
wanted to tell her the truth – that she and Scott are
roommates, not lovers, and she knows he’s gay – but
she didn’t want to give the old bat the satisfaction
of knowing anything about them.  So when she heard
Next Door’s footsteps approaching the door, she just
had to get into the apartment before she got caught
there crying.

Jean gave up looking for her keys and reached into the
lock with her brain, tripping the tumblers.  “Why
didn’t I ever think of that before?” she asked
herself.  She slipped into the apartment and slammed
the door telekinetically, just as Next Door opened
hers.

Safely inside, Jean slid down until she was sitting on
the floor.  Back to the door, knees pulled up, she put
her head down  and them and let herself cry in full
force now.  Sobbing, nose running.

“Jean?”  Scott turned on the light, reaching for his
glasses as he did.

Jean jumped up, smoothed her clothes, trying to make
herself look at least a little presentable before he
opened his eyes.  “I didn’t know you were home,” she
said unnecessarily.  “I thought you were on a date.”

“I thought you were on one, too.”  He patted the
couch.  “Sit down.  Tell me about it.”  He handed her
a tissue.

“I must look terrible.”

He shook his head.  “You always look beautiful.”  He
hugged her.  “So, what happened with Grant tonight?”

“It’s over.”

“I’m sorry, Red.”

“Me, too.  I thought we were good together, you know?
I thought this might be it.”

“I’m sorry,” he said again.  “I thought it was going
to last, too.”  He stroked her hair.  She leaned on
his shoulder.  “You two seemed like such a great
couple.  Plenty in common.  He took the mutant thing
in stride. And the gay roommate,” he added, with a
smile.

“He said he was glad you’re gay.  He was worried about
competition at first, glad to find out it wasn’t like
that between you and me.”  She sobbed again.  “Shit.
Even my mother liked him, and she *never* likes any of
the guys I go out with.  And – not to be shallow or
anything – but aside from you, Grant’s the best
looking guy I know.”

“He’s hot.”

“Yeah, hot.  Hot for Anneliese Schneider,
unfortunately, not me.”

“The micro TA?”  She nodded.  “Well, he’s got no
taste, then.  You’re better looking, smarter, funnier.
  An all-around better person.”

“I tried to ignore it,” she said, sniffing.  “I mean,
he wasn’t cheating on me.  Not that he wouldn’t if he
could, but she’s married.  Happily.  And I just tried
to tell myself there’s nothing wrong with him being
attracted to other people.  It’s not fair to expect a
guy not to even *think* about other women, is it?”

“You’re the only woman I ever think about,” he
replied.  It made her laugh, which is what he’d
wanted.  “You’re right, though.  It’s probably hard
being with a telepath."

"I know!  Sometimes I wish I'd never developed
telepathy.  It was easier just being telekinetic, I'll
tell you."  She smiled a little.

"So, he’s got a bit of a crush on the teacher.
Doesn’t mean he doesn’t love you, just because he
thinks about her.”

“Every time we have sex?  I swear, he can’t get it up
unless he closes his eyes and pretends I’m her.  He’s
obsessed.”  She blew her nose and continued.  “I told
him so.  And then he got mad and said I’d been
eavesdropping on him.  It’s not like I’m doing it on
purpose!  He’s broadcasting so loud I can’t ignore it.
  Believe me, I don’t *want* to know my boyfriend is
thinking about some other woman right while he’s
making love to me.”

“I believe you.”

“Well he didn’t.  Or maybe it was just an excuse to
break up with me.”  She took another tissue from the
box and wiped her eyes.  “What happened with Tim?”

Scott shrugged “He wanted to see my eyes.”

“He didn’t know?”

“Yeah, he knew.  I told him when I met him.  I’m not
getting dumped by some guy I liked when he finds out
I’m a mutant.  Not again.  I tell them right up front
now.”

“So, if you told him...”

“Well, there’s telling.  And then there’s showing.”
He looked away.  “And maybe I didn’t tell him really
clearly anyway," he added sheepishly.  I *liked* Tim.
I didn’t want to scare him off.  So I told him I’m a
mutant, yes.  And explained about optic blasts, sort
of.  Downplayed it a bit.  I don’t think he realized
how dangerous I am,” he added, with a sour smile.  She
squeezed his hand.  “So he wanted a demo and I gave
him one.  End of story.  End of Tim.”

“I’m sorry, Scott.”

“Yeah, me too.”  She hugged him.  “Hey, we still have
each other,” he told her, smiling.

He’d said it before.  They both had.  But this time
she looked at him when he said it.  Really looked at
that perfect face – cheekbones to die for, such a
kissable mouth.  So, she kissed him, leaning in to
brush her lips against his.

He kissed her back.  It started out friendly, like all
the hugs and cuddles and snuggling together watching
movies on the couch they’d done.  But it turned into
something different.  He pulled her close, slid his
tongue between her lips.  She sucked on it, pushed her
whole body against his.  And she felt him getting
hard, pressed against her.

Jean broke off the kiss, pulled away.  Sitting there
on the couch she looked at him with something
approaching wonder.  “You were thinking about kissing
me.”

“I *was* kissing you.”

“I know.  But you were thinking about that, about me.
And you were...” She looked away.

“I know.”  He took her by the chin, turned her head
back to him.

“Scott, have you ever had sex with a woman?”

“Never.”

“Do you want to give it a try?”

He nodded and smiled.  “Yeah,” he said, “I do.”


Mo
Mofic Website: http://mo.fandomnation.com/fic/
www.livejournal.com/users/mofic

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