By Nadja Lee 25/06/01
English is not my native language. Please forgive me my mistakes.
Disclaimer: "X-men" and all the characters here belong to Marvel, 20 Century Fox and I intend no infringement, this is a piece of amateur fan fiction, and I make no money of it.
Only the original idea contained within this work is the property of the author. Please do not copy this story to any website or archive without permission of the author.
Timeline: Set in the Ultimate comic universe, set before the Ultimate comic books begin.
Universe: Set in the Ultimate comic universe or an alternative universe.
Pairing: None
Summary: Scott talks with Alex and thinks about his past…
Archiving: Want, ASK, take, have.
Feedback: Yes, please. My e-mail address is [email protected]
Rating: R
Dedicated to: Misty and L. Burke. Thanks for your kindness and friendship.
Series/sequel: First story in "Running Wild" series
Warning: Very dark. May contain disturbing elements.
Thanks to Christina and Estelle Summers for the Beta.
*mmmm * is telepathically thoughts spoken in the mind. " mmmmm " is spoken out loud.
Part 1:
"Scott, can you help me with this?" Alex asked his brother as Scott came into the small kitchen where Alex sat, his schoolbooks on the table. Scott checked the clock to be sure Alex wasn't skipping classes; almost 3 o'clock in the afternoon he read. He would have to go out and buy some groceries for dinner soon, Scott thought.
" Depends on what it is," Scott said and took a piece of bread from the kitchen table. Scott leaned over Alex's shoulder to read what he was writing. It was some mathematic figures.
" This one...what is it?" Alex asked and pointed to one of the figures. Scott pulled his morning robe closer around his body and ran a hand through his still wet hair from his bath. No matter how often he bathed he still felt dirty.
" It is 3766," Scott said, his eyes having barely run over the problem. Alex wrote it down.
" You can do that every time. How do you do it?" Alex asked, still surprised after having seen Scott do it multiple times.
" I have no idea," Scott admitted with a smile and rubbed Alex's golden hair.
" Hey, watch it. You are ruining my hair," Alex complained with a grin. Scott laughed and went to the refrigerator and poured himself a glass of orange juice.
" Where is Remy?" Alex asked as he put the mathematics away and opened a new book.
" Out," Scott simply answered and seated himself next to Alex.
He knew that Alex was getting too old to settle for that answer but what should he say? The truth? Remy is out picking pockets so you can eat and keep having a roof over your head? No, the truth was definitely out of the question. A lie? Though he wasn't a bad liar, it lay in his job to lie in every way, but Remy still did it much better. He remembered when Alex was younger and had heard noises from the other room Remy had sat by his bedside and told him tales, lies, about how it was giants fighting or angels punishing sinners. Scott grinned a little at that. Remy and his beliefs; stealing and even killing were all right...for some things and in certain ways. And then, of course, in church every Sunday to get forgiveness for it. Not that Remy had killed anyone…yet. Remy felt, as did Scott, that to protect Alex, to protect both his brothers, anything goes. Scott never went to church though but he made Remy take Alex. The catholic thing was probably something from his father, or so their mother had said. When she had spoken of their fathers, she had remembered Scott's father with fondness, he had been a pilot; a kind and gentle man, she had said. Probably married too as Scott had never met him. Remy's father had been wild, French, young and, yes, catholic. And he just happened to be the leader of the Thieves Guild in New Orleans, pulling Remy and them all into a world of trouble. He wasn't jealous that Remy's father acknowledged him. Okay, he was. Very much so. Jean Luc may not be a wonderful dad, being a thief and all, but at least he existed, he was there and he was real. Their mother had refused to talk about Alex's father. It was now 4 years since she had died and he sometimes felt like he was forgetting her more and more. Elizabeth had been 22 when she had gotten Scott. Scott had never called her mom nor had Remy and Alex but always Elizabeth because Scott called her that. Elizabeth was her given name and her children had been the only ones to use it, not Betsy, babe, doll and sweetheart or even worse; whore or other names. No, Elizabeth, she had liked that so Scott had used that name for her. Scott remembered the first years with his mother to be good times; she had been a mild and sweet woman. Two more children and 12 years later she had died an old woman in everything but years.
" Yeah, I kinda guessed that," Alex said as he began reading. Scott leaned over to see what he was reading. He wished he could read better. Elizabeth had taught him a little but she hadn't had much time. Mostly she had just told of books she had read. She must once have lived better than this; Scott had always been sure of that. Not only because of his mother's very English accent but also because of the little things she did or didn't do; drugs was something she had never used though it was common here, she had never complained over her fate or the beatings she had received through the years. But in the end even she had been worn down by this life. They said she had died from AIDS, Scott knew she had faded away.
" He's.... at work," Scott finally lied. Both Scott and Remy had left school when their mother had died to get enough money to survive. Sure, according to some or another papers Jack was their legal guardian...or rather the legal guardian of Alex and him since Jean Luc had acknowledged Remy. Jean Luc let Remy stay with Scott and Alex and was mostly too busy with his own affairs to think much about him. Jack had been Elizabeth's "man" at the time of her death so he had been given custody of Scott and Alex, not that Jack liked children, in fact he hated children, but he did like the monthly check. Jack was a violent man, especially when he had been drinking which he did a lot. Fortunately, Jack had only been around for some 10 months after Elizabeth's death and had then disappeared. Scott was pretty sure the mob had killed him over some outstanding debts. But Jack was still useful for one thing; he kept Remy, Alex and Scott together. Scott knew that if someone should find out Jack was gone, Alex would be taken from them and neither Remy nor himself would allow that to happen. All he cared for was to keep his family, his brothers, safe, no matter the cost.
" Like you was last night?" Alex asked with the innocence of a child. Scott smiled a bittersweet smile.
" Yeah, like I was last night," Scott said softly and drank his juice. " Finish your homework. You have a lot to learn."
The End of "Educating Alex"
TBC