Princess of Ice
Amanda and Kurt aren't together, Kurt is 17, and I picked him a new birthday. I'm twisting the timeline and I don't care. Sod off you evil AU haters!!! Meh. ________________ signifies change of perspective, maybe Ororo, maybe Kurt, maybe both. Maybe even someone else.
Ororo sighed, leaning back onto the couch and closing her eyes. She would never admit it, but it had been hard for her since Evan left to join the Morlocs. It felt like a betrayal and yet, shouldn't he be allowed to choose his own path? Who was she to deny him what he felt to be right? Again she sighed. It was so hard sometimes, to be the adult in an institute of teenagers. They were so mature in some regards, but so very inexperienced in others. Half of them were as good an X-Man as she, but they still had problems remembering to do their homework. Of course, that didn't mean that they didn't want to be treated like adults. What else could she do but try to strike an acceptable balance and carry on?
"Storm, Storm, you have to come with me," Kitty Pryde said, only her head visible through the rear wall of the room. "Rogue's locked herself in our room, she refuses to come out or talk to us and I think she's crying." Kitty looked almost ready to cry herself.
Ororo got to her feet quickly. "I'll be there in a moment," she said. "Kindly tell the other girls to vacate the premises so I may speak to her alone." "I do not want anyone listening at the door."
"Yes, Miss Munroe," Kitty replied, looking relieved that someone else was taking charge. She scampered off to do the bidding of the adult. Ororo went to the sill and gracefully took off for the window on the second floor; Rogue's window.
Ororo alighted on the sill and deftly opened the lock. She stepped inside and took in the scene. Rogue was indeed crying. Tears ran down her cheeks in rivulets as she threw her entire wardrobe out onto the floor. She held up a long sleeved sweater for almost a minute and then began to savagely rip it to shreds. As she turned to throw it to the floor she caught sight of Storm's surprised look. Rogue did not often have these kinds of outbursts.
"Rogue, what are you doing?" Storm asked calmly, concealing her disquiet.
Rogue continued to sob, wiping at her eyes and not looking up at the weather goddess. "I want to be left alone right now, I have some things to do."
"Do these things include mutilating the rest of your clothing?" Ororo asked, raising a cool eyebrow.
"Yes," Rogue replied. She turned her attention to a pair of long pants, tearing them into pieces and then throwing them back on the ground.
"Would you like to talk about it?" Storm asked, her placid expression remained unchanged as Rogue threw either her or the pile of clothes behind her a mutinous look.
"There is nothing to talk about, I've just decided that my clothing doesn't show nearly enough skin," she replied.
Comprehension lit in Ororo's eyes. Of course, Rogue was upset by her powers. Most likely she had developed some kind of romantic aspirations on some young boy and he had either spurned her advances because of her mutation or he had reciprocated and she was unable to do anything about it. This was obviously a rebellion straight out of the textbook. Unfortunately the textbook approach pretty much didn't apply to someone in Rogue's unique situation.
"So you've decided that you would like to endanger the people around you because one romantic liaison did not work out for you?"
Rogue gave her a look of surprise that turned quickly to anger. "It was more than a liaison," she said, her voice rising. "I love him, and I can never express that, I can never touch him." "You don't know how that feels, none of you understand." "It's just, 'Oh, I'm really sorry about the fact that you will never be able to share in normal human interaction, maybe a round of shopping will make up for it?'; I don't think so," her voice range with bitter sarcasm. "I'm tired of looking around and seeing only things that I can't ever have."
"Rogue, you don't know that, maybe someday we will learn how to control your mutation," Ororo replied. Her voice was even and soothing.
"Yeah right, if it hasn't been found by now it's not going to be found." Rogue glared at her, "I'm not accommodating them anymore." "I'm wearing shorts, and t-shirts, and mini-skirts without nylons." "My next bathing suit is going to be a bikini." "I'm tired of being careful of their safety when they are so oblivious to my feelings."
"Rogue, I understand how you must feel, but-," her calming reply was cut off.
"Stop talking to me like that, like I'm some child or a crazy person who doesn't understand anything!" "You're patronizing me and I'm sick of it." Rogue's voice rose. "It's not like you could ever possibly understand how lonely I am, you don't care anyway." "You don't care about anything." "You're like ice, you don't even have a heart." "That's probably why Evan left in the first place!"
Ororo sat there, too stunned by the barrage of personal assaults to even protest when Rogue stormed to the door, walked out, and slammed it shut. She felt a strange tickling sensation on her face, and almost woodenly placed a hand to her cheek only to have it come away wet with tears. She hadn't cried in over a decade. She walked over to the window without thinking and flew to the garage. She did not acknowledge the friendly nods that were given to her by a few returning students. She reached for the keys to the jeep before realizing that some of the boys had taken it to go out on the town that night. She grabbed the SUV's keys instead and climbed in. Ten seconds later she was on her way to New York.
____________
"You guys go ahead, I'm going to buy it for Kitty's birthday," Kurt told his friends as they stood outside the jewelry store.
Scott shook his head. "Kurt we need to get back, if we don't start now we'll be late." "You can get it next time."
"It might be gone by then, I have to get it now," he replied. "It's too perfect to risk," he replied. He gazed down at the little silver charm attached to the chain in the window. It was a perfect recreation of a cat, the word 'Katzchen' was scrawled across the kitten's collar.
"Look at the size of that line, and it's nearly nine thirty now," Scott replied. "You'll never make it."
"You guys go ahead, I'll teleport back," Kurt replied. He headed into the shop only to be halted by Scott's worried tone.
"Kurt, you know you aren't supposed to do that," Scott replied. "None of us are supposed to be separated during a trip."
"No one will ever know, and I'll be back before you are." He gave his uptight friend an easy grin. "Do not worry so much."
Scott looked as though he were about to protest, but under the combined peer pressure of the group he capitulated. "Fine, but if you aren't there when we get back."
"I'll leave a note in your room telling you that I've arrived, ok?" Kurt said, anxious to be off.
"Ok, hurry up."
"I will do my very best," Kurt replied with another infectious smile. He hurried into the store to make his purchase. "This is going to be the best present ever," he thought happily. He couldn't wait for next week.
____________
Ororo was drunk. Her vision was hazy, her head was fogged up, and she could barely walk straight. Her forehead rested on the table next to nine empty glasses. She'd started with a few beers, moved up to screwdrivers, and then had three straight vodka martinis. She'd always processed liquor extremely well, but she knew exactly how to overwhelm her own system.
"I'm sorry ma'am, but we're closing," the barkeeper replied. Ororo pushed her hair out of her face and looked up at him. Her eyes were unfocused but she nodded and stood shakily. "Can I call you a cab?" She shook her head, for some reason it was very important that she get to the mansion under her own power.
Ororo picked up her purse and walked to the door, pleased to see that she was walking in a relatively straight line. She never noticed the two men in who followed her out the door at a discreet distance and she certainly didn't realize that the straight line she was going in was headed directly into a dark alley.
____________
Kurt hummed happily as he walked down the street, searching for a safe place to begin his teleporting from. He had secured Kitty's present, but it had taken longer than he'd thought. It was now nearing ten thirty and he had to hurry if he wanted to beat Scott. It only took an hour and fifteen minutes to drive back to the mansion from the city.
He was about to duck into an alley and disappear when he saw a woman walk unsteadily out of a nearby bar. She was holding onto the wall of the building and was apparently heading towards another dank alleyway. He wouldn't have thought anything else of it if the moon hadn't come out from behind the clouds just as he was peering curiously in her direction. The white hair and dark skin were unmistakable. Storm.
Kurt was about to call out to the weather goddess when he was two more dark forms slink out of the same bar. They were clearly trying not to be seen, but this only made them more obvious. Or rather, it would have made them obvious, if there had been anyone else around to see them. Kurt teleported to the top of one of the buildings neighboring the alley and switched off his hologram. A few moments later Ororo literally stumbled into sight. The men closed in.
"Hey baby," one of them said in a tone of voice that made Kurt's skin crawl. "How about giving us a good time?" The man laughed coarsely, allowing Kurt to get a fix on his location.
"Go away, leave me alone," Storm told them, her eyes were uncomprehending as they half fogged then faded back to blue. Lightning flashed in the previously cloudless sky. She backed up against the wall and clutched her head.
"Now, now, that's no way to be, girlie," the other one said. He grabbed her neck and pushed her up against the wall.
Rage erupted inside of Kurt, all thoughts fled and his half-formed plans to take the men down quickly and quietly evaporated. No one, absolutely no one, touched Storm like that. He didn't teleport, instead he jumped, felling one of the men and immediately kicking the other. He never thought, the moves just came to him as naturally as breathing. Never had he felt that kind of icy wrath before. It was incredibly liberating.
When the two men lay unmoving on the ground Kurt turned back to his fallen teammate. "Storm, are you all right?" he asked.
Storm had fallen into a crouch, her head resting against the alley wall. She refused to look up. "No," she said in a small voice. The tone of voice worried Kurt more than her glazed look had. Never before had he seen the weather witch look so vulnerable and out of control. He didn't even consider the risks, he simply enfolded Ororo in his arms and began teleporting them to the mansion.
Kurt appeared in Ororo's suite a few minutes later. Luckily they landed in her bathroom because as soon as she half-fell out of his arms she opened up the lid of the toilet and became violently ill. Kurt felt his inner reserves taxed and knew that he would not be able to teleport any real distance after carrying two for so many miles. He held Ororo's hair back as she continued to retch and he helped her find her toothbrush when she had finished. While she brushed her teeth and washed out her mouth, he walked to Scott's room and scribbled a note for him. He then headed to the kitchen to make some coffee for Storm. Nothing was ever easy.
Amanda and Kurt aren't together, Kurt is 17, and I picked him a new birthday. I'm twisting the timeline and I don't care. Sod off you evil AU haters!!! Meh. ________________ signifies change of perspective, maybe Ororo, maybe Kurt, maybe both. Maybe even someone else.
Ororo sighed, leaning back onto the couch and closing her eyes. She would never admit it, but it had been hard for her since Evan left to join the Morlocs. It felt like a betrayal and yet, shouldn't he be allowed to choose his own path? Who was she to deny him what he felt to be right? Again she sighed. It was so hard sometimes, to be the adult in an institute of teenagers. They were so mature in some regards, but so very inexperienced in others. Half of them were as good an X-Man as she, but they still had problems remembering to do their homework. Of course, that didn't mean that they didn't want to be treated like adults. What else could she do but try to strike an acceptable balance and carry on?
"Storm, Storm, you have to come with me," Kitty Pryde said, only her head visible through the rear wall of the room. "Rogue's locked herself in our room, she refuses to come out or talk to us and I think she's crying." Kitty looked almost ready to cry herself.
Ororo got to her feet quickly. "I'll be there in a moment," she said. "Kindly tell the other girls to vacate the premises so I may speak to her alone." "I do not want anyone listening at the door."
"Yes, Miss Munroe," Kitty replied, looking relieved that someone else was taking charge. She scampered off to do the bidding of the adult. Ororo went to the sill and gracefully took off for the window on the second floor; Rogue's window.
Ororo alighted on the sill and deftly opened the lock. She stepped inside and took in the scene. Rogue was indeed crying. Tears ran down her cheeks in rivulets as she threw her entire wardrobe out onto the floor. She held up a long sleeved sweater for almost a minute and then began to savagely rip it to shreds. As she turned to throw it to the floor she caught sight of Storm's surprised look. Rogue did not often have these kinds of outbursts.
"Rogue, what are you doing?" Storm asked calmly, concealing her disquiet.
Rogue continued to sob, wiping at her eyes and not looking up at the weather goddess. "I want to be left alone right now, I have some things to do."
"Do these things include mutilating the rest of your clothing?" Ororo asked, raising a cool eyebrow.
"Yes," Rogue replied. She turned her attention to a pair of long pants, tearing them into pieces and then throwing them back on the ground.
"Would you like to talk about it?" Storm asked, her placid expression remained unchanged as Rogue threw either her or the pile of clothes behind her a mutinous look.
"There is nothing to talk about, I've just decided that my clothing doesn't show nearly enough skin," she replied.
Comprehension lit in Ororo's eyes. Of course, Rogue was upset by her powers. Most likely she had developed some kind of romantic aspirations on some young boy and he had either spurned her advances because of her mutation or he had reciprocated and she was unable to do anything about it. This was obviously a rebellion straight out of the textbook. Unfortunately the textbook approach pretty much didn't apply to someone in Rogue's unique situation.
"So you've decided that you would like to endanger the people around you because one romantic liaison did not work out for you?"
Rogue gave her a look of surprise that turned quickly to anger. "It was more than a liaison," she said, her voice rising. "I love him, and I can never express that, I can never touch him." "You don't know how that feels, none of you understand." "It's just, 'Oh, I'm really sorry about the fact that you will never be able to share in normal human interaction, maybe a round of shopping will make up for it?'; I don't think so," her voice range with bitter sarcasm. "I'm tired of looking around and seeing only things that I can't ever have."
"Rogue, you don't know that, maybe someday we will learn how to control your mutation," Ororo replied. Her voice was even and soothing.
"Yeah right, if it hasn't been found by now it's not going to be found." Rogue glared at her, "I'm not accommodating them anymore." "I'm wearing shorts, and t-shirts, and mini-skirts without nylons." "My next bathing suit is going to be a bikini." "I'm tired of being careful of their safety when they are so oblivious to my feelings."
"Rogue, I understand how you must feel, but-," her calming reply was cut off.
"Stop talking to me like that, like I'm some child or a crazy person who doesn't understand anything!" "You're patronizing me and I'm sick of it." Rogue's voice rose. "It's not like you could ever possibly understand how lonely I am, you don't care anyway." "You don't care about anything." "You're like ice, you don't even have a heart." "That's probably why Evan left in the first place!"
Ororo sat there, too stunned by the barrage of personal assaults to even protest when Rogue stormed to the door, walked out, and slammed it shut. She felt a strange tickling sensation on her face, and almost woodenly placed a hand to her cheek only to have it come away wet with tears. She hadn't cried in over a decade. She walked over to the window without thinking and flew to the garage. She did not acknowledge the friendly nods that were given to her by a few returning students. She reached for the keys to the jeep before realizing that some of the boys had taken it to go out on the town that night. She grabbed the SUV's keys instead and climbed in. Ten seconds later she was on her way to New York.
____________
"You guys go ahead, I'm going to buy it for Kitty's birthday," Kurt told his friends as they stood outside the jewelry store.
Scott shook his head. "Kurt we need to get back, if we don't start now we'll be late." "You can get it next time."
"It might be gone by then, I have to get it now," he replied. "It's too perfect to risk," he replied. He gazed down at the little silver charm attached to the chain in the window. It was a perfect recreation of a cat, the word 'Katzchen' was scrawled across the kitten's collar.
"Look at the size of that line, and it's nearly nine thirty now," Scott replied. "You'll never make it."
"You guys go ahead, I'll teleport back," Kurt replied. He headed into the shop only to be halted by Scott's worried tone.
"Kurt, you know you aren't supposed to do that," Scott replied. "None of us are supposed to be separated during a trip."
"No one will ever know, and I'll be back before you are." He gave his uptight friend an easy grin. "Do not worry so much."
Scott looked as though he were about to protest, but under the combined peer pressure of the group he capitulated. "Fine, but if you aren't there when we get back."
"I'll leave a note in your room telling you that I've arrived, ok?" Kurt said, anxious to be off.
"Ok, hurry up."
"I will do my very best," Kurt replied with another infectious smile. He hurried into the store to make his purchase. "This is going to be the best present ever," he thought happily. He couldn't wait for next week.
____________
Ororo was drunk. Her vision was hazy, her head was fogged up, and she could barely walk straight. Her forehead rested on the table next to nine empty glasses. She'd started with a few beers, moved up to screwdrivers, and then had three straight vodka martinis. She'd always processed liquor extremely well, but she knew exactly how to overwhelm her own system.
"I'm sorry ma'am, but we're closing," the barkeeper replied. Ororo pushed her hair out of her face and looked up at him. Her eyes were unfocused but she nodded and stood shakily. "Can I call you a cab?" She shook her head, for some reason it was very important that she get to the mansion under her own power.
Ororo picked up her purse and walked to the door, pleased to see that she was walking in a relatively straight line. She never noticed the two men in who followed her out the door at a discreet distance and she certainly didn't realize that the straight line she was going in was headed directly into a dark alley.
____________
Kurt hummed happily as he walked down the street, searching for a safe place to begin his teleporting from. He had secured Kitty's present, but it had taken longer than he'd thought. It was now nearing ten thirty and he had to hurry if he wanted to beat Scott. It only took an hour and fifteen minutes to drive back to the mansion from the city.
He was about to duck into an alley and disappear when he saw a woman walk unsteadily out of a nearby bar. She was holding onto the wall of the building and was apparently heading towards another dank alleyway. He wouldn't have thought anything else of it if the moon hadn't come out from behind the clouds just as he was peering curiously in her direction. The white hair and dark skin were unmistakable. Storm.
Kurt was about to call out to the weather goddess when he was two more dark forms slink out of the same bar. They were clearly trying not to be seen, but this only made them more obvious. Or rather, it would have made them obvious, if there had been anyone else around to see them. Kurt teleported to the top of one of the buildings neighboring the alley and switched off his hologram. A few moments later Ororo literally stumbled into sight. The men closed in.
"Hey baby," one of them said in a tone of voice that made Kurt's skin crawl. "How about giving us a good time?" The man laughed coarsely, allowing Kurt to get a fix on his location.
"Go away, leave me alone," Storm told them, her eyes were uncomprehending as they half fogged then faded back to blue. Lightning flashed in the previously cloudless sky. She backed up against the wall and clutched her head.
"Now, now, that's no way to be, girlie," the other one said. He grabbed her neck and pushed her up against the wall.
Rage erupted inside of Kurt, all thoughts fled and his half-formed plans to take the men down quickly and quietly evaporated. No one, absolutely no one, touched Storm like that. He didn't teleport, instead he jumped, felling one of the men and immediately kicking the other. He never thought, the moves just came to him as naturally as breathing. Never had he felt that kind of icy wrath before. It was incredibly liberating.
When the two men lay unmoving on the ground Kurt turned back to his fallen teammate. "Storm, are you all right?" he asked.
Storm had fallen into a crouch, her head resting against the alley wall. She refused to look up. "No," she said in a small voice. The tone of voice worried Kurt more than her glazed look had. Never before had he seen the weather witch look so vulnerable and out of control. He didn't even consider the risks, he simply enfolded Ororo in his arms and began teleporting them to the mansion.
Kurt appeared in Ororo's suite a few minutes later. Luckily they landed in her bathroom because as soon as she half-fell out of his arms she opened up the lid of the toilet and became violently ill. Kurt felt his inner reserves taxed and knew that he would not be able to teleport any real distance after carrying two for so many miles. He held Ororo's hair back as she continued to retch and he helped her find her toothbrush when she had finished. While she brushed her teeth and washed out her mouth, he walked to Scott's room and scribbled a note for him. He then headed to the kitchen to make some coffee for Storm. Nothing was ever easy.