Disclaimer: I do not own the X-Men or their world, and am making no money
from this story. Corrinth owns Dr Ilehana Xavier. I own Blaze.
A/N: Reviews are gold dust, and duly appreciated.
14
Gambit was stalking the mansion's grounds like a caged tiger. It was pitch black. Twenty-four hours exactly since Blaze's screaming had woken him. The longest twenty-four hours of his life? Quite possibly.
He turned just in time before he was jumped. Blaze's bandaged arms around his neck, she buried her face in his shoulder and he hugged her right back. Neither said a word, they knew each other too well to need them.........
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"I don't think my mind needs tidying, Professor." Blaze spoke carefully, not wanting to offend. "I think its like my room, all messed up so as I'm the only one who knows where anything is. It's supposed to be like that."
"I have to agree." Xavier smiled gently at her. "But you were the one who came to me, saying you thought your mind was becoming overloaded."
"I know, I know." Blaze sighed, rubbing her head with the bandage on her wrist. "The nightmares were terrible, but I think I just wanted you to say you'd take them all away, all the bad memories. I wasn't prepared for you to offer to help me tidy them up........."
"You know I won't take memories away from you Blaze. Surely you know Logan well enough to understand that forgetting things is not the answer. It would change who you are, how you see the world around you, even the very joys you find in everyday life would be dulled and confused."
"I understand." Blaze met Xavier's eyes and smiled. "I didn't, but now I've lived through some of the worst parts of my life all over again, I see they make the good parts stand out better. And there are some memories that are too precious for me to risk losing. My parents, Jessica........."
"The nightmares will go Blaze." Xavier told her confidently. "You've faced up to those memories now, and you've been able to see the grander scheme of things. Usually, that is all it takes for these things to begin to fade."
Blaze nodded, understanding. She would live. That's what he was trying to explain; that no matter what, she would live. She left the office.
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Diego's was dead; they were the only customers in the bar. Diego himself was so pleased to see them; he even let them have the TV remote control. Of course, that had caused a major argument. Gambit wanted to watch basketball, Blaze English Premiership football. When Logan and Ilehana entered, the basketball was winning simply because Gambit was holding the remote above his head as Blaze tried to grab it from him. She wasn't tall enough, resorting to kneeling on the seat as he leant further and further back to keep the remote out of her reach. Eventually, he was leaning so far back and laughing so hard that she could climb over him, grab the remote and change the channel.
"Oh get a room." Ilehana admonished them as Gambit pushed Blaze off and made another grab for the remote. Quicker than wildfire, she hid the remote down the front of her strappy top and stuck her tongue out at him, knowing he wouldn't dare go after it. Vixen was impressed. "Now why haven't I ever thought of that?"
"Not got as much to hide it in." Logan pointed out, putting the round of soft drinks down on the table, cigar in hand. Ilehana glared at him, making Gambit and Blaze stifle laughter. "Not that that's a bad thing......... I mean, you know your stunnin' an' everythin' babe. Blaze is just more......... Top heavy."
"You're digging yourself a hole, Logan." Blaze pointed out shamelessly.
"Digging his own grave." Ilehana picked up her drink, amused despite herself.
"Maybe we just cover these up before they cause any more trouble, eh Amies?" Gambit wrapped his coat around Blaze's shoulders, covering her chest and swiftly stealing back the remote. Blaze squirmed free of the trench coat too late, Gambit had already thrown the remote back to Diego at the bar. She won anyway; Diego tossed the remote away without changing the channel.
"No offence, Gambit." The bartender offered, "But you just can't compete with Blaze."
"What?" Gambit joked, throwing his arms in the air and grinning. "This body not good enough for you, Ami?"
"Anyway, leavin' the school yard." Logan tried to start a serious conversation, looking slightly disturbed as Blaze and Ilehana laughed at Diego blowing Gambit a kiss. "How was Yogi?"
"Grouchy." Ilehana replied. "The bears didn't like being told that if they break into people's cars, the people might hurt them. I don't know if I've done any good, after all, can you blame a bear for wanting an easy meal?"
"Umm, food." Blaze chipped in as Logan put an arm casually around Vixen. "Anyone else want pizza? Gambit's treat."
"Gambit's what?" Gambit asked, glaring at her. Blaze just smiled sweetly at her friend until he sighed and reached for his wallet.
"Make mine a meat feast with double spicy pork, and pepperoni, but no garlic." Logan smiled, "Deep pan, extra large, obviously."
"Don't know about that titch." Vixen quipped, her wide smile flashing her teeth. "Mine's a ham, pineapple and mushroom."
"Extra large spicy veg?" Gambit double-checked with Blaze, before sighing and going to use the payphone. "Diego?"
"Triple cheese!" Came the call from the bar as Logan commented on how sweet it was for Gambit to buy his new boyfriend a pizza. A playing card hit him on the back of the skull, fortunately uncharged. Blaze laughed with everyone else, sipping on her lemonade and noticing that the Professor had been absolutely right, as usual.
It did matter, the hell she'd been through in her life.
But more important than that, so did the good times. And, not to pass up on a good cliché, they didn't get much better than this.
A/N: Reviews are gold dust, and duly appreciated.
14
Gambit was stalking the mansion's grounds like a caged tiger. It was pitch black. Twenty-four hours exactly since Blaze's screaming had woken him. The longest twenty-four hours of his life? Quite possibly.
He turned just in time before he was jumped. Blaze's bandaged arms around his neck, she buried her face in his shoulder and he hugged her right back. Neither said a word, they knew each other too well to need them.........
xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
"I don't think my mind needs tidying, Professor." Blaze spoke carefully, not wanting to offend. "I think its like my room, all messed up so as I'm the only one who knows where anything is. It's supposed to be like that."
"I have to agree." Xavier smiled gently at her. "But you were the one who came to me, saying you thought your mind was becoming overloaded."
"I know, I know." Blaze sighed, rubbing her head with the bandage on her wrist. "The nightmares were terrible, but I think I just wanted you to say you'd take them all away, all the bad memories. I wasn't prepared for you to offer to help me tidy them up........."
"You know I won't take memories away from you Blaze. Surely you know Logan well enough to understand that forgetting things is not the answer. It would change who you are, how you see the world around you, even the very joys you find in everyday life would be dulled and confused."
"I understand." Blaze met Xavier's eyes and smiled. "I didn't, but now I've lived through some of the worst parts of my life all over again, I see they make the good parts stand out better. And there are some memories that are too precious for me to risk losing. My parents, Jessica........."
"The nightmares will go Blaze." Xavier told her confidently. "You've faced up to those memories now, and you've been able to see the grander scheme of things. Usually, that is all it takes for these things to begin to fade."
Blaze nodded, understanding. She would live. That's what he was trying to explain; that no matter what, she would live. She left the office.
xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
Diego's was dead; they were the only customers in the bar. Diego himself was so pleased to see them; he even let them have the TV remote control. Of course, that had caused a major argument. Gambit wanted to watch basketball, Blaze English Premiership football. When Logan and Ilehana entered, the basketball was winning simply because Gambit was holding the remote above his head as Blaze tried to grab it from him. She wasn't tall enough, resorting to kneeling on the seat as he leant further and further back to keep the remote out of her reach. Eventually, he was leaning so far back and laughing so hard that she could climb over him, grab the remote and change the channel.
"Oh get a room." Ilehana admonished them as Gambit pushed Blaze off and made another grab for the remote. Quicker than wildfire, she hid the remote down the front of her strappy top and stuck her tongue out at him, knowing he wouldn't dare go after it. Vixen was impressed. "Now why haven't I ever thought of that?"
"Not got as much to hide it in." Logan pointed out, putting the round of soft drinks down on the table, cigar in hand. Ilehana glared at him, making Gambit and Blaze stifle laughter. "Not that that's a bad thing......... I mean, you know your stunnin' an' everythin' babe. Blaze is just more......... Top heavy."
"You're digging yourself a hole, Logan." Blaze pointed out shamelessly.
"Digging his own grave." Ilehana picked up her drink, amused despite herself.
"Maybe we just cover these up before they cause any more trouble, eh Amies?" Gambit wrapped his coat around Blaze's shoulders, covering her chest and swiftly stealing back the remote. Blaze squirmed free of the trench coat too late, Gambit had already thrown the remote back to Diego at the bar. She won anyway; Diego tossed the remote away without changing the channel.
"No offence, Gambit." The bartender offered, "But you just can't compete with Blaze."
"What?" Gambit joked, throwing his arms in the air and grinning. "This body not good enough for you, Ami?"
"Anyway, leavin' the school yard." Logan tried to start a serious conversation, looking slightly disturbed as Blaze and Ilehana laughed at Diego blowing Gambit a kiss. "How was Yogi?"
"Grouchy." Ilehana replied. "The bears didn't like being told that if they break into people's cars, the people might hurt them. I don't know if I've done any good, after all, can you blame a bear for wanting an easy meal?"
"Umm, food." Blaze chipped in as Logan put an arm casually around Vixen. "Anyone else want pizza? Gambit's treat."
"Gambit's what?" Gambit asked, glaring at her. Blaze just smiled sweetly at her friend until he sighed and reached for his wallet.
"Make mine a meat feast with double spicy pork, and pepperoni, but no garlic." Logan smiled, "Deep pan, extra large, obviously."
"Don't know about that titch." Vixen quipped, her wide smile flashing her teeth. "Mine's a ham, pineapple and mushroom."
"Extra large spicy veg?" Gambit double-checked with Blaze, before sighing and going to use the payphone. "Diego?"
"Triple cheese!" Came the call from the bar as Logan commented on how sweet it was for Gambit to buy his new boyfriend a pizza. A playing card hit him on the back of the skull, fortunately uncharged. Blaze laughed with everyone else, sipping on her lemonade and noticing that the Professor had been absolutely right, as usual.
It did matter, the hell she'd been through in her life.
But more important than that, so did the good times. And, not to pass up on a good cliché, they didn't get much better than this.