[ussbansheec] Frie and Ice
- From: Rhi <bansheec@xxxxxxx>
- To: ussbansheec@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
- Date: Tue, 06 Feb 2007 19:59:20 -0500
"Fire and Ice"
Ororo Munroe, Robert "Bobby" Drake, and Auroa and Dawn Dane
It wasn’t like they’d never been in the mansion before. It was where
their father lived and worked and their mother was always welcome, but
it had never accrued to her that they’d have to live there themselves
one day. Aurora had always just assumed that she and her sister would be
taught by their mother when their powers manifested, and there had never
been any doubt in the girl’s mind that they would manifest powers given
their mutant pedigree, but apparently the powers they’d gotten weren’t
something their mother could show them how to master. Rather then
getting metallic based powers like their mother and grandfather, they’d
ended up with elemental powers like their father.
Aurora sighed as she sat next to her sister waiting for Ms. Monroe in
her office. “I still don’t understand why Mom is making us do this.”
Dawn was so excited, the whole Mansion was still so huge and full of
buzz and people. She really loved it here, always had. "Would you prefer
to incinerate her?" she teased lightly, elbowing her sister in her side.
"Or maybe I could freeze her into a block of ice?"
“That’s not funny.” Aurora huffed while trying to hide a smirk. They’d
inadvertently discovered the nature of their powers on their last
birthday when Aurora went to blow the candles out on their birthday
cake. She’d caused the flames on the candles to flare wildly when she’d
tried to blow them out and if her sister hadn’t have reacted and frozen
the flare up their mother would have lost her eyebrows.
"You're wicked," Dawn laughed brightly, her voice high and gentle. "Mom
was so not laughing so no wonder she's sent us here. Besides, this is
exciting!"
Aurora looked at her twin as if she were sprouting a second head. “How
can you say this is exciting? This isn’t gonna be like spending the
weekends here with Dad. I’m even surprised Mom agreed to this seeing as
how we’re kinda living with him now.”
"So?" Dawn gave her sister the sweetest smile, one that lit up her soft
blue eyes. "It isn't like we're actually staying in his apartment. We're
just staying closer than normal. You don't even have to work with him."
She held out her hand and a wisp of icy fog curled up from the palm. "I
do."
“How can you be so cheerful about all of this?” Aurora asked as she
twirled a finger around in her sister’s ice fog causing the ice crystals
within to glow. “It’s like leaving Mom isn’t bothering you.”
"We're not leaving her," Dawn huffed even if she grinned at how they
worked so well together. "It's not as if we can't jump into a
transporter and see her. It's not as if she can't do the same. Aura,
it's like you're mad that we didn't end up like her and Granddad."
Eyes so much like her sister’s only dark green like their mother’s
flashed before Aurora turned her head to look at the folder on the desk
with her name on it.
"Oh God," Dawn cringed. "You are, aren't you?" She sighed softly as she
put her hands on either side of her sister's face and turned her to look
at her. "Sweetie, why? We are the embodiment of elemental power. We are
beautiful and powerful and everything that Mom and Granddad are proud
of. Sweetie, we're mutants, why wouldn't they be proud of us?"
“Granddad is one of the most powerful mutants on Earth and we end up
like our goof off of a father.” Aurora replied.
Dawn frowned at her sister and sat back. That stung, it really hurt but
she wouldn't let Aurora know that. Folding her arms, she stretched her
legs out in front of her and kept her mouth shut. It wasn't even as if
Aurora had gotten the ice powers. She guessed now she knew how her
sister saw her.
Aurora groaned. They’d been away from home less then an hour and already
everything was going to hell. “What did I say this time?”
"You're not the one who is like our 'goof off father'," Dawn said
softly, staring into space. "A man I happen to like, by the way. A man I
happen to love because he is my father."
“I didn’t mean…” Aurora sighed again as she rubbed her face with her
hands. “Dawny, I didn’t mean to hurt you. I’m sorry.” Sliding down into
her seat she kept her face covered. “I just want to go home.”
"And I don't?" Dawn asked sadly. "I'm homesick, I miss Mom and I miss
Granddad. I'm in a place I've only been a few times and the only link
I've got to home is you. Just because it's exciting, doesn't mean I'm
not scared."
She felt like a baby fighting back tears. “You didn’t seem to be.”
Dawn drew her knees up to her chest and hugged them tightly. "I'm sorry
for being excited," she whispered. "I just like it here. I won't mention
it again." Where was Ms Monroe? Why couldn't they just get on with it so
she could run and hide somewhere?
“You got every right to be excited, Dawny.” Aurora replied. “Don’t
apologize for that.” The girl fell quiet for several seconds before
adding, “We’ve never felt so differently about something before.” She
frowned. “I don’t like it.”
"Me either," Dawn whispered. She leaned next to her and laid her head on
her sister's shoulder. "Makes me feel cold inside. I know I'm like Ice
Girl or the Frozen Wastes but I never feel cold inside. This hurts..."
Aurora reached out and took her sister’s hand and allowed some of the
internal warmth she always felt past from her to her sister. She’d get
use to all of this in time, being away from her mother, being closer to
their father, being with the X-Men of all people. It had helped to hear
her grandfather say he trusted Xavier, but it was hard to over look all
the other stuff. “I’ll try harder, Dawny, I promise.”
"Me too, I don't want to lose you," Dawn sighed.
“And why child, would you lose her?” Ororo asked from the doorway. It
was more then clear that she’d walked in on something very distressing
for the girls so she closed the door behind her. Robert was close behind
and a closed door would require him to knock before coming in.
"It doesn't matter," Dawn said quickly. She gave Aurora's hand a tight
squeeze as she straightened. Family was for family and as much as she'd
always liked Ms Monroe, she just wasn't family.
Ororo titled her head a little as she came over to lean against the desk
in front of the girls. She’d known the children all their lives, but she
wasn’t as close to them as some of the others from their generation. She
knew Robert would have liked for them to be closer to the extended
family, but Lorna was very restrictive when it came to Robert and the
girls. She’d expected him to mature instantly and when he didn’t she
ruled him to childish to help her raise the girl’s properly. Turning to
look at Aurora she asked, “You are not planning on leaving us already
are you, Ms. Dane? You’ve just arrived.” She gave the girl a soft smile
but the child looked at her as if she were any of the other non-X child.
“No, I’m not going anywhere.” Aurora replied.
“Good,” Ororo replied softly. “It’s good to finally have you girls here
with us. I know your father is beyond thrilled.”
"Is Dad coming?" Dawn asked softly, her blue eyes wide and hopeful. "Are
we going to see him while we're here?"
“Of course you are, child.” Ororo answered with a warm smile. “In fact
he’s decided to move back into his old room here in the mansion. Since
your powers are so close to his he’ll be taking a full time position
here again.” She laughed softly at her old friend and shook her head. “I
was having a hard time seeing him as a CPA anyway. It is good to have
you all home.”
Aurora bit her lip. This wasn’t home. Home was back in New Mexico with
their mother or on Genosha with their grandfather, this was simply school.
Dawn glanced at her sister, knowing how they both felt, and decided to
voice it. "All due respect, ma'am, but this isn't our home."
Ororo nodded in understanding. “I know your father hopes that it will
become a home for you, we all do.”
"Why?" Dawn asked softly. "You don't even like our grandfather. You've
fought against our mother. Why d'you want us?"
“Because despite the few times we were on opposite sides your mother is
still one of us, and so is your father.” Ororo explained. “You have
every right to be here, as every mutant child does, but more so because
you are part of this school’s legacy.”
“Part of that includes our grandfather.” Aurora looked up at the older
woman with dark green eyes set firmly. “He’s not even welcome here and I
don’t care who’s gonna end up as my teacher I won’t use my powers
against him not even in a simulation.”
Charles was right, there was a touch of Erik in that one. “No one would
expect you too, child.”
Aurora snorted.
Dawn took her sister's hand and held it in her lap. "We're not joining
the X-Men," she said firmly. "I like it here but I won't stay after we
don't have to. We love our Grandfather."
“No one ever said you had to, child.” The white haired woman said just
as a knock rang out from the large door across the room. “For now our
goal is to see that you are well educated and trained, your futures
beyond this school are up to you.” Looking up she called out softly,
“Come in Robert.”
Bobby poked his head in and smiled. He wouldn’t admit it to anyone but
Hank but this all kind of scared him. Lorna never let him be more then a
weekend dad and to be honest he wasn’t sure if he was up to being
anything else, maybe she’d been right to keep him at a distance, but he
was really really hoping she was wrong. “Hey squirts.”
"DADDY!" Dawn squealed. She'd always somehow felt like a little girl
whenever she could see him, as if she was his perfect little girl again.
She bounced to her feet and threw her arms around his neck, hugging him
tightly and the moment they touched, she felt the kin of her power
connect to its progenitor. It made her gasp and she had to keep hold of
him from the buzz that made her body shake. "S... sorry..."
Bobby smiled brightly as he caught his little girl and hugged her close.
Then he blinked at the surge he felt between them. He looked up at Ororo
a little confused and then looked down at Dawn again. “It’s alright,
jellybean. No harm done as long as you’re ok?”
"Little dizzy..." Dawn murmured. All she could feel was his power
flowing form him to her and hers reflecting back again. "How come I
don't feel like this when I touch Aura?"
“Because your powers and Aurora’s are complementary.” Ororo explained in
that unmistakable way of hers. “Most mutant multiples are born with
powers that bring balance to one another. We have another pair of twins
who do that as well, but there are exceptions. Your aunt and uncle for
example were born with totally different and incomparable powers. What
you just shared with your father, Dawn, is common when a parent and
child share a simulator power. Because your powers are the same and
because you are generically related you can act as an amplifier for each
other. My daughter and I have the same ability as do your mother and
grandfather if I’m not mistaken.”
Bobby wrapped his arms around Dawn and held her close but carefully
against him as he stroked her hair. “She’s dizzy, ‘Ro should we call
Hank? Is it safe for us to like touch and stuff? I mean I’m not gonna
like knock the kid out given her a hug goodnight or anything am I?”
“Until Dawn has gained some control over her power you’ll need to be
careful about keeping your’s in check, Robert.” Ororo advised. “Dawn do
you feel dizzy enough for us to call in Dr. McCoy?”
"I don't know..." Dawn knew her knees were weak but they seemed to be
keeping her up so she guessed she was fine. "Daddy, do you feel okay?"
She stared up with wide, scared eyes. "You leaving us alone?"
“I’m fine, jellybean.” Bobby said as he leaned down and kissed his
daughter’s forehead. “Takes more then a little surge to knock your old
man outta the game.” He gave her a brilliant boyish smile as he brushed
at her hair. “And I’m not going anywhere, jellybean. I’ve been waiting
for a chance like this all your lives, now that I finally got you two
with me I’m gonna try my best to be a better dad.”
Aurora swallowed her snort. She bolted to her feet when she’d seen her
sister turn pale and she was fighting the urge to run over and tear her
away from their father.
Dawn glanced over at Aurora and actually sighed. "Daddy, can you let me
go a minute? I want to see if I can stand on my own."
Bobby looked up at Ororo who nodded slightly and then let Dawn go. “Sure
jellybean.”
Having been watching both girls, Ororo looked over at Aurora and smiled
warmly. “Aurora, perhaps if you went over and touched Dawn the way you
were before you could help her feel better.”
“Huh?” Aurora asked.
“Balance, remember.” Ororo smiled.
Aurora blinked. “Oh, ok.” Walking over to her sister, Aurora reached out
and took Dawn’s hand. “Better?”
Dawn wrapped her arms around her sister and leaned against her.
"Better," she said softly. "Does that mean Aura's abilities balance our
Dad's too?"
“It’s possible, but we’ll have to see.” Ororo answered. “It’s not always
a given that a parent and child will balance each other out the way
twins or other multiples will.”
"We don't always cancel each other out, you know," Dawn added as she bit
her lip. Standing back from Aurora, she opened her hand to make the
frozen fog she'd produced earlier. "Go on, like we did before."
Aurora looked at her sister and then the adults. She was a little
hesitant since they really didn’t show off their powers a lot, but
finally Aurora lifted her hand and swirled her finger in the fog making
the ice crystals sparkle and glow.
Bobby watched carefully and then blinked. “There’s no temperature
change, no melting what so ever.”
"We can make cold fire," Dawn admitted. Her eyes were slowly turning
from their normal blue to a crystal pearl in the concentration it took
to keep the mist stable. "Or hot ice. We experimented."
Dark green eyes softened only to flicker and flare for a moment as
Aurora looked unblinkingly at the fog in the Dawn’s hand. She felt a
kind of cool warmth take hold of her the same way it had when they’d
used their new powers to make a small glowing ice figure of a frog for
their mother before they’d left. Without even thinking about it Aurora
began to think of a figure, a small image of something she knew her
father liked.
Ororo watched carefully as the girls used their powers together and was
rather impressed. They showed a rather high level of control for
novices. When she noticed the physical changes she lifted a brow. Lorna
hadn’t said any thing about a physical change in their appearances when
they used their powers, though she had wondered given Bobby’s ability to
turn himself into ice. “Easy girls. No need to strain yourselves.”
Bobby just watched in awe as the tiniest little figure in a cape started
to form, it’s chest area seemed to glow as if there were a hot coal in
the middle of it.
The S on the figure's chest luminanced and then fixed in place. Dawn
could almost feel it breathe as it finally took its shape. Lifting eyes
the colour of glaciers to her sister, she smiled. Look what we did. We
were made to work together.
Aurora wasn’t sure what surprised her more, the figure with it’s glowing
S or the fact she’d willingly and unknowingly made something she
conceded special for her father. She gave Dawn a crooked smile that
said, I guess I don’t hate him all that much, before withdrawing her
fingers so Dawn could offer it to him. If she’d used that much power
alone she’d be feeling sick as hell now, but when she and Dawn did
things together the lightheadedness and nausea never came. “We made a
frog for Mom.”
"And this for you, Daddy!" Dawn chimed as she offered it out to him.
"It's weird, it's like we just know what we want to make without even
discussing it."
“The Professor might what to check the two of you for what he calls
latent twin telepathy.” Ororo mused aloud and then smiled when Aurora
gave her an odd look. “It’s been theorized for millennia that multiples
have a kind of natural link between them that allows them to sense,
feel, and even at times communicate with each other.”
Bobby reached out and took the tiny ice Superman as if it were made from
the most precious of jewels, and to him it was. He held it in the palm
of his hand and marveled at it’s detail and the fact that it was warm to
the touch. It was perfect, better then any of his other figures. “It’s
the best one I’ve ever seen.” He smiled brightly at his girls before
kissing them each on top of their heads. “Thanks squirts.”
“How’d you know to do that figure?” Ororo asked.
Aurora just shrugged. “It’s what we knew Dad liked.”
“Dad loves it, peanut.” Bobby added with another set of kisses.
Aurora tried not to make a face, she really was to old to be kissed in
public by her parents. Only her grandfather got away with it now.
Dawn beamed up at her father and blushed lightly. "He's your favourite,
even more so than Batman. I can remember you reading your comics to us
when we were five. I can remember every word."
“I’ve got a whole lot more you can read any time you want, jellybean.”
Bobby beamed. “You even get first dibs over Uncle Hank.”
"I prefer Wonder Woman," Dawn chuckled. "Superman's okay but Clark
Kent's a bit too sickly sweet. Besides, it's nice to see a strong woman
portrayed in an influential role for the advancement of equality for the
genders." Her grin was wide as she finished her little monologue then
she giggled. "I did a paper on it for school last term."
Bobby blinked and was pretty sure the giggling coming from Aurora and
Ororo was on his behalf, but then he smiled brightly again. “Wow, ‘Ro my
kids are damn smart.”
“So I’ve noticed.” Ororo replied as she stifled her amusement. “The
records from their old school came this morning.”
“They get it from Lorna.” Bobby added. “She’s always been the smartest
woman I’ve ever known.”
Aurora nodded in agreement. “That’s what Granddad says too.” She paused
a moment until she realized how that must have sounded and then added,
“About Mom being the smartest woman he’s ever known.”
Their grandfather said things about their father too but she'd never
repeat them. From the look in his eyes, he probably knew what Magneto
thought anyway. "You're smart too. I bet you know the whole history of
the DC universe. It sounds like a little thing but it's all about memory
capacity and cognitive recall." Dawn grinned again as she added,
"Granddad says I swallowed a dictionary when I was a baby."
“That’s a good thing though,” Bobby relied. “Your smarts are gonna get
ya a lot farther then anything else.”
Ororo nodded as she went to the desk and picked up two padds which she
then handed to the girls. “Which is why the Professor stresses the
importance of the school side of this school more then anything. He made
out your course schedules personally.”
Aurora took her padd and looked it over. She’d expected most of the
classes but one surprised her. “Hebrew?”
Again Ororo nodded. “There was some concern at first regarding your
perpetrations for your bat mitzvahs, but the Professor reassured
everyone that those needs would be met as well. Kitten was more then
happy to agree to teach it.”
"Granddad got huffy, huh?" Dawn snickered.
Despite the easy look on her face Ororo’s eyes danced merrily. “Yes.”
Aurora laughed. “You didn’t expect him not to did you?”
"Gotta be kidding me," Dawn outright laughed. "I bet he's been hassling
you for months about our timetables. He did with our old school. He even
intimidated the head mistress, called her a silly baseline and that she
should know real genius when she sees it." It had been the buzz of the
school and oh so funny to see their stern head mistress cowed by the
presence of Magneto.
“Made it hard for the other kids to pick on us about being mutants after
they found out who he was.” Aurora added.
"He is kinda forceful," Dawn mused, her eyes sparkling. Then something
occurred to her and she frowned. "He will be allowed to come here, won't
he?"
Ororo glanced at Bobby for a moment before looking back down at the
girls. Magneto wasn’t exactly found of them, or them of him, but she
couldn’t see Charles banning him from the place his granddaughters were
now calling home. She was sure that some precautions would be taken but
she saw no reason to say he wouldn’t. “Of course, child. He’ll be
welcome on those occasions when family is invited to the school.”
“Only when there’s a reason to invite him?” Aurora asked.
“I’m not sure it would be a good idea if he just dropped by unexpected.”
Bobby replied. “At least not until everyone’s settled.”
Dawn felt like a weight had been dropped in the pit of her stomach. "Are
we going to be stopped from going to see him at weekends and in the
evenings then?"
Bobby put his hand on Dawn’s shoulder as he shook his head. “Your mother
wouldn’t have sent you two here if she thought we’d cut you off from him.”
“But if you had your way?” Aurora asked.
Bobby sighed. “I won’t lie and say that he’s one of my favorite people,
but he is your grandfather.”
"We love him," Dawn whispered. She felt the same connection to her
father as she had before but it was tempered slightly because of how
close Aurora was. "He loves us. He's proud of us."
“He was always there.” Aurora added with her arms crossed.
Bobby just sighed.
"He was and we do love him!" Dawn said defensively.
“I know you do.” Bobby said before looking up at Ororo. He was blowing
it already. “I’m not saying you shouldn’t.”
Before Aurora could say anything Ororo put her hand on the girl’s
shoulder. “Robert, we should get the girls up to their room so they can
settle in. John should be here this evening to meet Aurora.”
“Sure ’Ro.” Bobby replied with a nod.
Aurora looked up at the white haired woman with narrowed eyes. “Who’s
John?”
“John Storm,” Ororo answered as she lead them out of the office and
towards the stairs. “He’ll be over seeing your training.”
The girl blinked. “John Storm as in the Human Touch?” When Ororo nodded
Aurora blinked. “But he’s not even a mutant! He‘s a stupid human who
didn‘t know any better then to stay out of radioactive space!”
"Aura!" Dawn said, totally shocked. "How can you say that?"
“Well he is.” Aurora defended herself.
Ororo looked down at the girl. “John’s powers, no matter how he came by
them, are a close match to yours and will be able to show you how to use
them.” Her voice was slightly scolding. “We do not approve of such
attitudes towards humans here, Ms. Dane, and I’m sure your mother does
not either.”
Aurora was about to tell the woman she didn’t know her mother, but she
was right her mother got angry when she called humans stupid.
Dawn frowned deeply at her sister then turned that same look on Ms
Monroe. "Can we be shown to our dorm now?" she asked softly.
“Of course.” Ororo replied as she lead the girls and Bobby to a part of
the mansion where family members lived. Because they were Bobby’s
children they’d have their own room in the family wing rather then a
shared room in the dorm. “Though there is plenty of room for you to each
have a room we thought you’d prefer to share. We can find another room
if you do not wish too, however.”
"We always share," Dawn said carefully as she glanced at her sister.
"But... if Aura didn't want to..."
“Of course I want to share a room.” Aurora told her sister as she took
her bag and went into their room. “We’ve never not shared.”
Dawn grinned broadly and threw her arms around her. In a soft voice, she
admitted, "Good, I'd have missed you too much."
Aurora smiled as she tossed their bags on one of the beds and turned so
she could tickle her sister. “You can’t get rid of me so easy. You’re
stuck with me, Dawny.”
Other related posts:
- » [ussbansheec] Frie and Ice
