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Title:
Mockingbird
Author:
Alicia McKenzie
DISCLAIMER:
The characters in this story belong to Marvel, and are used without permission
for entertainment purposes only. It is set a year into Scott and Jean's
'honeymoon' in the future, after The Adventures of Cyclops and Phoenix #1.
"Hush, little baby, don't say a word--Momma's
gonna buy you a mockingbird--" I paused, smiling down at Nate, who blinked
sleepily, yawning and waving a small fist at me. "What's the matter,
sweetie? Don't like the song?"
"Uh-HUN-uh!" Another yawn.
"I see," I said, very seriously. "No
ear for music. What a shame." I tickled him under the chin, and he
giggled, grabbing at my hand. "We'll just have to fix that, won't we,
kiddo?"
"Up!" he suddenly demanded, his eyes
brightening.
I gave him a mock scowl, and he giggled even louder. "No,
no 'up', Nate. Past time you should be asleep, which was why I was singing to
you in the first place. Plenty of time for 'up' tomorrow. Besides, your daddy
doesn't like it when I use my telekinesis to throw you up into the air. As if
I'd ever let you fall--silly Slym, isn't he?"
"Up!"
"My word, you certainly have a one-track mind. I
wonder what side of the family you get that from?"
He scowled. "Up!" he insisted, struggling
with me. With a sigh and a grin, I set him down, and the little monkey ran
right for the door of the little stone shelter we'd found out here in the
middle of the wastelands as we made our way to the safety of one of the
remaining Askani sanctuaries.
He didn't get very far. Scott chose that particular
moment to step back into the shelter, and Nate ran right into his father's
legs, landing on his rear with an indignant howl.
Scott gave me an inquiring look, and then scooped Nate
up. "He trying to make a break for it again?" he asked, the grin
entirely familiar, even on the distinctly altered features of his clone body. It
had been a year since Rachel had first brought us to this time, but it still
felt strange, to be in different bodies. I wondered if I still looked as odd to
him as 'Redd' as he did to me as 'Slym'.
"Just restless," I said with an answering
smile. "You should have let him run alongside you for a while this
afternoon, rather than carrying him on your shoulders all day." Of course,
getting Scott to put Nate down was a challenge at the best of times. I
sometimes teased him that Nate was going to forget how to walk. "You could
run him around the inside of the shelter for a while, see if that tires him out
any--"
Scott chuckled. "You've got more energy than you
know what to do with," he said to his son, an edge of relief to his words.
I smiled softly to myself, knowing how thankful Scott was that the T-O virus
had apparently gone dormant. Knowing, and sharing the feeling with every bit of
strength I had.
"Out!" Nate demanded, and punched his father
in the nose with a small steel fist.
"Ouch," Scott said ruefully. "Maybe in
the morning, Nate." His eyes met mine, suddenly serious. Looks like an acid storm's brewing up out there,
he sent along our psi-link.
I shuddered. #It's
a damned good thing we found this shelter, then.# The thought of
being out there somewhere in the wastes, only a telekinetic shield between us
and the driving rain that could melt the living flesh off your bones was NOT a
pleasant one.
You won't get any argument
from me,
Scott said, sitting down in front of the fire with Nate on his lap. Nate
squirmed restlessly, and Scott let him down, keeping a careful eye on him. "Don't
go near the fire, Nate," he said warningly. Nate gave him one of those
irrepressible, challenging looks we'd both learned meant trouble, and
deliberately reached a hand towards the flames.
I stuck a telekinetic shield between him and the fire
at the same time Scott reached out for him. We'd both had to develop good
instincts, since Nate had started to walk. It was absolutely staggering, the
amount of trouble he could get into.
"Nate," Scott said, severely, but Nate only
giggled and ran back to me, flinging his arms around my neck and hugging me
tightly.
"Sure, come to me," I said, mock-sternly, as
I pulled him up onto my lap. "Redd'll protect you, huh?"
Scott was watching us with an entirely different smile
now, the sort of wistful smile that meant he was taking a snapshot of a scene
and wishing it could last forever. I smiled back at him tenderly, even as I
shifted Nate into a more comfortable position on my lap.
A year, a full year of wandering across the strange,
terrifying, deadly landscape of thirty-eighth century Earth, and yet Scott had
never lost that sense of wonder. That--amazement that we were here, that Nate
was here--that the three of us were together, the way he'd so desperately
longed for us to be.
I suppose it was pretty amazing, from his perspective.
Felt pretty wonderful from mine, too. Even with everything we'd left behind,
all the people I missed so terribly--the Professor, my family, Hank, Bobby,
Warren, Ororo and the others--I wouldn't have traded this for the world. This
second chance--this new life. Nate had always deserved so much more--from all
of us.
Nate curled up against me, finally settling down. "Bird,"
he said sleepily.
Scott got up and came around to sit beside me, sliding
an arm around my shoulders. "I heard you singing," he said, with a
grin for my blush. "It sounded beautiful, Jean. I guess he liked it, too."
I kissed the top of Nate's head. "So you did like
the song about the mockingbird," I said with a chuckle. "I thought
you said you didn't."
Scott shook his head, still smiling. "You know, I
don't think I've ever heard you use baby talk to him. Not once."
"Well, it would be impolite. Wouldn't it, Nate? You
understand every word I say to you, don't you?"
Nate yawned in my face. "Bird," he said
again, and looked right into the fire.
"Right, a mocking--" I paused, frowning a
little as I followed his gaze. For a moment, I could almost see something in
the flames, a teasingly familiar fiery shape dancing just at the edge of
visibility.
As Jubilee would have said, no way.
"Jean?" Scott murmured.
I started, and shook my head with a sigh. "Nothing.
Just imagining things--must be more tired than I thought, I guess."
But it would be nice, wouldn't it? I couldn't help a
smile.
Scott chuckled. "I think we're all tired. Look at
Nate."
He was curled up against me, sound asleep, a look of
perfect contentment and trust on his little face. I felt an incredible wave of
tenderness. I was making new memories here, it suddenly occurred to me. My
memories of Nate, not just Madelyne's. And it felt so good. I pushed that out
along the link to Scott, and felt a surge of happiness in response.
"He seems pretty soundly asleep," I remarked
casually. "Out like a light."
"Oh?" Scott asked. Casually.
"Oh," I mimicked, looking up at him and
smiling. He leaned over and kissed me.
And the flames danced with an odd little movement that
might almost have been laughter, or the fluttering of wings.
fin