Lori McDonald
May 1997
Some hours later, Scott sat down across from him, his face impassive behind his visor. "I have something I've been meaning to ask you all evening."
He nibbled on a cauliflower stalk and raised an eyebrow to indicate he should continue.
"When Moira yelled for you to run, you didn't. Why is that?"
He shrugged and bit the top off the cauliflower. "I didn' t'ink he would hurt me."
Scott's face showed no expression as Kurt wandered over to listen. "Why not, mein freund?" his leader asked.
He shrugged again and reached for a carrot. "Because he didn't de last time I met him."
They both looked surprised. "When did you meet?"
"In de Morlock tunnels under de mansion, when I was still livin' dere."
In an instant, Scott Summers had gone completely white and Jean bolted to his side. "Scott, what's wrong?"
"Magneto was under our house and we never knew it," he whispered.
"What?"
Once again, he found himself the centre of attention, but this time it was far more frightening. They weren't just looking at him, they were STARING, and he had to resist an urge to run.
"What were you doin' with Magneto, kid," Logan growled, his claws flicking in and out.
"I - I..." He was starting to sweat. The questions were coming at him too fast.
"How did he-"
"Why-"
"How many times-"
They were closing in on him, too close, and he panicked, trying to run, but Moira blocked the door.
"Easy, Remy," she soothed. "We're nae yuir enemies." She led him to a chair as she glared at the room. "Do ye nae have brains in yuir heads? Are ye tryin' tae frighten him back inta what he was when he arrived? Ye just shut oop an' let me handle this, th' lot o' ye."
"But-" Scott started.
"Ah said shut oop. Yuir a guest in me home an' ye'll bloody well act like it."
She sat him down and handed him a glass of water. "Drink this."
Gratefully, he gulped it all down. "I'm sorry," he apologized. "I don' know what came over me."
"A know 'xactly what came o'er ye. A group o' people ye trusted turnin' on ye wi' no explanation." She gave the room an extra glare. "Now, Rem- Ash. Do ye know who Magneto is?"
He shook his head.
"Shit," Logan muttered. "Sorry, kid. I thought ya were hidin' stuff from us."
Well, in truth, he was, but not that. "Who's Magneto?"
"A terrorist," Scott told him. "He believes mutants are superior to humans and he has no real compunction about killing them to protect mutants."
He blinked in surprise.
"What was he doin' in th' tunnels, Ash?" Moira ask.
He remembered. "It was Christmas an' he was dere mournin' de deaths of de Morlocks. I gave him my cat."
"I toldja I smelled cat down there!" Logan crowed.
"Did you say anything to him?" Kurt asked.
"Jus' 'Merry Christmas' when I gave him de cat. I hope he's takin' good care a her."
"Did he say anything to you?" Kurt pressed.
"Jus' 'T'ank you." An' I heard him say stuff t' de graves 'bout how sorry he was dat he couldn' save dem an' how it was like what happened t' his fam'ly again. Dat's why I gave him de cat."
Scott's brow furrowed. "I don't understand."
He wasn't sure he wanted to say this, but they were all waiting, even Rogue.
"He... it felt like dere was some kind a connection. I t'ink he de only one who un'erstand what it like f' me in Sinister's lab."
Moira sighed. "So when ye saw him on th' tarmac, ye saw no reason tae be afraid."
"Oui."
"I wonder why he didn't recognize you?" Kitty mused.
"He never act'lly saw me. I stayed in de shadows."
Scott snorted. "Good thing. If he had, he'd have had that collar you were wearing off you in an instant and probably hauled you back to Avalon with him too."
His eyes narrowed. "An' den Rogue an' me wouldn' a' wound up back in Sinister's lab either, neh?"
Scott turned red, but Wolverine laughed. "Boy's got fire." He clapped him roughly on the shoulder and turned his thumb up in Moira's direction. "Ya done good with him, McTaggert."
"He did most o' th' work himself, Logan."
He smiled, enjoying the compliment and the feeling of well-being that had settled back onto the room. The only corner it didn't reach was the one his eyes kept drifting back to. Rogue sat in it, a drink in her hand and a look of confused loss on her face, and no matter how he tried, he couldn't think of what to say to her.