An Unsung Hero--semi-illustrated (COMPLETE!!!! Now includes

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Rowena
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An Unsung Hero--semi-illustrated (COMPLETE!!!! Now includes Deleted Scenes!)

Post by Rowena »

Sorry about the evil cliffhanger. I didn't even realize--that was just the spot where I fell asleep at the keyboard!

The entirety of Ch. 25 is above! Please let me know what you think of it! :D If you spot anything awkward, I'll be more than happy to fix it. I wasn't kidding when I said I finished writing it out less than a minute ago! I haven't even read through it yet!

Ch. 26 will be up as soon as I'm done typing it! Probably by tomorrow sometime, or even later tonight if I'm lucky. See you then! :D

:bamf
"There are worlds out there where the sky is burning, where the sea's asleep and the rivers dream, people made of smoke and cities made of song. Somewhere there's danger, somewhere there's injustice and somewhere else the tea is getting cold. Come on, Ace, we've got work to do."
~The Doctor, Survival

"There's no point in being grown up if you can't be childish sometimes."
~The Doctor, Robot

"If this isn't civilization, why am I standing in a bomb crater?"
~Hawkeye Pierce, M.A.S.H.

Rowena Zahnrei's Stories: http://www.fanfiction.net/u/526713/Rowena_Zahnrei
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An Unsung Hero--semi-illustrated (COMPLETE!!!! Now includes Deleted Scenes!)

Post by Saint Kurt »

I keep trying to post feedback and I get distracted every time. But everyone's sleeping, the kittens are sleeping...Now I can post.

I think my favorite thing is the description of how Kurt Darkholme sees subspace. I can totally imagine exactly what's going on.

The explanation of the anomoly is an interesting one - and one that I look forward to seeing resolved. There's a lot of open questions. Will Twyla have to sacrifice her life? What will happen with the human Kurt. All very interesting.

I like how this story went from a human interest story (Kurt adapting to changes and the relationship with Ororo) to a real sci-fi story. I also admire that your writing is so collected without any kind of review. Everything for my story gets reviewed over and over until I finish ironing everything out. That's cool that you can do that.

-e
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An Unsung Hero--semi-illustrated (COMPLETE!!!! Now includes Deleted Scenes!)

Post by StarLightCrawler »

Ok i think i can finaly think of something to say other then it was great and i realy want to see more posted.

I realy like how you tell how the characters see things. You just don't do a over veiw. You use diff character to show you what happening at any one time. Also your use of suspence(sp) is realy good.
Sorry for any miss typing or miss spelling.
If (sp) is by the word that means i don't know how to spell it.
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An Unsung Hero--semi-illustrated (COMPLETE!!!! Now includes Deleted Scenes!)

Post by Rowena »

I'm so relieved you liked that last chapter. I've never had so many interruptions while I was writing before! I was so afraid it would come off choppy and incoherent! This one should be better, I hope.

I would have had this up yesterday, but I was having some trouble with my stupid dial-up connection! It kept kicking me off right after it finished signing me on, over and over and over, and then it just froze at the password box—again and again and again! I have no idea what the heck was wrong with the gosh-darn stupid thing, but after seven or eight attempts spread out over the day, I ultimately turned off the computer in frustration and left it that way. I was going to drive over to the library to use the computer there, but I got sidetracked. Mom decided to surprise me and my brother by treating us to a trip to the movies, and by the time we got back it was too late for the library. When I turned the computer on today, though, the dial-up was working normally again! HOORAY! So, here’s Ch. 26. One chapter to go!

Chapter Twenty-Six

Kurt Wagner stared at the place where Twyla had just vanished into the portal with a blinding flash. Colored spots were clouding his vision, but he didn’t rub his eyes or turn away. He just stood there, his head bowed and his fists clenched, truly hating the feel of his smooth, even teeth against his pressed lips and the way the encroaching darkness made the world seem like nothing but shadows—shadows without definition. He had never felt the loss of his powers so acutely as he did at that moment.

“Kurt?”

It was Ororo. She must have followed him from the foyer. Kurt took several deep breaths, trying to calm the anger and frustration swirling within him before turning to her.

“There was no way I could have caught up with her,” he said, not meeting her eyes. “Not on foot. She wouldn’t have stopped anyway.”

Ororo stepped closer, slowly reaching out to touch his arm.

“This is not your fault, Kurt. You tried. She just didn’t want—“

”No,” Kurt snapped, pulling away from her. “You don’t understand! I didn’t try! I didn’t even—there wasn’t even a thought—I…I just opened the door and ran.” He looked up at her then in alarm, his blue eyes wide and gleaming in the lamplight. “Ororo, I didn’t even try!”

”Try what, Kurt,” Ororo asked, her confusion deepening to concern as she caught the expression on his face. She hadn’t seen him look so lost, so anguished since he had collapsed into her arms in the medbay, shortly after he had lost his powers…

“To teleport!” he exclaimed. He turned away from her, running his palms down his face as he struggled to explain. When he spoke again, his voice was much softer. “Always before, I at least felt the impulse, even though I knew nothing would happen. In the Danger Room, leaving the car, walking out of my classroom… This time, though, it wasn’t there! And I didn’t even realize until she vanished—“

”Kurt,” Ororo interrupted him, stepping forward to grasp his shoulders, forcing him to meet her eyes. It wasn’t until she saw the emotions churning there, however, that she realized she had no idea what she could say that could bring him any comfort. Her heart aching with empathy, she did the only thing that came to mind. She pulled him close, curling her fingers into the back of his jacket, leaning her head against his shoulder as she felt him wrap his own arms around her.

Kurt breathed in through his nose, deep and shaky. “I’m sorry,” he whispered against her snowy hair. “I’m being foolish again… We should get back to the others.”

“Your feelings are not foolish, Kurt,” Ororo protested, pulling away just far enough so he could see the sincerity in her eyes. Her stern expression warmed with affection, and she reached out with a slender hand to brush an errant curl from his pale forehead. “But you are correct. We need to keep our focus on the mission.” She smiled.

“Powers or no, we still need you, my love.”

Kurt’s tense expression melted, then his lips quirked into a small, familiar smile, his eyes impish and twinkling. Ororo’s own smile broadened at the sight.

“And what about you, meine Liebe?” he asked, catching her off guard as he took her by the hand and twirled her gracefully, only to catch her lightly by the elbow and begin strolling across the grass as if nothing had happened. “Do you need me?”

Ororo looked over at him, her mischievous eyes matching his twinkle for twinkle. She stopped their progress, running her hand up his neck to twine her fingers into his short curls, pulling him close.

“Do you really need to ask?” she smiled, pressing her lips to his. This kiss was brief, but it was more than enough to answer Kurt’s question. He leaned his forehead against hers, his smile bright and full of love.

“Ich liebe dich, Ororo.”

“And I love you,” she said softly, sniffing slightly as she fought against the unexpected stinging in her eyes. “I only wish I had realized it sooner…”

”Faster! It’s behind us!”

Ororo trailed off, turning her head at the sound of a faintly accented voice to her left. It sounded as if it was coming from very far away. She shared a startled look with Kurt, marveling distantly at how, although all his doubles spoke with Kurt’s familiar voice, they could sound so different.

Barely an instant later, an intensely glowing tear appeared in mid-air barely three feet away from them. The tear opened slowly, hesitantly, flickering and fading then returning stronger and more stable than before. A fierce wind whipped up, throwing Kurt and Ororo off balance for a moment.

“We’ve got to get out of the way,” Kurt observed, shouting to be heard over the wind. “Und schnell!”

Ororo was in complete agreement. She grabbed his hand and the two of them raced towards the stairs, reaching them just as Darkholme tumbled out of the rip to land hard on the grass. He was followed closely by Marta Wagner, her father, Rowena, and an almost unrecognizable Twyla Todd. The young girl was glowing as brightly as molten iron, her eyes an intense, blinding white. Her frizzy hair crackled with energy, the ends shimmering like fine, optic fibers.

“Ach, Twyla,” Kurt gasped from the stairs, reflexively tightening his grip on Ororo’s hand. He was whispering to himself, speaking his thoughts aloud without fully realizing it. “Liebling, what have you done to yourself?”

The flickering portal vanished with a strange, muffled sound the instant the last of them had passed through, taking the roaring wind with it. At the same time, the front door to the mansion opened behind them. Kurt and Ororo turned to see Scott, Logan, Hank, Alice, Suzie, Edmund, Professor Xavier, and the other Nightcrawlers file out onto the wide landing just above them. Together, they watched as the small group on the lawn stood up and brushed themselves off, unable to hear what they were saying as they spoke among themselves. Then, Twyla broke from the group and started jogging across the lawn, a glowing cinder floating through the darkness, making the lamplight seem dimmer than it really was.

“Professor!” she shouted out, stopping short before she reached the stairs. “Professor, I need to ask you something!”

Scott and Alice moved out of the way so Xavier could wheel forward. “What is it, Twyla,” he asked, his calm, cultured voice completely hiding the fear, worry, and anger in his eyes.

“Sir, I need to know,” she said, her posture stiff and straight. “If I had never entered subspace—that is, if Mr. Wagner had never had to save me from—from…” She trailed off with a fierce shake of her head, then tried again.

“Could this secondary mutation thing have happened on its own?” She gestured to her glowing form, tears gleaming at the corners of her fiery eyes. “Or was it really triggered by that weird, negative sort of energy in subspace?”

Xavier looked to Hank, his heart twisting inside his chest. Hank looked back at him with the same pain in his eyes, the same uncertainty. Xavier felt a sinking feeling in the pit of his stomach.

“What did you find out?” he asked, struggling to keep his voice calm and gentle.

By this time, Twyla’s four companions had caught up with her. She looked at them, then turned back to the Professor.

“It’s me, Professor,” she said, her voice choked, but her expression determined. “I am the one causing all this.” She sighed, suddenly seeming very small. Kurt moved to take a step toward her, but Ororo shook her head, stopping him before he got too close. Twyla straightened again, her chin held high, hot tears trickling slow trails down her luminescent cheeks as she spoke.

“Twenty years from now, my secondary mutation will turn me into some kind of energy parasite. When that happens, I won’t be me anymore. I will lose my mind…I’ll lose who I am. And I won’t be able to be stopped.

“I’ve felt that kind of madness before. I’ve felt it overwhelm me, and I couldn’t control it. And I don’t think you can help me, Professor. I don’t think anyone can. And that’s why I need you to tell me the truth. If Mr. Wagner never teleported me, would this have happened?”

“Twyla,” Dr. McCoy tried, leaning forward with his large hands gripping the railing. “I already told you… We don’t know enough about secondary mutations to be certain just what is causing yours. But there is a very good chance it was triggered by your exposure to subspace energy. If that is the case, it is very likely this mutation would have remained dormant your entire life, or at least until you were well into your adulthood, had you never entered subspace. With the way science and technology are developing at such a rapid pace—who knows. Perhaps by then there will be a way to detect and prevent harmful secondary mutations such as yours. But, Twyla, right now, we just can’t be certain.”

Twyla nodded, turning to Rowena. “Then that settles it,” she said. “You’ve got to open another portal. You’ve got to take me back to that first night so I can try to convince myself not to go to the train station. If I never put myself in a situation where Mr. Wagner has to teleport me, maybe I won’t become that parasite thing.”

“Then I am coming as well,” Kurt announced, releasing Ororo’s hand and taking a step forward. “If you were as out of control that night as you say, you will need back-up, nein?” He crouched down, his slender fingers barely brushing the stone steps as he looked into her blindingly white eyes.

“I don’t want you harming yourself, Liebling, even if it is accidentally. And, there is no way of knowing what could happen if or when you meet your double.” He leaned forward, his blue eyes intense and sincere. “I would give up my powers all over again, if it meant I could help keep you safe.”

Twyla sniffed sharply, deeply touched by her teacher’s heartfelt words. But, as much as he wanted to protect her, Twyla knew she could never risk hurting him again. And if he came with her, there was no knowing what her own double from the past would do to him if he tried to get in her way. Before she could speak these thoughts out loud, however, Rowena shook her head.

“I’m afraid that the power source for my scanner is all but drained,” she said, her voice sharp with a kind of frustrated apology. “I doubt there is enough juice left to open another portal, and even if there is, I certainly won’t be able to open a return portal.” She sighed, shaking her head again as she shoved her scanner into its place on her utility belt. “It was the proximity to the parasite’s energy tendrils that did it,” she said. “I am sorry.”

Twyla’s eyes widened, horrified at this news. She shook her head in mute denial, the voices and suggestions the others began to put forth fading into little more than background noise as her mind raced. There had to be another way. Her plan was perfect, if she could only put it into motion. There had to be another way to open a portal.

And then, the answer was there. Right in front of her.

Twyla stared in dizzy amazement as the world around her dissolved into bent, angular fractals. Somehow, her panic must have managed to activate her powers. In a flash of intuition—or perhaps it was a strange sort of instinct—she realized that if she stretched out her hand, she could push through the glimmering fractals like so many scribbled snowflakes, straightening or bending the beautiful, delicate shapes into anything she wanted. A heady, giddy rush of euphoria filled her as the implications of this power began to sink in. She could control the very fabric of space-time with little more than a thought, manipulating the continuum as easily as she had altered Mr. Wagner’s genetic structure.

She laughed, an odd, almost maniacal sound. It was true. The power of the multiverse really was at her fingertips. All she had to do was reach out and touch it, draw it into herself…

Twyla shuddered violently, forcing herself to draw in deep breaths, to regain her all-too-shaky self-control. She knew what she had to do, and judging from what had just happened, she needed to carry out her plan as quickly as she could—before she lost her tentative grip on herself forever.

The group on the stairs gasped as Twyla’s form began to lose cohesion before their very eyes. Her hair, her clothes, even her facial features all appeared to melt away until she was little more than a vaguely humanoid figure seemingly lit from within by a blinding, yellow-orange light—a light that was growing stronger by the minute. Slowly, the glowing girl stretched out her arms before her, as if she was pushing her way through a stack of dry hay. She laughed, her blinding eyes wild, half-mad, then she shuddered violently, the aura of light that surrounded her seeming to dim slightly. After a brief moment, she straightened, reaching out to make a swift, tearing motion in mid-air.

It was as if she had cut a small piece out of a giant mirror, only instead of the expected backboard, there was a whole other world on the far side. From his position on the stairs, Kurt could just see an old, two-story house. Only one window was lit, and there was no sign of movement anywhere.

Before anyone could react to what she had just done, Twyla stepped through the hole she had carved into the space-time continuum, running as quickly as she could up to her house and through the front door. A moment later, the lit window went completely dark.

For a few moments, nothing happened. Rowena strode over to the portal, examining its clean edges with an intense curiosity, first from one side, then crossing over to the other. Kurt darted his eyes from her to his friends, nervous and uncertain and wishing there was something he could do. Ororo caught his gaze and closed the distance between them, comforting him with her presence as she stood beside him.

Kurt was about to say something to her, when his thoughts were interrupted by a brilliant flash, followed almost immediately by a horrific, piercing scream. It was the scream of a woman, a sound of pure terror that Kurt, unfortunately, knew all too well. Without stopping to think, he jumped down the stairs and crossed through Twyla’s portal, an alarmed Ororo following close at his heels. Rowena, already on the other side of the opening, jumped back, startled when, the moment Ororo passed through, the portal snapped closed without a sound, leaving the rest of the X-Men to stop short as it vanished right in front of them.

Kurt didn’t stop running until he was in the house, only pausing for a moment to allow his normal, human eyes to adjust to the darkness. Once he could see well enough to pick out the stairs from the shadows, he dashed up to the second floor—where he was nearly bowled over by a laughing, wild-eyed Twyla Todd, looking just as she did when he first saw her on the train tracks.

“Twyla!” he exclaimed, reaching out to snag her by the elbow. The girl looked up at him, then, and in that moment he knew there would be no reasoning with her. Her dark eyes were vacant, over-bright, her lips twisted into a mad grin. He saw no recognition there, no kindness or curiosity, nothing of the young girl he had come to know. Her powers had overwhelmed her mind completely.

Slowly, Twyla turned her gaze to his hand on her arm, and she giggled, her grin twisting into a wicked smirk as she grabbed his bare wrists. Kurt gasped, suddenly dizzy, his stomach lurching dangerously. It was the same feeling he’d had when she forced them out of that first teleport. His eyes widened as her dark skin started to take on a faint, reddish glow. She was absorbing the energy from his body into hers. He had to get away from her before she drained him completely.

Quickly, he used all his remaining strength to wrench his arms out of her tight grasp. Twyla laughed, high-pitched and undeniably insane, then kicked him swiftly in the shin, making her escape down the stairs as he cried out in pain. He bent down, rubbing fiercely at his throbbing leg.

“Kurt! Where are you?! What’s happened?”

Kurt’s eyes shot open in alarm. Ororo was here, and she was right in the path of Twyla Todd.

“Ororo!” he shouted, his voice bright with pain. “It’s Twyla—that is, her double. She’s just manifested! She’s trying to get away—You have to stop her, Ororo. But whatever you do, do not touch her! She’s not herself; her power has made her lose her mind completely!”

“I see her, Kurt, and I understand! I’ll bring her back.”

Kurt was about to warn her to be careful, but he stopped himself. Storm had been an X-Man far longer than he had. If anyone knew how to safely contain a dangerous mutant, it was her. He would just have to trust that she would be all right. Another concern had to take priority now. What had happened to his own Twyla Todd?

Kurt took a hesitant step out of the stairwell, wincing as he limped on his bruised leg. The instant he turned the corner into the hall, however, all thoughts of his own pain instantly faded.

The hallway was filled with smoke. It was faint where he was, but much thicker at the far end of the corridor. Kurt ducked down and pulled his shirt over his nose and mouth. Halfway down the hall, he began to see the flickering flames of a rapidly spreading fire licking the walls, brushing against the ceiling. He coughed, searching through the billowing smoke for any sign of Twyla or her mother.

“Twyla!” he called out, between hacking coughs. “Twyla, where are you? Can you hear me?”

“I can hear you, Mr. Wagner. Please, you have to get out of here. I don’t want you to get hurt.”

Kurt blinked his tearing eyes, straining to see through the smoke and flame to where Twyla’s unnaturally calm voice had come from.

“What about you?” Kurt asked, crouching down on the hardwood floor, in an attempt to stay under the thick, rising smoke. “I thought you were going to stop your double from running to the train tracks!”

“You know that’s impossible,” Twyla responded in the same calm tone. “She’s lost her mind. The way she is now, there’s no way she would listen to anybody, least of all me.”

“Then what are you doing here?”

”Saving the omniverse,” Twyla said simply. She laughed sadly, and slowly, the smoke cleared, fading away like shadows at sunrise. The fire, however remained, although it was no longer spreading, or even touching the walls. Kurt gasped.

“Twyla…” he stammered. But there were no words. Kurt blinked, his eyes filling with tears as he realized what the young girl was doing.

Twyla was standing in the middle of a carefully controlled fire, the outline of her body blending in with the flickering flames as though they were a part of her and she of them. Her fingertips flickered and fluttered as she held out her arms, her hair wreathed her glowing eyes like smoke. It was a stunning, beautiful, ethereal sight, as graceful as it was terrible. Twyla Todd was not only absorbing the fire’s energy, she had literally become the fire. She was feeding on the fire as it consumed her, and both were weakening at an alarming pace.

“I refuse to be the one responsible for all these unraveling dimensions and the end of the universe and everything,” she explained, her voice light and calm, completely at peace with her decision. “This way, none of it will ever have happened.”

Kurt shook his head, rising to his feet and limping towards her. “Nein, Twyla!” he declared. “There has to be another way, another solution. You have to stop this! Come with me. Ororo is out after your double right now. Once she is caught—“

Twyla sighed, her posture wilting as her flames began to die down. “There are times,” she whispered, “when the risk is just too great. I would rather die like this than live knowing there’s even a possibility that I might become that mindless parasite I saw in subspace. I want to make the choice while I still have a choice. And Kurt,” she smiled, a radiant smile that tore at Kurt’s heart, “I choose life.”

“Nein…” Kurt whispered, his knees wobbling weakly as he lowered himself to the floor. Twyla flickered once more, then lowered her arms with a sigh, her brilliant eyes closing as she and the flames winked out of existence. Only the charred wood at the end of the hall and the lingering stench of smoke remained as proof that they had even been there.

Kurt curled in on himself, resting his forehead against his knees and grasping his rosary tightly in his hand as he cried silently, overcome with conflicting emotions as the reality of Twyla’s sacrifice sunk in. He didn’t know how long he stayed like that, sobbing quietly in the middle of a burnt out hallway, but he just couldn’t bring himself to rise, even to search for Twyla’s mother.

“Kurt Wagner, you have to come with me. Now.”

Kurt stirred, but did not look up. “Bitte, Fraulein,” he whispered, his voice hoarse and tight. “Let me stay, just a little longer. Just one more prayer…”

Rowena sighed, then crouched down beside him, placing a surprisingly gentle hand on his shoulder.

“Kurt,” she said, “please believe me when I say I understand how you are feeling. But you must understand that the implications of what Twyla has done are huge and far-reaching. It won’t be long before the resulting timestorm rips through this place like a hurricane as all the changes made to this timeline—as well as to all the others she has affected—are implemented. Please, come with me now. Ororo is already waiting for us outside.”

Kurt looked up at last, his blue eyes red and puffy with tears. Casting one last glance at the end of the hall, he nodded once, then slowly rose to his feet.

“What about Twyla’s mother?” he asked, his entire demeanor tired and subdued.

“She will be fine,” Rowena assured him. “Twyla saw to it that the flames didn’t even touch her. She is quite safe.”

”But she will wake up to learn her daughter is dead.”

Rowena looked over at him, her brown eyes pained. “I know,” she said. “She will likely be told there was some kind of electrical explosion in her daughter’s room, originating from the wall socket. The fire was localized and quickly contained. Only, Twyla didn’t make it.”

“But there is no body…”

Rowena sighed. “Temporal inconsistency is out of my jurisdiction. I deal in history. I state things as they happen, as accurately and objectively as I can. I do not make up my facts. This matter will no doubt be relegated to my sister’s department for clarification.”

Kurt tilted his head. “You have a sister?”

Rowena nodded. “And two brothers. So, are you coming or not?”

*******

Ororo looked up in alarmed concern when she saw Kurt limping toward her from the house, his pale face drawn and streaked with tears and soot.

“Kurt!” she exclaimed, hurrying over to him. “Are you all right? What happened in there?”

“Twyla’s gone, meine Liebe,” he said, taking her hand in his. “She saved her mother and all of us. But it was at the cost of her own life.”

“The Twyla I was chasing just vanished into thin air,” Ororo gasped, her eyes widening as understanding dawned. “I didn’t realize-- Bright Goddess.”

“My scanner has regenerated enough power to allow me to open a single portal,” Rowena’s voice broke in, though her tone was far more gentle than usual. “I suggest you both step through as quickly as possible, before the timestorm hits.”

“What about you?” Ororo asked, looking over at her. “How will you avoid it?”

”I’ll go back in the house,” Rowena said simply, as if it was the most obvious thing in the world. “That’s the epicenter, the place it all originated from, and it is the only place that won’t be affected by the shifting timeline.”

“You mean, you’ll be able to remember everything.”

“I have to,” Rowena said. “I must include all this as a footnote in my cohesive history of the multiverse.”

Kurt and Ororo exchanged a bemused glance. “A footnote?”

“This reality will soon cease to exist,” Rowena explained. “Everything that happened after the moment of Twyla’s sacrifice will be nothing more than a memory once the timestorm passes through. All will be exactly as it would have been if none of you had ever met her.”

She tapped at her scanner’s keypad and a portal opened behind them, leading to the darkened grounds of the Xavier Institute. “Step through, please.”

Kurt’s eyes widened, and he shook his head, remaining right where he was. “But—but that means…”

He trailed off, staring at his ten, slender fingers. Then he looked back up at Rowena, his expression determined through the soot that streaked his face.

”I don’t want the changes to affect me,” he stated firmly. “I don’t want to forget. Let me stay.”

“But Kurt,” Ororo said, her eyes narrowed in confusion. “If you don’t go, you’ll never get your powers back. You’ll have to remain a human for the rest of your life.”

”I was always human, Liebchen,” Kurt smiled slightly. “And, believe it or not, it was only this week that I fully realized that. But if regaining my powers means I must forget everything that has happened since my transformation—forgetting about Twyla, and…and that moment in the park? When you told me you loved me…” His blue eyes glittered warmly as he brushed his fingers against her cheek. “Then I don’t want them back. I can live without teleporting, meine Liebe. I can even live without my tail. But I can’t live without you.”

Ororo took in a shaky breath, her crystal eyes filling with tears. “Oh, Goddess, Kurt!” She pulled him into a tight embrace, not knowing whether to scream at him or use her powers to beat some sense into him. She had never loved him more than at that moment, but there was no way she would ever let him make such a sacrifice for her. She loved him too deeply for that.

“Kurt,” she said at last, breathless and trembling. “You asked me a question before, do you remember? On the roof of that skyscraper?”

Kurt blinked down at her, uncertain where she was going with this. Ororo continued, her blue eyes bright with passion and unshed tears. “Well, the answer is yes, Kurt. And I have never meant anything more sincerely in my entire life. I love you. I’ve loved you since I first saw you. And I never had the courage to do anything about it…until now.”

Ororo had been slowly maneuvering them closer to the open portal all the time she was speaking, keeping her arms securely around Kurt so he wouldn’t notice what she was doing. Now, she let him go, pushing him backwards even as she finally let her tears begin to fall.

“I will remember, Kurt,” she promised, her heart twisting at the startled, bewildered expression that crossed his face as he stumbled backwards, straight through the portal and onto the lawn of the Xavier Institute. “I’ll remember for both of us.”

She stepped back, watching as the portal snapped shut with a crackling SHAZZP, then she buried her face in her hands, giving herself over to her tears.

Far off in the distance, a faint roaring sound was heard. Rowena looked up, then turned to the sobbing Ororo.

“The timestorm has begun,” she said softly, tentatively placing a gentle hand on her arm. “Come. We must get inside”

Ororo nodded, then sniffed deeply, wiping her eyes on her sleeve. Quickly, the two women walked back into Twyla’s house, closing the door behind them. Outside, the swelling tide of changing time crashed and swirled, a raging testament to the sacrifice of an unsung hero.

Tune in next time for the final chapter of "An Unsung Hero"!


:bamf
"There are worlds out there where the sky is burning, where the sea's asleep and the rivers dream, people made of smoke and cities made of song. Somewhere there's danger, somewhere there's injustice and somewhere else the tea is getting cold. Come on, Ace, we've got work to do."
~The Doctor, Survival

"There's no point in being grown up if you can't be childish sometimes."
~The Doctor, Robot

"If this isn't civilization, why am I standing in a bomb crater?"
~Hawkeye Pierce, M.A.S.H.

Rowena Zahnrei's Stories: http://www.fanfiction.net/u/526713/Rowena_Zahnrei
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An Unsung Hero--semi-illustrated (COMPLETE!!!! Now includes Deleted Scenes!)

Post by CurlyyHairGirl »

:*)*sniffles* That was so sweet.

I love at the end of this chapter, when storm pushes kurt back into his world so he can get his pwerback and remains in the other one so that she can remember, that made me cry, such bravery:)
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Piale: An Illustration by Rowena

Post by Rowena »

Thank you very much! I'd had that planned for SO LONG, but when it finally came time to write it out at last, it was really hard. I'm really glad you liked it! :D

I'm attaching a picture that helped inspire me when I first thought up the character of Twyla Todd and her tragic demise. This is Piale, from the rather obscure and hard-to-find anime 'Sea Prince and the Fire Child'. It's something of a Romeo and Juliet story. Piale is a fire sprite who sacrifices her life so her best friend can escape her mother and run away with her sea prince. Unfortunately, it doesn't do much good in the long run because they all end up dead at the end anyway. Very tragic.

Anyway... This is my picture of Piale standing in the middle of a fire. My model for this picture was the paused video of the movie. I drew it by hand and colored it with crayons and colored pencils. Hope you like it!
"There are worlds out there where the sky is burning, where the sea's asleep and the rivers dream, people made of smoke and cities made of song. Somewhere there's danger, somewhere there's injustice and somewhere else the tea is getting cold. Come on, Ace, we've got work to do."
~The Doctor, Survival

"There's no point in being grown up if you can't be childish sometimes."
~The Doctor, Robot

"If this isn't civilization, why am I standing in a bomb crater?"
~Hawkeye Pierce, M.A.S.H.

Rowena Zahnrei's Stories: http://www.fanfiction.net/u/526713/Rowena_Zahnrei
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An Unsung Hero--semi-illustrated (COMPLETE!!!! Now includes Deleted Scenes!)

Post by Rowena »

AND NOW...

Let the trumpets sound! The end of the fic is nigh! I never expected it to grow to this length, or to take nearly as long as it did to complete, but here it is at last! Done, done, done, done...well, almost. :D

Holy smokes, am I ever nervous. Please remember constructive criticism is ALWAYS welcome! Deep breath, now...

OK...here goes!

Chapter Twenty-Seven

It had been nearly an hour since Ororo and Rowena had arrived on Otherworld. Shortly after the timestorm had ended, Rowena had punched an emergency code into her rapidly dying scanner. Almost instantly, a portal had opened in the center of the Todds’ living room and a short, scruffy man in a visor cap, baggy pants, and a dingy tank top had stepped out.

*******

“This is Bert,” Rowena said. “He works in my sister’s department. It’s his job to repair temporal inconsistencies, such as unauthorized tampering with the timelines and the sudden disappearance of individuals such as Twyla Todd, who have either died, or have been recruited to join our staff on Otherworld. He is the best there is at what he does.”

Bert grinned at them, then tossed Rowena a square box with one round, red button in the center.

“Upstairs?” he asked, his voice surprisingly deep and hoarse.

Rowena nodded. “Thank you, Bert.”

”No prob, Historian” he rasped. “Incredible, what she did. Don’t think I coulda done it.”

“Yes,” Rowena agreed. “Twyla Todd was a remarkable young woman. She will not be forgotten on Otherworld.”

Bert nodded, then turned away and jogged up the stairs. Rowena looked back to Ororo.

“You’re going to have to return with me to Otherworld,” she said. “Once I give my report, however, I am certain Roma will allow you to retain your memory.”

Ororo straightened. “What do you mean, ‘allow’ me?” she demanded.

Rowena raised an eyebrow. “It is highly irregular for an individual who has experienced a phantom timeline to be allowed to retain her memory of said timeline once she is returned to her home dimension,” she explained. “The resulting instability could prove extremely dangerous. An entire repair crew would have to be called in, and her memory would be wiped anyway. However, given the circumstances, I don’t believe that will be the case here.”

She pressed the red button, opening a wide portal into a long, highly polished corridor. Then she smiled, her brown eyes uncharacteristically warm. “What you did was very brave,” she said. “Don’t worry, Ororo. I’ll make it work.”

*******

Fifty three minutes later, however, Ororo Munroe was beginning to have her doubts about that. The corridors were positively bustling with all manner of people in all shapes, sizes, and colors. Dozens of people were continuously entering and leaving the conference room, but there was no sign of Rowena.

Ororo sighed as she entered a very large room with many windows. She strolled absently across the polished floor, then narrowed her eyes slightly as a sparkling, glass chess set caught her attention. There seemed to be a game in progress, but there was no sign of the players.

She bent down to examine the intricately carved pieces, then stood back, blinking in surprise. The piece standing in the center, slightly apart from all the others, was instantly recognizable as Nightcrawler. However, he was standing straighter than she had ever known Kurt to stand as a mutant, and he was dressed in a strange uniform with pointed shoulders Ororo had never seen before. Clearly, this chess set was meant to depict an X-Men team, but from which dimension?

Her curiosity overcoming her hesitancy, Ororo leaned back over the chess set, peering at the faces of the other figures in play. Only one other was readily recognizable to her. She looked almost like Kitty Pryde, only her hair was different and she appeared slightly older, more self-possessed than the young girl she knew. The others—a tall young woman with large eyes that almost reminded her of Jean; a huge, muscular man with a strangely pained expression; a slender, though voluptuous woman with pointed ears—they were all strangers to her.

Ororo sighed and moved away to sit on a nearby windowsill, trying hard to contain her impatience. Her mind was a whirl of uncertainty and doubt as she replayed those last moments before the timestorm hit over and over again.

Had she done the right thing by pushing Kurt though that portal? She had thought so at the time, but now, alone in the vastness of this strange place, she wasn’t so sure. Kurt’s experiences as a human had changed him, changed both of them. If none if it had ever happened…

“Ah, there you are!”

Ororo looked up from her dark musings just in time to see Rowena striding towards her from the corridor. The long-haired young woman seemed calmer, brighter than Ororo had ever seen her, although she still retained that reserved formality that seemed a part of everyone she had run into during her brief time in Otherworld. She smiled as she noticed Ororo’s proximity to the crystal chess set.

“You’ve found the chess set, I see,” she observed. Her lips tipped into a slight frown. “It was the trial preparations that delayed me so long in getting back to you. For that, I apologize, but it couldn’t be helped.”

“Trial preparations?” Ororo repeated, curious.

Rowena looked over to her. “Captain Britain from Earth 616,” she pointed to the figure of the muscular man, “fractured Nightcrawler’s femur after provoking him into a fight, blatantly violating Morality Code #9222765 Paragraph 476W.* It seems he believed Nightcrawler to be in love with Meggan,” she gestured to the voluptuous woman with the pointed ears, “and plotting to steal her away from him. His fears were groundless, as Meggan is hopelessly in love with him, and he and Nightcrawler talked the whole thing out afterwards, but such unseemly behavior cannot simply be overlooked. His court martial is scheduled to take place in three hours, and as Head Historian, I must be in attendance.”

Ororo nodded, although she couldn’t help but marvel at how busy everyone here seemed to be. It was always one thing after another, crisis after crisis, without any time for relaxation in between. No wonder the people here were so brusque.

“As for you,” Rowena continued, “I talked with Roma about your situation. Unfortunately, she believed that the risk to your timeline would be too great if we were to allow you to return home with your memory completely intact.

“However,” she said, holding up a hand to forestall Ororo’s objection. “Thanks to my argument on your behalf, the memory wipe will be selective.” She smiled reassuringly at the uncertainty in Ororo’s expression.

“Don’t worry, my friend,” she said. “We do this kind of thing all the time, and there have never been any ill effects—well, aside from that odd phenomenon you Earthlings have termed deja-vu.”

Ororo frowned, her brows knitting together, but before she could say anything, Rowena had already opened a portal in the center of the large room.

“How…” She took a deep breath. “How much will I remember?”

“Do you love Kurt Wagner?” Rowena asked.

Ororo smiled. “Without a doubt.”

“Then there you are. Step through, please,” she said, holding out her arm like an usher. “And may the best of luck go with you.”

Ororo looked through the portal, startled to realize it was opened to her greenhouse. The sun was just setting, casting a warm, golden glow over the exotic flowers and causing the dust and steam suspended in the humid air to sparkle like diamond-dust. She remembered, she had been tending her new hibiscus when she had received the call to Charles’ office…

With one last look to Rowena, Ororo straightened her shoulders and stepped through the portal. Rowena smiled slightly as it snapped closed with a bright flash. Then she turned on her heel, her long hair swirling behind her, to join the growing crowd in the corridor, making her way back to the conference room and the impending trial of Captain Britain 616.

*As seen in Excalibur: Home Comforts, or Who Exploded the Toilet? Issue #43

*******

Ororo Munroe finished patting down the soil around her new hibiscus plant, then rose to her feet, turning towards the sunset and arching her spine, stretching out her stiffened muscles with a sigh of relief. Just then, she noticed a sudden movement out of the corner of her eye. Looking though the glass walls of her greenhouse, she smiled brightly, rubbing her dirty hands on her oldest pair of jeans and rushing for the door.

*******

Kurt Wagner grinned broadly, his scarred, indigo face nearly invisible in the deepening shadows. Logan watched him, the barest hint of a smile tugging at the ends of his own lips. The gruff Canadian was beginning to realize that there was much more to this blue elf than initially met the eye.

"I should challenge you to a duel sometime in the Danger Room,” Kurt laughed. “Then you would certainly get a surprise!"

Case in point. Logan wrinkled his brow. "A 'duel'?" he emphasized. "You mean with 'swords'?" He shook his head, incredulous. "You're jokin' with me, Blue. You don't seriously expect me to believe that you are a fencer?"

"I am a master swordsman," Nightcrawler retorted, proudly drawing himself up to his full height, his tail swishing behind him. "As well as being an Olympic class acrobat. If you were surprised by the simple little game of hide and go seek we just played, I can't wait to see your face at the opposite end of my foil."

A slow smile grew over Wolverine's face. Charlie had been right. In less than an hour, he had found sparring partner and a drinking buddy in a place he never would have thought to look.

"You know somethin', Elf," he said, a touch of humor in his flinty eyes. "This just might be the start of a beautiful friendship."

Nightcrawler shook his head, his impish grin threatening to split his shadowy face. "Humphrey Bogart, 'Casablanca'. One of my all time favorite films. Coincidentally, mein Freund, much of the action takes place in a 'bar'..." he said suggestively, wagging his eyebrows.

Logan laughed. "Right. Come on, Elf, I'll show you my stash."

The two friends had just begun their return trip to the mansion when, suddenly Kurt froze in place, alarmed.

“What is it?” Logan asked, sniffing the air for any sign of danger. There was someone out there, but somehow, he doubted her intentions were hostile. Logan turned to his blushing friend, his rugged face breaking into a knowing smirk.

“So,” he teased, nudging Kurt suggestively in the ribs. "When did you two become an item?"

Kurt looked startled, his yellow eyes widening as he shifted his gaze between Logan and the rapidly approaching Ororo Munroe. "An 'item'?" he asked. "I do not understand. We are very good friends, of course, but there is nothing more to it than that."

Logan raised an eyebrow. "If you believe that, you're foolin' yourself, kid. You love her, I can see it as clearly as I can smell it."

Kurt blushed violently, though his indigo skin managed to hide most of it. "N-nein," he stammered, "No, it is just--"

"What is it just?"

"She doesn't need that right now," Kurt hissed, trying to keep his voice soft enough so Ororo wouldn’t hear. "She is still hurting from losing her best friend. If she is reaching out to me now in her pain, it is because she is trying to fill that gap, to soothe her loneliness. It is not love. It cannot be. She needs to heal, and once she does she will realize that she could not--"

“Good evening Kurt,” Ororo smiled, coming up beside them. “And to you, Logan.”

“Hey, ‘Ro,” Logan smiled back. “I was just on my way to the garage. Did you need me for somethin’?”

“Actually,” Ororo admitted, “I was looking for Kurt.”

Logan nodded, struggling to keep up a straight face. “Then I’ll leave you two alone. See ya, Elf.”

Kurt’s jaw dropped, his tail lashing wildly as if to say, “Nein! Wait! You can’t do this to me!” Logan just winked, striding off across the grounds as though he didn’t have a care in the world. Kurt shot him a scathing glare, then turned to Ororo, a helpless smile plastered across his scarred face.

“Erm,” he stammered, clearing his throat as he worked to regain some modicum of his composure. “Guten Abend, Fraulein Storm.”

Ororo smiled brightly, her eyes gleaming with affection. Kurt blinked, completely confused, his heart quickening in his chest. This was impossible. She couldn’t be-- Ororo had never looked at him that way before! Was this a joke? Had Logan set this up? What had he said to her? Whatever was going on, Kurt certainly didn’t think it was funny.

He frowned, taking a step back into the deepening shadows under the trees. Ororo’s smile faded to be quickly replaced by a look of deep concern.

“Kurt?” she asked, taking a step closer. “What is it? Is there something wrong?”

“You tell me,” Kurt responded, all but invisible in the shadows. “What is going on here?”

Ororo blushed fiercely, biting her lip. Kurt tilted his head. Was she actually blushing? This couldn’t be a joke. But if it was real…what was happening? He had never seen Ororo so nervous before. She seemed almost frightened… But of what? Surely not of him--

“I just came to tell you,” she said, sounding uncharacteristically bashful, “they’re doing a remake of ‘Aida’ on Broadway. You know, Verdi’s Egyptian opera?”

“Yes, I know it,” Kurt said cautiously. “I have heard it is very good.”

His frown deepened. There was no way Ororo could be this nervous over an opera. There had to be something more…

Ororo smiled in relief. “I am so pleased to hear you say that,” she grinned. “Because, before I ordered tickets, I wanted—needed—to know…“ She straightened, taking in a deep strengthening breath.

“Kurt,” she said, “would you like to go out with me? To the opera, I mean. It’s all right if you do not want to—I will understand--”

“Was?”

Kurt stared, frozen with stunned disbelief. This had to be a dream. That was it. He was dreaming. There was no way on Earth a woman as beautiful and wonderful as Ororo Munroe would ever ask him out on…well, what she was proposing could only be termed a date. Kurt would have laughed, if that understanding wasn’t so very painful.

A shudder ran through him, and he shook his head. To think, for a moment he had almost believed his most secret wish had actually come true. No, it was time for this cruel dream to end. Quickly, he pinched his leg hard with his tail, then waited to wake up.

The pain was real enough, but the dream wouldn’t end. That could only mean one thing…

The realization hit him with the force of a thunderbolt. Ach, Gott! Ororo was really there, really asking him out, and he—like the big, blue Dummkopf that he was—was blowing it royally. The look on her face-- Gott im Himmel…it was enough to tear his heart to pieces. And it was all his fault…

Ororo seemed to deflate, her posture drooping slightly. “No, it really is all right,” she said, her voice flat and calm. “I don’t know what made me even think—“

”Nein, Ororo!” Kurt exclaimed, breaking out of his temporary paralysis to step out of the shadows, reaching out to take her hands in his. Ororo looked down at his thick fingers, then up at his face, her eyes widening as her heart began to swell.

“I—I would be honored to go with you,” Kurt was stammering, his accent thickening as he tripped over the words. “How could you ever think I would refuse you.” He smiled, his golden eyes bright with emotion. He took in a trembling breath, then daringly raised her hand to his lips, kissing it gently. He had done this hundreds of times before, but this was the first time he had ever allowed his true feelings to show through the charmingly old fashioned facade.

Ororo gasped at the tickle of his lips against her hand. Where were her shields? Ororo didn’t think she had ever felt so much. Without thinking, she rushed into his arms, enfolding him in a fierce embrace. She laughed delightedly as she felt his long, sinewy tail wrap hesitantly around her waist, and buried her face in his muscular shoulder.

“Goddess, Kurt,” she breathed, “I don’t know what’s come over me. It’s just, this feeling has been building up inside of me for so long…and I never realized what it was until I saw you just now from the greenhouse.”

She pulled away slightly, but not enough to break out of the warm circle of his arms—and tail. Slowly, hesitantly, she reached out to trace her slender fingers along the intricate scars on his dark face, looking up to see her own turbulent, frightening feelings reflected in his deep, golden eyes. At that sight, all her doubt, all her hesitation vanished. It was like a weight had been lifted from her heart. She smiled, allowing him to see the sincerity in her eyes as she confessed, “I love you.” Her eyes filled with stinging tears as she said it again. “I love you, Kurt Wagner. And I can’t imagine why it took me so long to let you know.”

“Mein Gott, Ororo!” Kurt gasped, pulling her close. “This is too wonderful, too unbelievable to be true! Ach, Gott, I have loved you for so long! But, I never dared to imagine you could ever feel the same way… You are so…so very beautiful, meine Liebe. While I--”

“You are the most strikingly handsome man I have ever met,” Ororo interrupted him with a broad smile, laughing at the stunned expression on his face. “Would I lie to you?”

”I certainly hope not,” Kurt smiled back, his eyes shining with pure, unadulterated happiness. There was no doubt in his mind that she was telling him the truth, and Kurt was almost giddy with the wonder of it.

“I love you, Ororo,” he told her, his voice warm and sincere as he gazed into her eyes. “It feels as though I have always loved you. And I know I always will.”

“Kurt?” Ororo smiled, soft and teasing.

“Yes, meine Liebe?”

“Shut up and kiss me.”

Kurt stared, then laughed, resting his forehead against hers as he whispered, “Who am I to deny the request of a beautiful lady?”

Logan leaned against the side of the garage, watching as Kurt and Ororo shared a deeply passionate kiss. He smirked, then took a long swig of his cold beer. “Way ta go, Elf,” he chuckled to himself. Then, he pushed off the garage, leaving the couple to share their private moment in peace, unobserved.


End of Footnote
RETURN TO TOP OF PAGE

Historian’s Note: Since these events, a statue has been erected in memory of Twyla Todd and her bravery by order of the Supreme Omniversal Guardian Roma, daughter of Merlyn, Soverign of Otherworld. It can be seen today in front of the Otherworld Law Courts. It was placed there in recognition of her goal to become a lawyer—a goal that was, unfortunately, never realized.

RETURN TO MAIN TEXT
SEE LIST OF FOOTNOTES
EXIT PROGRAM



Stay Tuned for some Deleted Scenes! (Thought it was over, didn't 'cha?) :D

:bamf
"There are worlds out there where the sky is burning, where the sea's asleep and the rivers dream, people made of smoke and cities made of song. Somewhere there's danger, somewhere there's injustice and somewhere else the tea is getting cold. Come on, Ace, we've got work to do."
~The Doctor, Survival

"There's no point in being grown up if you can't be childish sometimes."
~The Doctor, Robot

"If this isn't civilization, why am I standing in a bomb crater?"
~Hawkeye Pierce, M.A.S.H.

Rowena Zahnrei's Stories: http://www.fanfiction.net/u/526713/Rowena_Zahnrei
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An Unsung Hero--semi-illustrated (COMPLETE!!!! Now includes Deleted Scenes!)

Post by StarLightCrawler »

That was realy good. I like how you ended it. Though i did not like that Twyla died.
Astill over all this has been a great fan fic. I wait to see the deleted scenes.
Sorry for any miss typing or miss spelling.
If (sp) is by the word that means i don't know how to spell it.
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An Unsung Hero--semi-illustrated (COMPLETE!!!! Now includes Deleted Scenes!)

Post by CurlyyHairGirl »

:clap:clap:*) Bravo! BRAVO!!! that was the sweerest thing I have ever read, that made me cry, now I have makeup streaks everywhere. It is sorta sad that there is no more, but this story is incredible,Fantabulous,Fantastico!:clap

incredible job!
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An Unsung Hero--semi-illustrated (COMPLETE!!!! Now includes Deleted Scenes!)

Post by Saint Kurt »

Excellent - congratulations on completing this.

The end came as a total surprise which is good. It had not occurred to me that the solution would involve the characters not retaining their memories so I totally didn't see that coming. Though it's too bad Twyla had to sacrifice her life for it.

I definitely liked the "re-write" of the end. "Shut up and kiss me." That's hilarious. And sort of touching.

I will admit I'm sad it's over though... I guess I'll have to re-read it.

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An Unsung Hero--semi-illustrated (COMPLETE!!!! Now includes Deleted Scenes!)

Post by John Doe »

Wow, this was awesome! I would have replied during the progression of the story, but didn't know about this board 'till all was said and done.

Your ability to work multiple plot lines is great, but remember that the reader may not keep up so easily. As it was, I understood a lot of this, but there are parts I read, didn't understand, and didn't get a chance to understand.

Although it's a great technique to get people to read the stuff, I disagree with the way you used Kurt's family from "The Day the Earth Stood Back". You made this story codependent on the facts gained from the other one, which I found annoying as I tried to understand certain things. I had to comprehend at mach speed as it was.

Your idea of multiple Kurts was hilarious and also ingenius. You introduced them perfectly and used their seperate intros to characterize them and give a taste of their personality. I loved the big meeting with all the Kurts (my favorites are Darkholme, Ultimate, and The Nazi, evil though he was). You did a bunch of things to effectively characterize them, like the Nazi checking his nails lazily.

I think it would have been helpful to have at least a slightly different name for the "Earth" Kurt. The rooftop scene is still unclear to me.

The big thing I was against was the relationship between Ororo and Kurt. I've always imagined Ororo to be pretty damn old, and just like you described (to invoke my old e-fed slogan), un-f*&king-touchable. Yet the romantic side of Ororo seemed a bit out of character, as I've never seen her to be a romantic, whereas I see Kurt as the hopeless romantic who never gets the girl.

Despite our disagreements on characterization, you still best me in writing, I'm sure. You're Isaac Asimov, meets C.S. Lewis, meets Tom Sniegoski. Your work is, all in all, pure, unadulterated, genius, and I applaud you.

--(end)--
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An Unsung Hero--semi-illustrated (COMPLETE!!!! Now includes Deleted Scenes!)

Post by Rowena »

I am deeply, deeply honored that you would put my writing in the same category as these leading luminaries of the science-fiction genre! Asimov is my hero! I nearly fainted when I read that, I was so overwhelmed! Wow! Thank you! Thank you so much!

Ach, Kuroro just seems to come with the territory of Movieverse. That's the reason I put it in this story, and all those others. If it was Evo, it would have been Amanda, or maybe Kitty, and if it was Comic it would have been Amanda or Cerase (I know I didn't spell that right) or maybe even Wanda. I don't know about Storm being old though. I got the impression that Kurt and Storm were actually around the same age when they first joined the X-Men in the '70s (somewhere around 19, I think). Ororo was way cooler then...at least, I think so. When I write her, it's always that early, insecure Ororo that I have in mind. I don't know much about the way she's written now, but she did kiss Kurt in the early comics. They were very good friends.

You're absolutely right about how gosh-darn complicated this thing got. If you tell me which bits were hard to understand, I can work on fixing them. The last thing I want is for the people who read my stories to get frustrated! If you have any suggestions on how I could make it better, I'll definately take them under consideration. I know that rooftop scene is confusing. I'll think of something to make it clearer.

The codependency was not a ploy to get people to read my other story, I promise! If you want to know the truth, this story and "Earth" both started out as one straight-forward Christmas story, believe it or not. The grown-up Evo-kids gather at the mansion for Christmas one year after the death of Xavier, Edmund snoops around one of the subbasements and finds Kurt's old holowatch, Tesseract stumbles in the room on Christmas Eve all out of sorts, and things go crazy from there. I was writing it as a way to study for my Political Theory class. Please don't laugh, I'm being serious! The whole point was to get a grown-up Evo Kurt to have a political debate with Movie Mystique at a bar, with each of them taking up the opposing positions of different famous political theorists, taking into account the various time periods and political/economical circumstances in which said theorists wrote, of course. Am I a nerd or what?

Did you know Dr. Seuss is credited with inventing the word 'nerd'? It's true! Look at "If I Ran The Zoo"! A Nerd is a big, ugly bird.

Anyway... this story got garbled and messed up and finally lost all together when my computer died (RIP) during finals last semester and I was really depressed. (This was shortly before I first discovered the existance of X-Men fanfiction on the Internet. The loss of this story is the reason why I surfed the net for X-Men stories one day, and is also the major reason why I decided to register here and on a few other sites--so I could share my stories with people who like Nightcrawler as much as I do and so they wouldn't just fade away into computer oblivion once I'd finished writing them for my own amusement. My friends and family generally don't read my stories. My Mom thinks I'm nuts and is always bugging me to quit writing fanfiction all together.) Instead of rewriting the story as it had been, though, I instead took bits and pieces of the original plot, souped them up a bit, and made them into two separate stories. And that is why these two stories are codependent on the facts present in the other.

Originally, Tesseract played the part of Twyla Todd, and Magneto was the major bad guy with his magnetic Cerebro starting all the trouble. The Brotherhood and the X-Men ultimately teamed up as bits and pieces of alternate timelines started popping up (there was no "imminent collapse of the multiverse" ) and with the help of Rowena Zahnrei they defeated Tesseract (who had become that mindless parasite and had no double to sacrifice herself and save everyone) and everything went back to normal. Except, they all retained their memories, particurally Evo-Kurt and Movie-Mystique.

I'd had it almost fully written out, and it really did help me understand the material I was learning in class (I got an A) and that's why I just couldn't let it die along with my ancient computer (RIP). So, now it lives again in the form of twin stories cut from the same idea. And that's the backstory behind "Earth" and "Hero". Wacky, huh?

I'm indescribably THRILLED to know you all liked these stories so much!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I'm really busy with graduation stuff at the moment, but I should have the deleted scenes ready and posted by Tuesday at the soonest, I think. I've got a bunch of other half-written stories and forming ideas lying about, and I'll be working on finishing them up too. There's one I'm not too sure about--"Belasco's Beatrice". I'm not at all happy with the way it's going so what I might do is post the first chapter or two and see what you all think of it. If you like it, I think I can do something with it. I've got a whole list of I think it's 19 stories that I need to finish up sometime, so if you don't like it I'll probably just put it aside or cannibalize it like I did to that Political Theory story.

I'll be back (relatively) soon, with 4 deleted scenes! I apologize for the wait in advance. Thank you so much for your outstandingly touching, wonderful, fantastic, marvelous, awesome reviews! :D:D

:bamf
"There are worlds out there where the sky is burning, where the sea's asleep and the rivers dream, people made of smoke and cities made of song. Somewhere there's danger, somewhere there's injustice and somewhere else the tea is getting cold. Come on, Ace, we've got work to do."
~The Doctor, Survival

"There's no point in being grown up if you can't be childish sometimes."
~The Doctor, Robot

"If this isn't civilization, why am I standing in a bomb crater?"
~Hawkeye Pierce, M.A.S.H.

Rowena Zahnrei's Stories: http://www.fanfiction.net/u/526713/Rowena_Zahnrei
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An Unsung Hero--semi-illustrated (COMPLETE!!!! Now includes Deleted Scenes!)

Post by John Doe »

Hmm, deleted scenes? Interesting premise, for a story.

I have to admit that I am unfamiliar with many names that I've been introduced to during my short time on this site, though as I stay I'm sure I'll get better. You see, I don't have many comics and have no idea who Tesseract, Belasco, or Cerase (however it's spelled) are. I mainly just know the basic people- NightCrawler, Kitty- who was in the old X-Men, which I wouldn't have thought- Evan, Storm, etc., and make up the rest using original characters and a wide span of completely obscure facts. So forgive me if I've got no idea who those old-school characters are. However, that leads me to a compliment I was reluctant to give you the first time 'round (because it would show my lack of knowledge) is that I didn't need to know those things. You're so adept at explaining things and making it clear to the reader- though, without simple, blunt explanations, preferring the slicker and more enjoyable context clue theory- that I needed to know only who Roma was (which I did, having picked up and bought a random book called the Chaos Engine or something to that effect in a New York City bookstore a year and a half ago) and even that you explained well.

Bjjjjjjssssha.

(Post-Script: If you're a nerd for writing about politics, then I'm even worse. Along with being a prose writer of the magical/fantasy genre, I also write poetry that is almost entirely politically-based.)
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An Unsung Hero--semi-illustrated (COMPLETE!!!! Now includes Deleted Scenes!)

Post by CurlyyHairGirl »

:belascoBALASCO IS SEXY HOT!!!! You MUST put Belasco's story in here for sure!
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An Unsung Hero--semi-illustrated (COMPLETE!!!! Now includes Deleted Scenes!)

Post by Rowena »

I don't have many comics either, and the ones I do have are pretty old. I'm working on collecting Excalibur at the moment, but I hardly have any Uncannys.

Cerase (sp) is an alien Kurt liked in Excalibur. She was pretty cool for a while, but then she ended up being accused of murder and had to leave Earth--and Kurt.

I make up for my lack of knowledge by making up characters too. For example, Tesseract is actualy an original character of mine I invented for that PoliSci story. Her real name's Tessa Mulvey and she has the power to bend space to cross large distances and to move up to almost a minute back in time.


P.S. Writing political poetry doesn't make you a nerd. That's what many of the greatest songwriters from the sixties did!

P.P.S. You'll never believe what happened. I'd laugh if it wasn't so awful. My disk melted! I'm not kidding! The A-Drive to my ancient laptop melted my disk. There was this truly weird sound, then this awful smell, and poof. My disk was goo. Now, since the A-Drive is broken I can't transfer any of the files from my laptop to the good computer unless I type them all out by hand. Ooh, what fun. Luckily, though, I saved most of them on the good computer before this happened. There are only a few--such as the deleted scenes and a few unfinished stories--that I need to re-type. Smeg.

Anyway, here's Deleted Scenes #1 and #2. I'll re-type #3 and #4 later on today. I won't make any conjectures as to when I'll be able to post them, though, because it seems whenever I do that something happens that makes me late. Poor little disk. It was too young to die!


Thanks a million times for your wonderful comments everyone! :D
"There are worlds out there where the sky is burning, where the sea's asleep and the rivers dream, people made of smoke and cities made of song. Somewhere there's danger, somewhere there's injustice and somewhere else the tea is getting cold. Come on, Ace, we've got work to do."
~The Doctor, Survival

"There's no point in being grown up if you can't be childish sometimes."
~The Doctor, Robot

"If this isn't civilization, why am I standing in a bomb crater?"
~Hawkeye Pierce, M.A.S.H.

Rowena Zahnrei's Stories: http://www.fanfiction.net/u/526713/Rowena_Zahnrei
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Deleted Scene #1: The Hospital

Post by Rowena »

Twyla held back at the edge of the sterile, white hall to the ICU while Professor Xavier rolled through the crowded waiting area to the main desk. She shivered slightly, looking down at her faintly glowing hands. That reddish glow clearly marked her as a mutant. And not just as any mutant. She was the mutant who had burned down her house just a week ago. She was the mutant who had left her mother to die, too consumed with her own lust for power to save her from the flames that had destroyed her life and her home. She was the reason her mother was here right now, hovering on the very brink of death.

“Twyla!”

It was the Professor’s voice. Twyla looked up. The Professor was beckoning her over to him. She sighed, then started forward, horribly aware of the people in the waiting area as they looked up as she passed by. Twyla ducked her head, pulling her hands into her sleeves and praying her thick, frizzy hair would shield her glowing face from their view.

The Professor gave her elbow a reassuring squeeze as she joined him. “She’s just down the hall,” he told her softly. “But she hasn’t regained consciousness yet. The doctors will only allow us fifteen minutes alone, then the nurses have to change her bandages.”

Twyla gave a start. Fifteen minutes! But that was barely enough time to—

“I know that isn’t enough time,” Xavier said, interrupting her thoughts. “But I am afraid it was the best I could do.”

Twyla nodded slowly. “I understand, Professor,” she said softly. “And thank you very much for doing all this for me.”

”I only wish I could do more,” Xavier said, coming to a stop outside one of the thick, glass doors that lined the hallway. “This is the one. Third bed on the left.”

Twyla nodded again, and stepped hesitantly into the room. The steady beep of monitors as she walked past the beds was as eerie as it was reassuring. On the one hand, it meant her mother was still alive. On the other, it made this whole experience seem surreal, like it wasn’t really happening. This was all just a scene in a movie, a flash of a dream. As soon as she reached her mother’s side, she would wake up and smile at her and they’d find themselves at home. None of this would ever have happened.

Twyla gasped, her mind falling back to reality with a painful jolt as she approached her mother’s bed. If the clipboard at the end of the bed hadn’t said her name, Twyla would never have recognized her. Mrs. Todd was swathed from head to toe in bandages. Only the tips of her fingers and some of the skin around her eyes were visible, and they were red and blistered, nothing like the creamy chocolate Twyla had always known. At that sight, Twyla fell to her knees by the bed, her glowing eyes streaming hot tears as she gently rested her forehead against her mother’s bandaged hand.

“I’m sorry, Mommy. I am so, so sorry.”

Twyla wasn’t aware of what she was saying, or even that she was speaking. Her mind was a whirl of pain and crushing guilt, her thoughts were incoherent. She only came back to herself when she became aware of a pressure on her shoulder. She looked up, blinking blearily to see Professor Xavier next to her, one hand resting on her shoulder.

“I’m sorry, Twyla,” he whispered, “but I’m afraid it’s time for us to go.”

Twyla shook her head, unable to form her chaotic thoughts into words. Xavier’s eyes softened, and he helped her to her feet. Twyla took in a shuddering breath, then turned back to look at her mother one last time.

“I love you, Mom,” she said softly. “I know it probably shocks you to hear me say that, but it’s really true. Please get better. I’ll make it up to you. I’ll make it up to everyone if you just get better. I promise.”

The steady beeps from the monitors were the only response.

Twyla turned away at the gently insistent pull on her elbow, then followed Xavier from the room.
"There are worlds out there where the sky is burning, where the sea's asleep and the rivers dream, people made of smoke and cities made of song. Somewhere there's danger, somewhere there's injustice and somewhere else the tea is getting cold. Come on, Ace, we've got work to do."
~The Doctor, Survival

"There's no point in being grown up if you can't be childish sometimes."
~The Doctor, Robot

"If this isn't civilization, why am I standing in a bomb crater?"
~Hawkeye Pierce, M.A.S.H.

Rowena Zahnrei's Stories: http://www.fanfiction.net/u/526713/Rowena_Zahnrei
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Deleted Scene #2: Elevator Music

Post by Rowena »

Ororo led the way as she and Kurt headed for the exit to the Men’s Department. Kurt had insisted on carrying their purchases and so was too busy figuring out the best way to hold Ororo’s dress without wrinkling it or letting it touch the floor while also dealing with his suit and the very awkward shoe box to pay much attention to where they were going. For this reason, he didn’t really notice that Ororo was heading straight for the elevators until she stopped, stretching out a determined hand to press the ‘down’ button.

Kurt stopped short, startled and confused. “Ororo,” he said, “I thought you hated elevators…”

Ororo didn’t look at him. She was standing with her back straight and her eyes fixed firmly to the sliding, metallic doors to the elevator in front of her.

“This is the fastest way to the ground floor,” she responded curtly, her voice flat and slightly strained.

Kurt tilted his head. “But, Liebchen,” he said, “wouldn’t it be better just to walk to the escalators--?”

“It is six floors, Kurt,” she said, still in that sharp, short tone. Kurt winced. What was Ororo thinking? Going down six floors in a tiny, cramped, completely enclosed elevator...

Ororo went on, interrupting his thoughts. “We’d have to make our way though all those crowds out there just to get to the first one, and then we’d have to walk the length of each floor to get to the next ones. They probably designed the escalators that way so the customers would have to walk past all the stores before they could go on to the next level. It is doubtless good for business, but it is terribly inconvenient when you want to get out of the building in a hurry.”

Kurt shook his head, but before he could protest, the elevator doors slid open and Ororo strode inside, turning sharply on her heel to face him. Her expression was hard and impassive, her crystal eyes glued to the far wall, the picture of extreme self-control.

“Are you coming?” she asked.

Kurt pursed his lips, recognizing how difficult this was for her, and also recognizing that it would be impossible for him to talk her out of it. Ororo’s claustrophobia had always been her biggest weakness, and she was well aware of that. Even so, she wasn’t about to let it hold her back.

Kurt nodded slightly, his concern warring with the warm burst of pride and love he felt for her at that moment. He walked into the elevator and pressed the button for the ground floor. Ororo’s eyes widened as the doors closed tightly behind him. The elevator gave a gentle lurch, then began moving. Ororo drew in a deep, shaky breath, her eyes closing tightly and her shoulders tensing. Kurt felt his heart tighten in his chest. It hurt him to see her like this. Carefully, he placed the clothes on the carpet. Then, he walked up beside her.

“Liebchen,” he whispered, reaching out to touch her shoulder. Ororo flinched, shaking her head, squeezing her eyes closed even tighter. Her breath was sharp and ragged, just this side of panicked. Kurt bit his lip, at a loss as to what to do. He had to take her mind off of where they were, he knew that much. But how… Just then, he became aware of a familiar song filling the small, confined space.

…Don’t you draw the Queen of Diamonds boy,
She’ll beat you if she’s able.
You know the Queen of Hearts is always your best bet…


He smiled softly, an idea forming in his head.

“Ororo,” he said, “do you like The Eagles?”

Ororo actually opened her eyes at the unexpected question. “The who?”

Kurt almost laughed. He was certain Ororo hadn’t meant that question as a joke, but it was a perfect opening for a ridiculous conversation. Unfortunately, this was clearly neither the time nor the place for that kind of game.

“Here, Liebchen,” he said gently as he stepped forward, taking her hand and placing it on his waist. Before she could question his actions, he took her other hand in his and started moving in time to the music.

…Don’t your feet get cold in the winter time
The sky won’t snow and the sun won’t shine
It’s hard to tell the nighttime from the day…


“Just concentrate on me, ja?” Kurt smiled at her bewildered expression. “Don’t think about where we are. There’s only me and you and the music.”

Ororo stared at him for a moment longer, then, slowly, her tense expression softened. She looked into his eyes, her stiff posture loosening slightly as she moved closer, wrapping her arm around his back and leaning her snowy head against his shoulder. Kurt held her gently, afraid that if he tightened his embrace he would contribute to her entrapped feeling. Ororo closed her eyes and sighed softly. Kurt smiled tenderly, stroking her back as they swayed to the gentle melody filling the elevator.


…Desperado,
Why don’t you come to your senses?
Come down from your fences
Open the gate.
It may be rainin’
But there’s a rainbow above you.
You better let somebody love you…
(Let somebody love you)
You better let somebody love you
Before it’s too late.*


The doors opened a moment before the song ended. Kurt lifted his head, then looked at Ororo, a small smile touching his lips when he saw her surprised, slightly disoriented expression.

”There now,” Kurt whispered, reaching out to tuck a stray strand of silvery hair behind her ear. “That wasn’t so bad, now was it?”

Ororo glanced around the small elevator, then returned his smile, leaning in to kiss his cheek. “Thank you, Kurt,” she said, giving him one last hug before bending down to pick up her plastic-covered dress from the carpet. “If you ask me,” she said with a wink, “that dance was over too soon.”

Kurt grinned as he gathered his own clothes and joined her in the narrow hall. “Far too soon,” he agreed, a playful twinkle in his blue eyes. “I suppose there’s only one thing for it.”

Ororo tilted her head. “What?”

”We’re just going to have to come back some evening and do it again. I hear the elevator at the Empire State Building plays good music.”

Ororo stared, then slapped his arm, recognizing the tease. Kurt chuckled. “Or, if you prefer, we could find a nice nightclub or a restaurant with a good dance floor. It won’t be quite so…intimate…as the elevator, of course…” he wagged his eyebrows suggestively, “…but it might be fun nevertheless.”

“Kurt!” Ororo exclaimed, struggling against her own laughter. Before he could make another retort, however, she surprised him by threading her hand through his arm, squeezing affectionately as she grinned at him. “It’s a date.”

Kurt beamed at her, lacing his fingers together with hers. Then, together, they walked through the sliding glass doors to once again join the stream of pedestrians rushing up and down the sidewalk.

*Song info—The Eagles, Eagles, Their Greatest Hits: Track 5: Desperado. P & C 1976 Elektra/Asylum/Nonesuch Records, A Warner Communications Company.
"There are worlds out there where the sky is burning, where the sea's asleep and the rivers dream, people made of smoke and cities made of song. Somewhere there's danger, somewhere there's injustice and somewhere else the tea is getting cold. Come on, Ace, we've got work to do."
~The Doctor, Survival

"There's no point in being grown up if you can't be childish sometimes."
~The Doctor, Robot

"If this isn't civilization, why am I standing in a bomb crater?"
~Hawkeye Pierce, M.A.S.H.

Rowena Zahnrei's Stories: http://www.fanfiction.net/u/526713/Rowena_Zahnrei
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An Unsung Hero--semi-illustrated (COMPLETE!!!! Now includes Deleted Scenes!)

Post by CurlyyHairGirl »

:LOLThat was absolutely, positively adorable and sweet, elevators are fun!:naughty*never ride the MGM Grand elevators from top to bottom more than 8 times, you'll get kicked off, take it from someone who knows*
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Deleted Scene #3: Powers That Be

Post by Rowena »

Thanks! I'm really glad you're liking these!!!! :D Here's the third one! It's pretty long, but the next one is shorter. I'm not quite done with that one yet, though. Once it is up, though, this story will really and truly be over. *sniffle* I'll miss it! It was really fun!



Kurt Wagner was generally a very careful driver. Oh, there were times when he was behind the wheel of one of the Professor’s fantastic sports cars—the kinds of cars he had never believed he would be able to touch, let alone drive—that he gave in to the temptation to speed. Just a little. Just to see what those marvelous machines could do. But for the majority of the time, when he was driving on the highway or even on the back streets of Westchester, Kurt was the perfect conscientious driver. He had to be. An obvious mutant couldn’t risk being pulled over by the cops—especially an obvious mutant who was also a German citizen living in America without any official papers aside from a driver’s license and a piloting license. And he only had those because the Professor had somehow managed finagle his way into getting them for him through the mail.

Today, Kurt was driving even more carefully than usual. He was no longer an obvious mutant—he wasn’t a mutant at all, as his limited, human senses constantly reminded him—but his three passengers certainly were, and he was unwilling to risk their safety just to arrive at the mansion a few minutes sooner.

“Could we possibly move any slower?” Marti grumbled from the front passenger seat. “Dad always drives much faster than this. I can’t even see Mum and Suzie and Miss Munroe anymore. At this rate, it’ll be night by the time we get to the Institute.”

“Well, believe it or not,” Kurt retorted, a little put out by her tone, “we are actually going almost five miles over the speed limit. You would not want us to be pulled over by die Polizei, would you?”

“The cops?” Edmund piped up from the back. “Oh, brilliant! I would very much like to meet a real, live, American, New York cop! I watch Law and Order all the time at home! Lenny Briscoe is the greatest!”

“It is not so much fun to meet a cop when you are the one in trouble, mein Junge,” his father said with a small smile. “And Kurt is quite right to keep near the speed limit, Marta. Remember, we don’t want to attract any undue attention while we’re here. This isn’t our world, after all. Just have some patience.”

Marta nodded. “Patience. Right.” She sighed, turning her luminescent, green eyes to the buildings and trees lining the side of the highway.

“Daddy?” Edmund said after a long moment, his voice soft and slightly hesitant.

His father looked over to him. “Ja, Liebling?”

“Daddy, I don’t feel so good.”

Marta turned to look at her brother. “Oh no,” she said. “You’re not going to be sick again, are you?”

“Do you want me to pull over?” Kurt asked immediately, worried about Edmund but also concerned about the state of the seats of the Professor’s new BMW.

Nightcrawler placed a fuzzy hand against his son’s forehead, his brow furrowed. “You do feel rather warm,” he observed. “Are you car-sick, honey? Do you need us to pull over?”

Edmund groaned, unbuckling his seat belt and scooting over to lay his head against his father’s arm. “I don’t know,” he mumbled. “I just feel sick.”

“Are you going to throw up?” Marta asked, worried herself now.

“I don’t know!” Edmund exclaimed, moving even closer to his father. “My head hurts and stuff. I feel kind of dizzy.”

Nightcrawler put his arm around the boy with a slight sigh. “We’re almost there, sweetling,” he said soothingly, stroking Edmund’s straight, black hair as he spoke.

“The turn off is straight ahead,” Kurt added, flicking on the blinker. “It won’t be long now. Are you sure you don’t want us to stop for a while?”

Edmund’s response was a muffled, barely audible, “Don’t know,” as he snuggled against his father’s chest. Kurt shook his head, glancing down at the speedometer as he carried out a silent debate in his head. The speed limit was thirty-five miles per hour for most of the way back to the mansion, but he had observed that most people managed to get away with forty-five. Sometimes even more. Besides, this was an emergency. Edmund was getting worse by the minute. Kurt pursed his lips, praying that, if he exceeded the speed limit just this once, they would arrive without incident.

As the needle passed 40 mph, Kurt turned his complete attention to the road ahead, ready to slow down at the first sign of a patrol car. If he sped up to 50 mph, they would reach the mansion in only fifteen minutes.

“Can you hold out for fifteen minutes, Edmund?” he asked, the slight tenseness to his accented voice betraying the state of his nerves. *Mein Gott,* he thought to himself, *here I am with a car full of obvious mutants from an alternate dimension going almost twenty miles over the speed limit on a frequently patrolled road. In a red sports car, no less. Bitte, Gott, let the cops be away on their coffee break or something…*

“Think so,” Edmund muffled. Then he moaned, clutching his head and curling into a tight ball on the seat.

“Ow!” he exclaimed, his hazel eyes filling with tears. “Daddy, my head really hurts. I want to go home! I want Mummy!”

Nightcrawler shared a helpless look with Marta, pulling Edmund onto his lap and holding him securely against his chest as he continued to smooth his hair and stroke his back.

“It’ll be all right, sweetling,” he soothed, his tone gentle and reassuring despite his rapidly growing worry. “Just close your eyes, ja? Daddy is here. Try to go to sleep.”

Edmund nodded with a sniffly, muted sound, closing his eyes and sticking the tip of his tail in his mouth. Nightcrawler swallowed, a sudden spike of fear causing his own tail to shudder. Edmund hadn’t sucked his tail since he was very small. Whatever this was, it wasn’t car-sickness.

Nightcrawler ground his teeth, clenching his fist as a sudden burst of frustration exploded within him. There was nothing he could do until they reached the mansion. His family was lost in a strange, potentially hostile dimension, his son was sick, possibly seriously so, and there was nothing he could do. He snorted softly. Some leader he was. A crisis hits and he’s just as terrified a raw recruit. What would Scott do in a situation like this…?

“Dad?” Marti asked, interrupting his thoughts. Her green eyes were wide with concern. “Is Eddie going to be OK?”

“Of course, Liebling,” he assured her, praying with all his might that he was speaking the truth. Marta bit her lip nervously, but nodded, turning back to face the front. Nightcrawler sighed, then began humming softly, holding his son close in his arms. Edmund moaned, but didn’t open his eyes.

Kurt listened to his double as he hummed low in his throat. He didn’t recognize the tune, but it was soft and soothing; probably some kind of lullaby. He glanced over at Marta, her chin propped against her fuzzy, indigo knuckles as she looked out the window, and a strange, almost painful feeling washed over him. He could see himself in her features, a true family resemblance. He flicked his eyes up to the rearview mirror, catching a glimpse of his Doppelganger cradling his son in his arms, and was suddenly overcome by an unexpected twinge of sullen bitterness. He shook it off at once, embarrassed and slightly guilty that he would feel that way, but even so, he couldn’t stop himself from wondering if the fuzzy mutant behind him realized how very lucky he was.

“Erm, Kurt?”

It was Marta. Kurt looked over at her, his brow furrowing as he noticed her alarmed expression.

“Ja? What is it, Marta?”

”A car with flashing lights just pulled up behind us. I don’t know if that means anything, but…“ She trailed off with a pointed wince.

”Ach, Gott!” Kurt exclaimed, hitting the break at once. “It’s the cops! Maybe they won’t—“

His words were cut off by the sudden wail of a police siren. One of the cops stuck his hand out the window, gesturing firmly to the side of the road. Kurt swallowed, cursing softly under his breath. His heart was pounding and his face suddenly felt very cold.

“Daddy,” Edmund’s weary voice spoke up from the back. “Kurt said a swear.”

“It’s all right, Edmund,” Nightcrawler told him. “He had good reason.” He turned his head to look behind them, a colorful stream of curses rushing through his own mind.

“What do you propose we do, Kurt?” he asked.

“Surely we’re not going to pull over!” Marti exclaimed, turning around in her seat. “I thought you said mutants were feared here. What if they arrest us?”

“We don’t have a choice,” Kurt said helplessly, moving to the side of the road and coming to a stop. “I can just see the headlines, ja? A car full of dangerous mutant terrorists, all of them illegal aliens, led the police on a high speed chase through Westchester yesterday evening…” He shook his head firmly. “Nein. We will just have to stop and pray for the best.”

“Marta,” Nightcrawler ordered, shifting his position slightly as he pulled the old picnic blanket out from under him and draped it over his head and shoulders, covering himself and Edmund as best he could. “Pull your blanket back over your head, and keep your hands and tail hidden. It is starting to get dark, and the air is chilly. It’s a long shot, but it might work.”

Marta scowled slightly, but nodded, doing as she was told without argument. Kurt swallowed hard, his blue eyes glued to the rearview mirror as he watched the two cops behind them. They were apparently discussing something. He hoped they were only arguing over whose turn it was to write the ticket.

Edmund moaned again, louder this time.

“It’s OK, Edmund,” Nightcrawler assured him. “This is just a small delay. We’ll be at the mansion in no time.”

”But I want to meet the cop,” Edmund whined weakly. “I don’t like this blanket. It smells.”

Marti snickered from under her own blanket, but sobered instantly when she looked into the side mirror. One of the cops had had gotten out of the car and was now headed toward them.

“Here he comes,” she said softly, her eyes wide and glowing in the dimness.

Kurt nodded and lowered the window. The cop walked up to him and bent down slightly, a grim expression on his chiseled face.

“Good evening, officer,” Kurt smiled. The cop just looked at him. Kurt’s smile faded slightly.

“Are you aware that the speed limit in this area is thirty-five?” he asked sternly.

“Yes sir,” Kurt answered.

“Did you know that you were going fifty-seven miles per hour?”

“Yes sir,” Kurt acknowledged.

The cop nodded slowly, then squinted. “What’s with the blanket, kid?” he asked, looking directly at Marta. “You cold or somethin’?”

Marta shrugged, flashing him a rather hesitant smile, careful to keep her fangs hidden behind her lower lip. “Or somethin’,” she said. The cop tilted his head a bit, looking from Marta to Kurt, then back to Marta.

“You guys aren’t from around here, are you?” he observed. Marti shook her head.

“No,” she said. “Or rather, we’re not—my father, brother, and I. But he is.” She gestured to Kurt with a blanket-covered hand.

The cop glanced into the back seat, then shook his head. “What is it with you guys and the blankets? And, if you live around here,” he said, looking sharply at Kurt, “you should know that it’s illegal in this county for kids to ride around in cars without a seatbelt.”

Edmund sat up on his father’s lap, looking the cop straight in the eye. Nightcrawler tightened his embrace, holding him still under the blanket.

“My son was wearing his seatbelt, officer,” he explained, keeping his eyes slightly downcast so the cop wouldn’t notice that they glowed yellow. “But he started feeling sick, so I let him sit with me.”

The cop leaned in closer, furrowing his brow under his hat. “Are you two twins or somethin’?” he asked. “’Cause you look exactly alike.”

Kurt and Nightcrawler straightened in surprise, startled by that remark.

“Erm, ah, yes,” Kurt nodded quickly, not about to argue with him. “We are twins. And these are my brother’s children, from England.”

“Is that a fact,” the cop smiled, his attitude warming slightly. “I never met any real twins before. Take off that blanket for a sec and let me get a look at you both.”

Nightcrawler stiffened in alarm, but Edmund leaned in close to whisper in his ear. “It’s all right, Daddy. He doesn't really see you. He thinks you look like Kurt.”

“Was,” Nightcrawler hissed, confused and alarmed. “But how?”

”Just watch,” Edmund said, yanking the blanket off and stuffing it under the seat in front of him.

“Edmund!” Nightcrawler exclaimed, reaching for the blanket. He froze, however, when he caught sight of his hand. Pale, furless, five separate fingers… His breath caught in his throat, his wide eyes darting to Edmund. To his shock, his son was no longer blue. His complexion was actually more similar to his mother’s, but it was a lighter shade of brown. Also, there was no sign of his tail.

Marta turned in her seat, then gave a short, stifled shriek when she caught sight of her father. Hurriedly ripping off her own blanket, she stared in gape-mouthed astonishment at her ten, pale fingers, reaching up to pull a curl of hair down in front of her eyes. Instead of the deep, vibrant red she was used to, it was a more natural, carroty color. She swallowed hard, looking behind her for the tail she knew had to be there. It was gone. She was normal!

“Oh my God,” she gasped, fighting against her rising panic. “It’s contagious!”

“What is?” the cop asked, backing away slightly. “What’s the kid got?”

“We’re not sure,” Kurt told him truthfully, struggling valiantly to control his own confusion and fear. What in the world was happening? Could this have something to do with that anomaly Ororo had been telling him about?

“You goin’ to see a doctor?”

”Yes, sir,” Kurt nodded. “There’s a doctor on staff at the mansion where I live. In fact, we were heading there just now. That was actually why we were speeding.”

“Hmm,” the cop said thoughtfully. “Well, I guess in that case I can let you off with a warning this time—as long as you observe the speed limit for the rest of the way there. Just show me your license and registration and you can go.”

Kurt nodded, turning to Marta. “Marta, could you open the glove compartment, bitte, and hand me the black book?”

Marta did, although she was unable to take her eyes from her perfectly normal hands. Kurt removed the registration and pulled his license from his wallet, handing them both to the cop, who walked quickly back to his patrol car. The four Wagners waited breathlessly for his return.

“No prior warnings, no criminal record, and you’re all set,” the cop said, handing Kurt his forms. “Hope you feel better, kid.”

He backed away from the car with a small wave to Edmund, which the boy cheerily returned, then motioned for Kurt to be on his way.

With a sigh of deep relief, Kurt pressed his foot to the gas, careful to keep the speedometer needle just slightly above the 35 line. Once the patrol car was safely out of sight, he turned his head to glance at Marta—and gasped out loud.

“Mein Gott, you’re normal!” he exclaimed, his blue eyes wide.

Marta glared at him. “You think I didn’t notice that, you great—“ She cut herself off, her jaw dropping when she saw the accusing finger she was pointing at him was covered in fine, indigo fur.

“I think I’m going to have a heart attack!” she laughed shakily, bringing her tail around so she could hug it to her chest in relief. “What the heck happened to us back there?!”

Nightcrawler turned to Edmund, his golden eyes narrowed in his fuzzy face.

“How are you feeling, Edmund?” he asked, the tip of his tail twitching slightly.

The pale-blue boy shrugged. “Better,” he said. “Did you see the look on that cop’s face when he thought I was contagious?” he giggled. “That was brilliant, don’t you think?”

Nightcrawler wasn’t amused. “Edmund,” he said in his firmest tone of voice. “Were you responsible for what happened back there?”

”What, do you mean Edmund made us look like normal humans?” Marta asked, still hugging her tail. “Of course!” she exclaimed. “And that would explain his headache as well! Oh, wow! Mum will be thrilled!”

“Why?” Kurt asked, completely confused. “What do you mean?”

”Well, Mum can sense people’s fears and desires and make them real—you know, create solid illusions that can talk and things.”

”And what does that have to do with Edmund?”

”Don’t you see?” Marta said, “Edmund just manifested! He can create illusions too!”

“Awesome,” Edmund grinned. Then he frowned. “But I was hoping I’d get to be a teleporter like you and Daddy!”

“No such luck, I’m afraid,” Nightcrawler grinned, reaching out to tousle his son’s hair. “Come here.”

He held out an arm while Edmund scooted up beside him, then wrapped him in a warm embrace.

“I’m very proud of you, you know,” he said, tapping Edmund’s nose playfully with the tip of his tail. The boy giggled brightly, stretching out his own tail to twine it together with his father’s. “You really saved our bacon with that cop back there. Although, the next time you pull an illusion like that, I would appreciate a little warning first, ja?”

Edmund flushed slightly. “I’m not really sure how I did it,” he admitted. “It just sort of happened. I looked in the cop’s eyes and just knew what he expected to see. So that’s what he saw.”

“That’s what all of us saw,” Marta said. “Scared me half to death!”

“Sorry,” Edmund said softly. Then he grinned. “But it was pretty cool, huh?”

“You can say that again!” Marti grinned back.

”We’re here,” Kurt announced as he pulled up the long driveway to the front of the mansion.

“Hey, there’s Mum and Suzie by the door!” Marta pointed. “I want to be the first to tell them about Edmund!”

”No, let me, Marti!” Edmund pleaded. “Please? They’re my powers, after all.”

“OK, then,” Marta said gamely. “I’ll race you!” She winked, then vanished in a puff of smoke.

“Hey!” Edmund shouted, jumping from the barely stopped car and running for the steps as quickly as his sneakered feet could take him. “No fair teleporting!”



#4 should be ready soon! Stay tuned! :D

:bamf
"There are worlds out there where the sky is burning, where the sea's asleep and the rivers dream, people made of smoke and cities made of song. Somewhere there's danger, somewhere there's injustice and somewhere else the tea is getting cold. Come on, Ace, we've got work to do."
~The Doctor, Survival

"There's no point in being grown up if you can't be childish sometimes."
~The Doctor, Robot

"If this isn't civilization, why am I standing in a bomb crater?"
~Hawkeye Pierce, M.A.S.H.

Rowena Zahnrei's Stories: http://www.fanfiction.net/u/526713/Rowena_Zahnrei
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An Unsung Hero--semi-illustrated (COMPLETE!!!! Now includes Deleted Scenes!)

Post by CurlyyHairGirl »

:DThat was so cute! I am sad that this is the second to last story though, I will miss it.
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An Unsung Hero--semi-illustrated (COMPLETE!!!! Now includes Deleted Scenes!)

Post by John Doe »

Second to last story? What? Is Rowena leaving the site?

EDIT: Or did you mean that this is the second to last deleted scene in this amazing, gargantuan tale?
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An Unsung Hero--semi-illustrated (COMPLETE!!!! Now includes Deleted Scenes!)

Post by CurlyyHairGirl »

I meant of the deleted scenes, unless you plan to do more.....:puppy pleeeease!
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An Unsung Hero--semi-illustrated (COMPLETE!!!! Now includes Deleted Scenes!)

Post by Saint Kurt »

I liked that a lot. I'm suprised it wasn't included in the final version since it furthered the story and added characterization. I like the idea of Edmund's power manifesting in the middle of all the ruckus.

Thanks for shaing that one.

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Deleted Scene #4: Meeting the Parasite

Post by Rowena »

I wanted to put that last one in, but it just seemed a bit much to work Edmund's manifestation into the story at that point because then I would have wanted to use it later on and I just couldn't think of a way. Maybe someday later I'll integrate it in there somehow, but until then it can be a deleted scene. :D

NOTE: This next scene is something of a re-write of Ch. 25. I’d had it planned like this originally, but due to time-constraints that week I changed it so it would be shorter and more to the point. That was probably a mistake, but even though the other version had less action, it did have more Twyla character development stuff in it. Now, though, you get to see both versions! Yay for deleted scenes!



Rowena Zahnrei lowered her scanner, then blinked as if she wasn't quite sure she'd read the information scrolling across the screen correctly. "That can't be right," she muttered, waving her scanner back and forth as if searching for something among the oddly translucent rocks behind them.

"What isn't right?" Darkholme asked impatiently. Marti craned her neck, trying to catch a glimpse of the screen as Rowena walked by.

"For a moment, I thought..." she trailed off, biting her lip as she tapped at her keypad. She shook her head. "No, I wasn't mistaken," she said, turning back to her confused companions. "It was faint, but it was there."

"What was," Darkholme demanded, his tail lashing with frustration.

"An energy signature, disturbingly similar to that of the anomaly. It seems to be drawing energy in the same way, only it is nowhere near as strong. And," she said, her brown eyes bright with apprehension mingled with curiosity, "the readings are unmistakably human."

Darkholme and Kurt shared a startled look, but before either of them could think to say anything, Rowena walked through the forcefield, creating an odd rippling effect that marked its previously invisible boundaries. As the three of them watched, Rowena pounced on something hidden behind a nearby rock. There was a startled cry, then Rowena pushed her way back through the forcefield, one hand clamped firmly around the back of a sheepish, yet defiant Twyla Todd's neck.

"What are you doing here, girl," Darkholme demanded, his tail lashing as he took a step towards her.

Twyla cringed slightly under the force of Darkholme's glare. "I--I just wanted to help," she protested, looking to Kurt, Marta, and Rowena in hopes of gaining at least one supporter. Rowena tightened her lips angrily, letting go of the girl’s collar with a frown.

“You may have had noble intentions, but no good can come from this,” she stated with a pointed glare. Twyla straightened, forcing herself not to cringe. “Your presence here is disruptive. Your powers are unpredictable and your genetic structure is currently in a state of flux—not to mention that the energy you are absorbing is interfering with my readings! You cannot remain in this environment without risking considerable harm.”

“Then I’ll risk that harm!” Twyla retorted bluntly. “I know I can help you if you just give me a chance!”

“We are wasting time with this foolish argument,” Darkholme snapped, the glare he had focused on Twyla growing even more deadly. “Whether we like it or not, the girl is here, and talking about it is only going to distract us from our mission.” He turned to Rowena, his tail lashing behind him.

“What were you saying before this child so selfishly interrupted?” he asked. Twyla bristled, but kept her mouth shut.

Rowena took in a deep breath, her nostrils flaring with frustration, then looked at her scanner.

“I have located the parasite’s exact location,” she said, her tone all business. “However, due to the interference caused by Miss Todd’s presence,” Twyla lowered her head, though her eyes were blazing and her expression was tight, “we are going to have to get closer. The readings I am getting now are tainted.”

“Closer!” Marta exclaimed, looking to her father, then to Rowena. “But how? We can’t leave this air bubble, can we?”

”No,” Rowena acknowledged, tapping at her scanner’s keypad. “But that is not a problem. Hang on.”

“To what?” Kurt muttered, a moment before he was nearly knocked off his feet as the energy bubble around them gave a sudden lurch, then started rising slowly from the craggy, translucent ground. Marta stumbled, grabbing onto his arm for support and nearly toppling them both into Rowena.

“Mein Gott!” Kurt exclaimed, bending his knees and sticking his tail out in an attempt to regain his shaky balance. He narrowed his eyes at Rowena. “You could have warned us, you know.”

Rowena glanced up from her scanner. “I did,” she said.

Marti snickered, wrapping her tail securely around her father’s leg as she turned to look around them. The thick, colored clouds parted before them like whipped cream. Marta had to squint as the yellowish light grew brighter the higher their little bubble rose.

After only a few moments, the last clouds parted above them, allowing them their first, unobstructed view of the interdimensional parasite. The five of them gasped as one, a terrible fear clutching at their hearts.

The parasite was horrific to behold. It was shaped something like a giant, distended stomach, but its outer membrane was coated with swirling light, oozing slowly across its surface like thick, yellow mucus. It pulsed and writhed, and it was swelling even as they watched.

Twyla gasped, looking down at her shaking hands, her breathing ragged and panicked.

The dim, reddish glow that had suffused her dark skin was deepening, brightening. As she watched, a swirling, yellow light began to flicker across her fingers—a light that matched the parasite’s exactly.

“No…” she whispered, her trembling voice barely audible. “Please, God…”

Suddenly, Twyla cried out, clutching her head as bright pain exploded behind her eyes. Her face was hot, everything was spinning, and, strangely, her clothes suddenly felt far too heavy. Panting raggedly, she collapsed at the knees, falling into an awkward crouch on the underside of the energy bubble, her hand pressed to her glowing forehead.

“Twyla!” Kurt exclaimed, crouching down beside her. He looked up at Rowena, alarmed and uncertain whether it was safe to touch her or not. “What is it, Liebling?” he asked the shuddering young girl, his gentle voice sharp with apprehension. “What is wrong?”

“I—I don’t know!” Twyla exclaimed, feeling very nauseous. “I—I’m so dizzy…I think…I think I’m going to be sick…”

Marti stared, her tail twitching nervously behind her. “I think she’s going to be more than sick…” she said, then she yelped as a bright flash nearly blinded her. Barely a moment later, the energy bubble that had surrounded them wavered and vanished.

Before her confused mind could fully grasp what had just happened, Marta found herself tumbling helplessly through the dense, acrid atmosphere back towards the thick clouds far below. Somewhere high above her was the distant sound of terrified screaming. It took her a moment to realize that those screams were issuing from her own throat.

“Marta!” her father’s urgent voice called out from just above her. Marta turned her head to see her father was falling along with her. His hand was stretched out, and Marta took it, grasping his fuzzy wrist with a frantic, desperate strength.

“I’m trying to open a portal back to Earth 816,” Rowena called out, her long hair flying out behind her as she fell, “but I’m having some difficulty. I think the proximity to the parasite, along with the effects of Twyla’s powers, has drained the batteries.”

”Then you’d better think up some other way to get us out of here, and quick,” Darkholme pointed out. “Look behind you.”

Twyla turned her head, and shrieked. The parasite had sent out five long tentacles of thick, swirling light, their energy crackling in the thick atmosphere as they headed straight for them. Marta, Kurt, and Darkholme suddenly felt horribly light-headed as the tentacles began to absorb their life energy, even from that distance.

Just then, there was a muffled FIZZT below them and a small, shaky portal opened in mid-air.

“Gott sei Dank,” Kurt gasped, squeezing Marti’s wrist even tighter.

“It won’t last long,” Rowena shouted over the sudden rush of roaring wind, reaching out to grab the arm of Twyla’s shirt with one hand and Darkholme’s lashing tail with the other. “You are going to have to teleport us through or we’ll never make it!”

Kurt and Darkholme nodded, then turned their concentration to the grounds of Xavier’s mansion just barely visible beyond the portal. There were two almost simultaneous BAMFs, then the five of them were suddenly tumbling onto the short, cool grass. The portal snapped shut behind them with a strange, fizzling sound, quite unlike its usual SHAZZP, the wind instantly vanishing, along with the immediate threat.

Marta sat up slowly, looking around with wide, green eyes as she struggled to catch her breath.

”Well,” she panted, laughing a little as she looked down at her exhausted father. “Looks like we made it!”



And that’s all folks! It’s really over now. The End. It’s been fun—really fun! Your interest and enthusiasm is what helped me to finish this story! If it wasn’t for you, I know I wouldn’t have enjoyed writing this nearly as much as I did. I can’t thank you enough, I really can’t.

With deepest appreciation, this is Rowena Zahnrei bamfing off!

:bamf
"There are worlds out there where the sky is burning, where the sea's asleep and the rivers dream, people made of smoke and cities made of song. Somewhere there's danger, somewhere there's injustice and somewhere else the tea is getting cold. Come on, Ace, we've got work to do."
~The Doctor, Survival

"There's no point in being grown up if you can't be childish sometimes."
~The Doctor, Robot

"If this isn't civilization, why am I standing in a bomb crater?"
~Hawkeye Pierce, M.A.S.H.

Rowena Zahnrei's Stories: http://www.fanfiction.net/u/526713/Rowena_Zahnrei
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An Unsung Hero--semi-illustrated (COMPLETE!!!! Now includes Deleted Scenes!)

Post by CurlyyHairGirl »

:*)I will miss this tory. I truely enjoyed it. I will always remember this thread *sniffles*
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