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Times Past	By : gallygaskins Category: X-Men: (All Movies) > Het - Male/Female Views: 1619 -:- Recommendations : 0 -:- Currently Reading : 1
Disclaimer: I do not own X-Men and I do not earn money from this fanfiction.

Chapter List
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Chapter 3 - The arrival (Beth's POV)

Beth leant her head against the rest of the first class seat she was sitting in. After selling off everything she owned she had decided to indulge on the upgrade, after all she was going to be spending god knows how many hours in the air. She had picked a window seat and was glad of it when her neighbour had started to gabble on and on about his life and what he did for a living, finding the view of the clouds almost relaxing. After the in flight dinner she put on the complimentary pair of earphones she had been given so that she could watch the movie that was about to start. It gave her the solace she needed from the continual blurb coming from her right, and by the time the film had finished he had actually fallen asleep.

Now they were in the last half hour of the flight, and she was glad that she would soon be allowed to escape from the stifling condition of the cabin in which she was situated and the continuous hiss of new air being pumped into the occupied space. Shortly she spied land and then the outline of the airport. They were winding there way down in the queue as other planes landed before them and then it was their turn. Bracing herself in her seat as the back wheels met the tarmac of the runway, she found she was moving forward slightly in her seat as the pilot engaged the brakes. Then the last wheel touched down and they taxied to their gate.

She always hated the inevitable stampede of the passengers as they retrieved their belongings and rushed towards any open doorways that would appear in the sides of the plane. Waiting for the bustle to subside she pulled her hand baggage from the overhead locker, arranged it over her shoulders and headed for the now free doorway. She made her way down the gangway and out through the gate.

"There she is," a familiar voice said. "I told you she would be virtually the last person off the plane, 'Ro."

"What do you mean virtually, she is the last," another recognisable voice piped up.

Looking over to where the voices had come from, Beth noticed two familiar forms. On the sidelines where Jean and Ororo, waving frantically at her as if she had not seen them at all. Jean was in red, her favourite colour, showing up the red highlights in her hair and Ororo, her face clouded with the unmistakable blond hair, had on some kind of weird robe thing. She made her way across to them and hugged each one in turn.

"Jeannie, how you doing? I see the red still suits you. And 'Ro you look great, but what on earth is this?" Beth exclaimed pulling at the edge of the silk fabric.

"What, don't you like it?"

"I love it but it's a bit over the top for a ride home isn't it."

"Well it's a good job we're not going straight home then, isn't it. What do you say we go and have a good time in the city?"

"Just what I was thinking," Beth replied with a smirk on her face. "I guess Uncle Charles put you both up to this."

"No, not at all." Ororo remarked.

"We wanted to do it," Jeannie said, a smile forming. "Besides it means we can tell you all the gossip that's been going on since you were last here."

"Good, okay, lets start by finding my luggage, then you can tell me all about Logan."

Ororo and Jean looked at one another and shrugged. "Okay," they responded in unison.

***

The three women had had a lovely afternoon in the city and Jean and Ororo had prompted Beth to spend some of her money on a dress for the charity ball Charles was planning for the following weekend. It was to be in honour of her return, after all.

Beth had also treated them all to a very expensive pampering in one of the many beauty salons that had irrupted from nowhere since her last visit four years previously. They had all received manicures and pedicures as well as Beth receiving a well-earned haircut. She looked like a different woman when the final layers of hair had been sprayed into place. And it wasn't until she had left the building that she noticed the colour that the late afternoon sun was picking out. Deep plums and purples resonated from her hair; she loved it, as did Jean and Ororo.

They found their way back to the parked Mercedes, and whilst Ororo drove, Jean and Beth started up in conversation.

"So Jean, when are you and Scott finally going to tie the knot?" Beth began, "I mean, its been what, quite a few years now. The two of you got engaged before I left last time."

"Well, we had a lot on." Jean exclaimed. "And we didn't want to rush into anything."

"Well you certainly haven't done that, have they, Ororo?"

"No, but then there were a few complications."

"Complications. Like?"

"Scott and I went through a bad patch and I thought I was in love with someone else." Jean looked over to Ororo for support. Ororo shrugged her shoulders and continued to concentrate on her driving.

"Was this someone else . Logan . maybe?" Beth asked.

"How did you know that, wait has Charles told you about this?" Jean said angrily, forgetting about Beth's ability to read minds.

"No, absolutely not. Jeannie, don't get so defensive, please. It was just a lucky guess." Beth answered. "So was it?"

Jean suddenly realised her mistake. "That's not fair. You know the answer already, you picked it from my mind."

"Sorry, I guessed you wouldn't say, so I took matters into my own hands."

"Please, don't do that again. You know I'll tell you anything; you only ever have to ask. Besides he's in love with someone else."

"How could he love another, Jeannie, especially with your charm and beauty."

"He does, I'm sure of it. He hasn't ever said anything but he spends too much time with Rogue for there not to be anything between them."

"Jean!" Ororo cut in.

"No, 'Ro. It needs to be said." Jean's attention went back to Beth. "We don't know how old he is, he could be over a hundred or something, he has a metal alloy called adamantium around his bones, makes it impossible to date him. Anyway, when Ororo and Scott rescued him from Sabretooth - remember him - well, he had a young woman with him. Goes by the name of Rogue. She's only twenty."

"Are you suggesting that a man who is without age is carrying on in some kind of perverted way after some young woman. Wow. What does Uncle Charles think about that?"

"He never wishes to discuss it, especially with either of them. I'm only worried that one or both of them are going to get hurt - in more ways than one."

"Care to enlighten me?"

"Rogue has a poison skin, so to speak. She has the ability to suck life from normal people and if she touches a mutant, she takes on their ability for a while."

"And Logan?"

"He can heal himself and he has these claws that ."

"Protrude from his hands when he is being threatened?"

"Beth, you haven't read my mind again have you?"

"No, Jean, just another lucky guess."

"Do you know him, or something?" Ororo said.

"Did, 'Ro. A long time ago." Beth looked away from the other two women and sat back in her seat. Glassy eyed, she watched the passing scenery as it leapt by her, staying silent for the rest of their journey back to the mansion.

***

Still sitting in the parked car in the driveway of the mansion, Beth realised she was almost too afraid to get out. People were hovering about everywhere. Scott, along with two young men, were getting her luggage from the boot and placing it inside the main doorway. Jean and Ororo were already talking to the other assembled persons on the steps outside the front door.

'Come on girl, get a grip,' Beth scolded herself. She had spotted him before the car had even stopped. And he looked fabulous; she remembered the strong toned body as if the last time she had seen it had been yesterday. What was he trying to do to her and within the first five minutes of her arrival? 'No t-shirt and . my god no shoes, trust Logan,' she thought. It was now or never, she looked over to her uncle noticing the anxious look darkening his face. She composed herself and made a move to get out of the car.

'I wasn't quite sure if you we're going to stay in the car all night.' A friendly voice broke through her boundary and into her mind.

'Uncle, I thought I told you I would make my own way here.'

'I couldn't have you walking the streets of New York on your own, now could I.' As she looked at him he began to smile.

"No you couldn't, I suppose," Beth ran the last few steps to him and leant down to give him the biggest hug he ever thought he was going to receive. "How are you, uncle? I've missed you."

"I'm okay. I missed you too. And you, are you okay?" he asked, a worried expression changing the mood in his eyes.

"I'm fine, actually I'm better than fine." She responded. Charles nodded but didn't believe her; she was keeping something from him.

"Well, I thought it best if you met the team tonight. Obviously you have had time to catch up with Jean and Ororo, and you obviously remember Scott."

Scott had taken his position next to his fiancé; Beth leant over and took his hand. Shaking it readily Scott brought her into a bear hug and the two began to laugh. "I'm so glad to see you, Auntie Beth." Scott added, sarcastically.

Pulling away from him, she gave him one of her familiar wide smiles and shook her head slightly. "You always were the one to give me the run around, I hope you realise that I am now becoming a very old woman, I won't be able to play these games with you any longer."

"Old, right," Scott countered. "You look great for sixty five!"

Mock hurt crossed her face. A snigger resonated from the other side of Charles. All eyes turned to find the culprit.

"I think its now time for you to meet Rogue," Charles exclaimed.

Beth moved from her position by those of the X-men she knew to those that she didn't. Holding her hand out to Rogue she remarked, "So you're Rogue."

There was a look of confusion as Rogue turned her head up towards Logan for support. "Yes, ah am. What of it?"

"Hey, kid, its okay, 'Ro and Jean were telling me about your skin on the way over, that's all. So you wear the gloves to protect others from you, right?"

"Yeah, ah'm a little scared of what ah can do to people, so this kinda protects them if ah accidentally brush past them or something."

"Right. Uncle Charles, the institute had been working on a method of mind control in ordinary humans. After we have talked it through, it may be something we can consider teaching to Rogue so that she never has to feel like she can't touch anyone without hurting them."

"Yes, we'll talk it through, Beth. I remember you telling me about those case studies you were involved in, I believe they were successful?"

"Very." Beth returned her attention to the young woman. "It will take some hard work but the end results could be terrific. What do you think?"

Rogue's face had lit up with the prospect of being able to control her ability. It meant that she would be able to shake hands, hug, and even kiss others without killing anyone. It meant she would be able to become intimate. Maybe even she and Logan . what was she thinking. "That would be great. Are you really sixty five, ah mean you only look about twenty five."

"Thank you, I'll be forty in two weeks. So where are you from Rogue."

"Ah'm from Meridian, Missippippi."

"Is it pleasant there?"

"It was. Although ah can never call it home again. Besides my family is here now."

"Well, I'm sure everyone here feels the same. And who are these remarkable young men?" Beth mocked, looking directly at the two that had helped Scott earlier.

Holding his hand in the air, one of the boys took out a lighter, the vaporous gas igniting when he snapped back the lid and struck the flint. He stuck out his free hand after replacing the lighter into his pocket, "I'm John."

Beth shook his hand, "Neat trick. And you are?"

On taking this boy's hand, Beth felt a tiny shiver travel up her arm. "I'm Bobby."

"And what do you Bobby?" He didn't need to answer, as Beth now had a small swan shaped icicle sitting in the palm of her hand. "So you're our true Iceman?"

"Something like that?" he replied shyly.

Beth now turned her attention to the one remaining person she hadn't been introduced to. How was she supposed to act around this? All that kept going round her head was the pain and misery he had caused her when he had left all those years before. Although she hadn't seen him in twenty years the pain was as strong as it always had been. She thrust her hand out towards him, an action that had not gone unnoticed by anyone, "Logan . right?" What was up with her voice, it sounded so constricted and false, and he had obviously picked up on it with the arched eyebrows he was now presenting before her.

He took her hand and shook it once. "Yeah. Beth . right?" He countered, a smile touching his lips. "Nice to finally meet you. I've never been thrown out of my room by a woman before."

What? What had he just said to her? "This may be the first time, but I'm sure it won't be the last time."

Questioning looks were exchanged everywhere.

"I was only tryin' to be friendly." Logan shrugged, the muscles rippling slightly with the gesture; Beth had to avert her eyes. Logan was now becoming angry "Hey, lady, what have I done to upset you, I mean I don't even know who you are and your givin' me shit."

"I'm giving you shit!" Beth burst out

"Have we met before, do you know me?"

"You don't remember?"

"Hey, if I'd met you over the last eighteen years, I would have remembered you."

"I'm sorry, how exactly?"

"Well, there's no way I would forget a figure like that!" he joked. Logan was having fun. Too much fun. Beth on the other hand was not amused. "I'm sorry. Look I don't have a long-term memory, nothin' previous to eighteen years anyway. If I ever did anything bad against you, hurt you in any way, I can only apologise. I don't honestly remember."

Beth was calming down, and all she could think about was the scene that everyone, including her uncle had just witnessed. How was she going to get out of this without much of a fuss from Charles, at least? "Well, it wasn't me you hurt," she started, "It was my friend. Metaphorically speaking, she died when you walked out on her."

Beth had had enough; she had to get to her room. Turning she stepped back to her uncle and sent him a thought. 'I'm sorry, Uncle Charles I need to go lie down for a while. What time will dinner be.'

'6.30pm, as usual. Are you all right my child?'

'Yes, uncle, fine. I'm fine.' And with that she vanished through the doors and up to her room.
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Times Past