As Bishop walked towards Xavier’s mansion an unexpected wave of nostalgia swept over him. It was like seeing a friend thought long-dead…
An overwhelming compulsion gripped Bishop to just turn his motorcycle around and drive back Tuesday, March 13th
to District X, to the streets he had walked for the last twenty years and the life that for him had almost become an autistic compulsion.
Being a law-enforcement officer was who Bishop was. It really didn’t matter whether he had quit his job or not. Quintessentially, Bishop’s soul burned with a desperate desire to right all wrongs, and he already felt pangs of guilt about abandoning his mission in the ghetto. Somehow, even slipping back into the familiar shoes of mansion life would feel like treachery now.
Denton seemed to handling things, it was true. Then again, he’d only been in charge for two days. Bishop had been half-hoping and half-expecting that his phone would be ringing incessantly with requests from Denton for advice. Deep down though, he had known Denton was far to proud to bother him unless it was absolutely necessary.
The motorcycle shuddered to a halt as Bishop slammed on the brakes. Not through recklessness, but through an inherent belief in his own abilities on the bike, he had been speeding, and a great cloud of dirt flew up into the air around Bishop as the bike ground to a halt. The vehicle skidded for six feet until Bishop’s mechanical steed finally ground to a halt.
Bishop’s foot lashed out to put the kick stand in place and he left the bike where it stood. There were so many security measures it could not be driven by anyone except Bishop himself. Surveying the gates of the mansion, the Xavier institute, Bishop saw subtle changes to the exterior that were responsible for his urge to flee.
He had nurtured the desire to rejoin the team for five years now. He knew he was an X man as well as a cop, every fibre of his being yearned to make the world a happier place, but he was still unsure if he could face returning to a place that had been forever scarred by two decades worth of changes.
He was here to meet with Jean Grey, his former team mate and arguably the most formidable mutant Bishop had ever known. At times she had even been the X men’s greatest adversary, although Bishop was mature enough to realise that Jean was not to blame for the dark era in the X men’s past. Having previously come to terms with Jean’s death, it was a sign of just how much things had changed that Jean was now in charge of the school while his mentor and friend Charles Xavier lay in the deepest of comas.
Standing here now, Bishop felt like a relic. He felt as if he couldn’t bear to return to a place he had left long ago, but he had made a promise to his friend Charles Xavier that he was determined to fulfil. While Bishop still lived, he was determined not to allow Xavier’s dream to be distorted or marginalized. His generation of mutant’s had been fortunate enough to have the ultimate mentor. He was determined to give this new generation someone to look up to, even though nobody could possibly live up to the legacy Xavier had left to mutant kind. It was his duty, and Bishop never shirked his responsibilities.
He spoke into the intercom. "This is Lucas Bishop, I'm here for my appointment with Jean Grey, I mean Grey-Summers."
Words had called back to the introduction, allowing the returned X-men through the gates and informing him Jean would meet the man in front hall. While the youths at the security panel wouldn’t know of Bishop, Cerebro still remembered him, the records flagging the rather intimidating man’s identity as a former X-men.
Beast had insisted Jean take things easy, if it surprised him or not that she actually did slow down Jean wasn’t sure, she hadn’t really thought about it. All that mattered was keeping the school in order, her role as a teacher taking a back entirely seat during the last week. In a way Jean buried herself in the administration work, away from others, away from her friends, away from the students, away from her child… It was strange not to have Storm there to comfort her, or more accurately Jean didn’t go to the windrider, Gambit’s flirtatious remarks didn’t even lift her spirits any more. Sinking away from it all seemed the safest approach, too often had Scott come and gone, to long had she heard the day he would die in battle, that their luck in life would finally run dry.
Part of the former host to the Phoenix force was convinced that somehow it would work out in the end… it always did for them. They were beyond the laws of normality, where death could just be an illusion, a temporary departure, nothing was ever as it seems when an X-men was involved. With the Professor lost in a seemingly wakeless rest, and her husband dying, it seemed like an attack on the two most determined men in the school, the two leaders of Xavier’s dream. Her husband wasn’t dying, he was being murdered, that had to be it, there had to be a person, a thing, something other then just a medical phenomenon, something physical that Jean could lash out at, demand a cure from. We all needed someone to place blame on, someone to hurt when another we care about was suffering, it made things easy, Jean knew the pain wouldn’t ease, but for the moments she could just fight whoever hurt her beloved, she knew it would feel like a victory, even if it lasted for just a glimpse of a moment. Before it sank in that her husband still lay weak in the medical room, that his arms still couldn’t wrap around her at night and lift her high in his embrace when something wonderful happened.
Long red hair was loosely tied back into a ponytail, emerald eyes lost of their shine as their empty gaze stared lost towards the distant wall. The amount of times she and Scott had walked through here were uncountable, it seemed every inch of this school held a memory, some more private then others and constantly reminding the telepath just how much of her life her entwined with her husbands… How different it would be if he were gone, it was worse then when that repulsive Emma Frost tried so desperately to take what Jean valued most in her life. It had been hard for all of them because Scott had been at his weakest, if ever had he turned his back on her it would have been then and yet it hadn’t happened, he pushed that snivelling blonde right back where she belonged. The rivalry between the two beautiful telepaths seemed to escalate dangerously so since those years, but Scott never doubted his choice, he proved his love for Jean over and over again. And now, not for the first time, she was losing him to a villain who Jean could not come face to face with as she had Emma, or any of the hundreds of others who wished harm upon her loved ones. This was a force far worse then anything Jean had known, it was a mystery, a cruel unknown cause that lay waste to her husbands strong form and left what was once a proud and powerful man in ruins, not even a shadow of the greatness he once had. This thing was breaking him, breaking more then his strength, it was destroying his very body, the very vessel in which Jean’s children derived from, the very thing that gave her warmth and pleasure, strength and comfort. None had the right to steal such a thing from her, not Emma, not Sinister, not anyone or anything. Yet… something was taking him away, and there was nothing she seemed able to do to save him.
"Mrs Summers, your appointment has arrived and just passed through the gates." For a moment the words had been distant, a slow blink of the long lashed eyes followed a miserable sigh, her aching gaze peering about for the owner of the voice before realizing most students were in class and it had been her com-badge which relayed the message.
"Thank you." The waver in her voice caused Jean to clear her throat a little, a moment of mental pause as the powerful psychic focused her thoughts and calmed her mind and emotions. The doors were pushed open and the tall impressive physique of the darker skinned X-men entered the hall, the same tattoo marked over his eye, the same strong build, the same dominating demeanor… but like all the X-men, the years had passed, and twenty of them left a mark, no matter how faint a trace. Age may have graced them all (aside from Rogue who was being effected by Wolverine’s healing factor) but beauty had far from faded, like all X-men Jean kept her physical attributes in as best condition as possible, usually so proud of her slender form, even if never one to boast, Jean had always been seen wearing items which usually made the men’s heads turn. Currently she was in casual X-men attire, all black trousers and boots with a gray t-shirt that had two lighter gray straps, starting from the shoulder and running along the low cut collar to cross over between the center of her chest and then curving down to the bottom at the sides. The knees of her trousers had a design which also formed a crossover on the front of the knees, Jean hadn’t really been to her room since Scott collapsed at the restaurants, she went once and it had proven too hard. Instead the telepath makes use of the schools facilities and usually crashes on the couch in her office for the night, so far Hank had not noticed such behavior which Jean was sure he would disapprove of. For now however all that mattered was that finally a familiar friend was returning home, X-men that left never really left the school, a part of them always remained and it always seemed like a piece was missing until their return.
"It’s so good to see old friends walk in through those door." The words were spoken like a sigh of relief, as if seeing the answer to an unspoken cry for help. In a way, that’s exactly how Jean felt, Gambit returned to the school recently as a full time resident, a few new faculty, now Bishop was here as well, perhaps this was the turning point in what Jean now considers the worst weeks, if not months, of her entire life.
As the gates opened and Bishop walked across the familiar grounds of the mansion, now filled with unfamiliar faces, that nagging feeling of unease did not subside. He began to look around at the grounds, wondering why they were so deserted, when in his memories they always seemed so full. He looked at his watch. 10:01 am. Of course, he said, half-chastising himself, the kids would mostly be in lessons at this time wouldn’t they?
Nevertheless, there were still one or two mutants dotted around the ground, and Bishop felt intrigued eyes boring into him. He was used to attracting attention for several reasons; his imposing build, his unique (in this reality) tattoo, the colour of his skin, and of course he was a mutant to boot. Bishop knew there were worse things than being stared at, and he ignored the rudeness of kids he knew were still a little frightened of anything different, even in the rich and diverse setting of Xavier’s school. (Even when Charles died, it would still be his school to Bishop).
Sadly, Bishop had misjudged the stares of those pupils and staff members who served as spectators to one of the longest walks he had ever taken in his life. His humility meant Bishop hadn’t even considered the possibility that his generation of X men were regarded as heroes, and perhaps even legends. People were staring because they were seeing somebody they knew from the newspapers, from television, and from the tales they were told by those remembered. One of the mutants standing guard at the gate had actually been trying to pluck up the nerve to ask for Bishop’s autograph, and Bishop had misread his longing glance as one of aggression or mistrust.
He reminded himself that this was nothing compared to District X, where he got far worse reactions because he was a cop AND a mutant and therefore viewed as a traitor to the mutant race. After 20 years it had become the norm, but it was amazing how a fresh setting could make you feel unsettled, even if the fresh setting was a place that contained beautiful memories and you once called it home.
As he entered the familiar front hall he saw his first familiar face. That meant more than he could express in words. Then he realised there was something wrong with this picture too.
Bishop had realised that Jean would be having a hard time, but only in her presence could he appreciate the cruelty of recent events. Jean Grey had aged well, and despite the odd line she still physically retained all of her beauty, but there had always been more to her allure than that. She had been the vibrant, flirty, and caring member of the team, possessed of a near indomitable spirit when Bishop first came to the school. She had had time for anyone who was down in the dumps, and she dealt with everything life threw at her with a smile. Bishop know realised the positive energy that used to emanate from Jean had almost been more attractive than her knockout figure and entrancing eyes.
She used to make more of an effort too. Bishop remembered Jean was a telepath and attempted to push these thoughts to the back of his mind. That would be the last thing she needed right now.
When Jean caught sight of him however, a little of that returned, but not all. She was first to speak:
QUOTE “It’s so good to see old friends walk through that door.”
Her words sounded so desperate and needy that Bishop’s heart ached for her. After all she had been through in the past, and fate still wasn’t satisfied. She really didn’t deserve this destiny. She deserved something better…
Bishop wasn’t much of a talker, and he good with feelings, but something told him that words would be useless now in any case.
He sensed she was on the brink of tears and he did something that was very uncharacteristic. He opened his arms wide, offering an embrace, touched by the misery she was obviously feeling. “Come here, Jean,” he said simply.
Re: Bishop comes home
The inquisitive gaze Bishop gave was sensed, as well as a trickling of the X-man’s thoughts, but that was Bishop, he was always the investigator. A trait that Xavier had used to protect the X-men, perhaps it caused discomfort with some people, but it was something a lot of them have come to rely on. Bishop was not ruled by his own convictions, if something seemed out of place he would figure out why without any inhibitions, if someone seemed off, or a danger, Bishop would do what he needed to see to the threat, to see if there was a threat and if there was he would deal with it accordingly. Perhaps that’s why Xavier had trusted the investigator with watching the workings inside the X-men; Bishop would track the evidence no matter where it leaded, he wouldn’t rule out possibilities or cut corners. There was no hiding things from him, not that Jean wanted to lie, but it would be so nice to allow someone else to explain everything to Bishop. It took a moment for the former Phoenix to realize things, to see Bishop’s arms opening… did she really look so bad?
“Come here, Jean,” It wasn’t something Jean imagined she’d really see, Bishop wasn’t one to come running with open arms, far from it, and whenever contact was made he hardly returned the act, Jean enjoyed teasing him in her own subtle - though feminine - way. A tentative gaze stared at the inviting gesture, thoughts flurried through her mind, should she? If there was the chance she’d have to tell Bishop about Scott would Jean last without shedding yet more tears for her dying lover? Hesitantly the heartbroken woman nudged aside the act of pride and well being, the latter gradually having lost its strength and dimmed away, Jean’s body drifting towards Bishop the few steps that remained between them.
All Jean could do was stand, just a single step more and she’d be in the arms of a friend, Beast and Wolverine were so caught in their own situations Jean couldn’t bare burdening them any further. And Rogue had her issues with the man she had fallen for and now severed ties with, talking with Storm was hard at the moment, because Jean knew the weather witch may know the words to lighten the gloomy mood Jean found herself constantly in. And in the previous days Jean hardly wanted to smile. A slender hand reached forward, Jean’s palm gently resting against Bishop’s chest, her eyes unable to rise and meet his for the moment she struggled to keep her calm.
"There’s no change in Xavier’s condition… but, something else has happened," That was a false statement, it made it sound as if only one thing wrong has occurred on top of Xavier’s coma, so many things screamed for attention, so many people needed help and all Jean could think of was her husband. "Logan’s son is missing.. and Scott is dying." If Jean thought it would be easier to just slip in the fact of her husband’s fate, then she knew now it wasn’t. They had been attacked and the last thing the students needed was seeing their new Headmistress breaking down in tears, she fought so hard to keep things together, but that didn’t mean deep down everything was falling apart inside of her.
Re: Bishop comes home
As Jean’s hand formed a barrier between them Bishop assumed his uncharacteristic gesture had been too forward, particularly given the circumstances. Although Bishop had learned to control his facial expressions to not give his emotions away, he criticised himself inwardly. He realised this wasn’t the time to suddenly develop a tactile streak…
QUOTE
"There’s no change in Xavier’s condition… but, something else has happened,"
This made a little more sense in view of the way Jean was acting, but Bishop barely had time to wonder what was wrong before Jean hit him with it.
QUOTE
"Logan’s son is missing.. and Scott is dying."
A hammer blow to the chest… like an attack, but this attack was one that not even the legend that was Lucas Bishop could absorb. The brusque and direct way Jean had delivered the news meant it couldn‘t be immediately digested… The news was at first overwhelming, and it took several moments for the truth to sink in.
Bishop had been deeply affected by the news of Xavier’s ill fortunes, so much so that he had thought nothing could shock him any more, but the news that Scott was dying had a surprisingly severe effect on him. Like Xavier, the warrior known as Cyclops was a hero (not a term that Bishop used often) who had seemed almost ageless and unstoppable. How could the fates conspire to mock them so?
The news of Wolverine’s son was another thing, and how were you meant to react to all these separate pieces of news at once? He had been looking forward to the reunion with Logan and Scott (and the others of course), but instead, he was merely seeing their pain. “My God Jean…” Bishop paused, the voice he had produced was just a croak, faltering and unconfident. It did not sound like his own and that stopped him for a moment, while he took a deep breath and fought to compose himself. “I’m so, so sorry…”As his brain fought to deal with an overload of information the cop in Bishop automatically kicked into gear. The maxim of the detective, “Who profits?”, kicked into gear, and he began to attack the problem like the cop. Sometimes being a cop meant your reactions weren’t necessarily human.
If Bishop had wanted to attack or to hurt the X men he might have started with Xavier, Cyclops, and Logan himself, and the catastrophic odds against coincidence being responsible made Bishop look for any way possible to fight Fate. There had to be something behind this, something he could hit. There had to be. “Jean,” he said, grasping her around the shoulders because it looked as if she’d collapse if he didn’t, “Is there anything suspicious about all of this? I only ask because it’s important. We need to rule out the possibility that anything sinister is going on here.”
A pang of guilt… but reacting like a cop, with his business head on, was the only way Bishop could deal with the situation. He couldn’t allow himself emotions in public, he had learned that the hard way.
Re: Bishop comes home
“My God Jean…” Perhaps Bishop will be saying that a few more times before the end of the day, if indeed he was still the same old cop he always was, then he’d want to know all that was going in, and truth be told, it seemed too much to be coincidence. “I’m so, so sorry…” It was at the point where the former Phoenix just felt like thinking that apologies changed nothing… They needed to find who was doing this to them, or what, and why. Crying hardly seemed fit for her to do, falling apart wasn’t what the students should see of their Headmistresses, but still, the offer of a hold from Bishop, of all people, was so inviting… For a moment she felt as she would just melt into him, her knees give way and her body sink, the ultimate sign of defeat in a way… at least that’s how Jean saw it at the moment. And to think, not too long ago she had been fussing over what dress to wear on her date out with Scott, what presents to her loved ones and friends… what plans she had for her family for the year.
“Jean,” Now was hardly the time to drift off in thought or self-pity, a part of her was maybe angry that she felt furious by the constant twists of cruelty fate had in store for her and her husband. “Is there anything suspicious about all of this? I only ask because it’s important. We need to rule out the possibility that anything sinister is going on here.”
It seemed like an obvious yes, of course there had to be, Jean wanted there to be so badly, just a face behind the chaos, just something they could fight.
"Hank can’t find a reason why Xavier is in a coma, he’s tried everything it seems… Bishop, Scott’s body is just breaking apart, I don’t remember him in so much pain before, not like this." Of course Scott has hurt in his time, more often then not, but his body seemed to just be falling apart on him, his nerves exploding with pain and his own physical control slipping away as he lay mostly limp at the worse of times. "And Connor isn’t just missing Bishop, we were on the Training Island for testing the new recruits, the Brotherhood attack, but when they attacked Bronze Strike Force they went after Connor, the team couldn’t defend him," Jean didn’t yet realize that it wasn’t the Brotherhood who took them but Liberty X, and Amlarie was under the impression that instead of ‘kidnapping’ him she was indeed freeing him from the life that was causing him so much stress. A soured relationship with Logan had obviously left a scar on the 19 year old but up until A.Corp started going after Connor and his younger sister Madison, the relationship hadn’t be as terrible as it had recently become. It then occurred to Jean that she ought to explain A.Corp to Bishop, let him in on the recent trouble makers and incidents the school has been in. Perhaps the investigator in Bishop would want to know a few leads in which he can trace.
"But this isn’t really the place to get into such details." Jeans head lowered, recollecting herself before she had to put up her pretense that all was fine once again, after all, she couldn’t walk through the halls looking as if Death trailed two steps behind the red head with his reaper glistening in the corner of her eye. Lifting her head, there was a renewed mask of clarity and focus, something only her closest of friends can know for what it really was, a Band-Aid over the pain she was being dealt. "There will be an official meeting later… I’m not sure if it’s today or not. Team leaders have for the most part submitted their reports, or will so later today if they haven’t, they’ll be in my office if you wanted to read what occurred on the island. You know where your room is, we kept it for you, here’s the key." Jean flashed her vibrant smile, which lacked the usual fire of her soul as the middle aged beauty handed over a key which she pulled from a pocket. "…Xavier’s son is here," A pause was given as Jean quickly realized Bishop was bound to think of David, AKA Legion instead of Jarod, so she quickly smiled with assurance and corrected herself.
"Not David, remember Jarod? The baby with Lilandra Neramani.. of the Shi’ar?" It had been a hectic time 25 years ago when the child was taken from the mansion, little could they have imagined that A.Corp had targeted them and remained their faceless enemy for all these years. "It was an organization called A.Corp, you’ll hear that name a lot right now, we’ll discuss it elsewhere of course, but you might want to speak with him. Jarod took his father’s coma really bad, actually he started acting aggressively lately, which didn’t fit with his personality, but a woman he was fond of tried to commit suicide. So many strange and tragic things, I can’t believe it’s not all connected somehow." Her soft voice was silken as always, but desperate, filled with a need to know what was going on. But it wasn’t like she could spend her days running around checking up on every small thing, not with the entire school to run and all these other troubles occurring.
Re: Bishop comes home
Bishop had spent decades listening to the grief-stricken in an official and unofficial capacity. Although most people’s heads would have been spinning with all of this information, now that Bishop had his cop head on he could view the whole situation almost dispassionately. "Hank can’t find a reason why Xavier is in a coma, he’s tried everything it seems… Bishop, Scott’s body is just breaking apart, I don’t remember him in so much pain before, not like this." Once more Bishop’s reaction was not necessarily human. He pondered the possibility that this seemingly unique illness was the manifestation of a secondary mutation. There was the chance that Scott was transcending, becoming something new, and that possibility now flared in the back of his mind. There were still a million unknown possibilities with the versatile mutant X gene. Bishop realised however that this was an irrational conclusion to draw because it would have undoubtedly occurred to Henry, but he still resolved to float the possibility to him when they met next. “You and Scott have come through worse than this Jean. When he thought he had lost you, he never gave up hope. You owe it to him to stay positive. Scott is a fighter, if there’s a way to beat this disease then he will.”"And Connor isn’t just missing Bishop, we were on the Training Island for testing the new recruits, the Brotherhood attack, but when they attacked Bronze Strike Force they went after Connor, the team couldn’t defend him,"
Bishop frowned at the mention of those misguided fools. “If the Brotherhood has Connor, we’ll get him back. It’s only a matter of time before we locate him, and then I pity the poor fools. They’ll have Logan to deal with.”He paused as Jean continued. "There will be an official meeting later… I’m not sure if it’s today or not. Team leaders have for the most part submitted their reports, or will so later today if they haven’t, they’ll be in my office if you wanted to read what occurred on the island. You know where your room is, we kept it for you, here’s the key."
Bishop for the first time, felt like he was home. The gesture of leaving his room empty had left him touched, the possibility that Jean would do this hadn’t even occurred to him. “Thank you,” he said. “I really appreciate it.”
Then Jean was off again, on another tangent. This time Xavier’s son. She was a little manic, and the fact that Jean had had mental problems in the past was not lost on Bishop. Stress and a lack of sleep were the most likely causes for thisHe was concerned she may become hysterical, and while he would certainly have a word with young Jarod for her, he was concerned she was now clutching at straws, but he supposed that was a perfectly normal reaction.
“Jean, how long has it been since you slept?” he asked, concerned. “If this school is going to function we need you at your peak. I want you to get a couple of hours, you need them. You’ll be no good to anyone otherwise.”
Finally, just so he wouldn’t sound useless as well as cold, he tightened his grip on her left arm and used his right hand to tilt up her chin so she was looking straight at him and would be able to tell he was sincere.
“I promise that if there’s any link between these tragedies I’ll find it. It is only a matter of time. Try not to worry as much. Scott and Charles are in the best possible hands, and the best hunter in the world is looking for Connor. You’re doing all you can and you’re doing brilliantly. Try not to put so much pressure on yourself.”
Re: Bishop comes home
“Thank you,” With gratitude Bishop took the key, winning a small smile, straight, faint, but there still. “I really appreciate it.” It was nice to see old faces return to them, and even better when they were willing to leap head on into the problems plaguing the school. At the same time it was a shame that things wouldn’t be nicer, offering a warmer welcome for their returning comrades.
“Jean, how long has it been since you slept?” The question had taken Jean by surprise, surprise that her wellbeing was being brought up when others were far worse off then her, surprise that someone actually noticed something was wrong with her. “If this school is going to function we need you at your peak. I want you to get a couple of hours, you need them. You’ll be no good to anyone otherwise.” Slowly Jean looked away, then gradually her eyes trailed back to him, he was right, and she knew it, but it still seemed like he was asking for the impossible. How could she sleep, how could she waste hours dreaming when her husband was dying, then again she refused to accept that he would die, he was just suffering now, she didn’t dare think of the fact he could die any more. A hand gently tilted her face upwards so she would look him in the eye and that he could show her what she already felt when he spoke, that what he was saying was heartfelt, despite his at times seemingly cold approach.
“I promise that if there’s any link between these tragedies I’ll find it. It is only a matter of time. Try not to worry as much. Scott and Charles are in the best possible hands, and the best hunter in the world is looking for Connor. You’re doing all you can and you’re doing brilliantly. Try not to put so much pressure on yourself.” And Bishop was right, Logan wasn’t resting, not until he found his son, and she had faith in Beast, even if he himself was losing it. She clung to the hope he would pull yet another miracle at the brink of despair and make it all right again. Once he finished, Jean felt a few of her barriers slip away for a moment, her hands reaching up to rest against his which supported her chin. A sad smile was offered with a little more heart as her right hand moved to reach for his cheek, resting her palm against it with her ever present gratitude for the help her friends offered her.
"I’ll go see Scott, then I promise to try and sleep." The assurance was honest, Jean knew it was insane to carry on the way she was, if indeed there was a face behind this menace then she needed to be in top condition to fight it and right now she barely had the heart to pour herself a cup of coffee. "Oh, and while I remember," Jean let her hand slip aware as a more positive air tried to make its way inside her. "We’re arranging new teams.. if you’re interested." A silent offer at taking up another group, really picking up where he left off, they needed a strong teacher like him… Jean wasn’t emotionally stable enough to take care of a team of students like she used to, she just didn’t have the patients to offer them the time and care they needed. Last thing Jean wanted to do was constantly dwell on the negatives, so perhaps they could part this meeting on a lighter subject then how they started it.
Re: Bishop comes home
“That’s a little better,” said Bishop, as Jean showed a spark of the spirit Bishop knew she still possessed with a sad smile. Under the circumstances this was perhaps the best reaction Bishop could have hoped for. Bishop knew that life at the mansion could be lonely, and with the recent string of tragedies it seemed likely Jean was taking too much on. If it was her way of coping then fair enough, but it didn’t seem healthy…
Bishop could tell from Jean’s eyes that when he mentioned sleep, she coveted it. She needed to switch off. "I’ll go see Scott, then I promise to try and sleep."
That was good enough for Lucas. He had no right to demand anything else from her. He nodded. “I know you don’t break your promises, so I’m going to trust you. You know I’m the resident detective Jean, nothing gets past me. I still have some pull on the task force, so if I find out you’re lying to me, I might have to arrest you and sentence you to a couple of hours sleep. No coffee either. You won’t sleep properly with caffeine in your system.”
Somehow she seemed to be coming out of herself, but that didn’t surprise Bishop. He wasn’t even attributing it to his people skills, he knew that jean Grey was a fighter and she would respond well to any challenge. Everyone had their peaks and troughs, but Jean was strong and he had faith in her because he knew Charles had faith in her. He looked at Jean, and a lot of memories came flooding back.
"Oh, and while I remember, we’re arranging new teams.. if you’re interested."
A job offer? Maybe he had been TOO worried about her. She was Xavier’s apprentice alright. A heir apparent. The future at Westchester might not be so bleak. Even if Jean, Bishop, Logan and Henry could only offer a diluted version of the example Xavier had set for them, mutant kind might still have a bright future.
He grinned, taken aback by the speed with which Jean had pulled herself out of the gloom, although he was sure at least 70% of it was a front for his benefit. “I just walked out of my last job, so I can’t claim social security for a while,” he joked. “You’d be doing me a big favour, and I’d be delighted to accept. You sure there’s any place for an old relic like me in such a modern institution? I still use an abacus for arithmetic,” he said. It was a harkening to the glory days when his team mates would routinely poke fun at the detective for being so stuck in his ways.
“Having said that,” he continued, “I come cheap. I’ll be happy to do whatever I can, but I only accept your offer if you promise to stay off the coffee and get some sleep after you check in with Scott. I want you bright enough to go on a drinking session with Logan.”
And now Bishop wanted to ask about someone in particular, the member of the Westchester mansion who he'd been wondering about the most. Their resident goddess, and the most beautiful woman he'd ever known. His enquiry after Ororo was on the tip of his tongue, and then he stopped himself before verbalising. Those days were gone.
Re: Bishop comes home
“I know you don’t break your promises, so I’m going to trust you. You know I’m the resident detective Jean, nothing gets past me. I still have some pull on the task force, so if I find out you’re lying to me, I might have to arrest you and sentence you to a couple of hours sleep. No coffee either. You won’t sleep properly with caffeine in your system.” It just reminded Jean how much the X-men really needed each other, when old friends turned up they seemed able to help right off, as if they had never left. With Bishop putting effort into lifting her mood Jean couldn’t help but appreciate the arrival of their long time ally with a slightly more uplifted mood then this last night when everything seemed to be weighing down on them.
“I just walked out of my last job, so I can’t claim social security for a while,” Something that must have been difficult for Bishop to do, it wasn’t as easy as some might imagine, Bishop had the heart of a cop and walking away from the duties he has been allowing to consume his life must have been a long and tediously thought out action. Even if he was returning to Xavier’s, in the end he was probably left to weigh his options, to decide which world needed him more, where he could feel more of use or make the most impact. Since Bishop called while Jean was organizing a new set out of teams she had already set aside a few files in which she felt the students would more benefit from the experience of the returning X-men. “You’d be doing me a big favour, and I’d be delighted to accept. You sure there’s any place for an old relic like me in such a modern institution? I still use an abacus for arithmetic,” A small whisper of a chuckle manage to escape as Jean offered a smile, part of Jean half knew that some of these students weren’t going to respond well to someone like a full throttle Wolverine and a stick ridden Cyclopes… not that Scott was assigned a team at the moment.
“Having said that,” Quickly Jean shoved aside the previous trail her thoughts were daring to wander and focused once more on Bishop as he continued to speak, “I come cheap. I’ll be happy to do whatever I can, but I only accept your offer if you promise to stay off the coffee and get some sleep after you check in with Scott. I want you bright enough to go on a drinking session with Logan.” In Logan’s current mood that would either be 0 tolerance or full on over load of alcohol, depending when you caught him, the father was going through a lot of ups and downs. Madison may be a lot of trouble for all the students and a pain for the teachers, but she never strained her father like Arisa and Connor were doing. With Arisa running away and Connor being targeted by A.Corp along with Madison, and now Connor being taken under their noses. Wolverine was definitely not someone who had time to waste at this point. A moment lost in her friends dilemma and then a disturbance of thoughts that distracted the telepath. As Kurt once found out, Jean often over heard thoughts, and since constantly pushing all her efforts into blocking them out would just mean she’d never get any work done.
"Warren was coming and going, you just missed Betsy, Bobby and Gambit were lurking around somewhere and of course Ororo would have just finished her African Studies class. She could be in her Loft by now, you know how she is with her garden." Jean offered with a light smile, speaking casually about others and yet throwing a hint if Bishop had any inkling in seeing his old flame. They could all use friendly faces in these troubled times.
"I’ll head off to see Scott now, take care Bishop, and welcome back." A hand gently rested on his shoulder in a gesture of gratitude before she turned around, the long flaming red hair swaying in her wake as she walked off towards where her husband was, in her mind, incarcerated.
TBC: Maybe I’ll do a post in Med lab (need to talk with Hank), otherwise Jean fades out here for now.
Re: Bishop comes home
Bishop was jerked out of his fog of self-pity by Jean’s nonchalant yet conveniently informative run down of his fellow X men’s whereabouts. He noticed the mischievous glint had returned to Jean’s eye as she began to meddle with affairs of the heart. All the old team knew this was the one activity guaranteed to bring jean Grey to life.
"Warren was coming and going, you just missed Betsy, Bobby and Gambit were lurking around somewhere and of course Ororo would have just finished her African Studies class. She could be in her Loft by now, you know how she is with her garden."
Warren Worthington, a blast from the past. A man you could rely on to watch your back, sometimes neglectful of his other responsibilities. Bishop realised it would be really good to see Warren again.
Betsy Braddock. There was no bitterness from Bishop’s end. He liked her. Sometimes he wished things had turned out differently. Was it strange that Bishop was glad, in a way, that he had missed her?
Then there was Bobby, the Ice man. A tremendously powerful individual and a good man, and although Bobby’s humour wasn’t always to Bishop’s taste, he grew on you like a fungus.
Remy, and there was definitely no one he would rather have alongside him in battle. That helpful store of kinetic energy that turned Bishop into a powerhouse and the fact the Cajun was simply a decent guy.
And Ororo. He really didn’t know what to feel. He really didn’t know how she felt. They were kindred spirits, but they didn’t really know each other. He didn’t have it him to go and see her now, but he had been hoping they’d bump into each other.
Meeting Jean had been nice, but she was transparently meddling and this made Bishop a little uncomfortable, but if Jean was drawing delight from it then under the circumstances he could live with that. She wouldn’t have lasted five seconds in an interrogation he thought, grimly. He had inadvertently brought a monster back to life, because Jean wouldn’t be stopped until every lonely heart in the mansion was matched up if she got going. It was good to see her back.
"I’ll head off to see Scott now, take care Bishop, and welcome back."
“Send him my love,” said Bishop, happily, “and no coffee! And get some sleep!.”
He began to tread the familiar path to his old room, and began to see the ghosts of the past everywhere. The prodigal son had returned to the homestead.
TBC I suppose in the Staff meeting.
Since right now Ann is gone, the meeting is in hold for a little bit.. buuut there is a post you can reply to in the Team Dorms! It is of course the hellions one..
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