Love's Past Turmoil

John stared up at the clear blue sky, lying on his back on a patch of lush green grass just shy of the edge of the lake. There wasn’t a cloud as far as he could see. Too bad its affect wasn’t wearing off on him. He felt so out of place, even in a place he should have felt so a part of.

Most of his time had been spent showing Mana around the mansion, well, the places he could take her to anyway. There had been times he had just wanted to retreat to his room and never come out again, but there were two people he couldn’t bare to not see that stopped him from doing that.

Skye had just finished with a quick dip in the near freezing lake. It made her feel alive, and she loved that feeling. She had dried off and redressed in a pair of jeans and a long sleeve top, her long tresses bound in a plait down her back. She carried her towel in hand and her thoughts wandered, a soft smile grazing her lips as she recalled the prior days events.

She padded across the grass, honing in on someone close by. She smirked to see him lying in the grass, staring up at the sky. *Penny for your thoughts.* she said to him telepathically as she stood behind in.

Pyro momentarily freaked, jumping slightly as he leaned his head back to look at her. “Man! Skye!” he cried. “If I wasn’t so used to voices in my head that would have seriously freaked me out!”

Skye laughed softly. "I figured that it would be all right, if not...let me know and I won’t do it again." she said as she sat down easily in the grass, tucking her feet up under her. "You settling in well?"

John let out a clearly annoyed sigh. “Not really.” he said. “Just the look Rogue gave me yesterday was enough.”

Skye wrinkled up her nose. "I’m sure that she’s just being a snit about the whole thing. All that should matter to anyone here is that you came back…and that you want to change what happened before..."

Sitting up, John seemed to study her for a second before looking out over the lake. “Thing is,” he started. “I don’t blame her. After all, she was the one who warned me not to leave the X-Jet and my reply was not really a nice one.”

Skye kinda gave him a look. "You might wanna remember that I don’t know the whole story...or any of it in fact..." she gave him a grin.

Pyro surprised himself with his next words; “You can have a look if you like?”

Skye looked at him. "Do you trust me?"

“I must.” was his simple reply, his eyes locking with hers briefly before his nerves caused him to look away again.

Skye smiled and bit her lip for a second as his eyes met hers. She adjusted her position to where she could reach him better. "I’ve never...done this alone before...." she said softly.

John couldn’t help but smile. Something was seriously going on here for him to allow anyone into his head; anyone aside from Mana that was.

“Just be gentle.” was all he said, closing his eyes.

Skye let out a soft laugh. "Isn’t that what the girl says to the guy?" she teased him gently as she raised her hands to his head. She closed her eyes and began to concentrate on him.

John had had someone in his mind before, emotions and all, but this was totally different. Opening his eyes he stared at Skye. “What in the world?” he wondered, the sensation something he had never felt before.

Skye fell into him and began to feel and see everything over the past few years, his first stay at the Mansion, his betrayal of the X-Men to Magneto…everything leading up to yesterday. She felt her heart pound as she tried to take it all in without breaking the bond between them.

John closed his eyes again as he felt her in his mind, trying so hard not to let that side of him that found it hard to trust anyone cause him to pull away. When her emotions hit him; when everything about her past flashed in his mind he let out a cry of surprise, on the verge of breaking away and losing it.

Skye hadn’t fully been prepared for him seeing her as well and it shocked her into breaking the tie. Her hands fell to the grass and she looked away. She had pushed her own past deep within herself, only a few there even knew what she had gone through. She bit her lip and fought the urge to get up and run, as she would have done before...

John grabbed her hand, his eyes meeting hers, saying nothing but saying everything at the same time.

She looked at him. "That day...I ran...I spent 2 years on my own...with no one. So if anyone understands how you feel… I do."

Pyro did something he thought he was incapable of doing; he pulled her into his arms and held her, not saying anything, just holding her.

Skye was slightly taken back, but did not pull out of his arms. She laid her head on his shoulder, feeling his heartbeat match her own in her chest. *It is so rare that you meet someone and just...know...that they will be a special part of your life.* she thought, allowing him to hear it as well.

John stared past her head, his mind reeling with the truthfulness of that statement.
“Yes.” he whispered, his sincerity surprising even him.

Without words to back up what she was feeling, Skye just let him hold her, feeling more then just content at being with him, more then friendship. She couldn’t explain it… she didn’t really want to.,. all she knew… is that she was already falling for him, she had never felt like this before... and she wasn’t about to let it go.

**

Rogue sat with her elbows leaning back against the sixth stair up from the bottom of the grand staircase, staring at the front door. She wasn’t waiting for anyone. She’d just decided as she was walking past that this looked like a great place to make herself comfortable for a little while.

~Ah wonder where Pyro is?~ she thought, a tinge of anger swirling inside her at the thought of him.

She had managed to see him since his return. Talking to him had proven to be harder than she’d expected though. She’d suddenly grown angry with him and had to walk away. She was kind of thankful his foster sister had been with him at the time because she felt she could of done something she would have regretted later.

She really liked Mana, and could clearly see she had a positive influence on Pyro.

“Hopefully he stays good this time.” she said, softly, wondering where everyone was. “And ah wonder what the day will bring?”

She sat up, leaning forward, her elbows on her knees, glancing at her black-gloved hands and smiling. “Ah wonder if Xairan will come out with any funny things to say.” She giggled. “That kid is so cute.”

“Marie.” came the familiar voice from behind her.

Rogue looked around. “Hey, Ramana.” she said. “You just get up?”

Mana grinned sheepishly. “Yeah. I slept kinda late, didn’t I?”

Rogue laughed. “Ah’d say so.” she agreed, watching the young woman sit down beside her.

“Have you seen…” Mana’s voice trailed off. “Ah, never mind.”

”You were going ta ask if ah had seen Pyro. No ah haven’t and ya don’t have ta not talk about him around me.”

“Yeah, but he.. you and him have a rocky past and I mean the other day…”

“That has ta be all in tha past.” she said. “Ah just have ta try and tell maself that.”

“He told me everything, well, showed me everything, rather.” Mana said, admiring the white streak of hair that looked like Rogue’s fringe. “I know that was gotten in a rather harsh way but you do realise it looks very cool.”

Marie unconsciously moved her hand up to play with a strand of white hair, smiling. “Ah have been told that.” she said.

“So, what is it you all do for fun around here?” Mana asked.

“Lots of things really.” Marie said.

“It’s a big place. Do you ever get lost?” Mana asked, grinning.

“Ah did when ah first came here.” she answered, laughing.

Skye had taken leave from Pyro some time later, both of them in contentedness at just being near each other. She walked back into the mansion on cloud 9. She stepped into the mansion, feeling more at home then she had in a long time. She passed Mana and Rogue in the foyer.

"Tell me about it… I made a map when I got here." she said, her eyes glittering with a very apparent happiness. She didn’t need to speak for anyone close to her to know that she was feeling good.

Mana raised an eyebrow. “Er, what’s with the sparkling eyes?” she asked, grinning.

Skye looked at her and then down quickly. "Nothing Mana...just a good walk outside."

Even Marie knew it was more than the fresh air and clear blue sky that had put the Empath in a good mood.

“C’mon. Spill.” she said.

"Nope." she said, as she put up a slight block to keep anyone from reading her mind. "My business" she said, as she moved to go up the stairs.

Her shoe caught the tile wrong and she fell, slamming her head into the floor.

“Skye!” Mana cried, almost diving off the staircase to her side. “Oh shoot, girl, you so have to learn to be more careful.”

Marie moved down quickly, kneeling opposite Mana.

Skye nodded. "Yeah." she said, as she pressed her hand to her head as the room wavered in front of her eyes.

“Let me take care of that.” Mana said, a grin spreading across her face. “Like, literally.” She almost laughed, reaching her already glowing hand up to place it on her friend’s hand, the healing power moving into her even before direct skin contact was made.

Skye let her heal her, closing her eye and relaxing.

Mana felt the room spin around her. “Okay, now I so know how you feel, or felt, rather.” she said, chuckling as she leaned back on her knees.

“How do ya cope with that?” Rogue asked. “I mean, what if ya heal some major wound and are out for tha count in battle?”

“That is just something I have to deal with.” Mana stated, putting her hand up to the bridge of her nose. “Ow.” she murmured.

Skye let the swimming room pass before her eyes and the feeling slowly dissipate from her. She looked over at Mana. "I’m sorry that you’re feeling that...but thank you." She said softly.

She sat on the step of the stair next to Mana and rubbed her back softly till the feeling and pain left her friends body. "How long do you usually feel the pain?" She asked, not knowing a whole lot about Mana’s powers.

Mana smiled appreciatively at Skye. "It all depends on the wound or problem I heal, and whether I have access to the basis to my powers, lightning." She answered, smiling as her head cleared suddenly. "Sometimes, as soon as I absorb it, it is gone."

Skye nodded. "That’s different...scary but different." she said.

"It is, but it is also very cool." Came a very familiar voice from the now open front door. Pyro grinned at them, flicking the lid of his lighter on and off, for once, not out of nervousness; just because he wanted to.

Rogue tried not to show her mild anger towards the guy who had practically called her a goodie-two-shoes without using those words per say.

John didn't seem to notice, leaning up against the doorframe, raising an eyebrow in question. "Am I allowed to join this conversation or is it girls only?"

Skye immediately brightened just that much more as John walked in. She glanced at Rogue and felt the anger that the brunette was feeling. She gave her a small smile and then looked at the others. "You can join...”

Mana grinned. "Yeah, you can join us." She quickly glanced at Rogue.

Rogue nodded. "Whatever." She said, in a tone that showed she wasn't too happy about the idea.

Skye shot Rogue a look. "Marie...do you believe in second chances?"

Marie raised an eyebrow, almost retaliating with a smart remark; realising that was just what John would have done before he turned, not liking the idea of doing it herself one little bit.

"I'll go if you want me to, Rogue?" John offered.

The Southerner seemed surprised by that rather mild response, something she never thought Pyro had an ounce of.

"No." she said, motioning to Mana and Skye. "They want you ta stay." She glanced at Skye then, before adding, "An' if they trust you then ah will learn to too."

Skye ran a hand thru her hair and looked at John. "I trust him" She said, meeting his eyes, recalling the bond they had shared out on the grass.

Pyro smiled gently at Skye.

Mana frowned, looking between the two. "And you think I have no idea, right?" she asked them both. "I know what is going on here." The grin spread from ear to ear. "And I must say, I think it's great."


"What’s going on where?" Skye asked quickly, breaking Johns gaze.

"You seem to forget my connection with my foster brother here, Skye, and now the connection that was just established between the two of us." Mana explained, standing up.

Rogue looked on, a little confused but intrigued all the same.

"I’m confused…" she said. "I know about the connection with you 2... but what about us?"

Mana knew the best way to explain her connections with others on an empathic level were to show her. She opened the link slightly, grinning as images of a much younger Pyro and her appeared in the Empath's mind. "I healed you, Skye." she said. "Therefore you are a part of me now. But, only if you want to, that is?"

Skye grinned at the images. "Oh neat.." she said. "Oh weren’t you cute." she said to Pyro. She looked at Mana. "If there is a time that I don’t... I’ll let you know"

Mana nodded, looking back at Marie. "You get all that?" she asked her.

Rogue just smiled. "Well, sort of." she said, glancing at John. "Ah never saw tha images though."

"That's because I have yet to heal you." Mana told her.

Marie's eyes widened. "An' here’s hoping ya never have to." she answered. "But, that is a neat power to have."

Skye had the sudden urge to take Marie’s hand and smack it, saying MINE about the connection with her and Mana and Pyro. She sat still however

~Better than mine.~ Marie thought, suddenly. ~I take energy, she gives it.~

"You’ll learn to control yours in time Rogue."

Rogue's head snapped up in shock. "Okay. So you in ma head like that is not cool all the time." she said, a little annoyed. ~An' ah gotta learn not to think so loudly.~ she thought, hoping Skye noticed the joking tone in her thoughts.

Skye got up off the steps. "Sorry... still learning to control it" She said to Marie over her shoulder as she began to walk off

"Don't ah know how that feels." Marie answered.

Pyro gave Marie an understanding look, remembering how it felt to be drained of his powers.

"Scary." Mana said, softly, seemingly in deep thought.

Skye sighed softly to herself as she walked through the quiet halls.

*If anyone knows how you are feeling, Skye, it would be Rogue.* Mana sent to the young girl.

Skye closed her eyes *If she’s feeling that she’s absolutely crazy for him and jealous over a friendship from the past…* She sent suddenly, not thinking about what she was saying.

*That is not what I meant, Skye. Marie can't control her power at all and probably never will be able to. You, on the other hand, will get control of it.* Mana's answer was somewhat curt. She sighed. *I don't think you have anything to worry about.* she added, unsure of what else to say.

John looked at her. "What's going on?" he asked, motioning to his head.

*I know what you meant Mana...tell her I’m sorry....* She said softly.

*She didn't hear anything, Skye.* Mana answered, looking at John. "She'll tell you later." she told him.

"An' now ah wish ah was an Empath or something." Rogue piped up, as she moved off of the stairs and stretched.

Skye hated that all of the hard work that she had put into her control had sometimes been in vain.

"is she coming back?" John asked, almost too enthusiastically.

I don't know." Mana answered. "Why don't you go find her?"

Flicking the lid back on his lighter, John nodded. "Yeah." he agreed, a sparkle in his eye. "I'll talk to you later."

Mana watched her foster brother disappear down the hall, smiling. "He's in love." she said.

Rogue's eyes widened, and she laughed. "Really? How sweet."