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Title: Winter In Sawtooth III Author: Lateo E-Mail: lateoisgod@hotmail.com Website: http://www.lateo.org Rating: PG13 Archive: If you have the first ones you can take this too. Disclaimer: I don’t own any of them. Feedback: Always welcome. Summary: Part of the Seasons In Yellowstone series by Terri. Sequel to Winter in Sawtooth II. Scott arrives in Yellowstone. Comments: English is not my first language, which makes Hank a nightmare to write. I hope I did him justice. The poem mentioned in the story is "And As It’s Going" by Anna Akhmatova. ----------------------------------------------------------- It was the worst of times and the best of times for Henry McCoy. Everyone he knew was gone, dead from the legacy and even his skills as a scientist and doctor hadn’t been able to save them. Those last few weeks at the mansion had been a nightmare. With the professor killed and the others in jail he was suddenly the only one left in charge, a position he hated, and then the children had started dying. Every day a new life was ripped from him and they all looked to him for answers he didn’t have. The rest of his life he would always hate the sound of coughing. Jubilee helped him care for the others and he had thought her to be immune until the fatal night when she too had to go to bed. He eased her pains as he best could and watched her go. He hadn’t had the strength or time to bury them all but he did bury her, he put yellow roses from the garden in her grave. He had been so sure she was immune. Then he went to Canada with the mutant underground, by that time people would kill for a doctor even a blue furred one and that made the trip easier for him. Yellowstone was a sanctuary for him, for the first time in his life he could walk outside without having to disguise himself or stay in the shadows. Some people still stirred but there was no name calling and people respected the “Doc” as they called him. That afternoon he was lying on the grass looking at the clouds drift by and enjoying the first real spring sunshine when a familiar voice called his name and a figure blocked the sun. “Scott!” This was a very different Scott Summers, his face had lines that weren’t there before and he had a little boy in a harness on his back. Hank couldn’t find the words to express his joy over seeing an old friend so he settled for a hug. “Hi Hank. I heard rumours about you I am so glad that they are true.” Scott gave Hank a half smile and unbound the harness allowing the little boy to get out. “This is Nate. I found him on the road.” Hank didn’t ask for Jean since she wasn’t with Scott she hadn’t made it. He felt himself tear up and he has to swallow a few times before he could speak. “…Hi Nate.” The little boy gave him a suspicious look and clung to Scott’s hand. “Let us go to my cabin so I can get you two something to eat.” And so they did. *** Scott had told his story of betrayal and hurt and Hank was left stunned. He hadn’t known Xavier as anything but an honest man. He had been shocked when they found out Logan had killed Xavier and taken Rogue away. “I know it must be hard to hear, Hank, it was hard to bear.” Scott said. “I…I never suspected. I assure you that…” Hank stuttered. “I know buddy.” Hank got up and went to the window turning his back to Scott so he couldn’t see him cry. None of them spoke for a long time. They had both arrived at Xavier’s as frightened kids a long time ago. It was hard to realise that that world with its righteous Xavier was not only dead but also a lie. “I feel like such a fool. I was horrified when we found his remains. Had Logan been in my presence I would have…” Scott sighed. “Xavier was the first one to tell me I wasn’t a freak. He took me in when I was blind and alone on the streets. He feed me, educated me and made me trust him. I would gladly have taken a bullet for him had it been necessary.” Scott said and continued: “The day Jeanie told me what he did, there was a second, and I am ashamed to say this, were I wanted her to be a liar. I didn’t want to hear these things about my idol. But Jeanie never lied to me and he was her hero too.” Hank said nothing but he thought of his first meeting with Charles. He had been a lonely child both physically and intellectually, considered a freak of nature by all and Xavier had taken him away from that and brought him to the mansion. There he was allowed to pursue an education and make friends. It had been like haven -and to discover his God was a monster was hard to bear. “I…” He paused to find the right words. “I felt the same when you told me, Scott, it is something that is hard to bear. In all these years we were lulled into believing him to be a just man. But that doesn’t mean our causes were wrong or that we fought for nothing. We saved a lot of children from the street.” Dead faces flashed in their memories. “And even though…they are gone now at least we made the last years of their lives better than the previous ones. Isn’t that at least something to be proud about?” “I am glad we helped the children but one right doesn’t excuse all the wrongs. I can move on but I will never forgive and I certainly will never forget…” Scott was interrupted by a small voice. “Daddy Swott!” “Yes Nate?” “I’m sleepy.” “I guess it is getting late.” Scott said “I will stay up a little while longer but why don’t you go two go to sleep. You must be excused Scott. You can use my bedroom.” Hank said. “I think I will. Nate doesn’t like to sleep alone. He has nightmare.” Scott rested his hand on Hank’s shoulder before going into the bedroom. They went to sleep and yet again Hank found himself alone. He poured himself a drink and went out on the porch to look at the stars. As he sat there, letting his mind wander, a poem he once red came to him: An as it's going often at love's breaking, The ghost of first days came again to us, The silver willow through window then stretched in, The silver beauty of her gentle branches. The bird began to sing the song of light and pleasure To us, who fears to lift looks from the earth, Who are so lofty, bitter and intense, About days when we were saved together. He thought of his first joyful meeting with Xavier and of Jeanie with semen on her dress. He thought of Jubilee running down the hall in her skates, laughing as they all yelled at her to stop and of the way she looked just before she died. He thought of all the ways he and the world, as he knew it, had changed. Hank got no sleep that night. |