Tara - Prompt#9 - Writing
Title: A Life Well-Lived
Disclaimer - I do not own any of these characters and/or settings. If it looks familiar - I probably didn't invent it.
Rating: FR18
In theory - all my Tara stories should follow a progression of her death in BtVS in an AU.
A/N: I am going to skip from place to place in this series. I’ll try my best to make it easy to follow. The X-Men series takes place after the completion of the Highlander series (not complete), and after the unwritten Firefly/Serenity one. After all 100 are written I will go back through and arrange these chapters in the correct order.
Please enjoy and don’t hesitate to ask for an explanation if needed.
**
Chapter Five of the X-Men Crosses - Prompt#09 - Writing
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“Drowning in Dreams”
**
“Ms. Maclay?” Rogue’s warm southern tone interrupted my reading. I looked up, over my shoulder, to see her standing hesitate in the doorway. I slid the bookmark in-between the pages of the novel in my hands and gently set it down.
“How many times do I have to tell you to call me Tara, Rogue?” I asked her with a small smile.
“I forget, is all. Most of the other teachers prefer to be called by their last names,” she admitted as she started into the library’s back room.
“Well I’m not exactly a teacher here,” I reminded her. “Come, sit, entertain me with the tales of youth,” I teased her and patted the empty spot on the couch next to me. It was all the invitation she needed. She was sitting on the couch and snuggled against my side in a matter of seconds. I ran my bare fingers through her hair, letting it slide out on its own accord.
“I haven’t come to talk about tales of my youth,” she quietly informed me. There was such sadness in her voice. It was a sadness that I longed to fix, but it seemed that wasn’t my job in this world.
“So…” I pushed, trying to get her to let me in. I felt her bare fingers trace the lines on my palm and I smiled slightly. It was still new and still incredible to her that she could touch me. None of the students or staff could figure it out. Charles and I guessed it had something to do with me being from another world. My body chemistry was just different enough not to be affected by her mutation. It was something I never wanted to tell her.
“I dreamt of Erik’s past this afternoon. I had bent the bars of my headboard in my sleep. I could have hurt Kitty or Jubilee if they were in the room,” Rogue admitted and paused. I didn’t say anything; I just kept running my fingers through her hair. “It scares me…that I retain their powers in my sleep.” Another moment’s pause and she whispered, barely audible over the crackle of the fireplace. “Part of me wants to harness it, use it…and not necessarily for the right reasons…”
“And that scares you?” I asked, and she nodded into my shoulder. “There is absolutely nothing wrong with wanting to harness it… And there isn’t anything wrong with dreaming about using it for not the right reasons. Acting on those dreams…well, I might have to enlist Charles’ help in fixing that. And considering the people you have touched I’m not surprised that you want to do not so nice things with your powers. Most of the people were aggressive.”
“What am I going to do? The Professor says they will go away in time, but it hasn’t happened. They are only getting worse. And I’m afraid that one day they won’t be just dreams,” she added, and I heard the tears in her voice.
“Perhaps you should write them down.”
“So everyone can see what a super freak I am?” Rogue sarcastically bit out and moved out of my space. I held her gaze.
“No. If you want I will hold the journals, but I think you should keep them with you at all times. Just write down what you remember when you wake up. The dreamscape, the feelings, what you were able to do, and who was in charge of the dream. And I’d write down if you were able to do anything during your sleep, like bend metal. Writing it down makes it less scary. And it might be all your mind needs, an outlet, in order to regain itself once again.” I offered her a small smile. She blushed, looking immediately sheepish, and nodded.
“You’re right. I’m sorry…my dreams…I just get so defensive. But you don’t care and you don’t think I’m a freak. And you’re not afraid of me. Everyone else feels differently. If I start to manifest these mutations from those I have touched I don’t think anyone will come near me.”
“Let’s not let that happen then, okay? I’m headed into town tomorrow afternoon. We could go get a nice journal, if you would like.”
“Thanks Tara,” Rogue agreed with a quick nod of her head. She flung herself at me, burying her face in my neck and hugged me tightly. And just as quickly she was gone, moving toward the door and back into the more public parts of the school.
I waited until I was sure she was gone before I spoke.
“It wouldn’t hurt you to write down your nightmares either,” I spoke as I picked up my novel from the coffee table.
The sound of a single blade exiting flesh was my answer.
**
Disclaimer - I do not own any of these characters and/or settings. If it looks familiar - I probably didn't invent it.
Rating: FR18
In theory - all my Tara stories should follow a progression of her death in BtVS in an AU.
A/N: I am going to skip from place to place in this series. I’ll try my best to make it easy to follow. The X-Men series takes place after the completion of the Highlander series (not complete), and after the unwritten Firefly/Serenity one. After all 100 are written I will go back through and arrange these chapters in the correct order.
Please enjoy and don’t hesitate to ask for an explanation if needed.
**
Chapter Five of the X-Men Crosses - Prompt#09 - Writing
**
**
“Drowning in Dreams”
**
“Ms. Maclay?” Rogue’s warm southern tone interrupted my reading. I looked up, over my shoulder, to see her standing hesitate in the doorway. I slid the bookmark in-between the pages of the novel in my hands and gently set it down.
“How many times do I have to tell you to call me Tara, Rogue?” I asked her with a small smile.
“I forget, is all. Most of the other teachers prefer to be called by their last names,” she admitted as she started into the library’s back room.
“Well I’m not exactly a teacher here,” I reminded her. “Come, sit, entertain me with the tales of youth,” I teased her and patted the empty spot on the couch next to me. It was all the invitation she needed. She was sitting on the couch and snuggled against my side in a matter of seconds. I ran my bare fingers through her hair, letting it slide out on its own accord.
“I haven’t come to talk about tales of my youth,” she quietly informed me. There was such sadness in her voice. It was a sadness that I longed to fix, but it seemed that wasn’t my job in this world.
“So…” I pushed, trying to get her to let me in. I felt her bare fingers trace the lines on my palm and I smiled slightly. It was still new and still incredible to her that she could touch me. None of the students or staff could figure it out. Charles and I guessed it had something to do with me being from another world. My body chemistry was just different enough not to be affected by her mutation. It was something I never wanted to tell her.
“I dreamt of Erik’s past this afternoon. I had bent the bars of my headboard in my sleep. I could have hurt Kitty or Jubilee if they were in the room,” Rogue admitted and paused. I didn’t say anything; I just kept running my fingers through her hair. “It scares me…that I retain their powers in my sleep.” Another moment’s pause and she whispered, barely audible over the crackle of the fireplace. “Part of me wants to harness it, use it…and not necessarily for the right reasons…”
“And that scares you?” I asked, and she nodded into my shoulder. “There is absolutely nothing wrong with wanting to harness it… And there isn’t anything wrong with dreaming about using it for not the right reasons. Acting on those dreams…well, I might have to enlist Charles’ help in fixing that. And considering the people you have touched I’m not surprised that you want to do not so nice things with your powers. Most of the people were aggressive.”
“What am I going to do? The Professor says they will go away in time, but it hasn’t happened. They are only getting worse. And I’m afraid that one day they won’t be just dreams,” she added, and I heard the tears in her voice.
“Perhaps you should write them down.”
“So everyone can see what a super freak I am?” Rogue sarcastically bit out and moved out of my space. I held her gaze.
“No. If you want I will hold the journals, but I think you should keep them with you at all times. Just write down what you remember when you wake up. The dreamscape, the feelings, what you were able to do, and who was in charge of the dream. And I’d write down if you were able to do anything during your sleep, like bend metal. Writing it down makes it less scary. And it might be all your mind needs, an outlet, in order to regain itself once again.” I offered her a small smile. She blushed, looking immediately sheepish, and nodded.
“You’re right. I’m sorry…my dreams…I just get so defensive. But you don’t care and you don’t think I’m a freak. And you’re not afraid of me. Everyone else feels differently. If I start to manifest these mutations from those I have touched I don’t think anyone will come near me.”
“Let’s not let that happen then, okay? I’m headed into town tomorrow afternoon. We could go get a nice journal, if you would like.”
“Thanks Tara,” Rogue agreed with a quick nod of her head. She flung herself at me, burying her face in my neck and hugged me tightly. And just as quickly she was gone, moving toward the door and back into the more public parts of the school.
I waited until I was sure she was gone before I spoke.
“It wouldn’t hurt you to write down your nightmares either,” I spoke as I picked up my novel from the coffee table.
The sound of a single blade exiting flesh was my answer.
**