Log: Marie and Betsy, an afternoon lunch date

[x-psylocke.livejournal.com]

"So Ah know lunch won't make up for putting you in a coma, but Ah figured it was the least Ah could do," Marie said somewhat sheepishly as she settled into a chair across from the purple haired woman. "Have Ah said how sorry Ah am yet?"

"You have," Betsy said. "Many times now and while I like to hold onto the image of being an insufferable brat, believe me when I say that all is forgiven. Now, if you still feel somehow indebted to me, you can make it up entirely by filling me in on the current gossip. So, Garrison then? Nice looking fellow, if you like 'em chatty."

Marie turned a lightish shade of red as she cast her eyes down to stare at the napkin in her lap. "We're dating, " she said quietly. "Ah think. No, Ah know we are. Um...Ah should thank you for the telepathy for that getting started actually."

"Really," Betsy sat back in her seat. "Huh, that's something. Usually, it's crosses and martyrdom for all. Well, good for you, luv. We all deserve a little happiness especially in a well defined specimen like Garrison. But of course, we won't tell him that."

"Yeah, he's not exactly the humble sort," she replied with a smile, her cheeks maintaining their pink coloring. "An' yeah...Nate warned me about all this stuff with telepathy, but well, it all worked out rather well for me. Can't say Ah'm not glad it's gone though. That psi-blade thingie of yours," Marie paused to shudder, "is weird. And hard to control."

"You should've been there when it first manifested," Betsy said. "It was after...." She looked up then quickly looked away. "A bad time and all of a sudden, new manifestation that reminded me of things better forgot. There were always freak accidents. 'Is that a psychic manifestation or are you just happy to see me?' jokes were anything but funny. It scared me half to death and I was already in a tailspin of epic proportions so you could just imagine my joy." Betsy exhaled deeply. "At least, you seemed to handle yourself better than I ever could."

"That's because Ah mostly hid in my room until it went away. An' Ah may or may not have almost impaled Forge with it, but it was totally his fault," Marie said, reaching out for her glass of ice water to take a sip. "Ah'm sorry it hit you at a bad time. Manifestations never seem to occur at a good one, y'know?"

"Now you know how I spent 2004-2005." Betsy snorted. "It's all right, it happens and I was with friends for the most part. Still, I'm glad you got more of the positive. Or else I would've felt a bit responsible if something bad had happened while I was indisposed."

Marie was about to respond when her hip started to vibrate. Smiling apologetically at Betsy, she reached for her the phone she'd shoved in her pocket. "Ah usually turn it off, but Ah set up this email alert thing for school. Getting possessed is hard to use as an excuse for getting an extension on a paper, but considering demonic possession is part of the topic, figured it couldn't hurt," she said with a wink. Looking at the screen, Marie blinked in confusion. Instead of the email she'd been expecting from her professor, there was an email from Haller.

Noticing Marie's alarm, Betsy sat at attention. "What is it? What's wrong?"

Wordlessly, Marie handed the phone over to Betsy. She wasn't on the email list, so she must already know the facts. It was the tone and the fact that he was announcing it to all of them that was concerning.

----

Email for easy access: To: [D'ancato, Marie] [Dayspring, Nathan] [Dane, Lorna] [Grey-Summers, Jean] [Maximoff, Wanda] [Marko, Cain] From: [Haller, David] Subject: Let's share.

So you all know me, Cyndi and Davey, but some of you may be wondering about that random Arab walking around. Him being strangely left off the briefing sheet of Haller's insanity. It's rude to keep people in suspense, so let's remedy that.

I would like to introduce you all to Jemail Karami. Back in 1992 he and two fellow ragheads botched a robbery and shot David's guardian to death in front of him. That little trigger caused the kid to manifest and kill everyone in the store. Everyone but Jemail, that is. Jemail didn't die. He moved in. In fact, he took Haller's telepathy to do it, and he's been parasitizing our brain ever since. Not that he's a stranger, understand. After all, you've been interacting with "Jim" since last January.

Seeing as every one of you comes from special circumstances yourselves I thought you might find some interest in this minor detail.

And as long as we're laying the cards on the table, one more thing. Know how Marko kept the fact he was the gimp's stepbrother under the radar for a while? Funny story. Secrecy must run in the family, because it turned out as of, oh, a day before Sam was kidnapped, Xavier's got a bastard son. That would be Haller.

Enjoy.

-----

Betsy stared at the screen and sighed. "Oh for fuck's sake."

"This is very bad, isn't it?" Marie asked, mostly rhetorically. So that was the secret of Jim. She'd wondered ever since that day on the beach when Lorna'd yelled it, then been reminded a few weeks before when Davey'd said it. Jim wasn't another personality, he was something else entirely. It was only when Betsy handed the phone back to her that Marie had the chance to read the last paragraph. Xavier had a what? Who was who?

"Yes, yes it is." Betsy jaw tightened. "Who else was this sent to Marie?"

"Nate, Lorna, Jean, Wanda and Cain," Marie replied, reading the names off the screen. "All of us who've had, um, possession issues in the past."

She held her breath for a moment and then gave her a look that said she'd explain everything later. "Mind if I cut this lunch date a bit short?"

"Ah understand," Marie said. "Rescheduling is part of who we are. Do you, uh, need a lift to the mansion?"

Marie rose, glancing in the direction of the lot she'd parked the Bug in before looking back at the older woman and then up at the open sky. "How fast do you need to get there?"

"Oh no," Betsy said taking a step back. "David's mental relapse will have wait for traffic and stop lights like normal psychotic breaks because nothing in the world will ever compel me to go with you....up there...without any sort of secure contraption that isn't encased in 4 metal beams steel and sheet metal. Besides, unlike you, the VW Bug comes with safety standards for when squished. So please, let's drive and we'll get there when we can."


* * *


She'd seen this one coming miles away, but pointing out the tracks were askew didn't matter if the brakes were out. Resigned, Cyndi massaged her forehead and swiveled her chair towards the computer lab's only other occupant.

"I think this just about does it. How about you?"

Face pale, eyes still locked on his monitor, Davey nodded.