Who: Emma and Logan What: Checking up and Phoenix worries When: mid-may Where: Logan's bar Status: complete Rating: PG-13
Jean’s guilt over turning Logan into a charcoal briquette was something that Emma had coped with for the most part -Logan was used to it, surely. Didn’t he get fried every damn time the force came roaring into their lives?
Still, she’d told her lover that she would check up on the Canadian grump, stopping by his bar to see if he’d managed to grow back all his hair by now -a feat of accomplishment for sure.
He was as hairy as normal, and pretty grumpy. Getting burned alive would do that to a person, along with generalized worry about Jean. And Emma. Anything involving the Phoenix set his teeth on edge. It usually involved him having to stab people. People he liked.
“Well hello, sexy,” A brunette woman with a cocky grin leaned against the bar next to Emma. “I’m Xena, and you are…?”
“Emma, it’s a pleasure to meet you Xena.” Emma just smirked as she offered the other woman a once over. Flirting was something that was decided unavoidable, even if she was careful about just how much of it Jean got, she always made sure others knew she was very much spoken for.
“And do you spend a lot of time here, keeping the grump there company?” Emma nodded her head towards Logan, but not turning to face him just yet.
“Sometimes,” she replied. “We go a ways back, help each other out on occasion. I helped him rescue my friend a month back. That was a lot of fun.”
Except that Callisto had been tortured. Xena hadn’t been too happy with Callisto killing her torturer, but she probably would have done the same thing. Only after she’d got intel from her. But Callisto was safe, and it would just take… time.
“Come here often?”
“Logan is quite the rescuer. No matter what he might say.” Hero and all that, through and through, even with the competing darkness at times. Emma could relate to that.
“I don’t, no, unfortunately I rarely have a reason to come and pester here. Business being what it is and all.” That and she had her own bar, as much as she would be happy to give Logan some of her money in exchange for alcohol, and as much as she was completely fine in the establishment. It was just easier to go to her own bar now.
“But these things are easy changed.”
“Yeah, people like us have a nasty habit of wanting to make up for past sins.” Xena sipped her drink, eyes falling to Emma’s cleavage. “Speaking of sinning…Unless you’re just here for sexy and hairy.”
“Oh, darling, I don’t doubt that a little sinning would be a fabulous way to spend the afternoon,” it definitely seemed like it could be exceptionally satisfying, “But I’m utterly attached to a decadent redhead that I’m nuts about.” There wasn’t even a notion of stepping out on Jean. Her make out with Kitty was OC encouraged so it didn’t really count.
“I’m afraid in this scenario, I’m only here for sexy and hairy.”
“Blondes are more my type, but a beautiful redhead is exceptional,” Xena agreed. She winked at Emma. “And I ain’t one to get in the way of a good relationship, ‘specially when you’re nuts about someone. Last I saw he was in the back office. Don’t think he’d mind you dropping by. At least I think he’s alone.”
Emma gave Xena a small nod in thanks before heading for the back office, able to tell that he was indeed alone from the lack of a second mental signature. She even gave the illusion of politeness by knocking before she entered.
“Logan, darling you didn’t mention you hosted wonderfully charming women in the bar.”
Logan turned in his chair and eyed her. He could guess which one Emma was talking about. “Xena does have her charms. And a habit of hittin’ on hot blondes.”
His friend had a type, though Emma was probably a little more on the buxom side than most of Xena’s type. It was typically a nice view so he didn’t blame her for making a pass at Emma.
His tone soured. “How are you an’ Jeanie doin’.”
“She’s a darling.” Even if Emma wasn’t in the market, there was definitely appeal. Apparently fierce women and bad boys were her type.
“We’re fine when people aren’t shooting her. Redhead temper.” And a little bit of the Phoenix, for sure. “And you look to be all patched up, not a crispy critter anymore.” It was a gentle tease, but she was expecting some kind of lecture regarding Jean and her trying to control Phoenix. “Are you intending to pout about it for long?”
“Yeah, I’m better. Just a little worried. We both know what happens to everyone else when the Phoenix gets out of control. An’ I don’t want to do what needs to be done.” How many realities had he’d dreamed? Killing Jean. Hell, Kitty had told him of one where she’d had to remove Emma’s heart because of the Phoenix. He was tired of death, and killing people he cared about.
The Phoenix was bad news. Full stop.
“Everyone’s so worried.” Emma rolled her eyes, having a look around the office in moderate curiosity. “Yes, she’s dangerous, yes, Jean gets a little testy, but let’s face it, if it was going to happen, and it’s always going to happen, it’s better we work with it than against.” And Emma wasn’t letting the whole thing consume Jean.
“We can manage her as a team, Jean and I, we are a team.” Much better than the nonsense of the Five or Jean going it alone. “The alternative is likely the Phoenix eating the planet.”
Logan gave her a look. “I ain’t disagreeing about working with it, but what if that’s not enough. What if you ain’t enough? Do we got a contingency plan for that? Cuz darlin’, I’m really tired of being the contingency plan.”
“Hank is the contingency plan, actually. We’ve… discussed something similar to his serum, to control his mutation. Perhaps something that can balance Phoenix.” Emma was pretty sure that if Logan even got close to stabbing Jean, or her, the other would incinerate him in seconds. Likely better to have a different mode of dealing with it.
“Does it occur to no one that maybe Jean and I can handle this? Once her temper is better managed and I can close out the din a little. I’m ready to stop hearing everyone all over again.” She was a little frustrated that everyone was all doom and gloom. All they’d done was… Well a little tiny bit of destruction, a brain wipe here and there...
That was probably not one to mention.
“Everyone says they can handle it. An’ every time, they’re wrong.” Logan leaned back in his seat, shaking his head. “It ain’t that none of you are capable. But this is like havin’ god take root in your brain. It’s a bein’ that don’t subscribe the same notions of right versus wrong as we try to.”
“It’s never been Jean and I, not like this. Not when we’re working together, unified.” They could help each other because they were in it together. “I don’t subscribe to right versus wrong the same everyone else does, neither do you. It’s not about right and wrong and good and evil, things aren’t black and white.”
Emma didn’t like that Phoenix was there, not really. She didn’t like that she and Jean were basically pawns in this, but the alternative was losing Jean to it, in some form, eventually. And Emma would burn cities before she let that happen. “We don’t always choose what happens, where we go, what we do, who we want,” subtle dig, but broadcasting was just a constant right now and Emma got it all, “But it’s there, and it happens. And this is happening.”
Things were never black and white, no, but this was still the Phoenix. There was too much pain and it was too personal to really think clearly about. Logan could admit that, didn’t mean he liked the idea. “So what the fuck do you plan to do about it?”
“What we’re doing.” There wasn’t much else, was there? “Hank is looking into if it’s even possible to dampen her hold, but either way I think this is us now, half a Phoenix each.” At least most of the time. She could occasionally feel the pull of the Phoenix towards Jean, but so far it was distributed towards them both. “What else is there to do?”
“Ever think about sharing the load more? Not that I’m volunteerin’, but maybe someone who ain’t from our world could offer up some perspective.” Logan knew he would not at all be suited, and he couldn’t burden them with his own darkness.
As much as spreading the Phoenix’s power could be a benefit, Emma doubted it would be that easy. Emma and Jean knew the force, they’d hosted her before, albeit briefly for Emma and mortally for Jean. They understood the downsides to the cosmic power. “Yes, because spreading it out is really working well currently.” She’d figured out just why the Phoenix Five were falling.
“We both know Phoenix is psychotic. Spreading that would just lead to a cock fight, like Namor and Scott, everyday.” And neither Emma nor Jean were terribly good at holding their jealousy.
“You and Jean ain’t fighting?” They always fought in the dreams. Logan could barely understand their romance, let alone sharing that kind of power without trying to kill each other. “You’re just… all kumbaya and shit?”
“We’re hardly the paragons of peace and virtue, no. But we don’t have Scott to fight over here.” Misguided as that was, there was no need to posture and snark when they weren’t both stupid about that boy scout. “But we’re far more likely to obliterate other people for messing with us.”
That sounded like a threat. Logan was tired of threats or anything else of the sort. He snorted, and poured himself a drink. “You just gonna go around obliterating people that look at you funny? Or are you gonna save the obliteration for people that you think deserve it. Listen to yourself, Emma. Normal people don’t go talking about obliterating people.”
“Of course I’m not, just people who threaten Jean.” She said it like they were talking about wallpapering her office, “And I’ve always talked like that. I just tend not to follow through all the time.” Threats were currency, Emma dealt in them all the time.
“We’re adjusting, stop fretting so much. It’s not like she’s setting fire to everyone, she’s still there, she’s pulling herself in.” Which honestly, Emma felt was the best thing. “We’re figuring it out.” Learning curve, you weren’t instantly in control of everything.
Logan felt his claws itch in the grooved. His arms always ached, but he was usually able to ignore. Not today. He growled, then rubbed his temple. “No, I wasn’t. Just … maybe consider some kinda telepathic deadman’s switch.”
He was asking them to basically shut themselves down, and he knew that could mean coma, brain damage or worse. But he’d ask them to do the same to him if he ever lost his mind.
“You know if I even attempt to set that up, Phoenix will know, and then I’ll run the risk of losing Jean entirely.” Because Phoenix wanted Jean, Emma was just a byproduct of it right then. “Wait and see what Henry comes up with. Then we’ll see what needs doing.”
And Emma would probably need to piece back Kitty’s mind before all was said and done.
Logan just grunted, and pushed the bottle towards her. She was right, and god did he hate it when Emma Frost was right.