----------------------------------- X-Writers is a non-profit fan-fiction group using characters that belong to Marvel Entertainments Group. We are not out to rule the world, despite what you may have heard. We are just nice, quiet people who do not have any form of nuclear weapon and even if they did would never, ever use them. Honestly. ------------------------------------------ Excalibur #95 "Roamin' in the Gloamin'" by Marysia. ------------------------------------------ "So, is everyone ready?" asked Nightcrawler. Brian stood alone, on crutches, in the room in front of him. "Ready for what?" "Ready to go?" "Of course... go where?" Kurt looked exasperated. "What do you mean where? Where we planned to go last week, Loch Ness." "We planned this?" "Well you weren't exactly there at the time it is true..." A voice echoed through the room. "Hurry up Kurt, let's go." "See, Amanda is waiting." Meggan chose this moment to enter the room. "Kurt! What are you doing here?" "This is ridiculous," he muttered. "We are supposed to be going on a trip," he informed her. "To Loch Ness." "We are?" "Ja." "Well we can't possibly go. Brian is much to ill." "I am not." "Oh yes you are." "Oh no I'm not." "Oh..." "Enough!" They stared at Kurt in surprise. "I get the idea. Where is Rahne? It was her idea after all." "Upstairs, I think." He vanished in a puff of brimstone. - - - - Kitty, for that was how she still thought of herself despite what she insisted to the others, lay on her back on the bed and kicked at the headboard. Every now and then she would kick it hard enough to knock a bit more plaster out the growing hole in her wall behind it. Then she would stop for a bit, until she could no longer hear the hiss of the grains running down the back of the bed, and start again. Ship hadn't found Peter. But the really annoying thing about it, if you were being strictly selfish that is, was that every time she tried to recall Peter, tried to be suitably upset about the whole situation, the similarity in names caused her traitorous brain to remind her of Pete Wisdom instead. Here she was; probably guilty of manslaughter, at the very least, of one of her oldest friends and she couldn't stop thinking about _him_. "Wanker," she said aloud experimentally. It just didn't sound right, she couldn't seem to get the right feeling into it and for some reason tears were coming to her eyes. "Wanker," she said again. Then, punctuated with hefty kicks to the scuffed headboard, "Wanker! Bloody, self-assured, slimy, English, bloody wanker!" Then she burst into tears and rolled over onto her side in a vague approximation of a foetal position. "Bastard," she whispered. - - - - Kurt looked worriedly at the creaking wall that separated Rahne's room from Kitty's. "Are you sure she is all right?" Rahne pulled on a warm jacket. "Oh aye. She's bin like that fur weeks. Ah think she's goin' through a phase or somethin', ye ken?" He studied her for a moment to see if the pun was intentional or not but she seemed serious, "So you don't think she will be joining us?" "Nah. Tis just me an' Doug. Oh, an' Dr Doom an' Miss Maximoff an' all." "Doom! You are kidding me." "No. He's bin workin' wi' Lady Moira an' so ah asked him if he wanted tae come. It's awright is it no?" "Well... I suppose it can't do any harm. I hope." When they came downstairs Doom, Wanda and Douglock were all ready and waiting. Kurt shook his head with a worried air. "All right then, let's go." - - - - Moira knocked warily on Kitty's door. "Ki... Kate? Are ye there?" "What is it?" "I... ah... wiz just wonderin' if ye could gi' me a hand doon in th' lab." "I'm busy." "Doin' whit, kickin' hauls in that wa'?" "Go away!" "Don't ye talk tae me like that Katherine Pryde or so help me ah'll tak ye over mah knee, you just see if ah dinnae!" "You and who's army?" "Ye know whit? Ah huv had enough o' you an' yer moods. If ah thought it wiz over whit happened wi' Colossus ah'd let it go, but ye've bin like this fur weeks an' ah'm no standin' fur it. Ah refuse tae have somewan pinin' away fur the sake o' that bloody Englishman. Ye hear me? Do ye?" There was no answer. Moira thumped the door with her fist in annoyance and stamped back down the stairs muttering, "Ah'll give ye Kate, ye bloody teenager. Ah ought tae kick ye oot fur aw the good ye've bin aroond here since that damned Sassenach left. Ah keep sayin', 'the English are no t'be trusted', but does anywan listen? Never. Ah'd bi as weel talkin' tae a brick wa'. An' tae add insult tae injury they expect me tae work wi' that mad-mun Doom! Ah only jus' got rid a one mad lab assistant an' they saddle me wi' another bloody wan. Ah swear tae God if a turned mah back fur wan minute he'd hae all yon pris'ners infected wi' the virus jus' so we cud see whit happened. God but ah need a stiff drink... or two. Ah hope he bloody droons in that loch so ah do." - - - - Nightcrawler pulled the jeep into the car park by the ruined castle that jutted over Loch Ness. It had been an... interesting journey. Doom and Wanda had been silent despite Amanda's half-hearted attempts to make conversation and if he knew her, and he did, she couldn't wait to get away from the two of them. Rahne had prattled on to everyone, pointing out sights she knew on the drive south-east across the Highlands. Kurt was really wishing he had forgotten they had arranged to do this. He had met Doom before the recent events of course, last time their paths had crossed he had tried to suck the United Kingdom into Limbo to get hold of some metal called Promethium. It had taken Excalibur and the Avengers together to stop him. The Avengers... after the destruction in the Savage Land there were few left of that once proud team. So many dead. And of course closer friends than that; Peter, Rogue, Jean, Magneto even. It was truly a dark period of their history and best forgotten, if only it could be. He parked the jeep and got out silently, in his brooding he scarcely remembered the others were there. So much destruction. Was it too much to hope that perhaps they were finally free of the Shadow King? Why was it that the good ones died but the bad ones just kept coming back? He shook himself out of his slump. After all sometimes the good guys came back too, X-Men had died before and returned none the worse for wear. And besides, it was over. He was alive, the rest of his team was alive, he ought to be more positive. Amanda broke his silence, "Why don't you show Dr Doom and Wanda the castle, Kurt, and I'll take the children down to the water." "Ah'm no a bairn!" Rahne noted angrily. "I'm not...." he paused. Perhaps getting Amanda away from Doom before her dislike became too obvious was a good idea. She wasn't always the most diplomatic of people after all. "All right then." "Come on then, let's go," said Rahne, heading down the hill to the loch side. "I'll bring them back to the car in an hour and we'll head over to the visitors centre," Amanda told him as she started after them. "Wait a minute." He took her arm and lowered his voice. "What do you mean the visitor's centre? We can't take Douglock or Doom there, or me for that matter. I thought we were just going to look for monsters or haggis or something." "Don't worry so much Kurt. It'll be fine. No-one will recognise Doom without his suit. As for you, Excalibur are pretty well known aren't they. I hardly think you're going to be lynched." Kurt sighed. "Ja, whatever you say Amanda." He smiled, "But if I do get lynched I shall hold you entirely responsible for it." "Fine. I'll see you later then." She kissed him and headed off after Rahne and Douglock. He turned back to Doom and Wanda. What on earth was he supposed to do with them. They looked at him expectantly. Wonderful, he thought, reduced from a super-hero to a tour guide in one fell swoop. With a sigh he gestured for them to move closer to the picturesque castle. - - - - By the time Amanda had picked her way down to the rocky shore line Rahne and Douglock were nowhere to be seen. Oh well, she thought, I never claimed to be in shape. I'm a sorceress, I don't need to be fit. She did feel a slight trace of guilt, though, at her tendency to use magic as a form of liposuction. Not that she really needed it or anything, I mean it was just fine-tuning. But still, it wasn't exactly the done thing. Her mother would not have been impressed. Damn, there went her good mood. She sat down on a rock and stared out across the white-topped waves of the loch. She hadn't the faintest idea where her mother was anymore. Ever since she had taken (oh all right, been given) possession of Magik's soulsword she had been untraceable. Amanda had felt the ripples in the balance of magical power almost immediately after her mother had departed. Had known what had happened. But by that time it was too late, it had been too late from the moment her mother had taken the sword. She had heard nothing since, had no knowledge of what she intended to do. It was too much to hope that she would not use the power gifted to her. Sooner or later Amanda would have to do something, but as of today she had not even told Kurt or Shadowcat what had happened. For Goddess sake, she was a stewardess not an X- Man. She shouldn't have to worry about stuff like this. "Ev'rywan must worry aboot stuff like this Amanda," came a voice. She started in surprise and turned to her left. From the loch surface projected a woman's torso, but the water was too shallow for her legs to be present. She wore an off-white dress and a blue-green tartan wrap. She continued to rise out the water, strangely dry looking, and finally took a seat on a rock a few feet off-shore. Amanda found her tongue, "You're not the Lady of the Lake." "Ye dinnae say. Ah'm her sister, she cannae do ev'rythin' ye ken." "Oh." "Is that all ye've got tae say fur yerself?" "Well what do you expect me to say? 'All hail, mighty Lady of the Loch, what is your wish?'" she asked sarcastically. "Well," the Lady answered thoughtfully. "It wid be nice fur a wee change. But ah wiz thinkin' o' somethin' more long th' lines o', 'Ah apologise fur gi'in' the soul sword tae mah power-crazed mither an' ah'll jist go an' fix it aw right noo.'" "The soulsword, what's that got to do with you?" "It's a sword, it's in Britain, it's mah problem. An' yours too. Bloody do somethin' aboot it. After aw, it is your fault." "She's in Britain?" "Well most a' the time. It's no like it's that easy tae keep track o' her ye know. So whit are ye goin' tae do?" "Me? What can I do? She's always been more powerful than me and now she's got the sword..." Amanda trailed off. It would be like a gnat attacking an elephant. "Aye, but all the midgie has tae do is bite a tender place, luv," the Lady of the Loch pointed out. "Ah'll be goin' now. Ye might want tae catch up wi' them bairns. They're up tae no good ah expect. That's kids fur ye." She slid back into the water with a small ripple and was gone. A few bays down there was a scream of birds as a flock of seagulls were disturbed. Amanda stood up and headed over there. - - - - Brian sat on a deck chair, smothered in blankets against the cold. He felt like an old man. Exodus had made quite a mess of him but between Ship and Moira he was healing fast. However he was under strict orders not to do anything too strenuous after he'd twisted his ankle falling on the stairs a couple of days ago. He'd fallen because he'd been on his feet all day trying to help Moira and his body had decided enough was enough. At least it had decided that half way down the stairs and not at the top. He was outside watching Meggan doing things to the garden. The wind was giving him a headache if truth be told. But if Meggan wanted him to see what she was doing then he'd damn well watch. She was planting heather, it was very... interesting. Really it was. So interesting that he was spending a good deal more time watching the way her shorts stretched over her ass than he was watching anything else. Well, he needed something to take his mind off his headache. He really ought to go back inside where it was warm. But he was trying to figure out how to ask Meggan something. I mean it shouldn't be that hard, in a way they were already engaged. But so many things had happened since he last asked her that he didn't really think it counted anymore. He'd got a new ring and everything, the box was in his pocket. He'd been carrying it round since he got it, waiting for just the right moment. When he had a headache definitely wasn't the right moment, maybe after dinner. - - - - "So they are still unsure if this Loch Ness Monster even exists?" asked Doug. "Aye, but ah bet it does though. Ah bet it's a dinosaur from ages ago. A... plieosaur or something like that." "Plesiosaur," stated Douglock. "Order Plesiosauria, Superorder Sauropterygia, Subclass Diapsida, Class Reptilia. Predatory marine reptile that became extinct 65 million years ago at the end of the Mesozoic period. It is not a dinosaur." "Well, them ones anyway." "I thought there were pictures of the creature at the visitors centre, do they not prove it exists?" "Well, they're no very good pictures." "I see, I would very much like to know if this creature exists. I shall go and look." With that he transformed into a submarine type form and vanished under the water. "Doug?" Rahne sat down on a rock to wait, flipping stones into the water. - - - - Amanda crouched out of sight with a mischievous look on her face. It was just too good, she couldn't be expected not to do it. It would have to be a good one, though, if it were to fool Rahne's enhanced senses. she summoned up her powers and began to create an illusion. - - - - Rahne was just getting bored enough to think about going to look for some of the others when she spotted a disturbance in the water coming closer to shore. Expecting it to be Douglock she stood up and went over to the waters edge. Then a small reptilian head rose from the water and fixed her with a beady stare. Her jaw dropped in amazement and she took a step back. The head vanished and then an entire body burst out of the water in a dolphin like leap and vanished again. Rahne sat down hard on a rock that wasn't there. Hidden from sight, Amanda stuffed her jacket in her mouth to muffle her laughter. A few minutes later Douglock reappeared from the water. "Did ye see it?" asked Rahne breathlessly. "I could not find anything, but the loch is very deep and I cannot cover it all at once." "But it wiz here, right here. Ye must hae seen it." "You saw the monster? Was it a plesiosaur?" "Well how should I know? Ah dinnae ken whit a plesiosaur looks like, do ah." "Well what did it look like?" "It had a wee tiny wee head an' a big long neck an' it jumped right oot o' the water over there." She pointed. "It certainly sounds like a plesiosaur," Douglock decided. "This is most exciting." "Ye don't look verra excited." "We must go and tell the others what you saw." "Awright then." They headed back to the car and Amanda quickly teleported away before they bumped into her. - - - - They were half way through dinner in front of the telly when Brian decided there was no such thing as a good time. It was as if inspiration had struck. He was going to do it, he was just bloody going to do it... right now. He put his plate on the table and dropped awkwardly to his knees on the carpet. "Meggan... will you marry me?" he blurted out. Her jaw and her plate dropped simultaneously and a heap of hot beef stew landed on Brian. "Oh... oh I'm sorry. I'll get a cloth." "No!" he grabbed her arm. "Answer me... please." The beef began to drip down onto the carpet. She couldn't help herself, she began to smirk... then a giggle escaped... and finally she collapsed into hysterics. "Meggan!" he said, exasperated. "Yes," she gasped. "Yes, I'll marry you." She rolled off the sofa knocking him over and getting beef stew over herself as well. They kissed through their laughter. - - - - The monster hunters didn't arrive back until nearly 9pm. Rahne had been full of stories of the dinosaur all the way. They had taken down what she said at the visitors centre for their records. Doom remained disbelievingly silent but Wanda went along with it and let Rahne describe the monster again and again. Kurt and Amanda dropped them off at Muir but were stopped by Brian before they could head home and he gathered them all into the living room to make the announcement. "I wanted you all to be the first to know that Meggan and I are going to get married this spring." There was a round of applause and congratulations at the happy news. A ray of sunshine to scare away the previous darkness of the Shadow King.