DISCLAIMER: in first part.
A Laying On Of Hands: Part Fourteen
by Cascade
"Sam, what's wrong with your girlfriend?" Bobby asked as he came over to help set the table. "She didn't even put up a fight, and I know she'd love to break my knee caps, despite what she says about not wanting to hurt anyone that she'd have to heal later." He sighed. "I don't know why she's got it out for me all of a sudden. I'm just doin' what Scott told us to do."
"Yer just takin' more pleasure outta it than he intended." Sam handed him a stack of plates. "Ah'm havin' more fun than Ah should too... Ah'm gonna pay when this is all over, Ah just know it." He spoke the last to himself, but Bobby overheard.
"So you'll go a week or two without being able to play tonsil hockey... I'm talking about me here. Now that Cable is in on this, she's not going to be in any shape for me to spring things on her! She's gotta put up a little bit of a fight or it's not any fun."
"Cable got her tonight?" Sam asked, suddenly feeling even more sorry for Dana.
"Yeah, I saw her in the hall and she just up and surrendered. I hadn't even done anything yet... No fun at all."
"Dana, do ya want ta kill me?" Sam peeked around her door tentatively.
Dana was laying on her bed, reading, clad in a comfortable sweat suit. He recognized the soft music playing as being either Yanni or Enya or somebody like that. She only played those tapes when she needed to relax. He knew why. He could still remember the sore, tense muscles he ended up with after a work-out with Cable. He smiled faintly in sympathy.
She turned her head towards him slowly and smiled. "No. You were just doing your job. I understand."
He breathed a sigh of relief and walked into her room. "Ah guess ya can understand why Ah hated X-Force workouts now, right?" He smiled at her and took a seat next to her on the bed.
She nodded weakly. She tried to sit up, but gave up with a moan. "And I thought training with Scott was bad. His son is ten time worse."
"Ya have to tell me? The man has worked his whole life to make intimidation a science... Ah think he's got it now. Ah think his hobby is running poor, young, unsuspectin' mutants into the ground."
If Dana was tired enough, anything was funny to her, and now was no exception. Dana started to laugh, and then clutched her stomach in pain. "Ow. It hurts to laugh," she moaned in between giggles.
Sam bit on his lip to try and contain the chuckle that threatened to escape, but it was no use. There was something inherently funny about being unable to stop laughing, even if it caused pain. He couldn't help it. Especially when his laughter made her laugh harder.
"Stop it!" she gasped. Tears of laughter started to roll down her cheeks.
He turned away from her and tried to force himself to stop. He thought he had it, but then he turned back to her and lost it again.
She rolled away from him onto her stomach and dug her face into her pillow with a moan. "I've got how many more days of this? Joining the team doesn't sound so cool anymore."
He finally sobered. "Don't say that. Ya know it's worth it. You'll feel better in the mornin'."
"I don't care what Scott says. I'm staying in my room for the rest of the week."
Sam could just imagine that particular conflict. He sighed. He had to admit he enjoyed ambushing her himself, but he'd never throw a punch. He'd knock her down and try to pin her. He went for a quick painless fight. He didn't like this whole idea of his trusted teammates trying to beat the crap out of his girlfriend. He could see the need for it, but he didn't like it.
"Is there anythin' Ah can get ya?"
"Some morphine."
He chuckled. "How 'bout a massage?" He reached a hand to her shoulder and applied gentle pressure to the tight muscles. She yelped into the pillow and writhed away from his hand. "Oh, come on. It can't be as bad as Cable."
"Not quite as bad..."
"Then lay still. You'll feel better afterwards, trust me."
"Trust you? How do you know? Who gives you mass... ow!" Her shoulders tensed as he touched them again.
"Relax," he soothed.
Finally, the knots in her shoulders smoothed, and he worked his way down her back, meeting less resistance each time he moved to a new area. He had his work cut out for him. Every muscle in her body was tense and bruised. Her calf cramped when he first touched it, and she whimpered softly when he pushed too hard on her lower back.
He thought she might have fallen asleep on him when he finally worked his way back up to her neck, but she turned her head and smiled wearily at him before he sought out the last few aches.
"Well, mah work here is done." He rose from the bed and stretched. "Ah suppose Ah should get outta here before Scott decides we're doin' somethin'... inappropriate."
"I don't think I could do anything inappropriate right now even if I wanted to. I'd probably get a cramp."
They smiled at each other briefly in the dim light of her bedroom.
"C'mere." Dana reached out a hand towards him and he leaned back down so she could kiss him. "Thanks. I do feel better."
He picked up her dishes so he could take them back to the kitchen for her. "Ah'm glad Ah could help. Consider it muh apology for everythin' Ah do this week. See ya in the mornin'." He backed out of the bedroom and closed the door as she moaned about how much tomorrow was going to hurt.
Dana went to the woods after breakfast. She was a little early, so she sat down to wait for Cable. She looked around, played with some twigs, but ultimately found she had a lot of nervous energy that she was hard pressed to dispel. She was anxious to find the mist again and discover what it was.
She dropped her shields and felt around for something interesting. She identified Sam easily. He was happy. Probably enjoying an early morning game of basketball, or pool, or cards. She let herself drift away with him.
Suddenly she was yanked clear of Sam. She gasped at the suddenness of the separation, and struggled for a moment to gain control of her own emotions.
She pulled all her shields up around her. Then she looked up at Cable.
She flinched at the look on his face, but gathered enough courage to speak. "What did you do that for?"
"What were you doing just then?" he asked fiercely.
"I... I... I was just trying to figure out what Sam was doing," she stammered, as she struggled to her feet.
"Why did you..." he paused, a look of frustration over took his face before he finished the question. "go into him?"
"Go into him?" She shook her head. "I don't know what you mean. I just felt a pleasant emotion from him and... wrapped myself in it." Her eyes were wide with fear.
Cable sighed. "'Go into him' is the closest translation I can get from the Askani. Just don't ever do that again. It's not a good idea."
"Why not?" she asked.
*Stubborn AND inquisitive. I keep forgetting that last part. She won't believe me if I don't try to explain.* He sighed again. "If you were to look at what you did from the astral plane it would look like you and Sam just merged. You went and hid inside his mind. If you're not careful you could get stuck."
"I'm careful." She looked at him wearily. She was not in the mood for one of his 'it's Askani, so it's right' speeches. She was too tired. "Besides, it's handy sometimes. I can use his confidence or calm as my own. If I'm ever too scared to do something I can just reach out to him and I'm not scared anymore."
"You shouldn't have to depend on him like that. You should be more self-reliant."
"It's not dependence. It's just one of the things he adds to the relationship," she mumbled softly.
"You should be strong enough on your own."
"I'm not, okay? I'm a people person! Not everybody can be as self-sufficient and strong as you... not to mention brooding and anti-social. You may not need anyone, but I need Sam, and I happen to think the fact that we can rely on each other is a strength in and of itself!" She took a breath and calmed herself and continued. "I can understand that the future was somewhat hellish, and that you had to be a good soldier to survive. But didn't you ever, just once, fall back and let another person take over for you for a while? Besides, the world now has got to be a little easier than in the future, so why can't I have a few little, endearing, weaknesses?"
He glared at her for a moment. She stood defiantly in front of him, daring him to respond, daring him to say he didn't need anyone.
*No man is an island...* she thought at him slyly.
Cable yelled something back at her in Askani, too frustrated with her to translate properly.
"You want to try that again in a language I'm fluent in?" The calm tone she used did not betray the fear she felt. She was treading a thin line with Cable, but she was not going to let the argument drop now.
He clenched his jaw, and took a deep breath. "We should probably discuss life philosophies later," he said slowly. She could feel barely suppressed frustration leaking out of him, and decided not to press him any further.
Cable continued with his original point once he'd calmed himself to the point of talking in English coherently. "Getting stuck is not the only thing that can happen." He paused for a moment in thought. "Are you only doing this with Sam?"
She nodded her head, confused by his change of tactics enough to lose her argumentative momentum. "I've spent more time with him, so he's the most familiar to me. He's pretty much the only one I can pick out by feel."
Cable rubbed his temples while he tried to think. "There was an Askani warning for empaths. Something about 'permanently losing yourself to the emotions of another.'"
"Oh." Dana winced. "That doesn't sound very good."
"Exactly. Please try to stay out of Sam's head until I can remember exactly how to prevent you from getting stuck."
She nodded her head. "Fine."
"Have you had any more visits from that mist?"
"No, and I still can't figure out what it was."
"I asked Jean to keep an eye on you today while we work. I can't watch you as closely as I need to and still present a challenge."
*Oh, I don't know about that. You could stand there and look mean and present quite an intimidating front.* Dana thought darkly.
*I heard that,* Cable's voice said in her head.
"So, what's this all about?" Scott asked. He felt slightly uncomfortable at the fact that he was the only non-telepath in the room. He also had the feeling that he was missing half the conversation because of that fact.
Xavier, Jean, and Cable stayed quiet a moment longer, apparently finishing off a mental conversation, then Xavier straightened himself and turned to Scott.
"How do you think Dana has performed this week?"
"Uh..." He was a little surprised at the question. He had thought Jean and Cable had called the meeting over something a little more serious than Dana's abilities.
#But Scott, making Dana a member of the team is a very serious matter.# Jean reminded him gently. #If we were to ask her to suit up for a mission and she was unable to perform like she should... Well, it could be just as, if not more, dangerous than going up against someone like Magneto or Apocalypse.#
*Is something wrong with Dana?* He asked, worried.
#Perhaps. We want to hear your opinion first, though, so answer the Professor's question.#
"Umm... Well, I think she's come a long way. She'll probably be the weakest fighter on the team, but I think that with a little bit of planning we'll be able to keep her protected and still be able to get her where she's needed. I'm perfectly comfortable with her being put into active duty at the end of the week."
The professor nodded his head. "So our concern is purely with her mental stability."
"Mental stability?" Scott was not liking the sound of this.
Jean hushed him with a wave of her hand. *As much as I hate to give them an opportunity to argue...* "Nathan? I think you should explain. You know more about it than the professor and I do."
Nathan glanced at his father. *Huh. Looks like he's actually going to listen to me. Either he finally trusts my judgment or Jean's making him be polite.*
#Nathan, if you two don't stop acting like complete asses around each other, I'm going to get really pissed! Would you please give Scott the benefit of the doubt?# Jean's mental voice burned in Cable's head.
Cable winced, but shook it off quickly. "I was teaching Dana how to avoid surprise mental attacks the other day. The last time we practiced, a hole opened in her shielding and it looked as if she couldn't close it, despite what I'd just taught her. She said it looked to her as if a mist had penetrated her shielding and left a hole in its wake. She was unable to identify it, and truthfully, we're all stumped." He motioned to indicate Jean, Xavier and himself. "Jean and I tested her again today, however, and there was no hint of it, so it could have just been her fatigue..." He shook his head, not exactly sure how to continue.
Jean took over. "But her shielding is her one method of control over her empathy. If something is able to completely shut down her shields at a distance... I don't know how bad it could be. She could completely lose it."
"So you're saying we should keep her off the team until this is identified and we find a way to stop it." Scott sighed. He really didn't want to have to tell Dana that.
"That's the other problem," Jean continued. "While her self-esteem is much better now, I'm not sure how well she would hold up under that kind of disappointment. I think her father's disapproval has left her with an innate need to please father figures. If she were to be told that she wasn't ready yet she may be very hard on herself for not meeting your standards."
"My standards?" Scott asked.
"You and the professor are the 'fathers' of this team. You also trained Dana, so she identifies with you even more closely than she does with him. Like it or not, she is looking for the acceptance in you that she didn't get from her own father," Jean explained. "It might be better to put her on the team, and see if the problem presents itself again in regular training. It could have just been a fluke."
Scott sighed as he mulled over the two options. "So what am I supposed to tell her on Friday?"
*It's quiet... too quiet,* Dana thought darkly as she wandered around the grounds of the mansion. It was afternoon on the last day of 'Hell Week' and no one had even attacked her. It didn't make any sense.
*Jean? Can I come inside, please? It's cold out here,* she thought at Jean as she huddled down in her winter jacket.
#No,# Jean responded with a touch of humor. #Jog around a little to warm up.#
*But no one's attacking! At least let me come in and get something to do, and I'm a little hungry too.*
Jean didn't answer, but a little while later, an apple and a book came drifting out of a window towards Dana. They were surrounded with Jean's familiar pink-tinged TK power. Dana sighed and grabbed them both out of the air. Sometimes living with mutants wasn't all that it was cracked up to be.
She tucked the book under her arm. If Jean wasn't going to let her in the house, that meant that an attack was going to come any minute now.
She took a bite of her apple and waited. After a few minutes she noticed the fog that was rolling towards her. Her visibility was reduced to nothing in a heartbeat.
She set the book down on the ground quietly and reached out to the edges of the fog with her empathy. A sly grin spread across her lips. She wasn't being blocked this time, and she felt many minds around and above her. She sought out one in particular: The second youngest male on the team.
She sorted out all the emotions in her head. Dividing by male and female was the easiest to determine, then she looked for the youthful exuberance she expected in the younger members of the team. She could determine which of the two left was Sam, and that just left Bobby. She picked out his position as best she could, and hurled the apple in his direction.
She heard the satisfying thunk of the apple connecting with something solid. That was closely followed by Bobby's yelp of surprise. She allowed herself to chuckle for a moment and then she charged him.
Bobby was still rubbing the side of his head when she broke through the fog and tackled him. They rolled a few times with Dana's momentum, and then scrambled to get the best positioning.
Bobby was too disoriented to attack, so he tried to use an ice slide to get away from her. He'd almost gotten out of her reach, but she gathered herself and leapt up at him. She made a grab for his ankle, but couldn't get enough of a purchase to pull him back towards her. She did, however, interrupt his powers just enough that he overtook the end of the ice, and he tumbled ungracefully off the end of the slide.
She launched herself at him again and grabbed at his wrists. She'd noticed that the X-Men were all in uniform, which meant that when she de-iced Bobby he was in nothing but boots and his Speedos on a very cold November afternoon.
He gasped as cold wind gusted against his unprotected skin and he struggled in vain to break her grip.
"Can I get some help here?" he asked his teammates through chattering teeth.
Sam muffled a chuckle and swooped down towards Dana. He grabbed her by the waist in order to pull her away from Bobby, but she had a tight grip, and he ended up dragging the two of them along.
Dana let go of Bobby with a sigh and focused her powers on Sam. Luckily, he wasn't that far up in the air, so the two of them were unharmed when they hit the ground. Dana landed on top of Sam and would have pinned him if it hadn't been for a small gale that Storm whipped up to throw her off balance. She rolled away with the wind and got up and started to run as soon as it let up.
She skidded to a halt as a red beam of light cut across her path. She doubled back and considered her options as she ducked and weaved around the optic blasts from Scott. One presented itself immediately to her, as she was still focused on revenge.
She made a beeline for Bobby, who was still a little disoriented from her first attack. She grabbed him by the arm and shoved him in front of her in time to catch Scott's next shot.
"Ow! Scott!" Scott had made his optic blasts as low-powered as possible, but they still stung.
Scott couldn't help but laugh when he realized that Dana had used Bobby as a shield the same way he'd been used against Bobby.
Luckily for Dana he couldn't fire well while he was laughing. She used that opportunity to dart back towards the mansion.
"Don' t'ink so, petite."
Dana squeaked in shock as Gambit stepped out of the shadows near the mansion. Mentally cursing herself for not noticing his presence, she backpedaled furiously.
He twirled his bo playfully once and then swiped at her legs. She jumped out of the way, and then ducked as the bo whistled over her head. He jabbed at her midsection and she dodged to one side and made a grab for the end of the weapon. Gambit flicked his wrist and the bo smacked her in the hand.
She yelped and held the injured hand to her as she flexed her fingers trying to restore feeling. It stung badly.
She kicked out at him and he ducked away from her foot and tagged her in the back with the bo. She launched another kick without pausing and this time caught him with a solid kick to the ribs. Before she could follow her kick with anything she was grabbed from behind.
Rogue was probably the best suited to fight Dana. Her gloved hands held Dana's away from her face: the only place on her body uncovered and vulnerable to Dana's powers.
Dana struggled fruitlessly as Rogue hauled her into the air and away from Remy. When Rogue put her down it was in the middle of a ring of advancing X-Men.
"Dog-pile!" Bobby shouted, an evil grin on his face.
The X-Men rushed her on the command. She panicked and one thought flashed through her mind. *If I'm going to get jumped on, at least I won't be at the bottom of the pile!*
She gave a battle cry and tackled Bobby right before the rest of the X-Men jumped on her.
The X-Men near the top, who could still breathe, spoke out in unison. "Welcome to the team, Dana!"
Dana smoothed the side of her new uniform with her hands. She couldn't believe that she'd actually made it. She took a deep breath to calm her excitement and tugged her gold boots on. She fastened her communicator a little left of her heart with two gold belts, one running horizontal, the other running vertically, making a cross with the red and black X as the vertex. There was a small, lightweight computer that snapped around her wrist, and a large belt that went around her waist that emergency supplies could be stored in. Finally, there was a communications headset, with a microphone that bent around to the side of her mouth.
She turned to look at herself in the mirror and the overwhelming excitement grabbed at her again. *That's not Dana Hawkes...* She thought to herself as she studied the reflection. *That's Medic... an X-Man.* She stifled a nervous giggle and tugged on her ponytail to tighten it.
She stepped out of the door and into the welcoming smiles of her fellow X-Men.