DISCLAIMER:
Recognisable characters = Marvel
Unrecognisable characters = Rhona Highet
No Permission = No money making
Maths lesson over = Beginning of story!

* * = thought/telepathy

Distribute freely without asking me because the answer is yes anyway. Make changes if you like just point out that the original text is mine! Make fun of it if you like BUT you have to e-mail me first. Don't change the title of this 'cause I happen to like it. Be happy!

Boarding the plane to London wasn't nearly as difficult as Emma thought it would be. There had been no delays going through the various checks and, to her surprise, she hadn't had to use her powers once. The feeling that she was a normal person was one she hadn't felt in a long time. Always she was mutant, mutie or some other term. Never was she Emma Frost, 33-year-old business woman and soon to be mother of Hank McCoy's child. She looked at the 18-year-old girl to her right. Paige was everything she wanted to be at that age. The girl was so innocent, so willing to trust. All Paige's problems were about boys and when her next homework assignment was due in. When Emma was 18, she had to worry about what business opportunities were going to benefit her the best and who's mind she should manipulate next. What she would give to have her childhood again.

"Paige, I'm going to take a nap right now. Could you wake me in an hour?" She asked. The girl looked up at her and shook her head.

Normally Emma wouldn't say anything but she wasn't going to get any peace until Paige stopped feeling so apprehensive. "Do you want to talk about anything?"

The young woman looked up at her teacher. She didn't want to be here and quite frankly, she was a little annoyed with her teacher. For one thing, she didn't want to see Jono ever again. He had made it clear that they were not going to get together so why did Emma have to go and do all this? Ever since she found out that she was pregnant, Emma had been acting funny. All the problems in the world had suddenly become Emma Frost's problems. That, of course was Paige's other problem. Emma was pregnant and unmarried. At first, Paige thought it was wonderful and that the X-Man she had the most respect for would do the right thing by Emma. But they hadn't and the Beast didn't seem to care about the baby. It made Paige mad, she was raised to believe that a child should have a mother and father. If a child was born a bastard then it was not a good child -- at least that's what the church had always said. She couldn't help but feel that Emma and Hank were evil, the word of the Lord had been drilled into her from a very early age that sort of thing was hard to ignored. She loved Emma but she also could not approve of what had happened.

"Ah'm fine."

Emma knew when she wasn't wanted. She had felt hostility from Paige over the past couple of weeks but she just couldn't confront the young woman about it. She was afraid that she would lose Paige in a way that was worse than the way she lost the Hellions. It was hard to find out that her first students had died at the hands of a madman but to have Paige ignore her would be much worse. It had taken her years to gain Jubilee's trust. She loved all her students, she just wanted to do what was best by them. Emma sighed and leaned back in her seat. She couldn't sleep just now with all the tension. The personal CD player wasn't being used so she decided to listen to something, hopefully it would block out the feelings for a while. She picked a song at random and settled back.

Your heart is not open so I must go

She inwardly laughed and patted her stomach.

The spell has been broken ... I loved you so
Freedom comes when you learn to let go

*For a fetus, you are really hammering home the point.* She didn't think it was the baby, just coincidence but it was just something she did. It was easier to talk to her baby than to open up and talk to someone else.

Creation comes when you learn to say no

*If I had said that you wouldn't be here.*

You were my lesson I had to learn
I was your fortress you had to burn
Pain is a warning that something's wrong

*I suppose I should confront Paige before it's too late.*

I pray to God that it won't be long
There's nothing left to try
There's no place left to hide
There's no greater power than the power of good bye

*I suppose either way, I'll lose Paige. Maybe I should have left well alone. Maybe.*

Your heart is not open so I must go
The spell has been broken ... I loved you so
You were my lesson I had to learn
I was your fortress
There's nothing left to try
There's no place left to hide
There's no greater power than the power of good-bye
There's nothing left to lose
There's no more heart to bruise
There's no greater power than the power of good-bye
Learn to say good-bye
I yearn to say good-bye

*I will, I promise.*

She fell asleep. Thinking about the past, the present and what was yet to be. In her dream, she said good-bye to the White Queen and the Hellions. The past was now buried, ghosts laid to rest. From now on she was Emma Frost, mother, teacher and friend. She promised herself that she would confront Paige as soon as they reached the hotel. The past was gone, the present, how she did things now would determine her future.

Side notes The song is 'The Power of Good-bye' by Madonna taken from the 'Ray of Light' album. Most of the songs, I find, are very spiritual. I think Lourdes (Madonna's baby) was the main influence on a lot of it.

I've made Emma 33 because I don't believe that she's in her 20s. You may dispute me but you won't change my mind.

Sheesh, I said that at 18 Emma was more into business than anything else and that is because in Gen X -1, she is said to be 16.

Oh hell, I'm going to get attacked by a lot of people for this one but I made Paige a Christian and, sorry to all people who have be brought up with the faith, I feel that she would have a hard time accepting an unmarried mother. I'm not saying that people are like this -- hell my best friend (hi Michael) is a Catholic. And yeah, I am not a religous person myself.