Singin' in the Rain (atten: Beast)

[Lee]

It had been overcast for almost the whole day, which might get normal people down, but this was Terry we were taking about. This little lack of sunshine wasn't enough to get her down. Terry strolled outside, it seemed as if the rain might start any minute now. She had an apple in one hand and a knife in another. She hummed to herself as she walked to the gazebo, sitting down and listening to the wind blowing as it brought her the scent lilies and roses among other various flowers.

Terry sat, thinking to herself, mostly about her life. She knew her fathers death was still lingering on her within and that she really did need to, for lack of a better phrase, get over him. Then there was the matter of all the children (and adults) she was now in charge of. She was not only teaching psychology, but she was also a counselor, allot of responsibility which was kind of getting to her. She was in the Gazebo for some alone time, but on the inside, she almost wanted someone to just talk to.

[vampyremelayah]

Hank had been outside for about an hour now, hanging from one of the branches of the great oak trees that littered the grounds. In his free hand, he held a small, tatty book bearing the title The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde. He had come out here to calm himself after having a momentary lapse of control with the beast inside him, figuring the fresh air might do him some good. As it was, the weather was perfect for reading: a bright, almost fluorescent light leaked down from the overcast sky; a breeze was constantly rushing through the leaves of the trees, caressing them with its touch and whipping the scent of all the flowers in the garden around. With his heightened senses, Hank was almost intoxicated. Suddenly, the heady scent of a light, floral perfume drifted his way, as well as the faint, but distinct sound of humming.

Letting himself gracefully drop from the tree, his ears perked as he listened for which was the sound was coming from. The thrashing of the leaves in the wind - and even the wind itself - disguised and tossed the sound around like a child playing with a ball, but he managed to work his way to the gazebo, finding his fellow professor, Terry occupying it.

Thinking of the best way to approach her, Hank smiled. Terry loved theater, so why not open a conversation with Shakespeare?
With gentle, sweeping steps and arms wide, Hank dramatically approached, quoting,
"I pray thee, gentle mortal, sing again:
Mine ear is much enamour'd of thy note;
So is mine eye enthralled to thy shape."

[Lee]

The trees were rustling, and not just because of the wind. Someone was moving the branches. Terry continued her humming none the less, enjoying her day more than worrying about someone moving in the trees. Then she heard someone reciting Shakespeare, and not just any old Shakespeare. "A Midsummer Night's Dream", one that Terry just HAPPEN to know inside and out.
"I pray thee, gentle mortal, sing again:
Mine ear is much enamour'd of thy note;
So is mine eye enthralled to thy shape."

"And thy fair virtue's force perforce doth move me
On the first view to say,
to swear, I love thee."
She said, finally turning around, having recognized the voice as that of Hank McCoy, her fellow professor at the institute. She had grown accustomed to his appearance, which didn't bother her that much in the first place. "A Midsummer Night's Dream, one of my favorites by dear William." she stated, offering him a seat in the gazebo.

[vampyremelayah]

Giving Terry a winning smile, he happily joined her in the gazebo. Stretching out on the long, varnished bench therein, he crossed his leg comfortably. A strong breeze blew through the open sides of their little shelter, rustling through his long blue hair. The faintest hint of thunder rumbled in the distance.

"I figured you might appreciate it; it seemed like something you might enjoy," he chuckled light-heartedly. Noticing her apple he cocked an eyebrow, "Trying to keep the Doctor away?" He chuckled, adding his horrible pun, "You do realize I have a doctorate."

Damn it, Hank, he told himself, you're going to blow it. But in the breeze and the soft light, Terry really did look ravishing. And he had nothing to offer aesthetically - except to an Eiffel 65 fan.

[Lee]

Terry smiled back at Hank, his blue hair being blown through the wind. Terry looked around calmly as she heard the thunder rumbling. "I did, it's hard to find someone around here who appreciates the classics as much as I." responded, a light chuckle in her tone.

Terry noticed that his eyebrow rose to her apple as she cut another slice from it. "Trying to keep the Doctor away? You do realize I have a doctorate." "And you realize that I am working on mine? If I was trying to keep doctors away, I'd be running from myself." she said, her award winning smile having still not left her face. Terry lazily walked over the sit next to Hank, offering him a slice of apple.

"So what are you doing outside? Most people cower away indoors with this much overcast." she asked, curling her feet under herself and turning to face him. There was something about talking to Hank that Terry really did enjoy. She thought it was simply for the intellectual stimulation, but there was something a bit more genuine to him, something Terry couldn't exactly put her finger on.

[vampyremelayah]

Hank let himself be swept away by the sound of her laughter. Accepting her slice of apple, he took a small bite before responding. "I've always enjoyed this kind of weather. It's the perfect atmosphere for reading." So saying, he held up his book, still within the other hand. "During the winters when I was growing up in Illinois, the weather would get similar to this. Minus at least 40º Fahrenheit. I would spend hours inside reading. However, due to lack of snow, I can afford to be outside."

Finishing the apple, he closed his eyes, savoring its crisp flavor. "Being a professor of Psychology, I would have thought you'd encourage me being outside of the lab for once." He gave her a small wink, looking up at the gazebo as a sudden, loud crash of thunder boomed over head. Shortly after, the steady downpour of rain pattered upon the little wooden roof.

"Err.... I guess we're going to be outside for a while now." But in truth, Hank couldn't think of anyone better to be trapped in the rain with. From behind his glasses, Hank's aquamarine eyes sparkled.

[Lee]

"I bet Illinois was beautiful year round for the most part. At least it had much more greenery than Manhattan." Terry replied, the slight breeze picking up and playing with her hair before she promptly swept it behind her ears. "Being a professor of Psychology, I would have thought you'd encourage me being outside of the lab for once."

"Being a professor of psychology I would also want to know why you left that dungeon of your own free will." she said, that same chuckle under breathe again. The crash of thunder caught Terry off guard as she jumped in place, gasping from shock."Err.... I guess we're going to be outside for a while now." "Yes, but at least the sound of rain is calming..." Terry said, leaning her head back and enjoying the sound.

"And it's keeping you OUT of the lab." she added, playfully pointing an accusing finger at him and smiling. By this time, she had finished her apple and Terry placed both the core and the knife enough distance away so has that any accidents could be avoided.

[vampyremelayah]

"Being a professor of psychology I would also want to know why you left that dungeon of your own free will."

Smiling, Hank knew he had been caught. He couldn't tell her that it was because he had nearly lost control of himself. Couldn't tell her it was because he had needed some kind of solace - some constant in his forever changed life. And the last thing he needed was for a teammate to psychoanalyze him. Especially one he was so fond of.

He smile faded somewhat as he focused his eyes on the rustling bushes that surrounded the gazebo, their flowers collecting the falling rain in the crevices of their petals. He could smell the water in the air, its refreshing scent. If only he could step out into it and cleanse himself, wash away the fur and the fangs. Drown the beast that lay in wait within him, veiled behind a thin wall of cracked glass.

He could feel it growing stronger within; his sessions with the Professor on controlling it had not been going well lately. He had even considered leaving the team for fear of becoming a possible danger to them.

"And it's keeping you OUT of the lab." Ah, the lab. He should be back there, working on his experiments. Maybe he could find a way to reverse what he had done. Bringing his hand up to rub at the bridge of his nose, he chuckled. "I figured I needed some vitamin D. And it seemed like a good excuse to catch up on my reading."

No, he couldn't trouble Terry with his problems. She had her own to deal with.

[Lee]

"I figured I needed some vitamin D. And it seemed like a good excuse to catch up on my reading."

"And reading is Jekyll and Hyde I see." she said, already trying to figure him out. Clearly, Hank had some of his own issues which needed to be worked out. Terry did not wish to impose and offer her services to him, people tend to not enjoy it when a psychiatrist said "Hey, lemme analyze you. It will be fun!" She also did not wish to possibly risk her friendship with Hank. From what she could tell, it seemed like Hank simply needed some kind of release, almost like he just needed to burst open and vent. Maybe even try something he wouldn't normally try.

"I think you need to go for a run in the rain." Terry said, an almost coy smile on her face with her eyebrows raised. "Come on, put your book down." she said, grabbing at his free hand and aiming to run out the gazebo into the brewing storm. If the sound of rain was soothing, the feeling of it running all over your body should be amazing, almost euphoric. At least, that's what Terry thought.

[vampyremelayah]

Hank laughed, setting his book on the bench of the gazebo and letting himself be pulled onto his feet. "I'm going to smell like wet dog after this." Well, that wasn't exactly true, but he would need to let himself dry off fully.

Even though they looked so dramatically different, Hank enjoyed being with Terry. She made him feel alive, made him feel like he could have a normal life, or at least a chance at love. At acceptance.

He gave a great leap, lugging her as easily a doll into his arms. With graceful bounds, he ran out into the rain, feeling it seep through his fur and run across his skin. The rain pelted his back, his face, caressing him with its icy fingers, splashing over his glasses. He didn't care. With Terry in his arms, he let out a great whoop, leaping in angles off of a tree trunk, or the base of a statue. He felt free, unrestrained. It was wonderful.

[Lee]

I'm going to smell like wet dog after this."

Terry laughed at his comment, covering her mouth with her hand trying not to be too loud. Her laugh was quickly cut off by a light scream as Hank held her in his arms, running into the rain, leaping from statues and trees. Terry clung to him tightly, her arms around his neck as she buried her face in his fur. Despite her earlier thoughts, his fur was quite soft, even while being soaked by the rain."Okay, okay, put me-AH!" her sentence cut off but a swing from a tree."Put me down..." she asked, still squeezing him tightly from her recent fright.

"When I said run through the rain, I wasn't expecting THAT." she said through her laughing. "For someone who spends all day in a lab, you sure are the outdoorsy type." she said, swiping her hair back, the rain slicking it back across her head, the rain glistening off her skin.

[vampyremelayah]

Chuckling between slight pants, Hank looked down at Terry. A lot of his hair had come loose from his ponytail and had plastered itself along his back.
"When I said run through the rain, I wasn't expecting THAT." she said through her laughing. "For someone who spends all day in a lab, you sure are the outdoorsy type."

Hank's smile broadened. "There's a lot about me you don't know. One of my favorite Danger Room programs is a giant forest." He figured he'd leave out the part about the large, mechanical men that chased him within. "Shall we go for another----err..." Hank had motioned to begin his merry chase again when suddenly his brow furrowed.

Almost as if from a horror movie, lightning flashed and Hank stumbled, half-setting, half-throwing Terry to the ground. His hands went up to his head, the rest of his hair coming loose, looking haggard and tendril like from the rain and wind.

With the clap of thunder, something roared within him. His hands trembled. Groaning, he waved Terry away, "Terry, you've got to go inside." He could feel the Beast writhing within him. He had let his mental block down and it had surged forward with such a ferocity as it had not possessed since his transformation.

He tried, unsteadily, to walk away from Terry, eyes squinted in pain and concentration. Hold it back.... I've got to hold it back. Shakespeare had worked before, and his mouth worked frantically at some of his most beloved quotes.

[Lee]

Terry was still laughing along with Hank while they continued to bounce around. Suddenly, Hank dropped Terry, sending her into a roll on the ground landing some 7 feet away from him. Terry turned her head quickly, her head flying around to slap and stick to her face from the rain. "Hank!" she yelled, getting up and walking closer to him cautiously. "Hank! What's wrong?!" she asked, trying to put her hand out towards him, but pulling it back quickly as he walked away, holding his head. "Terry, you've got to go inside."

By the looks of him, Terry was half-tempted to go and get the professor or even Logan if it got too out of hand but there might not be enough time. If she left to get someone, Hank might get hurt or hurt a student. She had to keep him outside and occupied with her presence. When she began to listen to him, he was mumbling Shakespeare, seemingly trying to calm himself down. If Terry was going to help, she had to get in his head and calm him down. There had to be someplace that was relaxing for him to think about. Then she recalled earlier, he said he grew up in Illinois and how he enjoyed it there.

Once she began her illusion and his mind accepted it as reality, his body would stop moving. Illinois was really the only lead Terry had on how to calm him down, so she tried it. "Hank. Hank, listen to me, it's Terry. Calm down. Remember Illinois, during the late spring." her voice spoke, calm and collected, having an almost whimsical sound to it. "During the cool afternoon, a breeze blowing in the tree forcing some leaves to fall on you. You're reading Shakespeares' "A Midsummer Night’s Dream".

In her attempt to overpower him, Terry was using her powers at maximum, using as little words as she could. She had never been to Illinois so she was generalizing, but Hanks mind would fill in the blanks. Once his body stopped moving, Terry entered her own illusion, forcing her image into Hanks mind while quoting the final lines from his book. "If we shadows have offended, think but this, and all is mended. That you have but slumbered here, while these visions did appear, and this weak and idle theme, no more yielding but a dream..."

[vampyremelayah]

Hank had fallen to his knees, the pain in his head growing. His hands trembled, his body shook - though whether it was from the cold of the rain, or from the effort it took to keep himself in check he wasn't sure. Terry's voice carried over his anguished gasps, ,sending him to another time and place..

"Hank. Hank, listen to me, it's Terry. Calm down. Remember Illinois, during the late spring." her voice spoke, calm and collected, having an almost whimsical sound to it. "During the cool afternoon, a breeze blowing in the tree forcing some leaves to fall on you. You're reading Shakespeares' "A Midsummer Night’s Dream".

He didn't feel wet anymore, he felt warm. He felt the leaves of the maple outside his house where he would often sit and read. Shakespeare, ah... the words "If we shadows have offended, think but this, and all is mended. That you have but slumbered here, while these visions did appear, and this weak and idle theme, no more yielding but a dream..."

The beast within him seemed to lose interest, or perhaps it was tricked into hiding again, as he felt calm, relaxed. Hank removed his hands from his tangled hair, and sat in the rain. He could still feel the impression of Terry's illusion on him, but the hazardous environment of the here-and-now began to express itself to Hank through chills and saturation.

Standing unsteadily, Hank found that he could't meet Terry's eyes. Now she knows... I don't want to see the fear in her eyes. "I... I'm sorry Terry," he whispered, turning and walking away, a mixture of embarassment and shame in his expression.

[Lee]

Terry watched as Hank seemed to calm down. Slowly she lifted her illusion, the rain beating down on them. She sighed from relief he seemed to be better. But then he got up, walking away from her. "I... I'm sorry Terry," "So am I..." she said, walking after him. "You didn't finish the quote Hank. You know there is more to it..." she said, getting infront of him and motioning for him to stop with her hands.

In reality, Terry was terrified and confused, more so the latter. She wasn't one hundred percent sure what happened, or even why, but she reacted as best she could to remedy the situation. Terry searched Hanks face with her eyes, trying to connect with his. He didn't seem to want to look at her, which confused Terry even more, so she waited infront of him, an encouraging smile on her face as she moved her soaked hair back.

[vampyremelayah]

Slowly, reluctantly, Hank looked at her. The uncertainty and apprehension in her expression stung him and he winced inwardly. At her beseechment, he sighed, glad for the amount of water that had soaked the light smattering of fur on his face and around his eyes.

"Gentles, do not reprehend:
If you pardon, we will mend:
And, as I am an honest Puck,
If we have unearned luck
Now to 'scape the serpent's tongue,
We will make amends ere long;
Else the Puck a liar call;
So, good night unto you all.
Give me your hands", here he held out his large, clawed hands,
"And Robin shall restore amends."

He didn't expect her to take his hands, but if she did, perhaps then he might be able to make his retreat. He needed to lock himself away in his lab, attempt making his serums again - his attacks were getting out of hand. Perhaps he could see the Professor... No, he thought, that didn't work the last time, it's not going to work now.

[Lee]

Terry took his hands when he held them outward, his hold keeping her hands warm. She offered a smile saying "You okay now? That was some headache." she said with a slight chuckle, the rain still pouring over them. She stood there, in the rain, just smiling, chuckling awkwardly every so often, holding his hands. Terry felt a warmth in her cheeks as they turned a rosy color, a blush overcoming her face. ~Let go of his hands~ she thought to herself, but her hands didn't move. ~C'mon, just let go.~ Still no response from her hands. ~Oh my gosh, you're blushing! Quick, let go! What if a student sees this?! Stop blushing! Has he noticed?~ she continued in her mind, wanting to let go, but for some reason she couldn't. She continued smiling and holding his hands. Finally, her voice decided to come back.

"I think maybe we sh-sh-sho-ACHOOO!" Terry quickly turned her head away so as not to sneeze on Hank, ripping her hands away to cover her mouth. "-should go inside...." she said, talking into her hands, sniffling before standing up. "Don't wanna get sick now, do we?"

[vampyremelayah]

Hank smiled weakly, giving her hands a squeeze before releasing them. He draped a furred arm about her shoulders, turning her and leading her towards the doors. "No, we don't want to get sick.... Thank you Terry, for what you did." He left the rest unspoken. And it would probably remain unspoken for a while. He needed time to gather his thoughts, to regroup. And that would take some isolation; plenty of time for him to run tests that way. And maybe it would give Terry a chance to forget what happened. Or at least, lessen her feelings of fear.

He looked at her out of the corner of his eye, wondering if he was imagining the color that stained her cheeks, or if it was real. Don't kid yourself, Henry McCoy, he responded harshly, who'd be infatuated with you? Especially after the scene you just caused. He sighed, running his free hand through his matted hair. He was right, of course. It was foolish and hopeless to wish. He was 30 years old; nothing had happened thus far in his life, nothing ever would. He was a freak, a monster. Life wasn't some Disney story where things became happy and good. His highschool years taught him that. The last time he had dared to hope for something like that he was pelted with eggs.

Even though he tried to stuff his feelings away, he still felt the pang of loneliness, the yearn for belonging. In some small measure, he allowed himself to hope that he could be someone Terry might want, might love. Even if he had an ice cube's chance in hell.

[Lee]

Terry sighed, putting her hand on Hanks arm which was currently over her shoulder. "Thank you Terry, for what you did."
"Think nothing of it." she replied with a smile, the rain still beating down upon them. "We just need to get inside and dried off." she said, mostly to herself but still at a level at which he could hear her. When they finally got inside, soaking wet, she smiled saying. "I guess if you're heading back to the lab, I'm heading to my office." She smiled, hugging Hank before leaving for the shower, a nice long, hot shower. After that, she'd be in her office, reading the entire file of a certain blue mutant whom was soaking wet at the moment.

[exit Terry]

[vampyremelayah]

"I guess if you're heading back to the lab, I'm heading to my office."

Hank nodded, suppressing the urge to shake himself dry. Now was not the time nor the place to be indulging in his more animalistic tendencies. He waved her off, turning to head down the hallway towards his own sanctum, when he realized that he had left his book outside on the gazebo. Sighing, Hank decided to forego retrieving his book, planning to either go back for it later once the rain had stopped or merely leave it for someone else to find.

Slowly, he shuffled down the hallway, leaving giant, wet footprints on the carpet as he went.