Chapter 6

“Are you sure this was such a good idea, Davey?” Angel asked.

David ignored the misuse of his name and said, “Of course I’m sure, Angie. Coming here was the best thing we could’ve done.”

Angel only looked around, investigating their new surroundings. “I don’t know, Davey. It seems kind of...strange.”

He only waved her concern aside and sat down on the couch. “You worry too much, Angie. Just relax, and before you know it, this place will seem like home.”

“So, are you two settled in yet?” a friendly voice asked.

“Slowly but surely, Mom. Angie’s a little scared, though,” David replied.

Jean Grey-Summers had sensed Angel’s anxiety a mile away. “Angel, how would you like the grand tour?”

Angel just shook her head and said, “No thanks, Mrs. Summers. I’d rather just go to my room now. Excuse me.” Jean and David could only watch as she walked out of the room.

“Not exactly outgoing, is she?” Jean asked.

David shrugged. “She’s like that around people she doesn’t know well. Angie just needs some time to herself. In many ways, she’s a lot like Nate.”

Jean nodded. “Well, at least I’ve got one of my sons here with me,” she said, hugging him.

“Hey, Nate’s the momma’s boy, not me!”

“Someone mention my name?” a voice asked as a bright flash of light filled the room. “Or were you talking about Cable?”

“Tone the light show down a bit, brother,” David said, covering his eyes.

“Sorry, David. Subtlety has never been a strong point of mine,” Nate said.

Jean stared at their visitor and could hardly believe her eyes. “Nathan, is that really you?”

“It’s me, Mom. Don’t you recognize me?”

“Barely, Nathan. You’ve grown since I’ve last seen you.”

He could only laugh. “Mom, it’s been two weeks. How much could you possibly miss me?”

“This much,” Jean said, wrapping up him in a big hug.

“I missed you, too, Mom.”

“Good to have you back, Nate,” David said.

“Good to be back, David. Hey, where’s Angel?”

“She went to her room. But I think it’s Rose you should be concerned about,” David answered with a grin.

Nate rolled his eyes and asked, “Where is she?”

“The last time I saw her, she was talking to Betsy,” Jean replied.

“D’oh!” Nate said, smacking his forehead. “If those two are exchanging stories about me, I’m doomed. I’ll see you later!” He turned and flew down the hall.

“Wait a minute. He actually told you that?” Rose asked.

Betsy grinned. “Not only that, but he also told me about the first time you kissed him.”

Rose looked at her for a few moments before finally stating, “I was only six years old. But he shouldn’t have told you. I’ll kill him.”

Betsy laughed and said, “Come on, Rose, it’s not so bad. I kept nagging him about it until he told me. Besides, it’s not like you made him promise not to tell.”

“You’re right, I guess,” Rose replied softly. “Every time I look into his eyes, I’m like putty in his hands.”

Betsy sighed and said, “I know what you mean.”

Rose’s head instantly snapped up. “You do?”

Betsy brushed a long strand of hair away from her face and replied, “Nate probably didn’t tell you this, but when he first met me, he had a huge crush on me. He never said anything, but I could always catch a loose thought or two from him. I figured it would never amount to anything, seeing as how he’s seven years younger than me.

“Anyway, one day when I was sitting in this very room, Nate asked me out on a date. My first instinct was to say no, but when I looked into his eyes, my mouth said otherwise.” Betsy shook her head. “I don’t know how he did it, but Nate swore to me he didn’t use his powers to change my mind.”

“So what happened?” Rose asked, leaning forward a little.

“We talked, we danced, we kissed; the usual,” Nate said from the doorway. Rose’s eyes grew as big as dinner plates. Nate smiled. “Calm down, Rose. This was long before you came back from South America.”

“Why didn’t you tell me?” she asked, staring at him.

“Because you didn’t ask, and because I didn’t think you cared about my former girlfriends.”

“Slow down there, Nate the Great. I was not your girlfriend,” Betsy said.

Nate chuckled. “You went out with me six times, you kissed me all six times, and you said you’d kill me if I dumped you. Face it, Betsy, you were my girlfriend, if only for a few dates.”

“Did it ever occur to you that it took me six dates to finally let you go without hurting you too much?” Betsy asked.

Nate nodded. “It occurred to me, and so did the fact that you enjoyed every last one of those dates.”

“Well, you were very romantic at the time,” she said, “so what choice did I have?”

“Were? I still am. But it’s hard to prove that to you, now that I have a girlfriend,” Nate said with a grin.

Rose arched an eyebrow. “Keep hiding things like this from me, and you won’t have one much longer.”

Nate pretended to gasp. “You mean you’d leave me just because I kept a few secrets from you?”

“That would depend on what kind of secrets they were, but if I really felt you should have told me, then yes, I would.”

Nate shook his head. “You could try to leave me, but you wouldn’t.”

“What makes you so sure of that?” Rose asked.

“Because,” he said, pulling her up from the floor and wrapping his arms around her, “I’d never let you go. I love you too much to ever lose you.” Rose smiled and laid her head on his shoulder.

“As good as it is to see you two together again, would you mind taking this display of affection elsewhere?” Betsy asked. “It’s reminding me too much of my own failed attempts at love.”

“Okay, Betsy, we’re going,” Nate assured her. When he turned and walked out the door, he could hear her voice in his head.

“I’m glad you’re back, Nate. I missed you.”

Nate smiled as he slipped his arm around Rose. “I missed you, too, Betsy. We’ll talk later.”