Iceman

Beast

Harry

Tanya Redfield
Sherry Redfield

{{"...if you're just joining us tonight, several mutant activist groups are angered over the possible organized public execution of a man suspected of being a mutant in the Middle Eastern country of Syria..."}}

Bobby Drake sat on his break towards the closing hours of Harry's Hideaway before the hanging 24" Television, a hand under his chin as he watched the events unfold.

At that moment, he was lost in thought; actual thought that he would hardly allow himself into during his early years as an X-Man. He's grown since then. Matured. But Bobby Drake will always be a kid at heart.

Being a member of the X-Men, Iceman's life had purpose. In a way, it was kind of a fun gig, too. His friends were with him. Friends who had been through so much with him. Though when leaving the X-Men, he was in search for a simpler life; And he found it. But is it the life he really wants?

Taking a look away from the television for a moment, Bobby's ice blue orbs trailed around Harry's Hideaway. Though it was late, there were still few people he had seen every day and become fond of about.

Except for the two closest to the counter; one in a Gibbon costume, and the other in a Grizzly costume. The latter's head sunk into his arm slung across the table.

Oh well... was Bobby's automatic thought. It's Sunday morning, all of the party animals are still left over from Saturday.

Turning his head back to the television, Bobby rested his chin back into his palm as he began to lose himself again in the events passing on around the small town of Salem Center. Events that he wasn't sure concerned him any longer...

Returning to the two former Legion of Losers, Grizzly and Gibbon, a tune heard only in the after hours of Harry's Hideaway had been playing on the radio across the counter. The duo had been lost in alcohol, and the soft beat of Three Doors Down's "Be Like That."

"Y'know..." Tilting his head up to give his partner, Gibbon, a soggy gaze, the Grizzly found himself able to mumble out a few words of thought. "We should've never tried to kidnap that little girl..."

"Good point," the Gibbon replied tiredly, taking another swig from his mug. "Wal-Mart's open 24 hours, while they'll be kickin' us outta this joint in another twenty minutes..."

Just above Bobby, scenes of Captain America speaking out on human/mutant relations flashed across his droopy pools of dream-life. Though he wasn't able to hear the words from the 24," the vision alone was enough.

If I could be like that... Dropping his head back into his forearm, the Grizzly allowed his tired eyes to retire for the moment; the soft echo of that phrase sinking into his mind.

"Wal-Mart had beds, too." Gibbon concluded, cocking his head to the side.

Tanya Redfield slipped out from the back room of her apartment; a white towel holding up her hair, and a yellow robe across her body. A smile came across her face as she looked to the blue, furred Beast laying on her couch, breathing in and out deeply as he held a paw across Sherry, her adopted daughter.

Finding the scene to be too cute to interrupt just yet, she stepped into the kitchen and poured herself a cup of coffee. Taking a sip, her eyes traveled over to a news paper left on the counter earlier in the day. She had seen the article on the front page; she had just not read it.

It seemed that the world was changing. Not just her own world, but everyone else's. Mutants were becoming a major scare in society. How was she supposed to feel knowing everything in her life, had been threatened by one, and then the feeling of security returned by another?

Her daughter's life was slowly being changed by Bobby Drake, and his best friend, Hank McCoy. But was it a change for the good?

She closed her eyes as she took another sip from her coffee mug, contemplating what she was to allow in her life at that moment...

*HNN-KH!*

Hank McCoy had snorted loudly, forcing Tanya out of her train of thought with a chuckle. Remaining at the counter for a moment, she set down her mug of coffee and walked out from the kitchen, shutting off the lights on her way out.

Stepping into the living room, Tanya made her way to the couch where a new friend, and her daughter had been sleeping. Taking a blanket from the ground, she laid it across the two and kissed her daughter across the forehead. Grinning, she dug her hand into Hank McCoy's rugged blue hair, and walked to the hallway.

Turning back around from the edge of the hallway, Tanya gave the two one last look before she shut off the lights, and disappeared into the hallway.

Stepping up to the bar, Bobby leaned his forearms against its edge. Behind the counter was the man named Harry; owner of the establishment, and new friend to Bobby Drake. Looking up from his game of solitaire, Harry smiled.

"Heya, Bobb-o." He greeted with open ears, flipping a card and looking over his new options. "Somethin' bugging you?"

"Guess you could say that." Bobby cocked his head to the side, returning the warm smile. "I kind of uh, made this commitment awhile back. Haven't been keeping it so far, mainly so I could try and have a better life."

Harry nodded, still looking to his game as if he could possibly understand. Bobby wondered if Harry could ever possibly understand, if even half of the people who walked into Harry's Hideaway would understand?

As Bobby searched Harry's thoughtful face, he knew... Knew that somehow, Harry did understand.

"I made a commitment one time." Harry started, flipping over another card. "Two of 'em at once, actually."

"Really?" Bobby inquired, looking to Harry. "What kind of commitments?"

"To my wife, and to..." A gesture was given, a long with a satisfied look about the establishment. "This."

"Oh... so how'd you juggle both?"

"I didn't." Harry had returned to his card game, his facial expression barely moved.

Bobby's eyes traveled off to the side a bit, as silence began to fade into the space between them. Through the background, the television set and the radio had both sung out to Bobby Drake, and the Partners in Loserhood, Grizzly and Gibbon.

Later that night.

A single, dark eyelid lifted on Hank McCoy, the Beast's, face. Through the darkness, he saw Sherry's figure shifting through the blinds of the front room's window. Sitting up slowly, he watched her look through the night.

"Sherry...?" the Beast called out gently. "Something wrong, sweetie?"

"I think something is out there..." the young girl replied bluntly, turning to Hank.

Springing quietly to his feet from the couch, Hank made his way across the living room to the windows. Sherry watched him move on all fours, as if it was the most casual movement in the world.

Hank moved aside a blind, and took a thorough look out the window to reassure Sherry. Though it was probably just a child's imagination, Hank McCoy has seen a lot in his life time as the Beast.

"Nope," Hank concluded, looking down to Sherry with a smile. "No goblins, phantoms, witches, or bed bugs."

Sherry glanced down for a moment, then back up to Hank... coming to trust his judgment. Moving past him, she rubbed her face tiredly and headed to pick up her blanket. Turning back to him, she spoke.

"Okay, but I'm going to go sleep with my Mom anyway," she gently put the blanket over her shoulders. "Don't you have to go home, Hank?"

Hank had taken another look out the window. At that moment, he remembered the Danger Room training session set for the morning to come. Turning back to Sherry, and moving towards her he smiled through the darkness.

"I do shed a lot in the mornings, and I suppose your Mom wouldn't appreciate my blue fur all over her couch..." Sherry was too tired to laugh at the comment, but she herself did take appreciation in him trying to make her laugh.

"All right, thanks for taking me shopping for my Mom's birthday present," she rubbed her face again and turned to walk down the hallway. "Night, Hank."

"Sweet dreams, Sherry."

Tanya lifted her head up partially from her pillow as the door creaked open. Sherry tiredly walked into the room, then climbed up into her mom's bed. Letting her head back down onto the pillow, Tanya moaned tiredly to herself.

"Hey, honey... did you fall off Hank?" Tanya said quietly as Sherry climbed up next to her and closed her eyes.

"No, I had a bad dream," Sherry replied just as quietly. "There was this big gorilla..."

"Was it throwing a temper-tantrum in New York?" Tanya said sarcastically, setting an arm around her daughter.

"Mom, you're silly..."

Hank walked across the parking lot, instinctively trying to pass his composure off as human. Lifting a hand from his trench coat pocket, he lifted out his car keys and looked up to the white, Lincoln Navigator a few yards from him.

As the car's alarm sounded once, he rubbed his eyes once with the sleeve of his coat. Before him, laying on the hood in a deep sleep, was a large South African Gorilla. On the ground around the car was a litter of banana peals.

Stars and darkness having blurred his vision slightly, Hank McCoy was skeptical as to what he was actually seeing. Rubbing his eyes tiredly once more, Hank looked up to the vehicle -- stars faded through the darkness as he moved his hand away from his eyes. The Gorilla and banana peals were gone.

Now wide awake, Hank turned his head to Tanya and Sherry's apartment.

Harry's Hideaway -- Closing Time.

With the Grizzly's arm over his shoulder for support, Gibbon made his way across Harry's Hideaway to the door with his partner.

Candy watched the two as she rubbed down the bar counter with a wash rag.

"Take care you guys," Candy called out. "Drive safely!"

Gibbon nodded fairly.

"That looks like everyone," Bobby walked out from the bathrooms, looking over to Harry.

Nodding, Harry stood there near the counter as Candy joined him.

"And the counter's all spiffed up, boss."

"Heh, thanks you guys. You guys can go ahead and go home now, I'll close it up."

"Sure, Har?" Bobby grinned, realizing he had just created a pun by accident.

"Get out of here before I forget how nice I am about your paycheck," Harry laughed, as he grabbed and tossed the wash rag on Candy's shoulder into Bobby's face.

"Hey-ey, the magic words. You win, I'm gone," Bobby caught the wash rag as it dropped from his face, and set it on the counter.

"We'll see ya tomorrow, Harry," Candy smiled sweetly, kissing Harry on the bald spot of his head. "Don't stay up too late -- hair cells regenerate as you sleep!"

As the two left the tavern, Harry set himself down on a bar stool and let his hands rest on his knees. He was now alone in the business he had built.

"...hmph..."

Taking a look around, he let out a bit of a sigh. It was times when he stayed up late like this to close Harry's Hideaway, that he would remember her....

"See! This is why none of your stupid plans work..." Gibbon barked, looking around as if he was embarrassed of his partner.

"Because I get so drunk under depression that I can't walk under my own power?" The Grizzly groaned as he sat up from the dirt parking lot of Harry's Hideaway.

Bobby took a slight interest into the two, as he finished his good-byes with Candy. Shoving his hands into his loose jean pockets, he made his way towards the two from behind the only remaining car in the dirt parking lot.

"You two need a little help?" He offered, a slightly amused smile on his face.

Gibbon kicked Grizzly in the side lightly, shaking his head.

"Nah, my buddy here's just a little stoopid..."

"Am not."

*UNGH!*

Another quick shot was sent to the Grizzly's side from the Gibbon.

"Ouch," Bobby winced, scratching the back of his head. "Little harsh, aren't we?"

"ugh...now that you mention it...." Grizzly grunted, wincing himself as the Gibbon prepared for another shot to his side. Bobby however stepped in, setting his hand to Gibbon's chest.

"C'mon pal, let's lay off the ribs a little bit."

"Okay," Gibbon shrugged, stomping down onto the Grizzly's thigh.

Grizzly let out a howl as Bobby flinched again, giving the Gibbon gesture to move back away from his partner. Complying without judgment, the Gibbon looked away with malcontent.

"You two are obviously friends, so I got two questions," Bobby gave a stern look back from the Gibbon to the Grizzly, a crease folding his brow. "One, what's with the outfits? And two, why are you kickin' the crap out of your drunk buddy?"

"We're super heroes."

"He's a moron with stupid ideas."

Bobby didn't dare to flinch as he contemplated what they had just said, standing there with his arms held outward to keep the two from reaching each other. He was always open minded enough... but alcohol did cause people to do and say weird things.

"Oh," he finally concluded with hesitation.

The Gibbon looked to Bobby cocked eyed as his arms lowered slowly. Bobby's eyes trailed to meet Gibbon's glare with question.

Slowly, the Grizzly rose himself behind Bobby up to his feet, a hand clenching his chest.

"You don't believe we're super heroes, do ya?"

"Nah, of course I do." Bobby said easily, standing up straight. "Just between us, I'm one too."

"Your scrawny self?" The Gibbon challenged with a snort. "Now you're just makin' fun of us."

"Seriously man," Bobby swayed his head with a grin. "You wanna see?"

The Grizzly lowered his hand from his ribs as he stepped by Gibbon, who held a skeptical look on his face. He was just waiting for Bobby to try and make fun of them, so he could take out his frustrations on the guy. Grizzly however, was more open minded.

Still bearing a grin across his face, Bobby extended his hand away from his side as with a stiffened arm. The harshly lit dirt parking lot had been deserted at this hour, aside from Harry's truck near the entrance. An ice blue glow emitted from Bobby's finger tips, growing brighter as it crept up his hand.

Grizzly eyes began to grow as Gibbon's skeptical stance faded. Bobby looked from his hand, and then back to the two with the same grin never leaving his face.

"Pretty cool, huh?" Bobby hunched his eyebrows to the two.

NEXT ISSUE: Iceman joins the Grizzly and the Gibbon for a trip into Brooklyn, New York! But wait -- Bobby Drake was a former X-Man. What does he know about being a super-hero in The Big Apple?