[Voice]

[zapswithmagic]

[Billy's taken some time to get his bearings again here. When he was here the last time, he was sent home and time had passed, he'd come back to only find a few days had passed. Coming back now and finding that it's been nine months is a bit of a shock. He's used a few locating spells to try and find his friends but so far nothing's come up. Tommy, Kate, Teddy, even Erik, it seems, are all gone. Not very surprising considering how long it's been but still, after everything that happened with Doom, he feels more lonely now than ever. He's praying that maybe something is going on and he just can't pick up on them, that they're still around.]

... Hey. Uhm. This is Billy Kaplan. I was here for about half a year until August. Looks like I was gone for awhile. A really long while. Just... wondering if there's anyone still around who remembers me. Or if there's anyone who knows about the Avengers or Young Avengers. If you could talk to me, that'd be great.

There was also someone here named Michael Xavier when I was around. He's... important to me and it looks like he's not in the city anymore. If someone could tell me what happened to him, I'd really appreciate it. Thanks.

Comments

[Voice]

[thelittlestbub]

Billy? Dude... BILLY!

You know where the house is, right? You know how to get here? You totally need to get here. There's alterna world versions of Cap and Ton Stark here, dude. And Loki. You want me to come get you?

And I'll explain about Michael.

[zapswithmagic]

Hey. [He smiles to himself at the familiar voice.]

Is it in the same place?

... How different are they from the ones from we know? ... Loki is a bad thing, right?

Did something happen?

[thelittlestbub]

Totally in the same place, but I kinda gave your old condo to the Avengers that have shown up. You can meet them when you get here.

And Loki's under control... eh mostly. He keeps the pranks out of the house, except for Deadpool's apartment. So, it's all good.

I'd rather not talk over the network, but... He died, Billy. Going after SERO. I can give you all the details when you get here.

[zapswithmagic]

That's okay, I wasn't using it.

... What happened to the other guys? Tommy and Kate and Teddy...?

He lives there? And - [Oh god, no, don't tell him Deadpool is still around, he made dirty cracks about Teddy and his relationship and Billy totally remembers that now.]

... Oh.

[thelittlestbub]

Yes, Loki lives with us. Because, really, where else would people put up with his shenanigans. Just... Come home and I'll tell you everything, okay? I promise.

[zapswithmagic]

Okay. Give me a bit.

[thelittlestbub]

Milkshakes will be waiting.

[zapswithmagic]

[And so Billy pops back over to the HoA, smiling as he remembers all the memories, good and bad, he's had while living here. He's glad to see it still standing. A pang runs through him at he remembers again that Teddy might not be there waiting for him like the first time, and then another pang of guilt this time because he just left Teddy again, even though he didn't have any control over it.]

[thelittlestbub]

[Triple thick, chocolate milkshakes with whipped cream, chocolate sprinkles and the requisite cherry on top. Good enough to make your pancreas cry wolf.]

Welcome home, Billy.

[HUGS FOR YOU. She missed you.]

[zapswithmagic]

Hi. [He smiles and hugs her back. It feels good to get a hug.] Had a run in with the X-Men back home. Wolverine's the same as ever.

[thelittlestbub]

Yeah? Figures. He never changes.

[Waves him to follow her and grabs her milkshake.]

C'mon. You want your own apartment, or you wanna stay at your grandfather's place?

[zapswithmagic]

Is all my stuff gone?

[thelittlestbub]

Nah, down in storage. I can get some folks to help you move it in wherever you want. Just tell me where and it's all yours.

[zapswithmagic]

Then it doesn't really matter where you put me.

[thelittlestbub]

Then we'll go up to his. He's not here, but... he won't mind. You're one of the grandbabies.

[Leads him in and sips her milkshake.]

Okay, start asking what you need to know, and I'll try to explain the best I can.

[zapswithmagic]

What happened to Tommy, Kate, and Teddy? Are they really gone? If they are, how long where they around before they went back home? Were they okay? And where's Zayde? Is he really dead? [The name just kind of slips out. It's been so long since he's said it when speaking about Erik. He feels a little guilty because he didn't remember how close they used to be and now that he's back, he can't believe he could ever have forgotten.]

[thelittlestbub]

Teddy stuck around another couple of months and then... [She shakes her head.]

None of them died. They just disappeared. The way it is around here sometimes.

[She collapses on the couch and curls up.]

No. He's not dead but the island has to think he is. If it gets out that he isn't, he could be in some real trouble. Not from people, but from SERO.

[zapswithmagic]

[A couple of months. That puts a knot in his throat. Is this what karma feels like?] I wish I could tell him I'm sorry... [He gives a little smile.] He'd just proposed back home.

[Oh that fills him with so much relief. No more people dying, he can't deal with it right now.] Why is he in hiding? What'd he do?

[thelittlestbub]

Proposed?! [Jubilee grins. She likes when people get to be happy.]

Congratulations.

That's so awesome. He shows up here, we're totally throwing you guys a wedding.

[A sip.]

He broke into SERO, looking into something. Things went wrong. We're waiting to see what SERO does before he reemerges.

He's staying with... well, Archangels.

[zapswithmagic]

[He kind of flails a little at the wedding thing, making a time out signal with his hands.] Whoa whoa whoa, I mean, yeah we're gonna get married, but it's more like in a few years after we've graduated from high school. We're like 17. Well. Almost, in my case. And I'd want to talk about it with him first. [Awkward engagement jitters are totally showing right now. Let's just change the subject.]

Do you know what he was looking for...? [Archangels. Well, he's seen people with wings before back home, it's not that weird.]

[thelittlestbub]

[You're so adorable, Billy.

She just grins and sips her milkshake.]

They were growing something. Something beyond normal human experimentation. Another kid from our world found them and then your grandfather went in to see what was going on and they got jumped.

[zapswithmagic]

What was it? Who's the kid?

[thelittlestbub]

[Jubilee shakes her head. That's above her paygrade.]

I don't know. I haven't heard yet.

He was a student back before I left the school. Not sure who he is, but he's laying low with the angels too.

[zapswithmagic]

... Can I go see him?

[thelittlestbub]

[A pause.]

I can ask? No guarantees. But, Michael or Lucifer might bring him here.