Series: Heroes and Circumstances.
Title: Bobby's world.
Author: Erika
Pairing: Green Lantern/Iceman.
Rating: Slash m/m
Disc: yadda, yadda, yadda ... I do not own them.
Time line: For the sake of this story, because it would not work otherwise, we ... the reader and writer, are going to happily assume that a Marvel/DC crossover has yet to take place.
Feedback: funhapjoy@yahoo.com
Beta reader: Mofalle, who is knee-deep in her new obsession Gundam Wing. And jam-wired who kindly answered my plea.
http://www.crosswinds.net/~carlajane/EEpart00.html
http://www.egroups.com/group/EvilChild

Bobby's World
by Erika

Have you ever had the feeling your nightmare has become your reality? One of my biggest fears is waking up to find myself the only X-man in a world that had never heard the word mutant.

I went to the bank to pay some bills and take out some money. The gang and I had planned on a quick side trip lasting at least three days. I'd even convinced Hank to leave the dungeon and come with us. We were going to have fun, a word rarely associated with the X-men. Scott, Jean, Jubilee, Logan and even Remy, we were all going to act like a big happy family and do the tourist thing. Grand Canyon, here we come...

In the blink of an eye all that changed, and I lost everything. At first I didn't really notice. I mean, here I was leaving the bank when I heard the sound of thunder. I looked up, and instead of seeing a cloudy sky, it was a clear day. Walking less than a block away from the bank, that was when I noticed the sudden changes flickering back and forth between my reality and this world. One moment there was a car in front of me, the next a bike. When the flickering between the different realities stopped, I found myself trapped in this unknown world.

At first I thought, Maybe I need glasses. Soon followed by, I should've eaten more carrots. Then as I bumped into the hydrant that had a moment before been across the street, the first thing to come to mind was: I'm dying! After recovering from the pain, I rushed to the phone to tell Beast about my condition, hoping that my suspected brain tumor that was clouding my vision and creating hallucinations could be cured quickly. After all, I still hadn't seen the Grand Canyon. I had too much to live for.

But there was no Beast. No X-men. No mutants. Nothing. All that existed was a normality that I found eerie.

At least I had four hundred bucks with me. From what I was able to tell, the currency hadn't changed even if the politics had. I kept thinking: Who is this Clinton fella? And how come there aren't any anti-mutant demonstrators or Sentinels? Where is Apocalypse when you need him? I mean somebody had to be the bogeyman, and I prefer one I knew to a baddy I didn't know. Mind you this Lex Luther guy running for President seemed to fit the bill.

Four days of wandering about, keeping out of sight, trying to learn about my new world, fearing I would never get back home had changed the fun-loving Bobby Drake. Hank would be so proud I had grown up. Scott would be pleased his lectures had sunk in. Hell, Bishop and Logan would've probably patted me on the head, surprised I still had one. No, on second thought they would have growled and probably smacked my back, making me trip. Yeah, I can see it now, "Bobby Drake, the untapped potential slacker has developed instincts."

Bobby sighed deeply, trying to ignore the pessimism seeping through his emotional armor. He had been talking to himself for the past day, trying to get some reassurance to the changes he saw around him. It had gotten to the point where he had even tried the "Dorothy-thing". He had clicked his heels together, closed his eyes and chanted "There's no place like home." Upon opening them, he had discovered nothing had changed. Glancing down in disappointment, he had realized, How could things change? After all, I am only a guy wearing running shoes.

He ran his hand through his darkish-blond hair, casting a weary glance about him. Maybe everything had been a dream, he soberly thought. Maybe what he thought had been his reality was the dream and not the other way around. Since he'd been here, he had not changed into Iceman for fear of testing out that theory and finding out the truth -- the X-men were a figment of his active imagination.

He always knew reading all those comic books would one day get him into trouble. Here was the proof. He was so absorbed in his own misery that the sound of fighting did not register into his consciousness. It was only when he saw a green streak of light on the clear blue day that he turned towards the direction of the sound and ran towards danger. Without any second thoughts, he turned into Iceman, freezing his regular clothes off and revealing his costume underneath.

He iced his way to the commotion, and it took him only a glance to decipher the situation. He quickly created a wall of ice, protecting the pedestrians who were trying to look for cover. He then went into battle, nary a thought to the danger he was entering into. As he hit two gunmen with ice pellets, he noticed the spandex-clad man above him. So that's where the green streak was coming from, he thought as he continued to battle the gunmen.

The special protective gear the gunmen wore made it difficult for Bobby to attack as effectively as he could have. He went forward, disregarding the danger, even saving the masked hero when in mid flight the man began falling to the ground. Bobby quickly rushed to his side, grabbing him before he hit the pavement. He covered the man, using his own body to shield the injured hero from enemy fire, allowing him time to recuperate from the fall. It was on that moment that he was hit, the blast working throughout his body as he shape shifted between his ice and water form, remembering too late that there was somebody standing unprotected behind him.

He stopped the bullet passing through his body just in time, but the energy he had spent stopping it drained him, combined with the stress of the past few days and lack of food, it was no wonder he fainted. As Bobby lost consciousness and his body shape-shifted to his human form, his last thoughts were, Who was that masked man?

At lunchtime, Oracle had called Kyle about a robbery taking place several blocks away. He arrived to find himself outnumbered and fighting gunmen wielding meta-human weapons. He called Oracle for backup and waited, initially spending most of his time trying to protect the civilians caught in the crossfire. Just as he was trying to make sure the gunmen did not escape, he noticed an ice wall had appeared suddenly out of nowhere, protecting a group of people hiding behind it. That was when Kyle noticed the ice-clad figure fighting the men, hitting them with rays of ice.

They both battled the men together, forming immediately a cohesive group. He thanked his lucky stars that working and training with the JLA members had helped him be better prepared with having someone fight by his side. It was in one of those moments while in flight that he lost his concentration and began falling to the ground. Midway the ice figure caught him, shoved him out of the way and stepped in front of him, protecting Kyle from the attack. As the man in front of him continued to fight the gunmen, Kyle recuperated from the dizziness of falling and being caught. Just as he was ready to again take flight, the man in front of him was hit, and Kyle saw something he had never seen before. The stranger in front of him shifted from ice to water to ice, trying to stop the bullet from passing through him and hitting Kyle.

This only took a few seconds, but for Kyle it was like watching a slow-moving picture. The man fainted from the excursion, changing back to his human form. He had tried to save Kyle's life. When the shot was fired, the stranger had probably forgotten there was someone behind him and shifted into a water form. When he'd remembered, he had iced-up once again -- changing back and forth -- stopping the bullet from hitting Kyle.

Kyle looked at the young man who lay at his feet. He was partly nude. The only thing covering the man was the black spandex he wore and its matching belt. The man looked badly injured. Kyle reached down toward the stranger and with the use of his power ring, created a blanket to cover the body. His hand brushed the man's forehead, pushing aside the few strands of darkish-blond hair. There was a vulnerability on the stranger's face that touched Kyle's very core. The cries of help brought Kyle back to his situation. He pushed aside his question to the stranger's identity as he got up to shot green rays at the gunmen.

It was then that he saw a flash of red and knew his teammate had arrived. Quickly they took everyone down, Kyle using his ring to create a holding cell for the unarmed captives.

When things had slightly settled, Kyle returned to the stranger who had helped him in battle. He kneeled down beside him and conjured up an image of a floating stretcher. He could feel as the emerald ring was powered and the stretcher he had conjured up in his mind was solidified in front of him.

With that accomplished he turned to his teammate.

"What took you so long?" Kyle ranted to Wally, a.k.a. the Flash.

"Wow. Hold it a sec. I was on my way here when I noticed a train derailment. I had to stop and help. I got here as soon as I could, Kyle." Wally informed him, looking at the body lying on the green stretcher. "Who's your friend?" Wally asked, titling his head, indicating the man in the stretcher.

"I don't know. I turned around, and there he was helping people. He's injured." Kyle told him with concern. He had checked the stranger. The ring had detected no internal injuries but a possible concussion. "We need to get him to JLA headquarters."

"Yeah ... take him to see J'onn. I'll contact the others and wait for the cops to pick them up," Wally said, referring to the JLA members and then pointing to the captives.

"Thanks." Kyle left quickly, worried about his patient and hoping J'onn would tell him more about this stranger.

Oh, god. His body hurt and Bobby felt like he'd been shot. Oh, right, he had been. He opened his eyes and then closed them immediately. Note to self: cover your eyes first and then open them slowly. He opened his eyes again, allowing them time to adjust to the blinding light.

"Hank?" Bobby called out, hoping to hear his friend respond. "Hank?" He called again more desperately.

"Are you alright?" Bobby turned towards the voice. He found himself looking at a young woman with long raven-black hair. She could rival Jean and Ororo in the beauty department. Beautiful, he thought, and he saw her blush slightly. He realized he must have said that aloud. "Sorry," he told her, embarrassed at his faux pas.

"How are you feeling?" She asked him one more time.

"Stiff." Bobby told her and then blushed when he realized what he said. Oh, god, if I continue with this she is going to believe me to be a pervert. Just my luck, I meet an Angel, and in less than ten seconds I am going to have her running in the opposite direction.

He heard her chuckle and again glanced at her, noting that she too was wearing a costume. A nice looking bathing suit. Really nice. He heard her cough, and again he blushed. "Sorry," he closed his eyes. I so want to die. Hold that thought, he told himself, opening his eyes again and glancing about. "Where am I? And who are you?"

"Do you remember what happened this afternoon?" she asked him gently.

"Yeah, I saw a masked guy shooting green rays. Why?" He asked her suspiciously.

"You saved him."

"Actually, I was looking to save the bystanders. He was just icing on the cake. Friend of yours?" he asked her knowingly. Two could play this game.

"Do you have a name?" she asked him, ignoring his question.

"Pretty-boy. Yours?" Remy would be proud, he thought. Thinking of the X-men, he realized how great was his lose. He had no friends. Not in this world.

The woman reached out to him. "My name is Diana."

"Bobby. Bobby Drake." He told her, welcoming the embrace. He missed this. He missed his friends. Hank who would share Twinkies with him; Scott who would lecture him for freezing his coffee; Logan who would growl at him; Warren who was like an older brother to him; and Jean. Especially Jean, who was like a mother-sister-friend all rolled into one. He hadn't known how important they were to his life until he'd lost them all.

"I know." Diana told him, and that was when he realized he'd been crying silently. Had Bobby been more aware of his surroundings, he would have questioned how she knew.

He pushed her away, got out of the bed and iced up. "Where am I? And who are you really?" He again asked, looking about him. Bobby tried to calm his racing heart. Four days of wandering about the city, telling himself he was a loon, that he was delusional, only to discover the truth. He was Bobby Drake, a.k.a. Iceman. If he had to blast his way out of here he would. No more Mr. Nice Guy.

"Kal-El, I think its time," the woman in front of him said. The large door opened to reveal more spandex-clad individuals. "It's alright, Bobby. These are my friends."

He nodded at them, keeping his defensive posture. One of them stepped forward and introduce himself.

"I'm Superman." Bobby looked at him, raising his eyebrow as though to say Really.

Someone coughed and then the next person stepped forward. "Batman." Those eyes glared at him, promising pain and dire retribution. Bobby had never been happy to be at the receiving end of those types of glares directed to him by Wolverine, Cable or Bishop, but they had given him something important ... immunity. Intimidation be damned. If he could survive his friends during their pissing contest and peacocking, he could survive anything. The others stepped forward to introduced themselves.

"Martin Manhunter."

"Flash."

"Aquaman."

"Oh, let me guess." Bobby interrupted them, looking at the red clad man stretched in all directions. "Elasticman?"

"No. Plastic Man."

"Close enough," Bobby murmured thinking he had landed in OZ. He turned to the woman in front of him and asked, "Princess?"

"Wonder Woman." she corrected him.

"My second guess." Bobby told them. It gets worse and worse, he thought.

"And I'm Green Lantern. I was the one who brought you here."

Oh, yeah. He had landed in Oz. He wondered when he woke up from this dream if he would wake up screaming.

"This isn't a dream." The Martin man informed him.

Bobby stiffened up. Telepath.

"Yes. It's going to be alright," they tried to reassure him.

"You have been reading my mind?" Bobby asked, angry at himself for letting his guard down. No wonder the woman had guessed his feelings. She had been reading his mind all along.

"We..."

"That's not polite. Not polite at all." Bobby shut down his emotions and used the techniques Jean had taught him to mask his thoughts. He sighed deeply, calming his spirit. He smiled shyly at them, stepped forward as if to shake their hands but instead he created an ice wall, quickly separating the woman from them and taking her with him.

Over the years, one thing he had learned from Jean's constant abductions, aside from the need to put a tracer on her, was if one kidnapped the female member, the male members fell apart. Maybe it was a macho thing, but past experience taught him it would work. Instinctively, he knew he would need this small time when the team was disoriented to make his escape. It would have worked if it weren't for the fact that the woman threw him across the room. Damn. Just his luck he'd kidnapped She-Hulk.

Feeling the wall behind him, he slowly got up. Bobby looked around for exit areas and seeing none, he lowered the temperature of the room, encasing the floor in ice. They would fight on his terms. The one named Batman threw a wing-shaped object at him which he quickly froze in mid-flight. Bobby raised the temperature slightly when he noticed a muscle bound hero use some kind of heat vision to break the ice apart. Soon the area was encased in heavy fog, leaving them all blind. Bobby used his awareness to their body heat to detect their position and tried to attack each one of them separately.

He threw everything he had at them, knowing he was losing this battle. They were too many. Moving too fast. Too strong. It was during this fight that one of them fell upon the computer console. The ice that hit the console short-circuited it, resulting in a small fire that quickly engulf the individual.

Bobby heard the Martin's agonizing scream, and he quickly put the fire engulfing the man out with ice that on impact changed into water. Just as quickly, he was tackled from behind.

"You saved him?" Plastic Man asked him as he held him to the ground. Eel had wrapped his arms around Bobby, keeping him in place while the other Leaguers checked on J'onn.

"He was in pain..." Bobby told them quietly, trying to ignore the part of him that screamed, You're an idiot! When would he learn? First save thyself, then save the enemy. Logan's Lesson 101 in the art of survival, and he had failed it. If there hadn't been any witnesses, he would have smacked himself.

"We are not here to hurt you." Superman reassured him as he stood above him.

"Then let me go." They released him, and he stood up, rubbing his wrists. They trusted me? he thought warily. Looking about him, Bobby realized he was out-powered. Again it was the young woman who approached him, offering whatever comfort she could, and this time Bobby did not underestimate her ability to take him down. He saw her teammates move slightly as though to protect her from another kidnapping scene, but Bobby knew he would not try that trick again.

He was tired. Tired of the confusion and loneliness. Tired of not knowing what was going on. He could feel just at the back of his mind a slight push. A telepathic link was being established between him and the Martin. The emotions he felt coming from the Martin were not intrusive. Instead he was being reassured that everything would be alright. Okay, he might have miscalculated. He looked at them warily, not knowing what to do but hoping maybe ... just maybe they'd help him get back home.

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