YOU CAN RUN . . .

BUT YOU CAN'T HIDE

(Disclaimer: All Evolution characters are the property of Marvel/Kids WB. I do, however, own Stephanie. And her screwed-up family.)

(Warning: Contains some sexual themes and scenes.)

Not many students at Bayville High knew about the mattress in the janitor's closet. Pietro Maximoff had only found it by accident, while he was looking for a place to hide from the principal, Ms. Darkholme. (Why he was hiding from her was another story.)
Currently he and a girl whose name he had already forgotten were making use of the mattress, between classes.

She was a moaner, which was a problem if they didn't want to be discovered. Pietro solved that by keeping his mouth on hers, to muffle the sound.
They switched positions a couple of times, just to keep it interesting. Once she got on top, though, she wanted to stay there. She actually tried to roll him back over when he tried to trade off. He didn't have time to fight--there were only three minutes until the bell, so they had to finish this quickly.
When they were done, Pietro got up and put his pants back on.
What's-her-name was still lying there, a big smile on her face. The smile faded when she saw what he was doing. "Where you going?"
"To class. I don't wanna be late." He tossed her her underpants and jeans. "C'mon, we gotta get out of here."
"You can't just leave! Come hold me for a while."
"We don't have time! If Darkholme catches me skipping class again--"
Suddenly her arms were around his waist. No, wait, those weren't her arms. "Come on back and we'll snuggle."
"Look . . ." What was her name, anyway? Pietro shook his head and finished getting dressed. "We have to get to class. We'll snuggle later."
"You're just going to leave me?" she pouted.
The bell rang. "Aw, crap! Look, I gotta go. Just make sure you close the door behind you, okay?"
"But what about--"
"Bye!" After making sure no one was looking, Pietro raced off to class.

After class, he stopped at his locker to stash what books he wouldn't need (which was most of them; he'd already done his homework for the entire year) and wait for Lance to give him a ride home. Then he remembered Lance had detention, for an unfortunate incident in Chemistry.
He'd have to walk home. Crap!
Could this day get any worse?
"Hi, Petey!"
Pietro jumped. It was her, from this morning. He still couldn't remember her name. "Uh, hi, uh . . ."
She giggled. "Don't act like you don't know my name! Where were you?"
"Well, the teachers kinda get upset if I don't show up for class." Maybe Blob will show up and sit on her or something.
"I wish we were in the same classes," she sighed. "Then we could see each other all the time!"
"Yeah. Listen, uh . . . I gotta go home. Right now. It's really important."
"I'll come with you! Whatever it is, I'll help!"
"No! I mean, you can't! It's a--you know, a family thing."
"Oh." She looked so sad all of a sudden. "I guess I'll see you tomorrow, then."
"Yeah, bye . . ." He took a stab at it. "Marcie?'
She gave him a mock-angry look. "It's Stephanie, silly! Are you trying to make me jealous?"
No, I'm trying to make you leave! "Just kidding. Bye!" He ran out the door, at normal human speed in case anyone was watching, and didn't look back.

So he was as surprised as anyone when he got home and found Stephanie waiting for him on the front porch.
"Whatareyoudoinghere?" he blurted out, before he could stop himself.
She smiled at him. "I just happened to run into your friend Lance, and he offered to give me a ride. I didn't know you two lived together."
"We don't 'live together', we're just sort of in the same house. It's not the same thing." Pietro didn't know why he was defending his sexuality, when just that morning she'd experienced it first-hand, but maybe she thought he was bi or something. You never know with some people.
"Can I see your room? I bet it's nice." As he walked past, she stroked the inside of his thigh. "Just like you."
"Uh . . . we're not exactly ready for company."
"That's okay. I'll wait while you clean up."
What did I ever do to deserve this? Pietro thought, and then the answer came back: You slept with her, that's what. Not that there was any actual sleeping going on. Might have been nice, though. At least she would have been quiet.
Out of all the girls in the school, most of whom were crazy about him, why did he have to pick the one with a squeaky voice and the personality of human Krazy Glue?
And how was he going to get rid of her?

One thing was for sure: he'd be having words with Lance about being a Good Samaritan. Where was Lance, anyway?
Freddy was in the kitchen (where else?), and Toad was watching TV, but there was no sign of Lance.
"He's upstairs."
"Aaaaahhhh!" Pietro jumped and turned around. "I thought you were waiting outside!"
"I got bored." She came over and rested her head on his chest. "You owe me some cuddling, Snookums."
Oh, brother! Now he knew why Wanda hated Toad so much. "Maybe later."
"You didn't tell me you were having a friend over, Pietro," said Mystique, who had shifted into her Ms. Darkholme form halfway down the stairs.
"She can't stay. In fact, she has to be going right now, don't you?" He was trying to hustle her out the door, but she wouldn't budge.
"My parents don't mind if I stay for dinner," Stephanie said. "They don't . . . they don't care if I ever come home."
Suddenly she was crying, and Pietro was left standing there, not sure of what to do.
Put your arm around her, said one voice in his head.
Are you crazy? Get away from her before she sucks you into her Black Hole of Cuddling! This is your only chance!
Since when did he have voices in his head?
Now she was using his shirt--his favorite shirt!--as a handkerchief.
"Of course you can stay, dear," Mystique said. "We'll be happy to have you, won't we, Pietro?"
"Huh?" At what point exactly had he lost control of this situation? "Uh, yeah, sure. Igottagochangemyshirt." He started up the stairs . . .
And she was right behind him. "Let me see your room!"
"No! You can wait outside!"
"But, Snookums . . ." She made this face. You know the one, with the big eyes and the wounded expression. The one that's guaranteed to get you your way every time.
Sure enough, it worked. "Okay. But don't touch anything!"
Including me!

"Okaythisismyroomisn'titniceyoucanwaitoutsidebye!" He tried to shut the door in her face, but she stuck her foot in the crack.
"How 'bout I take a closer look?"
NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!
Before Pietro could stop her, she was inside, and on his bed. "Ooh, nice and soft! We have time for another go before dinner?"
"No! No, we don't!"
"Aw, Snookums . . ."
"And stop calling me that!" He found a clean shirt and changed as quickly as he could.
"Why? I thought you liked it!"
"Well, I don't." That voice--that voice of hers was going to drive him insane! "Okay, you've seen the room, now let's go back downstairs."
"So soon?" She stretched out on the bed, arching her back to show off her less-than-impressive breasts.
"Yes!" Trying not to look, Pietro took her hand and yanked her up off the bed. Then he picked her up and carried her downstairs.

"Hey, that's my shirt!" Lance said, appearing from his room. "Who said you could borrow my--oh."
"It got in with my stuff," Pietro said. "Oh, this is, uh . . ." Why couldn't he ever remember her name?
"Stephanie," she filled in. "I see you all the time in detention."
"Fellow troublemaker, huh?" said Lance.
She lowered her eyes in the phoniest sad act Pietro had ever seen. "I act up in class sometimes so I'll have to stay after school, cause I . . . I don't want to go home."
Pietro rolled his eyes. And here she goes with the waterworks again.
There was a crash downstairs, and a frightened-sounding yelp. "Wanda's home," Lance said.

"Help me!" Toad was trying to hide behind the couch, but with a wave of her hand, Wanda sent it flying.
"Don't you ever try to--"
"Wanda, put the couch back," Pietro said, trying to keep his voice calm. He was as scared spitless of Wanda's powers as anyone else, but he tried to hide it.
Wanda turned on him. "I don't have to take orders from you!"
"Wow, I like your outfit," Stephanie said.
Pietro looked at her like she'd gone crazy. "This is not the time to be getting fashion tips!"
"No, no, give her the fashion tips!" said Toad. "Give me time to get away!"
"You're not going anywhere!" Wanda grabbed him and was about to slam his head into the floor when Mystique came in to see what all the noise was.
"We're about to eat," she said. "Wanda, you'll have to kill him later."
"Saved by the dinner bell," Toad gasped.
"Lance, get the extra chair from your room."
"That'll take a while," Pietro said. Lance kept his school books, guitar, clean laundry, and other assorted junk on his chair, until you could barely see the chair. It was not so much a place to sit as a place to park stuff that couldn't go on the floor.
While Lance went back upstairs, Stephanie asked, "Ooh, what are we having?"
Wanda seemed to notice her for the first time. "Who are you?"
"Oh," Pietro said. "This is . . . Sandy?"
"Stephanie!"
"I knew that!"
Wanda rolled her eyes. "You don't even bother learning their names anymore?"
"Hey!"
"No fighting, you two!" Mystique warned them. "Come sit down."
Of course Stephanie sat right next to Pietro. A little too close, if you asked him.

For the first few moments, no one said anything. The tension in the air was unbearable. Then, finally, Mystique said, "So, are you a freshman, dear?"
"Sophomore," Stephanie said.
"Ah, yes, you're the one who set all the frogs loose in the biology lab last year, weren't you?"
"Well, I didn't want to kill a poor defenseless little froggy!"
"Funny, Wanda doesn't seem to have any problem with it," Lance remarked.
"Shut up!"
"Now, I won't have talk like that at the table when we have company," Mystique said. And what was with this nice act of hers, anyway? Pietro would have felt better if she'd just yelled at someone.
"Sorry." And now Lance was apologizing! Pietro sat there with his mouth open (fortunately, it wasn't full of food). Why were they all acting like--like human beings? This wasn't right! It wasn't normal! It wasn't--
There was a foot in his lap.
Stephanie was in the process of winding her leg around his, under the table. He'd be trapped!
"Something wrong, Pietro?" Mystique asked him. "You're not eating."

He shoved the leg off his lap and stood up. "Ihavetogotothebathroom."
"Well, don't be long. There won't be any food left."
He rushed to the downstairs bathroom, shut and locked the door. Safe!
The shower curtain rustled. "This is nice. I like the wallpaper."
"Aaaaahhhh!" He jumped back, nearly falling into the sink. "How did you get in here?"
"Go about your business. I won't look."
But I came in here to get away from you!
"Uh . . . I can't pee with an audience."
"You won't even know I'm here." She said this while one arm went around his neck and her chest pressed into his.
"That'sokayIdon'thavetogoanymorebye!" Pietro slipped out from under her and escaped back to the table . . .
There she was, right in her chair, like she'd never left. Had he hallucinated the whole thing?
"Who wants cake?" Mystique said.
But the worst was yet to come.

Wanda stood up. "I have to go to the bathroom," she announced.
"Well, what do ya want," Lance grumbled, "a round of applause?"
"And Stephanie has to come with me." She grabbed the girl's hand and pulled her up out of her chair.
"Hey! I wasn't finished with my ice cream!"
"This is more important."
"More important than ice cream?"
"Well . . . maybe." Wanda closed the bathroom door behind them and locked it. "I want to know exactly what's going on between you and my brother."
"Why?"
"Because I'm his only family--" Not exactly true, but with any luck she wouldn't be meeting the Evil Father--"and family has to look out for each other."
"I'd never hurt him, not in a million years!"
"We all say that, don't we?" Wanda sat down on the edge of the tub. "Just how close are the two of you?"
"How close?"
"How far have you gone?"
Stephanie's jaw dropped. "Omigod, he told me nobody would hear us! I didn't mean to be so loud!"
"Loud? What did you do?"
"You know . . ."
"The full monty?"
"He calls it Monty?"
"Never mind." Wanda shook her head. "Did-you-have-sex?"
"That would be a yes."
"YOU DID?"
The lights in the house began flickering on and off.
"Is-is that a problem?"
"IS THAT A PROBLEM? GET OUT OF MY HOUSE!" Wanda was really mad now. "NO LITTLE BROTHER-DEFILING SLUTS WELCOME HERE! HIT THE ROAD, BITCH!"
Now the house was shaking. Stephanie didn't know how, but she didn't want to make Wanda any more angry than she already was.
"Okay, okay, I'm going!" She burst through the bathroom door, flew by the dining room (shouting over her shoulder "Dinner was great thanks bye!"), and nearly broke down the front door.
"Is she gone?" Wanda demanded.
"What did you say to her?" Pietro shouted.
Wanda stepped over to him and slapped him right across the face. "You slut! You slept with that girl!"
"Yeah, so?"
"I don't want your little floozies coming around here! This is my house too, and I won't share it with your toys!" She stomped up the stairs and slammed the door of her room.
"I thought she was kinda nice," Toad said.
"Oh, shut up!" Pietro went out to look for her. He searched everywhere he could think of, and a few more that were pretty unlikely, but it was like she had just disappeared.
Oh well, he thought, as he headed home. I'll see her in school tomorrow.

But Stephanie never showed up at school the next day. Pietro checked with the office and found that someone had called her in sick.
I don't blame her, he thought. He wasn't speaking to Wanda right now, because of what she'd done to the poor girl (and how did she get away from me so fast? I couldn't lose her if I tried before!).
She was still sick the next day, but the day after, he saw her in the hall and called out to her. "Hey, Stephanie!"
She saw him and took off.
He went after her. "Scuse me, scuse me! Can I get by, jerk?"
The jerk gave him a dangerous look. "Where you goin' in such a hurry?"
"I don't have time for this!" He saw a break in the traffic and zoomed ahead, hoping no one would notice.
But by the time he made it through, Stephanie was gone.

Pietro finally found her in, of all places, the janitor's closet where all this had started.
He didn't know what made him look there, just that he happened to be passing by, and thought Oh, what the heck . . .
She was lying on her side on the old mattress, with her back to him. When she heard the door open, she looked up. "Oh! It's you!"
"I've been looking all over for you! Why did you run away?"
"Why did you look for me?" she muttered, so low he could barely hear her.
"Uh . . ." Good question. "I . . . wanted to apologize."
"You didn't do anything wrong."
"For Wanda, I mean. She's kind of . . . protective of me."
"She didn't have to yell at me." Stephanie sounded like she was crying.
Pietro just stood there, not knowing what to do. Finally he sat down beside her. "I promise I won't let her yell at you anymore, okay?"
"Okay," she sniffled. She leaned her head up against Pietro's shoulder and cried on his second-favorite shirt.
Why does she always do this?
"Um . . . I think we have to gobacktoclassnow."
"What?"
"Wegottagotoclass! Thebell'sgonnaringanysecond!" He helped her up and hustled her out the door before anyone saw them where they weren't supposed to be.
"You're such a gentleman, Petey."
"Don't call me that!"
"Why not? You can call me Steffie."
The warning bell rang. "Gottagobye!" He raced off without another word.