Graduation Day
The following happens in the spring of 2005. It is only a month or so before Laura comes to the Institute.
---bhs
"Lance, I already told you, we're done." Gesturing with her hands, Kitty Pryde felt the black robe flap wildly. The day was almost too hot, and there wasn't a cloud in the sky.
"But Kittycat-"
"Don't 'Kittycat' me, Lance Dominic Alvers. I told you that you had to make a choice."
"Yeah, some choice. You and join the X-geeks, or actually get paid to risk my neck with Fury? Why do I have to choose?" He stepped closer, his face softening with his voice. "Look, Fury is making a great offer- training, school, and I'll be official. If we have to roll into some town, we'll have badges when the local cops start pulling guns and screaming about mutants. The X-Men aren't part of the system, SHEILD is. And when I can get leave, I'll visit. I promise, I'll even play nice with Scott, ok?"
"Too little too late, Lance. This was like your last chance- if you'd joined us, you might have gotten a second chance. The Professor has always said you were welcome."
"Kitty, how many times in my life is a break like this going to come around? I'd be an idiot to walk away from this."
"Lance, listen to me. You'll be a government thug. How much different is that than being Magneto's thug?" She glared at him. "Oh, wait, now you've got a toy badge and a paycheck."
That one hurt. That he was getting paid by Fury had come up a lot in these 'discussions', she made it sound like he'd sold out for the first roll that was flashed at him. He'd always been poor. Now he didn't have to worry so much. He hadn't been lying. Fury was going to pay them well for a bunch of misfits fresh out of high school, and they could take college classes through the correspondence system that the military used. The real deciding factor was that Fury had promised to make sure that Toad and Blob got help. Lance Alvers had been dumped, abandoned and shuffled off as inconvenient for as long as he'd been alive.
He could make a choice that meant that they could get the help they'd never gotten from anyone else, not even the great sainted Charles Xavier. The others weren't sure if they would go without him. He wasn't going to abandon them just because it was cramping his love life. He didn't know if they were friends, they sure as hell weren't family, but they were his teammates. "Fine. Go, be with your friends, be with the beautiful mutants. Just do this for me- tell your Professor that if he needs us to save your goodie-goodie butts, Fury says 'go' or he gets our backs and my finger. I'll drag them kicking and screaming if I have to, but we'll be there. Make sure you tell him that, where Cyclops can hear."
---bhs
"Hello Cheri."
Rogue whirled, the robe flaring out around her. "Gambit. What are yah doin' here?"
"Ah 'member last year, Rogue. Ah wanted to be here, jus' in case. Sounds like Ah missed one hell of a party with Apocalypse." His finger reached out to stroke her cheek, stopping just short of touching her. The digits glided through the air, just barely able to feel the warmth of her skin. "But things got kinda rough all over, so Ah had some fun."
She started to nod, then caught herself. When the ancient megalomaniac had been fighting them, a lot of new mutations were appearing around the world. People's X genes had suddenly turned on, after laying dormant for years. She'd seen some of the near and not-so-near riots that had started. But that was last fall, he'd been missing since then. The only sign had been a package at Christmas time. "Ah- We missed yah, you'd have been useful. Yah didn't have to hide."
"Maybe Ah did. Ah had to take care of some things. An' look in on some people."
"Ah bet, like old girlfriends?"
"Nope. Not with my new one." Rogue rolled her eyes. "Da world's been a mixed up place, and Remy, well, he had find out where he fit now."
"And didcha find yer place, Swamprat?"
"No yet. Does Logan still want me dead?"
"Ah think he still wants yah head in a jar."
Gambit laughed. "No doubt, no doubt." He brushed his coat back, reaching into one of the pouches on his belt. "Dis is for you, Rogue."
"A deck of cards." She was a little nonplussed.
"No, fifty two queens of heart. For mah queen."
OK, that was kind of cute. She knew what lady luck meant for him. "OK, Remy, yah pass on this one. An' what should I give yah?" Her eyes flashed a little, teasing him. "A deck of the ace of spades?"
"If'n Ah've earned it, den kiss me now Rogue. Take mah mind an' mah soul an' kill me here. Tell everyone Ah lived fast an' died young." He grinned at her as he fingers flicked up and down, producing a long stemmed rose from somewhere, almost certainly his sleeve. But it was still a good looking trick- she hadn't seen the draw.
"An' left a good looking corpse? Don't flattah yahself." She smiled as she inhaled the scent of the rose.
---bhs
"Mr and Mrs Pryde, I'm glad you made it. Kitty is around here, I think she was talking to her former boyfriend." He shook hands with both of Kitty's parents.
"Hello Professor." Terri looked out at the sea of black robed young people- the mostly looked the same from this angle. "Is it Lance?"
"That boy is going to be trouble." Carmen's voice was a growl. He hadn't liked most of the guys Kitty had taken an interest in. Sure, there had been Doug, but that was one of those date-a-friend things. "He's a no good punk."
"Actually, I don't think he's as bad as he'd like the world to think; he's been a valuable ally at times. He has great potential, it just needs a chance to grow. Kitty helped him show it to him, but now... he knows his path isn't with her." His eyes glanced about. "I think we'll find her over here, if you'd like to follow me." Professor Xaveir twisted his chair about, pushing himself in the direction he knew his students were gathering in.
"Are you really offering her a job? What about college?"
"The two need not be exclusive, Mrs. Pryde."
"Call me Terri, Professor, it is easier."
"Thank you Terri; then call me Charles. She'll be able to go to college, and I'll be helping her with that, in exchange for keeping the network running at the Institute. She's already gone to professional training courses."
"It isn't the same."
"Scott and Jean are both in college, and doing well. Kitty's duties as an instructor at the Xavier Institute will in no way interfere with her studies. If anything, it will reinforce what she'll learn in a classroom."
"So she'll be working for your IT department- what else?"
Charles chuckled. "Oh, I think you overestimate our staff- she will be the information technology department. She'll also be tutoring the students, and acting much like an RA in a college dorm would."
---bhs
Kitty had gone in search of friends after fighting with Lance. He had a special knack for making it feel like she'd done something wrong when they argued. She found Kurt, milling about at the edge of the herd of boys. "I think I told off Lance for the last time. Oh... Kurt."
He let her hug him. Wasn't the first time she'd cried against him because Alvers had done something to make her mad. He held her close, stroking her back. "Sshhhh.... No crying, Katzchen. Someone might think you'll miss this place."
"But... what if I did the wrong thing?"
"You've known since April that he vhas going with Fury. How long did he hide it from you, since last autumn?" He knew he was making it sound like she'd been cheated on. She tried to get Lance to come back to the Institute, and the other members of the Institute. She'd had the Professor's blessing on that project, everyone had tried to make them feel welcome. Just to make her happy, he'd even tried to make peace with Tolansky. At least for a little while. But the freaky little guy just didn't want to give it a rest.
He felt Kitty stiffen a hair, and pull back. "The Professor is with my parents." She smiled. "Do I look ok?"
"Jah." She always looked good, even after a training exercise left her streaked with mud and dirt with leaves and twigs sticking to her. He made a shooing motion with his hand. "Go, say hi to your Muter and Vater."
She grabbed his hand. "I've so got to introduce you. Where's Rogue?"
---bhs
An older woman made her way into the stands. She was alone. No one had asked her who she was there for. They wouldn't have understood the answer if she'd told them the truth, but she had already decided she'd tell them she was an old teacher of some of the students. Two she never thought would graduate, but that wasn't true. They would graduate, even if that child stealing bastard had someone stand over them with a whip. He'd taken them, tried to destroy her family, it was all his fault.
Mystique's voice quavered as she accepted a seat from a kindly looking young man. It wasn't just her cover.
---bhs
"Hey, Professor!" Toad stopped slouching and grinned. "Glad to have us out of your hair?" Toad hopped over those who were seated in the front with the Professor.
"I won't say that everyone will miss you, Todd, but there are those who do worry about what will become of you." He wasn't the only one. He knew for a fact that Storm had sent Kitty to the Brotherhood House with packages of leftovers, and Tabby spent almost as much time there some weekends as she did at the Institute. Scott and Jean drove past it daily to make sure that it hadn't burned to the ground over night. Even with Logan's admonishment that they couldn't worry about every mutant in the world, Charles knew Wolverine kept half an eye on the Brotherhood just like he did the Morlocks.
"Ain't got nothin' better to do. This place an' me, we don't see eye to eye. Better I get out before I bust the place up, ya' know." He's blown off too many classes for even a certificate of completion- he didn't want to come back next year. The Colonel had set it up so they could get well enough to get by, and that was all Todd had ever been about- getting by. Tolansky stood up, putting two fingers in his mouth. The whistle was piercing and shrill. "Yo, Colonel! I got us seats!"
"Colonel?" Carmen leaned closer to the Professor. "Do you know this young man?"
"Yes, this is Todd, a friend of Lance's. He was part of program not too dissimilar to my own, but it has had management changes and poor administration. They've recently merged with a military academy." It wasn't exactly an untruth. At Logan's growl, Charles looked up. "Ah, Colonel Fury, I understand you are taking the Brotherhood under your wing."
"Hey Logan, staying out of trouble?" The one eyed man smiled an odd, twisty smile. "Don't worry, Charles, I'm not restarting any programs better left in the past. All these kids are volunteers, and they can leave any time they want between now and their 18th birthdays."
"And then?"
"Five years, just like if they were from the Point. Then they can stay or go at any time, no questions asked."
"I've heard that before." Logan tensed. He relaxed fractionally when he felt Ororo's hand on his shoulder and felt as much as heard the deep chested rumble from Hank. They were right, this wasn't the time or the place. Besides, there were others around- other than a couple of foreign students who's planes had left this morning or this past weekend, everyone was here.
Fury made a 'come here' motion with two fingers, looking at his charge. "Come on, Toad, let's leave these nice people alone."
The Professor was either thinking the same thing as Logan, or just being polite. "Please, join us Colonel. There is plenty of space."
"Yeah, people 'fraid bein' a mutant might be catchin'." No one was seated within ten feet of them. Todd slid over for his boss.
---bhs
There had been some debate as to where in the order Rogue should go. Without a last name, maybe she should have been at the front. But if Rogue was her last name, that meant that she was going to be next to Kitty in this mob. It could have been worse- they could have found out about her connection with Mystique. That would have put her in the Ds, and she didn't know many of the girls there.
"Katherine Pryde" Kitty was already moving, while they called out her honors. Despite the red eyes, she looked chipper enough. She was going to be going home for a week, and then she'd be back. She had to get the network up and running before the summer program started.
"Rogue." The speaker was calling her up to the podium. The year had been surprisingly quiet, she really hadn't spoken to the principle much. She glanced out at the crowd. There he was, the big dummy- Remy was standing on the back of the bleachers, calling out to his 'cheri' despite the request that all such outbursts wait until after the ceremony. Despite herself, she smiled. She could see Toad sitting behind the Professor, him and Fury both. That stopped the smile at just a grin. Sure, the Brotherhood did pretty good when they wanted, but mostly they were just riffraff. She'd outgrown them.
As she made her way down the stairs, Scott and Jean were waiting with cameras, as was Kitty's mom. Kitty had snarled the line by a moment by waiting- she put her arm around her roommate, a one armed hug that forced Rogue to stand still for a moment.
Rogue let her smile bloom. She was going to be going home after the ceremony to. She had to figure out how to get all of the students into the bedrooms without putting bunks in the hanger or pitching a tent outside. And the Professor was still recruiting. They were going to have a full house this fall- she and Kitty were even moving back in together to open a room.
---bhs
Lance hadn't bothered to find his mortarboard where it lay in the grass. His robe was a bundle under his arm. He had expected to feel something, but there wasn't anything. He didn't feel smarter. He just.. yeah. Guess he'd been expecting more than he should have. His attention was called by the cawing of a crow. Sitting on the driver's seat of his jeep.
He'd never been a fan of crows. They carried bad news.
"Colonel, can I take care of something real quick?" Lance glanced over at the distinctive bulk of the custom black van that was parked near the edge of the lot. Wolverine had been here early, he'd gotten a good parking place near the gate- just in case they needed to make a quick exit. He reached into his pants pocket, tossing something gently in his hand.
"I think she's already said good bye, son. But be quick." Fury wasn't sure what lay in store for them when they got to back to base- the Twins and Blob had already gone down with Pyro this morning, but they could spare a few minutes. Toad was saying good-bye to the only real friend he around these part, he'd catch up in a minute. He had seen what Avalanche had taken from his pocket. "You know you have to leave that here."
"I know. I'll meet you at our van in a minute." Lance jogged over to where the X-men were.
Kitty was already gone with her folks. Kurt and Rogue both had their lips curl in snarls as he approached. Logan raised an eyebrow; Scott sneered.
The Professor's face was placid. "Congratulations, Lance. I understand you are the first member of your family to complete high school. It is something to be proud of."
"Yeah. Thanks, Professor. And thanks for the invite. For everything. You know I'm going with Fury."
"Yes I do. You know what it means; you volunteered for this, but for the foreseeable future he is the master of your destiny."
"It'll be better than prison, we both know I'd have ended up there sooner or later. And you probably know my reasons for this." Lance thought about it, putting the feelings at the top where any telepath could find them without looking hard. He wasn't sure he wanted Professor Xavier too deep, not with how he felt about Kitty.
The Professor nodded. Lance had become his own worst enemy. The young man's self defeating pessimism was almost painful to feel, but it was nearly gone. "You were only an X-man for a little while, but I hope you never forget what you learned with us."
He'd learned that under the anger and the attitude and filth, he was a good guy and a strong leader. Maybe if he'd been a little luckier, he would have been more like Summers or Wagner. But he'd been born under a bad sign, At least he wasn't like Pietro. "You and your X-men are kind of hard to forgot. Well, before everyone gets all mushy..." He jingled his keys, tossing them to Scott. "Can't take my jeep with me, and you might have a use for another vehicle. For students or something. The registration is in the glove box."
"Thank you, Lance. A most generous gift." The Professor had a flash of concern, he knew that jeep was almost literally everything Avalanche owned. A duffel bag of clothes, a couple of books, a tool box. That was all that Lance was taking with him. It was all he'd had when he'd come to the Brotherhood house and then to the Institute. Giving it away was a sign that Alvers had made a decision and accepted it as one that couldn't be reversed.
Lance shrugged. "Needs an oil change, brakes are getting sketchy- if I'd had another week I'd've fixed them. Gas tank leaks. Rather have someone fix it, or finish running it into the ground. It deserves better than just being towed away or torched." He started to turn with a wave. "See you guys around. Next time, we'll kick your butts."
Scott laughed. "In your dreams, rock tumbler."
He felt the press of Charles Xavier's mind on his. "Kitty gave me your message. I'll keep it in mind, just in case. And Lance, remember- it can go both ways if needed."
Tabby had been standing half way between the vehicles, waiting for him. She'd picked a spot that at least gave the illusion of privacy. Her voice was soft and sad when she called out to him. "Hey- are you leaving without saying goodbye, gravel-brain?"
Lance laughed. "Bye, Boom-boom. Make sure they don't get too uptight, 'kay?" He startled when she hugged him.
"Don't worry about that, Lance, I'll try to keep them dirty." She kissed his cheek. "Kick Fred's butt for me, he ran off without saying a word." She let go of him and stepped back. She was pissed at Kitty, had been for months, probably would be for a while. "Get going, your team's waiting, Special Agent Man."
"So's yours, X-dork."
As Lance walked back to the Colonel and his teammates, his heart felt lighter than he had in a while. No more worrying about living up to Kitty's standards. Sure, he'd be taking orders from the Colonel, but this had been planned for six months. He'd had time to think it over. He'd like not having to do all the thinking, not always being the responsible one. Someone else would be get to smack Pietro when needed. And he'd still be one of the misfits. He knew he could die at the Colonel's orders, but it was better than most of the alternatives.
He opened the door for the SUV that was to take him and Todd to their new home. Toad was already asleep in the back seat- little man could sleep anywhere. He dropped into the passenger seat, reaching for the safety belt as he glanced at the electronics mounted at the headliner- he only knew what half of them did, but he'd find out. Avalanche was ready for the next stage of his evolution, to change from a prickly caterpillar to a moth. "All right, Colonel, let's kick some ass."
Besides, Kitty deserved better than him.
---Author's notes:
OK, I promise, soon we'll return to our normally scheduled Xavier Institute programming. I've just had some Brotherhood stuff running in my head.
I can see Fury wanting them to cut as much from their old lives as possible- a ruck and one bag tops, you've got to be able to carry it all yourself. Most of them already move light, they don't have enough to count as gear hogs. But to someone who is watching, it can be a little spooky- suicides who think about it and mean it usually give their stuff away to.
Kitty gets to do IT work, Rogue a lot of the Res Life stuff. Still not sure what Kurt is doing other than he's going to start EMT training.
And if Lance had pulled his head out of his butt, I think he might have had a chance with Tabby. It would have been bad for both of them, they'd have become a problem. Think Pumpkin and Honey Bunny from Pulp Fiction, but without being halfwit screw ups. Well, it would have been good for THEM, but not the general public.