Warnings: This fic touches on some mature themes, not the least of them being child abuse and suggestions of underage sex. I won't be getting graphic with it, but if these things make you feel uncomfortable, please refrain from reading this fic. Thank you.
Author's Note: Tabitha doesn't get nearly as much love as I feel she deserves. In fact, when she's acknowledged at all in fics, she's usually made out as a heartless bitch-whore with no personality. For your consideration, I present a fic that takes a deeper look at Tabby. It will eventually stem off into a slight AU and introduce a new pairing I've wanted to explore for a while, however I promise you this won't be a purely fluff fic. Enjoy!
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Tabitha Smith sat down on the cold street curb beneath one of the streetlights, the pale glow surrounding her in a protective circle of visible pavement. A breeze blew through the trees, a few dried up leaves skittering past where she at. She wrapped her arms around herself, rubbing her exposed skin to keep warm. Tabby hadn't expected it to be so cold when she'd left the boarding house. In fact, she hadn't really thought ahead much at all. All she knew was that she'd been crashing in Mystique's room for the past month, and she probably wouldn't be the type to just forgive and forget, never mind allow Tabby to continue staying there. That lady was a bit off her nut, as far as Tabby could tell, and probably wouldn't have any problem killing someone who got in her way. Or at least rough her up a bit.
Heh. Story of my life.
So she'd left, blowing up the room on her way out for good measure. She'd considered stealing Lance's car again, but the poor boy would have enough troubles with Mystique back, and she really didn't want to risk him calling the cops this time. After all, she wouldn't be there later to "convince" him otherwise, as per usual. Rather than try anything overly cute (aside from totaling Mystique's room) she left the boarding house. Left, without considering where she was going to stay.
You're a regular genius, ya know that Tabby?
Shrugging off her backpack, Tabitha checked through all the pockets for some money. She came up with eleven dollars and sixty-three cents, most of it in pennies and nickels. It wasn't enough to get a room anywhere for the night, but it was enough to get something to eat at the Hamburger Hut. At the very least, it would be warmer inside and she could map out her game plan without shivering. Tucking the money into one of her jean pockets, she flung her backpack over one shoulder again, heading towards town. From her other pocket she pulled her discman, slipping the headphones on and cranking the volume as high as it would go. With some cheerful tunes assaulting her eardrums, she hoped to drown out the voice at the back of her mind that had started whispering to her.
You'll never make it on your own, Tabby. You'll have to go back home again. And you know your Dad won't be in jail for very long. He always gets off on something...
Upon arriving at the Hamburger Hutt, Tabby went to open the door, only to find it locked. Furrowing her brow in confusion, she leaned in to read the times listed on the window: Open from 8 am until 10 pm. She hadn't realized it was so late. Kicking the door once in frustration, she decided to keep going. Maybe she'd find another place to crash for a bit. If not... well, then she'd be sleeping in the park for the night. Finding a rock on the sidewalk, she started kicking it as she walked, hands stuck deep in her pockets to keep warm. Eventually she noticed that rather than walking into town, she was now headed out by way of route 6, near the highway. She came across a seedy sort of truck stop that was still open. Deciding it wasn't any worse than the restaurants she'd go to back home, she decided to rest there for a while.
The bell atop the door jingled as she entered, and several half-awake truckers turned to leer at her from the counter. Avoiding their lecherous gazes, she slipped into one of the booths, trying to ignore the sticky coffee stains on the table in front of her. Soon a waitress, wearing one of those little pink dress uniforms, the type that were just an extra bonus to the male customers present, came over with a pad and paper. She was pretty young, though older than Tabby. There were bags under her eyes, and a cheap sort of blue eye shadow was smeared across her eyelids. Still, she guessed that the girl had once been very attractive. Her nametag read "Janet" in plain black letters.
"Hey there, hon. You're out late for a girl your age, huh? What can I get ya?"
"I'll, uh, just have some coffee and a piece of toast for now."
"Ya want butter on that toast, sweetie?"
"Yeah, sure. Thanks."
The waitress smiled at her, leaning in to whisper so that the men at the counter wouldn't hear her.
"Looks like your down on your luck, ain't ya hon? Tell you what, you can stay here 'till we close at 2, and don't worry about paying for this. I'll take care of it, ok?"
A smile spread across Tabitha's face, the first one to appear in hours.
"Really? Oh, thanks Miss, you're a lifesaver!"
"Call me Hillary."
"But your name tag says-"
"That's just so none of the boys here try and look me up after I get off work."
She frowned, glancing over her shoulder at the rather disgusting collection of truckers in the restaurant. Tabitha got the feeling that she had a hard time working with those sorts, especially in that uniform of hers.
"Why do you even bother to work in a dive like this? Why not find somewhere else?"
"Are you kidding me? I can't afford to not work here. I've got a kid at home, and there's no way I could feed both of us on minimum wage. The pay's good and I can work as many hours a week as I'd like, Harvey doesn't care as so long as I'm polite to the customers. He has trouble finding other girls to work here for him."
Tabitha's stomach turned, dropping with a sort of sickening sensation that made her feel nauseous. She knew what she'd have to do, as much as the thought pained her. She'd get a job here and raise enough money to rent a room somewhere in Bayville. What made the situation worse was the memory of her father ranting at her, telling her she'd never be any better than one of those waitresses working at a truck stop. She could try and find work somewhere else, but to pass up a well-paying job when the opportunity came like this would just be stupid.
"Say, Hillary... this place is looking for help then?"
"You sure 'bout that, hon? Workin' here? I mean, you could start tonight if ya wanted, but it's not really the place a nice girl like you would-"
"I'm really not as nice a girl as I seem. Don't worry, I'll be all right. Tell your boss I'm in as soon as I have some coffee."
Hillary nodded and turned to head back to the kitchen as Tabby sighed and let her head fall against the table. It was going to be a long night.
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Tabitha managed to drag herself to school the next day despite how late she'd been out the previous night. Hillary had let her crash at her apartment for the night. She'd even helped with her baby, a sweet little thing named Jessica. She was staying there until she made enough money to rent an apartment herself. Hillary's landlord was holding a one-room place down the hall for her. She'd need a down payment of two hundred dollars for the first five months, but then she'd have plenty of time to make enough money to pay rent and buy food for herself. Despite all this, she refused to skip school. She didn't want to end up wasting her life away at that truck stop, and the only chance she had of getting a better job would be to at least finish high school, even if she couldn't afford college.
Up ahead she spotted Lance and the rest of the Brotherhood, slacking as per usual against a wall outside the school. Instantly she reassumed her normally perky expression, moving more to the beat of the song playing through her headphones. Whatever happened, she didn't want the rest of Bayville to know how far she'd fallen in one night. She was the school party girl, and had to keep up that appearance for as long as possible. Lance waved to her, so she tapped her headphones off her ears and walked over to him.
"Hey, Tabitha... are you ok? You found a place to crash last night, right?"
He'd been worried about her? Tabby was touched. After all the torment she'd put the boys through, she'd have thought they'd not get too attached to her. She'd hoped they wouldn't. Sure, she'd gone to the movies and out to eat with most of them at some point, even dragged Todd and Freddy to the dance as her dates, but she hadn't wanted them to get too close to her. Tabby wasn't very good at the whole loving feelings bit. Her father had shown her more than enough "love" for a lifetime. Reaching over with one bangle-laden hand, she mussed his mullet up some.
"Aw, was little Lancey worried about me? How sweet! Don't worry, I was fine. Already got a new place to live, actually."
Lance pushed her hands away in annoyance, though a small smile was hinted on his lips.
"Good... that's good, Tabby. It's probably best you left anyways. Pietro's crazy sister showed up and almost killed us all."
She quirked an eyebrow at this, turning off her music.
"You sure she's crazy, or is she just Pietro's sister? And hey, does that mean she's that Magneto guy's kid too?"
Lance nodded. "She's been locked up in some crazy house since she was a kid or something. She's really pissed with Pietro and Magneto, wants to kill them or something. She's nuts... even more than you."
"Well, guess I'll be missed then? Don't worry, I'll drop by and steal your jeep still, just for old time's sake." She patted his cheek once and headed inside, ignoring whatever Lance yelled after her.
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Tabitha had spent first period in history class with Amara. No matter how hard she tried, she knew that Amara saw straight through her careless attitude. She kept asking if she wanted to talk about anything, so Tabby had to keep trying to change the subject. Even the boy's track team outside didn't work to distract her, though. Finally Tabby just told her that she'd had a long night and hadn't gotten as much beauty sleep as someone as beautiful as she did deserved. That brought a smile to her friend's face, and gave them more time to watch the track team outside. She noticed Scott outside, trying desperately to outrun Duncan. Across the field Lance was playing hooky under the bleachers, apparently glaring at Scott. Nothing came of the silent drama however, and soon the class was over and Tabby had to head on to her next subject.
By lunchtime, she found it nearly impossible to keep her eyes open. After stumbling through the lunch line, she dropped her stuff at the first table she found, her head soon following the way of her tray. A few kids snickered at her as she passed, but she was too worn out to care. She couldn't even fine the energy to open her soda, and she still had two hours left of school, and then work started an hour later. Her first full day on the job, and already she was over-worked.
"Tabitha? Are you okay?"
Reluctantly, Tabby turned her head to look up at Jean, standing over her and holding her tray. She looked concerned. Smiling, Tabby waved a hand dismissingly in her direction.
"Me? Yeah, I'm fine. Don't worry about me, girl, just a little tired... nothing a quick snooze in my lasagna won't fix."
"What happened? You look horrible!"
"Hey, watch it. I'll have you know that I possess the uncanny ability to look fabulous no matter what."
"No, I didn't mean it like that... you just look like something happened to you, besides not sleeping."
Tabitha suddenly felt worried. Jean could read her mind if she wanted and figure out what was going on. What if she told everyone else at the mansion? They'd probably feel so bad for her that they'd offer her a place back at the institute. Tabby didn't want that. She'd left for a reason, and a very good one. She hadn't been cut out for the whole wannabe super hero gig, and she had other things going in her life that she wanted to fix for herself. If everyone was fussing over her, she'd never be able to make it on her own. Not that the Brotherhood had been any better, really. She'd managed to stay out of any serious trouble while with them, but it was still a team of... well, something. No, she'd be better off on her own, and she'd be better on her own if everyone else didn't know the problems she was having.
"Really, Jean. It's nothing to worry about. I can handle it. I promise that if I get into anything over my head, I'll let you know, alright?"
Jean still looked concerned, but she nodded and moved on. Tabby watched her head towards Scott's table, where Scott was watching her hopefully, only to pass and move on another table and sit with Duncan.
Won't those two ever get together? We all know they're like custom made for each other.
Shaking her head, Tabitha decided to attempt to eat some of her lunch. Throughout the period, old friends approached her to ask what was wrong. Kurt, Jubilee, Toad, even Pietro stopped by for a second (literally). She all told them the same thing, that she didn't get enough sleep last night. It seemed an eternity until school finally got out and Tabby dragged her body back to Hillary's apartment, collapsing on the bed. She had half an hour of sleep before the alarm rang and she had to change into her uniform for work.