Disclaimer: Still don't own it.

A/N: Finally decided to update this thing. Not sure exactly when I'll get the next chapter up, but I do have the next three planned out. -gasps all around- I know, right! Haha. Anyway, enjoy.

Chapter 2

Pietro, despite his better judgment, left Tabby and headed off to school with the others, ignoring everything that came out of Lance's mouth, as well as the looks he kept shooting him. He had half a mind to snap something at him about why he even cared if he slept with Tabby or not, but decided against it; although it probably would've shut the stupid rock tumbler up. Lance was hung up over Kitty, therefore what Pietro did and who he was with shouldn't be any of Lance's concern, so long as it didn't involve his precious Kitty-Kat.

As Lance pulled into his usual parking spot, Pietro wasted no time in hopping out of the jeep and heading toward class, leaving Lance and the other guys behind. For once, Pietro couldn't wait for school to begin; because the sooner it began, the sooner it would end, and the sooner he could get home and check up on Tabby.

No, not check up on…he wouldn't go as far as to say that; though he did want to make sure she was okay. Last night he had seen a whole other side of Tabitha Smith that he'd never seen before; she had let her fear get the best of her, and that just wasn't the typical carefree Tabby that he knew.

Entering his first period classroom after making a quick stop by his locker, Pietro took his normal seat at the back of the class, ignoring everyone else already in the room like he normally did. Two minutes till class began; maybe today wouldn't drag on like he'd expected after all.

But the day was dragging on. By the time third period rolled around, Pietro was having trouble sitting still for any amount of time longer than five minutes. He kept glancing at the clock while the history teacher lectured on in the same boring monotone as he always did. This was just torture!

Doodling around the edges of his paper, long since having given up on taking any notes, Pietro's mind started wandering toward Tabby again. He couldn't help but wonder what she was doing, or how she was doing…

Wanda was home, he remembered suddenly, flipping the paper in his notebook noisily. At least Tabby wasn't alone, that made him worry a little less.

As soon as the bell rang indicating the end of third period and the beginning of lunch, Pietro zipped out of class, not caring if one of the teachers spotted him or not. He'd been pondering over the idea, and had decided he could manage it; he was going to zip home for lunch, check on Tabitha, and then zip back to school. No one would ever know.

Brotherhood Boarding House -- earlier

As soon as Pietro had left, Tabby gathered up a clean outfit from her duffle bag and headed for the shower. She was sort of glad that the boys weren't around; she didn't want them "accidentally" walking in on her while she was in the shower like a few of them had done once or twice in the past. Besides, she needed some time to think about…stuff.

She wasn't sure why, but she had confided in Pietro the previous night. Of course, he had found out about the bruises on his own. From there, it really wouldn't have taken a lot to figure out where they came from; in fact, Pietro had guessed it almost immediately.

Sighing, Tabby turned the water on and stepped into the shower, hoping to just wash everything away.

So maybe the shower didn't make everything go away, but it had made her feel a little better. Tossing her stuff back into her room, she made her way downstairs and into the kitchen.

Opening the refrigerator door, Tabby glanced at the lack of food, shaking her head with a small smile; some things never changed. Grabbing one of the pizza boxes from the night before, Tabby set it on the table before going over to the cabinets and shifting stuff around until she found a clean plate. Placing a slice of pizza onto the plate, she put it in the microwave and waited. When the microwave went off, Tabby grabbed the plate and a water bottle from the fridge as she put the pizza box away, before leaving the kitchen.

Entering the living room, Tabby set her plate on the coffee table while looking around for the remote. Finding it lodged in the side of the couch after a few minutes of searching, she plopped down on the couch, turning the television on as she did so. Flipping through the channels until she found something worth watching, Tabby set the remote aside and grabbed her pizza.

About ten minutes into the show, Tabby heard movement elsewhere in the house. Tensing slightly, she quickly finished her pizza, and was about to turn the volume down on the TV to see if maybe she wasn't just hearing things, when Pietro's sister entered the room, an apple in hand.

"Hey." Tabby said shortly with a small smile, one of relief; she'd forgotten about her.

"Hi." Wanda stated, crossing the room and sitting on the loveseat across from her, taking a bite of her apple. After a moment of silence, in which the Scarlet Witch seemed to be studying Tabby out of the corner of her eye, she spoke up. "How do you know my brother, and the other guys for that matter?" She asked curiously.

"I used to live here." Tabby said, shrugging.

"Oh."

"Yeah." It was Tabby's turn to study the other girl now; and after a couple minutes of silence, she decided to say something. "You and Pie are twins, right?" Wanda glanced at her briefly before answering.

"Yes." She narrowed her eyes slightly. "Why?"

"You guys just don't seem very close." Tabby answered with a shrug. She didn't know the whole story behind what happened with Wanda, but she'd heard rumors while she was at the Institute; however, she was reluctant to believe everything she heard, because rumors, especially at the mansion, often seemed to be exaggerated.

"That's because we aren't." She stated, and then turned her attention back to the television.

"Why not?" Tabby asked, curiously.

"That's none of your business." Wanda said flatly, but Tabby was never one to let something go.

"Why do you hate him?"

"I said that's none of your business."

"Come on, he's your brother."

"Your point?" Wanda asked, raising an eyebrow; Tabby sighed, turning back to the TV. Silence ensued, at least for a few minutes; but it wasn't Tabby who broke it this time, it was Wanda. "What's your relationship with Pietro that you care enough to ask me about this?" She asked, gaze still resting on Tabitha. "And for your information, I don't hate him."

"We're friends." Tabby said, shrugging; at Wanda's final comment though she grinned, feeling victorious in at least getting her to admit that much.

"Don't hate who? Who're you friends with?" Pietro asked, appearing in the doorway to the living room with a slightly arrogant smirk in place.

"What're you doing home?" Wanda asked, having torn her eyes away from Tabby to rest instead on her brother.

"Lunch break, thought I'd…I forgot my homework." He finished lamely, shrugging off her question as he glanced at Tabby; he wasn't about to admit that he'd actually come back to check on Tabitha, especially when it was obvious from looking at her that she was fine.

Wanda chose not to answer him, instead turning her attention back to the television. Tabby, on the other hand, was watching Pietro curiously, before breaking out in a grin.

"Sure that's the reason?"

"Yes." Pietro answered quickly, then zipped upstairs, spent a few seconds searching for some paper, then zipped back down, holding up the paper as proof. "Now if you ladies will excuse me, I've gotta get back to class."

"Wait." Tabby said, standing up before he could turn and zip off. He looked over at her curiously, eyebrow raised.

"What?"

But Tabby didn't answer right away; instead, she pulled him into the kitchen, out of earshot of Wanda.

"What is it?" He asked again, crossing his arms as he leaned against the wall, watching her.

"You don't have to check up on me, Pietro. I told you I'd be fine." Tabby said, leaning against the table, looking at him briefly before glancing off at a spot on the floor.

"I wasn't checking up on you." Pietro replied shortly, frowning. Okay so maybe he was, but he wasn't about to let her know that she was right; letting her know that he had a soft spot for her just wasn't an option. "I was getting my homework," he held up the paper as if to prove his point, "for English. Not everything's about you, Boom Boom."

Slightly taken aback, but not completely surprised, by his reaction, Tabby frowned. She'd been more hurt by the use of her codename than what he'd actually said. But she quickly masked the hurt, putting on a look of indifference, complete with a grin.

"I know that, Quicksilver." Tabby said, putting extra emphasis on his name. "I just find it kind of odd that you came all the way home during lunch just to grab this." She snatched the paper from him before he could stop her, glanced at it, and then raised an eyebrow. "Pietro this is the assignment for our science project." She snickered, tossing it back at him. Pietro merely scowled, grabbing the paper and folding it in half.

"Okay so maybe I was worried about you. You were crying your eyes out last night, I had reason to be." He said really fast, words blurring together; however, she seemed to catch the gist of it.

"That's really sweet, Pie." She grinned, ruffling his hair.

"Yeah yeah, whatever." He muttered, swatting at her hand before fixing his hair. "Don't think it was anything personal, I'd do the same thing for any girl."

Tabby frowned, biting her lip as she narrowed her eyes. Why did he have to go and say that? And why did it make her feel like she had knots in her stomach? So much for thinking Pietro was different than the other guys; he wasn't different, he was worse.

"Of course. That's probably how you get them all in bed with you, right?" Tabby asked, crossing her arms over her chest. "You sweet talk 'em, act like you're really concerned, and then, just when they start to believe you, you make your move." She looked at him in disgust, turning away from him and heading toward the door. "You're nothing but a heartless bastard." She finally spat, leaving the room and heading toward the stairs.

"Hey wait just a minute!" Pietro called, following her out of the room, looking more than a little angry, and slightly hurt as well.

"Save it." Tabby shouted, reaching the top of the stairs and disappearing around the corner a second before a door could be heard slamming shut.

"What was that all about?" Wanda asked a moment later from her spot in the doorway leading to the living room; Pietro was still staring at the spot Tabby had just been, eyes narrowed.

"I have no idea." He muttered, before turning and zipping out of the house and back to school, barely making it to class before the late bell.

After school

The boys were all waiting around at Lance's jeep while Lance stood a few feet away, flirting with Kitty. Pietro, already having been annoyed for the better part of the day, finally just laid on the horn, earning a glare from the rock tumbler. But after a minute Lance became so fed up that he said goodbye to Kitty and stormed over to the jeep, causing the honking to end.

"What," He shouted, getting in and slamming the door shut, "is your problem?" Starting the vehicle up before Pietro got the chance to reply, Lance took off, eyes narrowed as he waited for a response; however, he wasn't about to get one.

Pulling into the driveway at the Boarding House several minutes later, Lance got out of the jeep right after Pietro, and somehow managed to grab a hold of the front of his shirt before he could get the chance to zip off.

"What the hell is your problem, Pietro? You've been acting more pissy than usual today."

"It's none of your business." Pietro remarked, shoving away from Lance's grip and dusting himself off.

"Where were you during lunch?" Lance asked, following Pietro into the house, tossing his keys onto the kitchen table while Pietro grabbed a drink from the fridge.

"I had to come back here and get some homework I'd forgotten, if you must know." He stated, sipping his drink; Lance crossed his arms and leaned against the doorframe.

"Is that so?"

"Yes, it is. Now if you'll excuse me…" Pietro was about to zip out of the kitchen, when Lance suddenly spoke up again.

"What's going on with Tabby?"

Pietro froze, and took a second to regain his composure. He shrugged, raising an eyebrow. "What do you mean?"

"Oh come on, Pietro. There has to be a reason you spent the night with her, if it wasn't to get in her pants, which you claim you didn't."

"I didn't." Pietro said flatly, eyes narrowed. "What're you getting at?"

"Why didn't she kick your ass out of her room?" Lance asked, to which Pietro stayed quiet. "Is something wrong with her?"

"She's fine." Pietro said, and then zipped out of the kitchen and up to his own room.

Lance frowned, running a hand through his hair as he glanced over his shoulder to find an empty hallway. If Tabby's weird behavior didn't scream that something was up, then Pietro's sure as hell did. But just what it was that was up was something else entirely.

Entering the kitchen completely, Lance headed for the fridge, pulling out a box of leftover pizza. He had just put a couple slices in the microwave when he heard movement behind him. Turning around, he was slightly surprised, though not unhappy, to find Tabitha eyeing the contents of the fridge.

"See anything you like?" Lance asked, smirking as he leaned against the counter. Tabby glanced at him, wrinkling her nose in thought.

"Nope." She grinned, grabbing an apple and closing the door. "What're you up to, Lancey?"

"Just grabbing a bite to eat before Kitty gets here, you?" Tabby took a bite of the apple and held it up before taking a seat at the table. He rolled his eyes in response. "Of course." Taking his pizza out of the microwave when it went off, he took a seat opposite her. "About this morning…"

"Don't worry about it." Tabby stated quickly, hoping he wasn't going to go and make a big deal out of nothing.

"What's going on Tabby?" Lance asked, taking a bite of his pizza.

"Look, Lance, I'm flattered that you care enough to ask, but it's really none of your business."

"Why does everyone keep telling me that?" He mused to himself, chewing thoughtfully. "So you just decided to hop into bed with Pietro, then? For no reason at all?"

"I didn't hop into bed with him." Tabby said, narrowing her eyes. "Now will you please just drop it?"

"Hmm, so catching you two in bed together was just a huge misunderstanding, then?"

"Exactly."

"You didn't sleep with him?"

"Why are you so interested in whether or not I slept with Pietro?" Tabby challenged, eyebrow raised.

"I'm not."

"You sure aren't acting like you don't care."

"Look, it's just…I know how Pietro is-"

"And how's that?"

"Tabby, come on. He's probably been with more girls than Gambit."

Tabby frowned at that, looking away from Lance for the first time. So what if Pietro had been with a lot of girls…why should she care? It wasn't like she liked him or anything. Placing a strand of hair behind her ear, Tabby continued to stare at the doorway.

However, as she placed the hair behind her ear, it gave Lance a better view of the side of her face…which just so happened to be bruised. He narrowed his eyes.

"Tabby…"

"What?" She asked, a little more harshly than she'd meant, turning her head back around to face him. Catching the look in his eye, she furrowed her brow, confused. "What're you looking at?"

"You're face…" He said quietly, standing up and moving toward her in order to get a better look. Tabby's eyes widened in realization, and she pushed back from her chair about the same time he stood up.

"I-I have to go, uh-" But she was cut off by a knock on the door, and then a perky brunette popping her head inside and looking around. "Kitty!" Tabby called thankfully, rushing out of the room and over to the girl.

"Tabby! Like, Lance told me you were back. How are you?"

"I'm fine. A little tired though, I think I'm gonna go take a nap." She said, giving Kitty the best cheerful smile she could, before quickly retreating up the stairs before Lance got the chance to say anything else.

"That was weird." Kitty said, watching Tabby as she disappeared, and then looking over at her boyfriend. "What's up with her?"

"I don't know."

Later that night

Tabby had spent the rest of the day locked in her room, ignoring everyone's attempt to get her to come down for dinner. She wasn't in the mood to eat, anyway. Lance had seen the bruise on her face, she was sure of it. But that was okay, right? It was only Lance…he probably wasn't even sure of what he had seen.

Sighing, Tabby rolled onto her stomach and reached across to her nightstand, opening the top drawer and pulling out a pack of cigarettes and a lighter. Sitting up, she slid off the bed and walked over to the window, sliding it open and glancing down. Frowning at the length of the drop, she glanced to her left, then her right, before noticing a lattice.

Grinning in triumph, Tabby sat down on the edge of the window, one leg in the room, the other dangling out the window. Reaching over she grabbed a hold of the wood and placed her foot in one of the holes, before pulling her other foot out and swinging it over so that she now had both feet on the lattice and was able to climb down.

Hopping off about five feet from the ground, she wiped her hands off on her jeans. Standing up straight a moment later, she looked around, making sure no one had spotted her. Once she was sure she was in the clear, she pulled out a cigarette and lit it, closing her eyes as she took a drag.

Walking around to the front of the house, Tabby contemplated taking Lance's jeep, but figured it would make more noise than it was worth. So, she walked. Where she walked? Well, that really wasn't important.

Smoking in silence for a while, Tabby finally came to a stop outside the park, dropping the cigarette and snubbing it out. "I know you're there, Pietro." Just then, there was a gush of wind and a silver-haired speed demon appeared at her side.

"Smoking's bad for your health, ya know."

"So's being a mutant." She replied, pulling out another cigarette and lighting it. Taking a drag, she entered the park, not once having looked at him. Pietro, annoyed, followed her.

Walking along in silence for a while, Tabby finally came to a stop once they'd reached the lake. Sitting down on one of the benches, she felt something being placed over her shoulders, stopping her shivering. Glancing over at Pietro as he sat next to her, she studied his face for a moment, before looking out at the water.

"Why're you being so nice?" She asked, taking another drag from her cigarette.

"I'm not always a heartless bastard." He replied as she exhaled. Pulling his jacket close, she bit her lip, before closing her eyes and taking a deep breath.

"Sorry about that."

"Forget about it. Not like I haven't heard worse." Pietro said, crossing his arms and looking off.

Tabby continued to stare at the water for a long minute before dropping her cigarette and snubbing it out. Then, without much though, she leaned her head against his shoulder, closing her eyes. He turned his head to look at her, not really able to keep the faint smile off his face as he lightly wrapped an arm around her.