Previously:
Kurt had a perfect routine until he went for his last bar jump. Pietro ran over and knocked over the bar Kurt was supposed to catch on. Kurt fell a good 10 ft. Sapphire was so scared while he fell, she saw him fall in slow motion. As Kurt hit the ground, his image inducer shut off, exposing the blue fur; the real him. The crowd went dead silent as Sapphire ran down the bleachers screaming his name. Her voice echoed as Pietro's smile widened.
Sapphire reached Kurt's side after what felt like, to her, an eternity. She put her ear over his mouth, looked up and shouted; "HE'S NOT BREATHING!!"
No one seemed to care.
Presently:
Allie had left the gymnastics place in a hurry. Pietro was being a jerk as he had been for the last few weeks. Tears stained her cheeks and she leaned against her Jeep with a sob. This wasn't Allie. She had never felt so bad like this before.
Before she could turn on the vehicle, she heard the startled cried and went back inside. She saw Kurt lying on the ground and Sapphire freaking out.
"Saph. Saph? What happened?"
The younger teen explained as Allie took notice he was blue and fuzzy. And…
"…Not breathing!"
Allie told Sapphire to call the mansion and tell them what happened. As the younger girl did so, Allie began CPR. "Come on, Blue-boy. Don't quit on us," she whispered.
After a few minutes, Kurt was breathing again, but still unconscious. When the others arrived, Allie trudged back to the Jeep. She needed to find Pietro and set him straight. Upon arriving at the Brotherhood Boarding House (BBH), Allie let herself in.
"I'm ho-ome!"
"Why, Allie. What an…unpleasant surprise."
"Aw, Mystique, you know you've missed me. Unless you're playing the "protective mum" part again and are a student in one of my classes." She smirked brightly. "But, I don't think you'd try that again, would you?"
"Keep your mouth shut," the blue-skinned woman growled. "How is your mission going?"
"Grand! She totally trusts me." Allie changed the subject rapidly. "Where's Speedy?"
"His room."
"Good."
Allie walked up the stairs and kicked the door in with such a force that Boom-Boom would be proud of her. "Pietro Maximoff!"
Pietro was in a pair of sleeping pants and his chest was perfectly toned and exposed. "Allie, babe." He wore a cocky grin.
"How could you do that to Kurt?!"
"Do what?"
"Mess up his act!"
"I…didn't?"
"Sapphire saw you, Pietro!"
"I dunno want you're talking about. I left after our "fight" and came back here."
"Well, then who did it? Mystique?"
"Been missin' all night."
"She's down stairs."
Pietro smirked. "Yes, but Mystique's insane. Could been her."
During the argument, Allie had advanced on Pietro, who had back up onto the bed. So, there he sat, Allie standing before him, her knees caught between his legs. The two fell back, Allie laying on Pietro's chest.
"Mmm, I like it this way…" Before Allie could stand, Pietro rolled them over, his body now atop hers.
"Speedy. Not now…" she whispered. She ran a hand through his silver hair.
"But I miss you." He gently kissed her nose, smiling as she giggled.
"Pietro…"
"We graduate in June. Your "mission" is taking too long."
"It's hardly Christmas."
"Yeah, but I didn't see you at Thanksgiving," he complained.
"I was with Warren in New York. Just us." She gigged as he made a face. "No, silly. He's my cousin; my best friend."
"These public fights are getting old, babe."
"Are they? I'm rather enjoying myself."
"Only because everyone over there is waiting to hear if it's really over; everyone here knows it's far from it."
Allie squirmed slightly. "Speedy…I need to get home."
"No. Stay here."
"Logan will have my head."
Pietro laughed. "Well, sure. He's always on your case, huh?" He bent his head to gently kissed her lips. "Fine. If you must."
Allie grinned. "Can't get in trouble, can we? Interrogate Mystique for me?"
"Of course." Pietro stood and pulled Allie up into his arms. "I have you Christmas Eve, babe."
She grinned. "You're with us New Year's Eve, then."
"Deal."
While Allie made her way home, Sapphire sat in the infirmary, watching over Kurt.
"Oh, Elf, please be ok."
A few Weeks passed and everything was chaotic more and more. Christmas was just around the corner and everyone was wrapped up in last minute shopping. Including Allie and Sapphire.
"I have no idea what to get Kurt!"
"You're not the only one. I need 3 more presents." The two were in Hot Topic, browsing. "Who was your Secret Santa?"
"John. He's so easy to shop for." She giggled. "You?"
Allie laughed. "Well, Remy's easier. I've known him too long."
"What did you get him?"
"You'll see next week. Let's focus on Blue-boy, Speedy, and Logan."
Sapphire looked at her friend strangely. "Logan? Mr. Growl-up-a-storm, Logan?"
"You don't know him that well, do you?"
"And you do?"
Allie rolled her eyes, but didn't answer. The two shopped on. Soon, once Sapphire was finished, it was only Allie left. One more to go: Logan.
"Iiiiitttt'sssss Christmas!!" It was Christmas Eve Day. Jamie was up at dawn and grinned as only some presents were under the large tree.
"Jamie, petite, Chris'mas' t'morrow." Remy ruffled the little boy's hair and gently caught Rogue in a kiss under the mistletoe.
"Well, yeah. But, we're doing Secret Santa after dinner."
Everyone chuckled. It was Jamie's favorite week. Hw would get presents that night and the next morning and, a week later, he got to stay p really late while everyone went to New York City.
For Allie, the day passed too slowly. She had already made arrangements to join Pietro after Secret Santa and be home by 10 the next morning.
Christmas Eve was always hard on Allie, but even more so on Sapphire.
"Als, what was Christmas like in New Orleans?"
The older teen hesitated as she looked to where the others were gathering.
"The last week of every year, Lapin, Emil, Henri, Theo, Etienne, Remy, and myself were always thrown out of New Orleans. J-L would send us to some Tropical island." She sighed. "We found ourselves in trouble all the time. Lapin and Henri would fight, Theo and the twins would run off. Remy and me…" She trailed off and shook her head. Everyone was listening.
"You and Remy…?" Sapphire prompted.
"Dings go' rough, le's pu' it dat way," Remy replied gently.
A few moments had passed and everyone began crowding around for Secret Santa.
"Allie's first!" Jamie said. Hers happened to be what he picked up first.
All watched as she gingerly opened it. Jamie seemed to stop breathing as her eyes lit up. "Awww, Jamie!" There was a locket in the shape of a heart. "Jamie, it's beautiful!"
The shy boy walked over to Allie and helped her put it on. "I'm glad you like it." He blushed as she hugged him.
The end of Secret Santa came and John and Remy were the last ones. Sapphire, who had gotten a new plant for her room from Ororo, gave John his gift confidently.
"Oi! It's a type-writah!!" His green eyes lit up and he spun Saph around enthusiastically. "Oh, sheila! Yer the best!"
Now it began to get quiet. Even Allie was quiet as she walked to where Remy was sitting with Rogue.
"Merry Christmas, Rems," she whispered.
The red-eyed Cajun smiled and opened his neatly wrapped gift. His smile widened his eyeslit up. "Oh, petite! O's…" He, Remy LeBeau, was speechless.
Allie blushed as he held up a chrome picture framed. There were four picture spaces, three of them filled already. One was of Remy and Rogue, snuggled together on the couch; another was of Allie, Remy, and Remy's friends and family in New Orleans; the third held a picture of all the X-Men.
"The fourth one is for a future picture." She stressed on future as her eyes flickered to Rogue and she smiled warmly. "It's not something you hear a lot. Hell, it's not something I heard a lot. But, Remy, they love you. They keep tellin' me "Keep dat boy busy, don' le' him screw up. And…..Damn! This is hard." She smiled. "Remy, you were my best friend before Warren took me and. You—" She broke off and was suddenly shy. "Thank you for everything you've ever helped me with."
Touched by her speech, Remy set the frame down and twirled her around, embracing her tightly. "Merci, Allie. Merci beaucoup. (1)"
With Secret Santa over, Allie left for the BBH.
"I'm ho-ome!"
"Merry Christmas, yo!"
"Hey, look who's back."
"Merry Christmas, Toad; nice to see you, too, Freddy."
"Back already?"
"Pietro invited me. How could I refuse?"
Wanda smirked and let Lance make his was in.
"He-ey! Shakedown, miss me?"
"In your dreams."
"And I'm still waitin'."
"Strike, you're home early. No Sapphire?"
Allie grinned deviously. "Nope."
"Mmm, mmm, mmm." Everyone turned to see the speed demon coming down the stairs. "Am I in heaven?"
"Why, yo?"
"Cuz I'm spendin' Christmas with an angel." Pietro's face was close to Allie's now, his arms wrapped around her waist, making her blush. "Merry Christmas, Allie."
"Merry Christmas indeed." Before she knew it, the two were laying on the bed in Pietro's room, Allie getting a taste of his soft, sweet kisses.
"You have no idea how bad I want you," he whispered against her neck.
"Mmm, then why are you still talking?"
He chuckled softly and leaned into her…
"Iiiiitttt'sssss Christ—No! That was last week. CUT!"
The crown of teens in Times' Square laughed loudly.
"All right. Action!" Jamie turned to Bobby's camera at the front of the group and grinned. "It's New Year's Eve; an hour away from the biggest, baddest, COOLEST, party of the year! How is it on your end, Allie?"
Allie was behind everyone, walking with Sapphire, Kurt and Pietro. She smirked as Jubilee's camera fell on her.
"Well, Jay: Saph and Kurt are makin' fun of Jean and Scott. Usually, that's me and Speedy, but boooy!" They all laughed. "No, I was serious." She flashed a grin at the camera. "Well, it's 11:58-" She winked at Jamie, who had misread the time. "-and we're all—yes, us all—her in Times' Square, getting' ready for the biggest, baddest, COOLEST (2) party of the year! And, that's only because New York City has never had the ENTIRE X-Men Crew walk its streets before. Now, Bobby, turn your attention to the ball and help the count down while Jubilee does the real work."
As the ENTIRE crowd counted down the last 15 seconds, couples gather together. Bobby's camera caught the ball dropping and Jubilee's caught everything else.
Kurt pulled Sapphire into his body and kissed her; Pietro twirled Allie around, lips on hers.
"HAPPY NEW YEAR!!" everyone yelled into the now floating cameras before the owners went to collect them.
It wasn't long, of course, before an argument sounded.
"You are such a liar!"
"I am not!!"
"All you want is sex!"
"Als, I want you to come home! Is that a problem?!"
"Yes! If I come back—"
"Whoa, whoa, whoa; you're a Brotherhooder?"
"Oh, more than just that. She's supposed to—"
"Pietro, shut up!"
"—Supposed to recruit Sapphire." He smirked and left the mansion.
"Als, is this true?"
She didn't answer.
"Once a traitor, always a traitor."
She glared at Remy, but still said nothing.
"Well, well. Did I hear something about traitors?" Everyone saw Allie tense as Logan walked up. "Now, why doesn't this surprise me? Allie turnin' her back on friends, on fam—"
"You know nothing a family."
"I i knew /i nothing of family," he corrected.
"I didn't have a choice. Everyone else was too stupid. Mystique got to me first."
"Since day one? You've lied since day one?"
"No! Well, not technically. It—It was at first, and then I got to know you and—"
"Just stop. You're pathetic." That seemed to shut Allie up, the hurt apparent in her eyes. "You…You lied, Allie. And I—We all trusted you, dammit!"
"Saph, please! Hear me out"
"Merde, petite! She's only 16, Jus' a child!" (3)
"I couldn't say no!"
"Y've done it t' Marius. T' Jean-Luc!"
"Not to Mystique."
"Get control of your life and—"
"Sapphire, Remy, calm down; Allie, sit." Xavier made his way into the Rec Room. It was late…early…whatever. "Allie, what happened?"
"Mystique wants Sapphire with the Brotherhood. And, because the boys are too stupid, and Wanda too anti-social, she sent me. I was going to, and then I got to know her. And…I didn't tell Mystique my final decision."
Xavier sighed heavily. With Allie's strong mental shields, he couldn't see anything to dispute over. "Allie, it had been wonderful to have you home." Allie tensed. "But, this is not up to me."
"I'm not under anyone's legal guardianship."
"You're under mine."
The entire room turned to Logan as he stood against the wall. Allie had stood and was now walking for the door as if thinking he was sending her away.
"You're done wrong, Als. But, I've seen you do worse. I want you to swear to me, in front of everyone—"
"I'm through with Mystique."
"You promise?"
Everyone was amazed by Logan and Allie's calmness.
"Logan, I have never lied to you. I will never lie to you. I may say things while upset, but I never mean any of it" She stood against the door frame and sighed. "I'm sorry for the trouble. I'll let myself out."
"Allie! Allie, come back here!"
"Logan, let her go. She needs to come back on her own."
"This is stupid, Chuck! I just got them (4) back. I can't lose her now!"
"Logan! Logan!!" Everyone watched as Logan walked out to follow Allie. Xavier sighed "Everyone, go on to bed. The excitement's over."
(1) Merci, Allie. Merci beaucoup.Thank you, Allie. Thank you very much.
(2) Allie was repeating was Jamie said for the emphasis of feeling she shared with the younger boy.
(3) In chapter 1, Allie said the same to Mystique:
In the Thieves' Guild, you can't become a full Thief until the age of 18 or you're out of school. Only the really talented (Allie) or high in status (Remy) are the exception. Everyone else can be trained, but they are considered children.
(4) Logan has found more than one? Uh oh…
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