We're All Perfectly Normal

by The Great Flying Toaster

That's what they keep telling themselves. That they have every right to be human too. Except for the new kid and his lush of a normal sister. Maybe being normal is a little overrated. Everyone's a little weird. Rated for Language and Adult Situations

6. The Benifits of Utter Insanity

Soooo, hey I've been gone awhile huh? College and life and stress is taking up most of my will to live, so everything else has been put on the back burner. As always, thank you to everyone reading and especially to the ones who review. I'm always a little apprehensive about posting stories with OCs as main characters, but I'm glad you guys are diggin' Elliot and Kyle and the mayhem they create. For those of you who are especially diggin' the ElliotxLogan set-up, there's gonna be more development in this chapter.

Sort of.

In a very very bizarre sort of way.

ALSO IN THIS CHAPTER! VIOLENCE! YAY VIOLENCE! I have no idea where all this pent up aggression comes from. (Too much stress?) Seriously, it doesn't get started until later in the chapter, but if it's too much, I might re-write it. I don't follow a lot of rules when it comes to fan fiction, but there are limits as far as story departure.

DISCLAIMER: The X-men don't belong to me... No matter how much I beg for a few royalties checks. Also I'm Reptile Room-ing it again. Because making up weird reptiles is fun, even if there are plenty of amphibians and reptiles that are already plenty weird.

O6

The Benefits of Utter Insanity

Scott was not pleased with Elliot. Unfortunately, Elliot didn't really give a damn.

Kyle and Jubilee, for their part, were just glad that the grown-ups had left the upstairs infirmary, FINALLY. Ororo and Scott had recovered in no time and were almost immediately discharged, but Kyle couldn't even stand for three minutes without blacking out. He was confined to a bed, with an IV stuck in his arm.

"I still can't believe you were the one who took out the power for the entire mansion," Jubilee said with a grin.

"I'm sitting here with a morphine drip and the worst headache of all time," said Kyle in a playful voice, "Believe it."

"You're okay though, right?"

"Yeah this is nothin'. I'm just completely wiped out." The two sat in a comfortable silence for a while. "You think Elliot and Scoot are gonna get into it soon?"

"Oh yeah," said Jubilee with a laugh, "Scott's way too uptight and serious…Wait, what did you call him?"

"Scoot," Kyle said, "El called him that when she was shitfaced that first night and I guess it sort of stuck. But I wouldn't recommend telling anyone else. He'll know it's because of El and as much as I like watching those two get into it, I don't wanna get her in any serious trouble."

"Yeah, that's probably a good idea," chuckled Jubilee, "But seriously, does she not like Jean and Scott or something? I mean Jean's all right, even if she comes off as seriously goody-two shoes."

"I dunno what's up with her and Jean," said Kyle with a shrug, "I can see why she doesn't like Scott. They're complete polar opposites, but I thought she actually liked Jean. She started acting weird when Logan and Jean were talking."

Jubilee paused, "Do you think she likes Logan?"

"Who, Jean?"

"No, goof, Elliot," said Jubilee, lightly rapping her knuckles on Kyle's skull, "I mean, do you think Logan's her type? They seem like they would get along really well."

Kyle actually stopped to think about it, "I dunno. Elliot doesn't really have a type unless you count abusive assholes. I don't know him that well, but Logan doesn't seem anything like any of the guys Elliot's ever dated." He paused, "Wait, what does that have to do with Jean and Scoot?"

"Logan's completely in love with Jean! But of course Jean's with Scott, so that's not going, like, anywhere and it totally doesn't help that Scott and Logan wanna beat the crap outta each other."

Kyle blinked, "Annnd….."

Jubilee sighed before explaining, "Logan isn't even in the same area code as being over Jean. Even if a chick as cool as Elliot has the hots for him, there's still gonna be, like, a lot of tension because he's still all hung up and Scott's attitude is totally just eggin' him on! Elliot's probably already picked up on a little bit of it and is probably trying to figure out if Jean has any feelings for Logan because it's not like Jean's exactly perceptive when it comes to how she puts out hotness vibes. I actually think that your sister is like super sexy and she and Logan would probably be really good for each other." She looked thoughtful for a moment before looking at Kyle who was wearing a blank face, "Do you still not get it?"

"If I say I understand, you have to swear to never use the words "your sister" and "super sexy" in the same sentence ever again."

Jubilee laughed and rolled her eyes, "Sheesh, boys."

The young mutant was actually partly right. Elliot had realized within the last hour of being around the three of them that some very weird shit was going on amongst the dominant couple (Jean and Scoot) and the loner character, Logan. The others seemed to hold that particular subject at arm's length. Either they had no idea or they weren't staying as far out of it as was physically possible. Rouge, Ororo AND Remy had taken off as soon as the sparks started flying. Elliot had stuck around because Scoot was annoying her and she wanted to pick a fight with the prick.

They were smart. Clearly, she wasn't.

Now, Elliot was all too aware of the looks and the double meanings or hidden meanings behind statements and she had no friggin' idea how to get the hell out. The LAST thing she needed was to get in the middle of whatever messed up soap opera crap was going on between those three. She had gone through enough fucked up relationships of her own without playing any part in someone else's. To top it all off, Scott was mad at HER for something that wasn't even her damn fault to begin with. Well okay, the power outage MIGHT have been SLIGHTLY her fault since both she and Kyle failed to mention that Kyle occasionally lost control of his powers in intense situations. Just because she was the one who had the foresight to bring a rubber inculcated flashlight that wouldn't be affected by the electricity….and a crowbar….and a pocket sized first aid kit….and a miniature fire extinguisher.

Okay so it was mostly her fault, but Scott should have had the foresight not to push the kid so hard the first time around, so there! She had brought that up, which led to Scoot getting all huffy and then Mr. Living-tank Logan butted in and that in turn stirred up what was apparently a LOOOONG standing fight between those two and Jean attempting to step in to calm the two hot heads down just made everything worse in terms of freaky vibes.

'This is why I am not a people person,' Elliot thought sourly, 'this is why I'm a reptile and animal person.' If one Western Striped Fig Newt had an issue with another Western Striped Fig Newt, they would just pick a near-by stream to mud wrestle in. End of story, conflict resolved. Of course it was no doubt due to the fact that she was a reptile and animal person that she was able to pick up on the freaky vibes and hidden meanings to begin with. Elliot wouldn't have been surprised if her prolonged exposure to dealing with things that express themselves on very low levels had jacked up her awareness of other's emotions. Great. She was an emotional satellite. No wonder she kept attracting weird people.

Before she knew it, both Scoot and Logan had stormed off (in separate directions), leaving her with Jean. "Well," Elliot drawled, trying to think of something to say to break the awkward silence, "That was….totally bizarre."

Jean turned a blank expression on her, "What do you mean?"

Elliot blinked, "Um, ya know, the whole hidden meanings, male posturing, we're gonna rip each other up piece of testosterone theater we just watched."

The red head shrugged it off, "I have no idea what you're talking about."

LIES!

"Honey," Elliot said, deciding that now was the time for her and Jean to level with each other, "I'm a non-mutant, okay? Not deaf, dumb and blind."

Jean sighed and shook her head, "You're right, Elliot. I'm sorry. Things are just so tense between those two and… Well, don't let it bother you, it'll work out."

It'll work out. Sure it will. Yeah fucking right. Elliot had heard that line plenty of times and had never once seen anything work out. But it wasn't her mess to get involved in. She didn't want to be involved. She wanted to be smart like the others were and hightail it to the county line the next time the weird vibes started up so she wouldn't be in the middle of the little soap opera drama.

"Yeah, sure," Elliot said, "If you say so." She watched the red head walk off and heaved a sigh of her own. Today had been a very long weird day. And now it was five o' five. "To drink or not to drink. THAT is the question. Tis far better to be fucked up and happy than sober and confused as hell. Alcoholic logic at its best!"

"Remy think that if petite Ellie be talkin' to herself already, she be in no need fer a drink."

Elliot turned to see the tall Cajun mutant lounging against an open window with a cigarette. She put her hands on her hips as she responded, "Yeah well, Elliot think that if she be talkin' to herself, she be in REAL need fer a drink!"

Remy took the teasing in stride. He leaned forward with a soft chuckle, "Remy noticed ya stuck 'round to watch the drama."

"Yeah, thanks for the warning, by the way," Elliot said, "I totally love it when I'm in the middle of a tense situation and I have no idea why."

"Really?" he teased, " 'cause Remy got the feelin' that petite Ellie liked bein' in a fight."

"I liked being in a fight when I start the fight," corrected Elliot, "I do NOT like being in soap opera mind fuck fights. At all. Period."

"Least now ya know about it, oui?"

"Non," she answered, tritely. "I don't like knowing about it and I don't like being a part of it. What is the DEAL with those guys anyway?! They're acting like Jean is the bloody Queen of the Nile and they're fighting for her hand in marriage!"

"Well," Remy said, standing up and using his mutant powers to explode the butt of the cigarette, "Remy know, but he ain't so sure that it be Remy's place to tell petite Ellie."

"Yeah well petite Ellie can't get a word outta Jean and Logan's right behind me isn't he?" She knew it had to be one of them from the look on Remy's face. She hadn't gotten yelled at yet, so it couldn't be Scoot. At least that was a plus.

"You ain't one ta talk, sweetheart."

Then again, maybe it wasn't.

"What is that supposed to mean?" Elliot asked in a low dangerous voice, turning to face the man behind her.

Logan met her gaze with his own. "You know what it means."

"Okay, let's pretend I don't," she said, crossing her arms under her breasts and leaning against the wall.

Logan moved until he was nearly towering over the small blonde, "Look sweetheart," he growled, "Don't be bustin' my chops when I was the one who tryin' to stick up fer ya in front of one-eye back there. If you were smart maybe you'd know better than tryin' to pick fights with the big boys."

"Yeah, that's always been my problem," Elliot drawled, "Too dumb for my own good. I can handle the fights I pick, so don't go hauling the little duel for the girl y'all obviously have goin' for Jean."

"Yeah right," Logan said with a harsh laugh, "Ya know the reason girls like you get yer sweet little ass kicked around by scumbag guys is because no sane man would ever be caught dead with a cheap little nobody who…"

What she was Elliot never found out, because for some bizarre reason her hand had curled into a fist which magically connected with Logan's jaw. And then her foot for some reason used the momentum to swing around and kick Logan across the hall. Obviously though, she needed to start working out again to learn some new moves, because that was the same combination she had used to knock her younger brother in the wall just that morning. Of course, Kyle WAS her younger brother and she always held back when she was fighting him.

Even though he was the shortest guy on the team, Logan had the presence to seem like a big guy. Muscle wise he was big and the adamantium in his bones did nothing to detract from his strength. But the same woman, who could toss her much taller brother across the room when she was annoyed, had planted him squarely in the wall across from where he had been standing. He sat there, the wind knocked out of him (and no, it didn't help when one of the pictures on the wall fell on his head when he slammed into it) and tried to figure out just how the hell he got there. He saw Elliot's feet in front of him. He let his gaze wander up until they rested on her face.

Even in his winded, cross-eyed state, he could recognize one fact. Elliot Aimes, the little fairy girl, had been playing when she tackled him last night. She was pissed off. Elliot grabbed the front of Logan's shirt, hauled him up and then slammed him against the wall.

"You got one thing wrong, babe," she said in a dark, quiet voice, "I am not cheap and I have never been easy." She didn't let him go, she threw him down, "I don't like repeating myself so why don't you try to remember that or else I won't be so gentle the next time you want to play."

It wasn't until the sound of her footsteps had faded from even Logan's ears that anyone moved. Remy cautiously moved to Logan's side, extending a hand. Logan took it, letting the taller man help him to his feet.

"Petite Ellie has not so petite temper," Remy observed, "She scarier than you."

xXxXxXx

"What the hell did you say, man?" asked Kyle after his laughter had died down some. He always found it hilarious when someone bore the brunt of Elliot's frustrations and anger. Logan didn't answer. Though this was partly due to the fact that the good doctor McCoy was still resetting his jaw. Adamantium skeleton be damned, that little girl had dislocated his jaw!

"Really though," Kyle continued in a much more sober tone, "It's not like El is the kind of person to take offense to any old thing. She's handed out plenty of broken bones and dislocations, but those were always to things like arms and legs and the occasional collar bone. I've never seen her take a serious face shot just because she was annoyed. If you pissed her off enough to lose that much control, you're lucky you got off with a dislocated jaw and the wind knocked out of you." He grinned, "She must seriously like you."

Hank had finished and backed off, leaving Logan with an ice pack against his jaw. "Oh yeah?" he asked sarcastically, "She the kinda girl who knocks out guys she likes?"

"No, she's the kinda girl who holds back when someone she likes pisses her off."

Logan gave a harsh laugh.

"Please just tell me what you said, Logan," Kyle said. It wasn't the same quiet killing voice Elliot had used, more like the voice of someone who was used to dealing with people who would rather fight than talk. Logan, however, remained silent. Kyle was quiet to for a while, studying the man in the chair across from him thoughtfully.

"What would 'e have said to make petite Ellie so angry?" Remy asked. Logan gave him a look, but he ignored it. Remy liked the little blonde girl, she had seemed very fiery and playful. Nothing like that cold, angry woman he had seen in the hall.

It was the same with her kid brother. He had seemed so young and naive when they first met. Now he seemed so grown up and mature. Kyle looked Remy over slowly before answering. "Elliot's had a hard time ever since she was a little kid. She's been walked all over and called a slut and a failure by people she thought she could trust." Kyle leaned back, running a hand through his hair, "Listen, she's got a pretty thick skin, but there are just some things she can't stand to hear, especially from someone she likes. The only way she knows how to react is to lash out."

He glanced back up at Logan, looking him square in the eye. "You hurt her, so she wanted you to feel as much pain as she did. Simple as that."

Logan looked down at the ice pack in his hands. Without warning he stood up, tossing the ice pack onto the chair.

"Oi," Remy called in surprise, "Where' ya goin'?"

"Out," Logan growled, slamming the door of the infirmary behind him.

"Hmf," the good doctor huffed, "It's a good thing I sent Jubilee out. He's acting childish." Hank shook his head.

Kyle just laughed, flopping back in the infirmary bed. "Lord, what a week. Barely here for 48 hours and El's already landed herself in the middle of some mess."

Remy leaned back with a smile of his own. Things were starting to get very interesting. "Petite said somethin' 'bout gettin' a drink. 's probably where Logan's headed too."

Kyle shot him a grin, "And there aren't that many bars in the area."

"Ellie was pretty mad when she took off, eh mon amie?"

Kyle's grin widened and he shook his head, "Oh no. She was upset, really upset probably, but not mad. If you want to see what happens when you REALLY piss her off, you should see what she'll do to the first jackass who tries to mess with her when she's wasted."

xXxXxXx

Only a few brave souls approached the pretty blonde girl who sat alone at a table with a bottle of tequila and a glass. They quickly retreated when she shot them looks that caused every living single cell organism in the air between them to spontaneously combust. The bartender knew her well as one of his regulars, he only had to take one look at her to know that it was just best to give her the bottle she asked for and leave her alone.

Elliot decided she wasn't nearly drunk enough yet. She could still see every single person who had stood behind Logan as he started to tell her (and they had spoken it along with him in a unanimous sing song voice) that she was a cheap nobody and God knows what else. Or, thought Elliot, maybe she was plenty drunk, it was just that the booze had failed to work its magic on her and lift her spirits.

Or, she thought, toying with the rim of her glass, maybe she was just going fucking insane. Big deal. She had been going insane for years. It would be nice if she stopped "going" and finally got to insanity. Then it wouldn't matter when someone called her a slut. Or maybe it would just be worse. Maybe every time someone called her a slut and a nobody she would always see that long line of ex boyfriends, teachers, doctors, friends, strangers and family who had over so many fucking years told her over and over until it had become like a chant in her head.

"Damn," she muttered, "Depression. Depression sucks. Depression can kiss my fucking ass. Fuck you, Depression. In the ass. With a rhino dick. And no lubrication. I bet you even SUCK rhino dick, stupid fucking Depression." She emptied her glass as the voices from her past rose up to mingle and intertwine with her thoughts.

At one point in her life (he didn't stop until she was screaming), she had come to the conclusion that the only way she could survive until she was at least in her thirties (she hadn't meant to start, she knew he got off to it) that it would be far better to spend the time she was awake either insane or drunk (but once the first little cry escaped, they just wouldn't stop). It was so much better (he laughed and called her names in a drunken sing song voice) than being sober (she had been sober that night too, so why did the cops think she was lying?) and remembering all the things those bastards did to her (the crazy girl who got sent off to the doctors, why should they believe her?).

But she just couldn't go crazy enough ("Come now, young lady, do as your elders tell you…"). So she drank ("Stupid little worthless whore..."). And drank (the needles stung, the ropes burned her wrists, but she mustn't scream...). And drank (his hand landed hard on her cheek, knocking her to the ground…). Until hopefully, one day, something would just stop. Because they had all said the same exact fucking thing he had started to say.

"Just a cheap little nobody who's only useful for fucking and beating," she sang softly, the same sing song voice she heard over and…

"It's not true."

She looked slowly up at the man standing next to her, almost falling out of her chair in the process. " 's supposed to be my line," she said in a soft voice.

"Ya don't look like you believe it."

"So what if I don't?" she asked, resting her head on her folded arms, "How do you know it's not true?"

"You ain't a nobody," he said, moving to stand next to her.

"But I am crazy," she insisted, letting her head lull to the side so she could look up at him.

"No crazier than me, sweetheart."

"Than you must be really fucking nuts."

"Come on, sweetheart, let's go home," he said, offering her his hand.

Elliot actually laughed. It was just so utterly ridiculous. So perfectly, maddeningly ridiculous. She had to be crazy, she had to be completely off her fucking rocker. She looked up at the mutant standing in front of her and grinned. It was the kind of grin Death would wear. She stood, grabbing the person in front of her in one fluid motion. The floor under them actually shook when she slammed him down.

"Don't fuck with me," she said in a voice that was half mad laughter, half growl, "You're a million years away from ever beating me, lady."

The person on the floor was in fact a woman. Blue skinned, orange hair. She glared up at Elliot. "How? You're not a mutant! How did you know?!"

"You really curious?" asked Elliot sweetly, grabbing the woman by the throat and lifting her up, "I told you already, honey. I. Am. Fucking. Crazy." She punctuated each word with a slap. The woman started to struggle against her. Elliot grabbed the bottle of tequila from behind her and brought it down onto the woman's head. The glass shattered and the remaining liquor drenched the woman's face.

"Ya know, all around, I'm not much of a confrontational person," Elliot confessed in a conversational tone as she threw the woman across the room, that had emptied pretty damn fast, "I don't pick fights for no good reason," she continued, listening to the satisfying noises of bones crunching under her boots, "But of course someone always has to ruin it by trying to take advantage of my feelings and manipulate me." Next to the door was a floor to ceiling window that made a fun noise when the body of the blue and orange woman crashed through it. It was unnecessary for her to keep hold of the woman's face, so she let go.

"I really fucking hate being manipulated," she said to the men in front of her. She grabbed one of the woman's arms and hurled her over to them. "Don't try to be smart when I'm drunk and insane or I'll fucking kill you."

A ripple of fear actually passed through the assembled mutants.

"She…she beat Mystique…"

"She didn't beat her, she annihilated her."

"Monster…"

She laughed at that. It was a crazed, eerie laugh. "I'm the monster, huh? God, yes." She spread her arms, "Yeah, baby, yeah, now it all makes sense. So," she said, arching her neck back and running her fingers in a slicing motion against it, "Who wants to try and kill the mad little monster?"

"You can't win," said the man in front, he seemed to be the leader, decked out in full body armor, "Our numbers are too many and we are far stronger. You will submit."

"That's a very persuasive argument, but there's one thing you don't understand," Elliot smiled her mad smile again, forming a gun with her index and middle finger, pointing it at her temple, "I don't care." She aimed it at the man. "If you're going to kill me, you had better do it now while you have the chance. I'll never submit. And if you try to force me, you'll get what she got." The crazed smile widened, "And maybe I'll even send of few of you to hell before me. Who would like to have that honor?"

"How about him?" said the armored man, with a grand flourish. A big brute of a man emerged from the back of the group, dragging a very bloody, but miraculously conscious Logan by the back of his neck.

There weren't many things that could have stopped her at that point, but that was one of them.

"Come with us without a fight and we will release this man. Refuse us and his blood will be on your hands."

"Dream on, Magnet ass," came the weak, but still vicious voice of the beaten mutant, "She ain't goin' with you just to save my hide."

"You watch your mouth, runt," snapped the big brute, twisting the arm he was holding sharply. Even from where Elliot was standing, she could hear the snap of bones.

"Well, Miss Aimes?" asked the leader.

She looked the man over one last time. "That's the way it's gonna be then, huh?"

"Yes," he said and it almost looked like he was gloating.

Her shoulders sagged. She looked helpless and vulnerable. "Just…Just let me speak to him first." She turned a pleading gaze on the leader.

"Very well," he said in that same almost gloating tone.

She crossed the distance separating them. Elliot crouched down next to Logan, who was lying in the same place where the big brute had dropped him. One of his arms was twisted and lay at a funny angle. He was still conscious though, looking up at her with dark eyes. "Don't do this, sweetheart," he said in a soft growl, "They're just going to use you against your brother 'nd Xavier."

"Yeah I know," she said, "I'm not that dumb." She paused to look over the broken man in front of her, "I'm sorry about earlier. And I'm sorry you got caught up in…whatever this is."

He looked at her for a long time, studying the strange creature in front of him. She reeked of tequila and Mystique's blood. She didn't seem drunk though. No reeling, no slurred words, no drunken haze clouding her eyes. There wasn't the stink of fear on her either. Maybe that wasn't so strange considering she has just finished trying to kill a mutant who was supposed to be a flawless shape shifter and the superior fighter. The sun was setting, staining the area deep gold and red. She looked just as surreally beautiful huddled down in the dying sunlight as she did lying across the counter in the moonlight. He looked at her for one long minute.

"Yer not a cheap nobody," he said suddenly, "I'm sorry I hurt you."

Elliot's expression actually softened, but all that softness vanished when Sabertooth gave a mocking laugh. "Well ain't that just the sweetest thing I ever did hear!" he crowed, "Hurry up and make yer choice. Go with us or this runt dies." He delivered a sharp kick to Logan's side, "Come on, refuse us. I'm itching to spill a little blood."

"What a coincidence," the little pixie girl said in a dark quiet voice, "So am I." A leg shot out, hooking around Sabertooth ankle and knocking him off balance. He was only on the ground for a second but that was enough for her to deliver a brutal kick to the stomach. He tried to roll away, finding too late that she had one of his hands and was twisting it sharply. Ligaments popped, bones snapped. She did the same to his arm.

It couldn't be said that it was like a repeat of Mystique's beating. It was worse. The mutants seemed to realize all at once that she was fighting to kill this time and she wasn't in any hurry to finish it. As if in one mad attempt to stop her, they rushed her. Well, the ones that had the balls for it did. Some actually turned around and rushed AWAY from the battle. Of course, they didn't get too far, thanks to the sudden appearance of a tall, teenage boy.

"Now where might you lot be going?" he asked softly.

Kyle really did enjoy being able to manipulate electricity sometimes. The right amount of voltages to the right areas could produce absolute wonders, especially in the human brain. He strolled into the battle utterly relaxed, shorting out brains left and right. He wasn't actually hurting anyone, just knocking them out. They'd have sore bodies for about a week with the voltages he was putting in them, but they'd definitely be better off than the idiots who were trying to take out Elliot. Another nice thing was that he knew when someone else had a similar power, just from reading their electrical output. He stood calmly behind the man with the magnet field surrounding him. Kyle sent out a small charge that was the opposite of the magnet field, half to get the guy's attention, half for giggles.

The guy's eyes actually widened in the helmet as he looked at the boy, "You!"

"Me," agreed Kyle, before pointing to the form of Logan suspended a good ten feet in the air and climbing, "Put him down. Very slowly and very gently."

"And if I don't?"

"Well, he might survive," Kyle said, reflectively, "But Elliot won't be too happy about it." He leveled an even stare at the man in front of him. "No one's died yet, but if you kill Logan, she'll make sure you and your little gang suffer before she kills you."

"What would you do if I didn't?" asked the man.

"I don't go in for the whole beating the shit out of whoever pisses you off thing like El does. I know what it's like to be bullied and beaten up, so if I can I try to avoid violence all together, with the exception of occasionally getting my ass handed to me by El. However my sister likes this man a lot, so I can't let you kill him." Kyle let his electric field build up until it was pushing against the magnetic field in front of him. Not hard enough to disrupt, but it was enough to make the man in front of him aware of what he could do if he wanted to.

The man actually smirked, "Has your mind already been so completely corrupted by Xavier? What use is it to use your unique gifts to serve those who wish to destroy you, when you can just as easily rule over them? Even your sister rules over you, for fear of you becoming better than her and becoming more powerful."

"You think Elliot's no better than the humans who want us mutants dead, don't you?"

"Yes," said the man, seizing upon the hesitancy in Kyle's voice, "She is no different than your parents. She chooses instead to use your powers for her own gain. In the end, she will turn you away."

"She…She won't leave me…She can't…"

"Come with me, Kyle," said the man, "I can make you more powerful beyond your wildest dreams. I can give you anything your heart desires. I can give you the family you've longed for."

"For so long…all I've wanted was to just be accepted for who I was," Kyle said softly, hanging his head, "To have a family who loved me…"

"Yes, and I can give you that, Kyle."

"But Elliot..."

"Your sister is not like us, Kyle. Mutants are a superior race, we are meant to rule over the humans."

"That's how it is?"

"Yes."

"Will….Will you at least put Logan down? He's been cool to me and I don't want to see him die like this because of my sister."

"Of course," said the man, lowering Logan down in front of Kyle. Kyle knelt down, touching the battered mutant's shoulder lightly. He suddenly looked up, past the man in front of him.

"So whaddya think?"

"Minus 90 points for the biggest load of bullshit I ever heard and minus 40 points for having a fugly costume."

The man turned sharply to see a bruised and bloody Elliot standing behind him. The rest of the mutant gang lay on the ground, unconscious, but alive. "What…"

"Hey, don't look at me!" she snapped, pointing at her little brother, "That jerk sent a bunch of charges and knocked the fuckers out." She addressed her brother this time, "You ruined all my fun, you jerk."

"Well, you were kinda going insane and it really isn't cool to kill people, even if they do deserve it a little."

"They deserve it a LOT!" griped Elliot, "They totally ruined my slow dramatic descent into madness, tried to kidnap me AND beat the shit out of Logan." She shot a dark glare at the magnet dude, "Seriously, it's like a bad joke."

"How many mutants does it take to capture a freak."

"Shut the fuck up, loser."

"Freak."

"Loser."

"What…What is the meaning of this!" demanded the man, looking back and forth between the two of them.

"You know I seriously cannot believe you fell for the same trick twice," said Elliot, coldly, "Don't expect any honor from someone when you're threatening the people they care about. Duh." She crossed around to help Logan slowly to his feet. "We better get back to Xavier's place to get Mr. Mini-Tank here patched up."

"You brought the van, right? I'll drive."

"Damn straight you'll drive!" called Elliot as she half stumbled off to her car, practically dragging the barely conscious Logan along with her.

"But then…" the magnet guy stopped Kyle, "I don't understand this. Why are you siding with the people who have so mistreated you?"

Kyle, the far more compassionate one, looked at him sympathetically.

"Listen, pal, I'll level with you. I'm not siding with anyone. I meant what I said about being a pacifist. Things like power and ruling over people weaker than me and that sort of thing…I hate shit like that. I'm not using my powers to fight crime or make the world a better place either. I'm 16 years old, man, I'm still learning how to deal with the normal human parts of my body. I don't need the headache of being a superhero OR a dictator to go with it. And by the way, about what you said about having the family I always wanted. I have that."

"If you mean that school of Xavier's then.."

"No," Kyle said, "I mean the outsiders who took me in when all my normal friends bailed on me. The punks and the Goths and the freaks that don't fit in anywhere because they aren't normal and they aren't mutants. I mean the kids at the underground rock shows and the kids in bands who go on to make it in the big time without being sell outs. I mean the people who built a world and a family for the ones who didn't have any of that. They are my family. They are the ones I'm siding with. Not you and not Xavier could ever give me what they did." He turned to go but then paused, "By the way, I'm telling this to you out of the goodness of my heart. If you or anyone from your gang come after anyone else I care about, consider your existence on this planet null and void."

"And after all that high and mighty talk of being a pacifist," sneered the magnet guy.

"But I am also a realist," Kyle observed, "And as a realist, I realize that there are some things that are worth fighting and killing for." The look he gave the man this time was cold and heartless, "You only saw a little bit of what we're capable of. Come after us or our people again, it won't end well for you and you better pray to every god and heaven that Xavier and the X-Men get to you first because if it's the two of us, you will die."

"Very well," magnet guy said, tightly.

"Oh and you better go get your people some medical attention," said Kyle as he strode off, "El wasn't playing gentle today. So long."

Magneto stood there for a while, letting the last hour sink in. Looking around he saw all his comrades, unconscious because of a boy with unparalleled mutant skills and bloody because of a young woman who he had drastically underestimated. He wanted Kyle to join his forces, but it had been made clear to him that any further disturbances such as these would not be tolerated. But, he decided, he would keep an eye on the two of them. They were too powerful and too vicious not to.

He and the others were gone by the time Kyle pulled Elliot's van out of the parking lot.

xXxXxXx

"You're looking a lot more sober….and sane," Kyle told his sister as he drove down the darkening road.

"Thank you," Elliot said, "I feel much more sane and sober."

"Sober and sane," corrected Kyle.

"Whatever."

"How much did you have to drink, anyway?" asked Kyle, "You were there for like three hours before the action started."

"Um, like ¾ of a bottle of tequila."

"Okay, here is what I do not understand…"

"What do you not understand?" asked Elliot in the same cadence her brother had used.

"How is it that you could drink so much that first night and only go a little crazy and turn around, only drink a little and go completely out of your mind?"

"That is a veeeerrry good question," said Elliot, thoughtfully, "That first night, I was in a pretty cheerful mood, all things considered. Alcohol is, of course, a mood enhancer…"

"Of course," agreed Kyle.

"So," continued Elliot, "When I started drinking today, I was already working my way down the road to going totally bat shit crazy."

"Makes perfect sense."

"Now here is what I do not understand," began Elliot.

"What do you not understand?"

"How did you know where I was and how did you know that Logan needed help?"

Kyle grinned a little at that. Of course, Elliot would never admit to needing his help and he wasn't so sure she had needed it back there if it wasn't for Mr. Magnet. "Jean got a mental message from Logan," he told her, "He said he had been captured by someone and so on and that they were taking him to use as a bargaining chip against you. Of course, I knew that you had a thing for this middle-of-nowhere bar…"

"Of course," agreed Elliot.

"So," continued Kyle, "I flew on down until it looked like I was getting too close and walked the last block while all the grown-ups were hooting and hollering about what to do back at Xavier's place."

"You have truly become a man," Elliot said in a satisfied voice, "Your first major defiance against authority. I'm so proud."

"Thank you."

"You're welcome."

"Do you think we should at least send out a mental message or something?" asked Kyle glancing back up at the rearview mirror, "I mean, so our costumed friends don't descend en masse on an empty parking lot covered in blood?"

Elliot thought about it for a minute. "Yeah, I guess. They're gonna freak out all over this anyway. Better it be at the school than at the parking lot when all the news crews and cops show up." She paused for a second, "Wait, aren't Jean and the Prof. supposed to be psychics? How do they not know where we are?"

"Easy," said Kyle with a shrug, "Brain waves are just different types of electricity and telepaths put out a very strong vibe when they're trying to get into someone else's mind. So all I have to do is throw up a negatively charge buffer around my head and they can't see anything I don't want them to."

"What about my brain waves?"

"Yeah well, you were going kinda insane..."

"Yeah, yeah, I get it. Send the friggin' mental message already." Elliot leaned back down in the back of the van as Kyle held a silent conversation with whichever telepath he happened to link up. It was a spacious van (some of the older students at the University called it a "shaggin' wagon") that usually held the equipment she needed when out in the field. There was also a foam pad that usually was rolled up in a neat little bundle and stored under the front seats and blankets for when the van really did become a "shaggin' wagon." She had rolled those out after getting Logan to the van and made the bed as comfortable as possible. She hadn't felt particularly compelled to haul her ass up to the seats, so she had opted to snuggle down in the blankets next to Logan. She watched him as the disorienting motion of the car lulled her.

It wasn't as though she hadn't felt strongly about someone before. For all her eccentricities and bad people skills, Elliot had been a fairly popular girl among the guys at school and work. She had never really actively pursued many of her interests, but she wasn't completely devoid of experience. What did she have with this man, though?

There was a physical connection, God, was there a physical connection. But emotionally…

Elliot grimaced. Emotionally, he was in love with another woman who had been around before her and Elliot was such a psychological mess that it almost didn't matter whether or not she had trust issues, because no sane person would want to be with someone as fucked up as she was.

Whatever, she thought, snuggling down further, she was too tired to give a damn right now. She wanted to at least have a few minutes rest before facing the wrath of Scoot. Though between her covered in blood that for the most part belonged to other people and what was sure to be a relaxed explanation from Kyle ("Yeah, she just went a little crazy and tried to kill some of them. No big thing.") she might not have to worry about it until much later.

TBC

Loooong chapter again! I know it was weird, but I ended up liking it a lot, so I don't think I'll do any drastic editing. Most of this chapter was written from 10 to 4:50 in the morning and I only got about five hours of sleep after that. So yeah, this was totally the sleep deprivation chapter.

NEXT CHAPTER! STFU!