disclaimer: I do not own the X-Men, Marvel does. I do not expect any monetary benefit from this work of fiction which is intended for entertainment purposes only.
Ordinary People
by Dizi
Chapter 9: Advice
"Oh my gosh, that was so much fun! I can't believe it." Maggie exclaimed. "You came up with the best idea."
"It was pretty fun, wasn't it? Haven't done that sort of thing in years." Bobby grinned. It wasn't strictly true but training sessions didn't compare. Then he grimaced. "Didn't turn out too well for me in the end, though."
"Poor baby. Did that six-year-old hurt you badly?" she sympathized. After the movie as a change of pace, they had wanted to do something more physical and less sexual. In the same complex as the movie theater there was a Lazertag place and they hadn't been able to resist. The kids in there were tough, they had almost been taken out fast. Bobby had proved to be a good shot and saved her, always her hero. But one little snot-nosed brat hadn't taken defeat well and kicked him. While Bobby had been doubled over clutching his shin, the kid had then punched him in the eye. It was now several very pretty colors. "At least his father paid you back our entrance fees so you're not out any money."
He brightened up. Nothing he liked better than a bargain, had to be the accountant in him. Bobby just wasn't sure it was worth the ribbing he would get from the team once they found out the source of his injuries. "That was something anyway."
"And the twelve-year-old's mom was grateful you took him out so quick. King of the place, indeed," she scoffed.
Bobby opened the door to the mansion, holding it open for her. It was late but they were both more energized than tired and feeling great after all the fun. He hadn't even scolded Maggie for leaving her phone off after the movie. How could she talk to her mother if she were teaching the brats who was boss? Besides which, she'd let him off the hook once for pushing her, he didn't want to press his luck again.
"Since I know you're hungry by now," Maggie gave him an innocent look that managed to be pitiful at the same time, and he continued, "how about once I change my clothes, I treat you to some homemade ice-cream?" The boy that had hit him had ended his attack by pouring his soda all over Bobby. "My cooking skill with a stove may be in question but no one doubts what I can do with an ice-cream maker. You've never had good ice-cream until you've had mine."
"Mmmm, ice-cream," Maggie said dreamily. "What kind?"
"Do you really care?" Bobby laughed when she shook her head vehemently. "Alright, kitchen in ten minutes."
She watched him lop up the stairs two at a time, stars in her eyes. Maggie couldn't remember ever having such a good time. Bobby was fun and sexy - more endearingly so because he didn't see it in himself - he didn't put on airs or try to impress her with anything but himself. He listened to her go on about her history books and her family. During the movie when she kept unconsciously trying to scratch her arm he'd come up with the idea to gently rub it himself, letting his fingertips get colder and colder until he'd numbed that particular area. It hadn't been a permanent solution, and she had to admit at first he had kinda freaked her out since he hadn't warned her before hand, but it had helped.
And she had known he wanted to remind her to call her mother again, or at least turn on her phone, but he hadn't. Unlike other people who nagged her about her mom, with Bobby she knew it was because he cared about her. It wasn't a game, or because mom was driving him crazy, he knew she wanted peace with her mother and was trying to help.
With that in mind, Maggie took her phone out of her pocket and went straight through the kitchen to the backyard for a little privacy.
...Interlude ...
"Hello."
"That's a much nicer answer than last time, Trev. Would you get Mom for me?"
"Um, Maggie..."
"Is something wrong?"
"No... not exactly. She, uh, said to tell you she doesn't want to talk to you right now."
"Ha ha, very funny. Please get Mom for me."
"I'm not kidding."
"We're talking about Mom, you've got to be joking."
"Maggie, I'm sorry. She saw the caller id and made me answer. She says to tell you she loves you too, but she's very disappointed in you and doesn't want to talk right now."
"I... okay, I'll... I guess I'll call back in a couple days. Will you tell her that for me?"
"Yeah. I'm really sorry."
"It's not your fault. Talk to you later."
"Bye."
... End Interlude ...
The only light was from the kitchen windows, but it was enough to see. What she needed to anyway. Sitting on a bench at the edge of the patio, Maggie wasn't interested in the scenery. She didn't need to see her surroundings. What she was seeing was inside herself and she wasn't sure she liked it.
Her mother was a talker. She couldn't keep quiet, it wasn't in her. Maggie knew for her mother to not want to talk to her was BIG trouble. Not in a fearful way, but emotionally. She had hurt her. She hadn't meant to, but she had really hurt her mother's feelings for her to not want to talk to her.
Slow tears burned paths down her cheeks. Bobby would be looking for her by now, but Maggie couldn't make herself move. She considered her father tough and strong, but her mother was too. The woman was forthright, strong, very independent, and so stubborn as to make her Dad cuss a blue-streak. She had never thought she had the power to hurt her mom this much, never once considered it possible. She was so ashamed she didn't think she could face anyone.
"Excuse me, Miss. Are you alright? Do you need some help?"
Quickly wiping her eyes, Maggie looked up to see a man in a wheelchair only a few feet away. Now she was embarrassed on top of everything else. "Just a family... misunderstanding. I'll be fine."
"I see." He started to turn away, but stopped and invited gently. "I know you don't know me, but sometimes it's easier to tell your problems to a person you don't know, a neutral party so to speak."
"I don't think talking about it to you or anyone else would help." Maggie could feel more tears threatening. "I need to talk to my mom about it."
"You never know, I'm told I'm very easy to talk to - by some people anyway." Nodding reassuringly, he moved his chair a bit closer.
"Maybe..." She wiped her eyes again and started to scratch her arm but stopped just in time. What was one more person who knew when everyone else she cared about already did? Or would soon since she hadn't had a chance to tell Bobby about the latest phone call. "My mother is a lawyer, a real big-shot. She seems to have a dream that I would follow in her footstep, only be better. She just never thought to mention it until after I graduated High School."
"I suppose you had other plans."
"Not exactly, but I knew I didn't want to be a lawyer. Don't get me wrong, I have nothing against lawyers, but I've never wanted to be one. I have interests but still don't exactly know what I ultimately want to be."
Musingly, he suggested, "Perhaps your lack of decision, or ambition, prompted her to believe you would change your mind."
"That's exactly what she said, and that sooner or later I would stop fighting it and do what she could see was best for me. Whatever. I got a job at a convenience store, but for a while I also worked for my Aunt Sandy - Mom's best friend who's a lawyer too. I didn't tell Mom, though, because I didn't want to get her hopes up. But I hated it. I mean, I really hated it. I was bored out of my mind!"
"Telling her might have been a better course of action."
"Well, eventually Aunt Sandy told her. It didn't help, Mom just said I hadn't found the right kind of law that was right for me. She nagged me forever, but I stayed at the QuickStop and followed my other interests." Maggie settled back against the bench. "Then about a year after I graduated she decided she had missed out on too much of our lives by working so much. So she quit her job, just stopped being a lawyer. She was there all the time. She went on and on about all the different types of law and how dynamic it was. My brother Carter heard so much that he's going to start law school this year. But she wasn't happy with that, she still wants me to be a lawyer too."
"You've mentioned other interests several times, what are they?" He watched her intently, caught up in her explanation.
"History. I know I don't look like the type, but I find it fascinating." She shrugged. "I'm not sure why, I just do."
"I've always found it so as well." He had never thought there was a particular type, being of the opinion there were no real stereotypes. "Have you shared this interest with your mother?"
"Not exactly. When I tried she brushed it aside, said it would be a good minor but I shouldn't concentrate on it." She smiled at a sweet memory, her expression softening. "My brother Josh, he's interested in everything and we used to talk about it. He can't wait to go to college. He's really smart. Josh is the one who suggested that I go to college to study history and decide what I want to do with it later. Dad thought it was a good idea, too."
"Your brother does sound exceptional. I take it your mother didn't like the idea?"
"Not one little bit. She flat out refused to pay for it when I wouldn't consider law, so I didn't go. This was a year ago, and I thought about it a long time. Last winter, I decided I didn't need her help and I would go to college anyway and do what I wanted to. I didn't make a secret of it. I planned and I checked out several different places until I decided to go to the local college here."
"I understand it has a very good history department. I'm sure you'll like it."
"I think so, too. But after that every family meal turned into a lecture, every bit of time spent with her was the same thing. I moved here almost two months ago and still every time I talked to my Mom she lectured me about coming home and going to law school. I got that I wouldn't talk to her on the phone unless I felt like I had to. I love her, I really do, but I couldn't stand the lectures and pressure anymore." Maggie sighed. Talking about it brought back all her frustration. "Then my boyfriend - Bobby - he tricked me into talking to her because I've been under some stress which caused me to break out in a rash. He said I should tell her how I feel about her but not give her a chance to lecture me so we could 'open the lines of communication'."
"Bobby said that?" His eyes went a little wide.
His voice was so incredulous, Maggie got defensive. "Yeah, and it sounded like good advice."
"I should hope so," he muttered. "It's the same advice I gave him some time ago in dealing with his father."
"Oh." She relaxed again and continued. "Well, I did it, but Mom didn't get the message right away and I ended by hanging up on her. I was afraid she was going to lecture me again so I didn't answer the phone when she called last night and today." Tears started to fall again and Maggie tried to hold them back. "And I just tried to talk to her and she wouldn't speak to me. My brother Trevor said she's disappointed in me and wouldn't take the phone."
Digging into his pocket, he pulled out a handkerchief and handed it to her. "It's possible she doesn't mean she's disappointed by you not going to law school as that is an old argument. She might be hurt that you wouldn't accept her calls."
"But I've done that before and she didn't get mad or anything." Maggie wailed. "She won't talk to me and my mother always has something to say. Always!"
"I would venture to say the circumstances were somewhat different. How forceful have you been in the past when speaking to her?"
"Not very, I guess," she admitted, sniffling. "Mom... she's a very strong person. It's hard to argue with her. She's usually totally sure she's right and knows exactly what to say. That's what makes her a good lawyer."
"So, she's not used to you completely bypassing the cycle you have fallen into. Even after you left home, you carried that cycle on. By not allowing her to give her speech you have taken control. It could be considered a good first step, but she may not have known how to deal with the change." He patted her hand. "Did you set a time for when you would call back?"
"I told my brother in a couple days," she answered uncertainly.
"That's good. You must hold to that and carry on from there. From all you've said, your mother may never be at ease with your choices but given time may be able to get past her own wants for you to enable you both to have a fuller relationship." He smiled wryly. "Which is precisely what I told Bobby about his father."
"Well, I know that didn't work out. Sorry, but it doesn't really make me feel better." Maggie offered him back the handkerchief, now thoroughly wet. She did smile at him, signaling that the advice may not have improved her mood but letting out her feelings hadn't hurt.
"The best advice does not always work. Bobby started boarding at school when he was young so doesn't have as strong a relationship with his father. Also, his father is very... intractable about certain things beyond Bobby's control." He hesitated unsure of what she knew and not wanting to reveal something that wasn't his right. "He was unable to get beyond Bobby's... differences."
"You mean he couldn't handle that Bobby's a mutant?" Maggie was shocked. She knew Bobby and his father didn't get along, which causeda strain on his relationship with his mother too, but he'd never told her that was the reason. It made the situation with her mother sound like it had a much better chance.
"Hey, Charles! Have you seen-" Alex's eyes adjusted and he was able to see who else was outside. "Oh, there you are, Maggie! Bobby's been looking all over for you."
"You're Charles Xavier?" Maggie blinked at him. "I thought you'd be older. No offense."
"None taken. I look young for my age." Charles was also used to that reaction. A full body transplant did wonders for a person's looks. "It's been a pleasure talking to you. I hope you work things out with your mother."
He stayed outside a few moments while she hurried in to reassure Bobby. Looking at the night sky, he felt a sense of fulfillment. He wasn't sure he had actually helped Maggie, but just knowing Bobby had listened to his advice and passed it on to someone else had more than made his evening complete.
"What's wrong?" Bobby demanded as soon as he saw Maggie.
"I'll tell you about it later," she whispered, wrapping her arms around him for the hug she desperately needed.
"Maggie..." But he saw the way she shifted her eyes to indicate the audience consisting of Alex, Warren, Jean, Ororo, Remy, Betsy, and, in the back of the room, Lorna. Bobby knew right away she wouldn't want to air any problems in front of them and stifled his impatient concern. He'd been looking for her for a good fifteen minutes once he'd found out she wasn't with Betsy as he'd assumed when she also wasn't in the kitchen. "I finished the ice-cream."
"Well then, now Maggie is here, are you going to share?" Jean asked brightly.
"Better make de right decision, neh?" Remy said in mock seriousness. "De femmes 'round here, dey get mean 'bout ice-cream. Don' forget Roguey. She get mad you share wit' dem an' not her jus' 'cause she not leave de movie."
"Not to worry." Bobby deadpanned as he pulled Maggie away from the path to the freezer where the treat was stashed to lean against the counter, his arms still around her. "I made plenty."
That was all the X-Women needed to know. They immediately got out bowls and spoons. Then had them filled to almost overflowing in a blink. On their way back to their movie in less than three minutes, Ororo and Jean were careful to get Lorna out of harm's way before she opened her mouth. Remy did the same, filling bowls for both himself and Rogue, but at a slower pace than the frenzy the women had exhibited.
"Hope they left enough for everyone else." Alex joked. "Charles is still outside, and Scott will be here in a few minutes. He had some, uh, school business to take care of."
"Good thing Logan left for his usual entertainment or we might not get any at all." Warren agreed.
"I said I made plenty, and I meant it. I know how they are. Got some put aside." Bobby winked at Maggie. "Couldn't chance my girl going without, now could I?"
"Isn't he the best?" Maggie sighed, watching her sweetie get another container out of the freezer.
"I have to say he's not my type, but whatever makes you happy," Warren said with a straight face. He let out a deep breath. "Speaking of making someone happy, I better get in there or Betsy will make me unhappy. I don't understand what they see in 'Casa Blanca' myself, but I'm supposed to keep her company while she watches it."
By this time Bobby was filling two bowls for him and Maggie, Alex signaling he would wait for Scott. Maggie was watching with rapt attention. She stopped long enough to give Warren a surprised look. "Aren't you going to get some ice-cream?"
"Not right now." He smiled at her, backing out the door. "Someone was kind enough to bring some candy this morning and I happened to keep some of it out of Ororo's greedy hands."
Watching Maggie carefully to be sure he was putting on enough chocolate sauce, Bobby brought the bowls to the table. Maggie took a chair and instantly dug-in.
"I didn't think to ask if you wanted to continue the game or join them for the movie," he remarked, taking a bite.
"Can't work the controls, hold the bowl, and eat all at the same time." Maggie grinned around the spoon. "And I don't care for 'Casa Blanca' either."
"I'm positive Bobby is very relieved to hear that," Charles said, opening the screen door. "Did I take too long? Please tell me there's some left."
"Plenty," Bobby, Alex, and Maggie said as one.
Alex volunteered. "I'll get it for you."
"Thank you." Charles peered at Maggie's bowl. "What kind is it this time?"
"Cinnamon-walnut." Sheresisted the urge to hold it protectively. "It's really good, too."
He nodded. "Bobby's always is."
"Told ya so," Bobby whispered in her ear, his breath tickling and making her giggle.
to be continued.
note:
I know what you're thinking! You're thinking "Man, I can't believe Dizi was late! She promised she'd post this chapter 2 days ago!" And I say to you, it's not my fault! I tried to post many many times! The site wouldn't let me upload. So, it's a little late, but here.
Was it worth it? Did you smile? I did when I read over it. I know, I'm so bad, but I try to write what I would like myself. I am happy to say that most of the time I'm successful.
Next chapter: The night is not over! A few surprises coming both Maggie and Bobby's way, and more ice-cream for all! That's in two weeks (okay, twelve days).
Thanks for reading and the support,
Dizi
