DISCLAIMER: I own nothing.
A/N: Big thanks for the reviews!
alfredo joy: Marie doesn't know that Logan and Victor are brothers, she only knows the two know each other for a very long time and that Victor holds the identity and past of Logan.
BoooYouWhore: This theory with ferals being (deathly) sick as kids before manifesting is also mine (would only be logical – natural selection – otherwise the world would be soon overpopulated by 'immortal' ferals). I included this theory in my ROGAN fanfics 'Diapers, SchoolBooks and AdamantiumClaws' and 'Pain of a New Life' (in upcoming chapters).
It seems in the Comicverse that some mutants were 'born' with their mutation active, though I'm not really sure (I don't read the comics and have my knowledge from Wikipedia).
Vincent's healing factor is still developing and thus he will be ill quite often.
Now back to the story:
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CHAPTER 9
It broke Marie's heart to see Vincent again all alone in a corner – far away from the other children – playing with a toy-telephone. She didn't miss the longing in his blue eyes when he watched the other children play together from his spot. In the entire week Marie worked at the kindergarten, she had never seen once a kid speak with the little feral.
She walked over to the other children and crouched down. "Hey, why don't you ask Vincent, if he wants to play with you?"
Cameron wrinkled his forehead and nose. "Vincent is weird." And Sally added. "He don't want to play with us."
Marie knew he had heard this and her eyes wandered over to the small feral, who wiped a tear away. "Have you ever asked him to play with you?" All children shook their heads no. "Then how do you know he doesn't want to play with you?"
Some shrugged, but Hally answered. "He always go away when we go to him."
Marie sighed and looked around for Heather, but the other woman was still with Judy at the toilet. She stood back up and fetched a pillow and then sat down on the floor. "Hey, I want to talk with you about something. Please take your pillows and sat in a circle." She ordered with a smile and the children screamed enthusiastically and obeyed. As anticipated Vincent waited for the 'storm' to be over before he got to his feet and approached the group, his eyes red and wet. "Come here, Vinny." Marie held her arms open and with a little hesitation the boy crawled onto her lap, visibly shrinking as all eyes were on him.
"I want on your lap, Miss Marie!" J.D. called and made the feral wince.
Stroking the little mutant's back, Marie faced the other boy. "Tomorrow, J.D." Then she looked into the expectant features of the toddlers. "I want to ask you all a favor." All nodded vigorously – they all loved Marie. "Please don't scream so much and don't rise your voices."
"Why?" Sally inquired and made Marie smile.
"That's what I want to talk about. What do you know about mutants?" Marie heard silverware rattle and a moment later Camille poked her head into the main room, her eyes wide as saucers.
The children and their new favorite teacher simply ignored her and Chloe said while keeping her voice low. "They have funny skin." And other children nodded.
"Yes, some mutants have blue skin or fur. Some have gills and others even wings." Marie explained.
"Wings?" Cameron asked skeptically. "Like a bird?"
Marie smiled. "Yes. He looks like an angel."
"You have seen a mutant with your own eyes?" Ben screamed and made Vincent wince again.
"Please not so loud, Ben. And yes, I saw this man once fly over the city like a bird." Marie remembered Warren, who used to fly over the mansion.
"Wow."
"But all of you have seen at least one mutant." Marie said and heard her name being hissed in warning by Camille, while the kids looked around them confused. "You have to know, not all mutants look differently, some look like you and me."
"Really?," one exclaimed and another child wanted to know, "Why are they mutants then?"
"Because they have a gift. There are some mutants, who can move things with their thoughts, others can walk through walls or control fire or ice."
"I don't believe you?" Cameron again.
"Really? Then we make a little experiment. Cam and J.D. please go over to the window and I want you to whisper one word to the other."
"What shall I say?"
Marie shrugged. "Doesn't matter. And we others are all very quiet and everyone tries to listen."
The two boys walked over and Cameron whispered something to the other toddler. "Ok, come back to us please." Marie instructed and turned to the other children. "Did anyone hear what Cam said?" All shook their heads. "Me neither, but I'm sure Vincent knows." All eyes were suddenly back at the little feral, who searched for help in Marie's eyes. After a moment he said. "Appletree." And the two other boys gapped at him.
"You heard that?"
"Would you please sit back down and I'll explain it to you." Marie asked and waited till the whispers subsided. "Vincent here has also a gift. His ears are very very good and so is his nose."
"Vincent is a mutant?" Sally combined.
"Yes." From the corner of her eyes, Marie saw Camille hurry from the room, surely in search for Heather. "But you have to know that all mutants have to learn to control their gifts. And Vincent has to get used to the loud sounds around him. His hearing is so fine, even when we whisper, it is like screaming for him."
"Oh."
"You are all much too loud for him and it hurts his ears a lot. I'm sure he would like to play with all of you, but you are all too loud for him and it hurts him." Marie repeated and saw enlightenment in the faces of the children. She then looked down to the boy on her lap. "You were sad, weren't you?" With a quivering lip, the toddler nodded. "Do you want to play with the other kids?" Again a nod.
The door opened again and Heather and Camille entered, the older woman with a very angry expression. "Marie."
The brunette looked up, ready to defend her decision to have this talk with the children. "I think we are done, kids. I would be happy if you would include Vincent from now on and be a little quieter around him."
"Ok, Miss Marie!" Cameron screamed, but then placed his hands over his mouth when he noticed how loud he was.
All scrambled to their legs and returned to their games. Vincent was about to return to his corner, when Chloe approached him and tugged on his sleeve. "Sorry, I didn't want to hurted you." The boy stared at the girl, unused to be talked to. "Umm thanks."
"Do you want to play pony-school with me and Sandy?"
The feral smiled shyly and though playing with the girly stuff wasn't really what he wanted to do, he accepted.
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While Camille had to watch the children, Heather had ordered Marie to the headmaster's office, leading the way with angry steps. As soon as they arrived there, she explained the incident to the headmaster, who started screaming immediately – already seeing the negative headlines in the news. "What in the world have you thought, Ms. D'Ancanto? The parents pay a lot of money, that we treat mutants and non-mutants equally. Not to mention that you have signed in your contract that you wouldn't expose a mutant student!"
"Vincent cried and was sad, just because everyone thought him weird. They didn't understand his behavior, just like Heather didn't." Marie tried to stay calm and hide her nervousness.
"But it was not your place to talk with them about this topic!"
"Who else should talk with them? Their parents? They hope their kids would learn it from TV or at school or somewhere else, just so they don't have to be confronted with this sensitive topic!"
"They are just toddlers! Way too young!" Heather put in.
"Hardly!" Marie took a deep breath. "Ah thought this school is to integrate mutants into the normal human society, but the way you treated Vincent and let the other children treat him, you only stir fear and hatred on both sides." She stared at the man behind the large desk. "They simply have to learn and understand why mutants behave differently and it's even easier when they are young and have no prejudges."
Her boss contemplated her words for a short moment. "You may have a point, but now is not the time for such experiments. This program is still young."
'And you fear to lose the financial support…' Marie thought.
"We can only hope that Mr. Creed or one of the other parents don't take legal actions."
"Ah don't see why the other parents should sue you. This is a school and they learned to be considerate of one another and hadn't all parents signed that they are fine with mutants as classmates of their kids?" Marie took another deep breath, steadying her nerves. "Ah will talk with Mr. Creed and tell him that it was mah idea and mahne alone." She hoped that he wouldn't kick her out, she needed this job.
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Half an hour later, Marie had a very big notation in her file and her probation period was extended for two months. That is if she wouldn't be kicked out when Victor decided to take actions against the school.
For the rest of the day, Heather never left her alone with any of the children, always keeping her and her words under surveillance.
As usually Vincent was the last one to be picked up and Marie waited near the school's entrance, ready to break the incident to his father. She was sure he would understand – it was better for Vincent this way and his canines would expose him sooner or later anyway.
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"You had no right to expose Vin like this! We can't trust those normals! They will make fun of him or worse!" He balled his fists, his claws digging into his own palms, drawing blood.
Marie took a step back, not liking the pure furry twinkling in his eyes. "That's not what happened! Vincent was crying before that talk and all alone. Everyone evaded him because they didn't understand that they were too loud for him!" She tried to calm him – if he were Logan she would have caressed his knuckles, but touching Victor in this condition was nuts. "They already called him weird and he heard it!"
"What?" Victor growled his blue eyes turned to pitch-black – a primal and instinct driven expression on his face. "They made my cub cry!"
She further backed away until the wall stopped her, fear made her legs and hands tremble uncontrollably. "Vincent wasn't happy, but AFTER that talk the other kids played with him and he laughed!" Marie tried to reason with him, before every common sense was swallowed by the animal in him.
Victor held her gaze, the rage boiling under his skin. 'She tried to help the cub.' A voice in his mind tried to calm him. "You had no right!" He grabbed her neck tightly, making her whimper, his claws digging into her soft skin. "Who do you think you are?" 'She carries Jimmy's cub!' The air was thick with her fear, her lips already turning blue, while she desperately tried to loosen his grip, scratching him with her nails. "My son is none of your business, frail!" He leaned forward, his hot breath tickling over her pale skin and his sharp canines only millimeters from her face. 'Jimmy's cub!' "Don't ever forget this!" With a last painful squeeze he let go of her and stomped away, sparing her no last glance.
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Vincent skipped happily next to his father. "…and I played school with Chloe and Sandy and then I builded a Lego-town with Cam and the twins." Suddenly he smelled Marie and looked into another corridor, seeing the brunette wipe her eyes and hold her neck, her features paler than usually. "Daddy, Marie cry!" He was about to run over to his favorite teacher, when a clawed hand griped him firmly, yet gentle by the shoulder.
"It's not our business."
"But-" The worried boy was silenced by a growl and was pulled towards the exit by his father, while the older feral held his cold eyes trained on the whimpering brunette, renewed fear came in waves from her. "Will Marie not drive with us?"
A strangled snarl rang from his throat – he usually wasn't this strict with his son. "No. She's your teacher and nothin' more. You'll only see her at school."
Marie swallowed hard, her throat hurt and burned like hell. She leaned back against the cool wall and slowly slid down, thanking God that he didn't squeeze any harder.
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PS: ‚Diapers, SchoolBooks and Adamantium Claws' is finnaly updated with a new chapter!