Author's note: Hey there everyone I'm terribly sorry for not updating in so long. But with Christmas, New Year, going back to school and the fact that my procrastination had turned into guilt and I was afraid to open this story and see how little I had done it kinda took me a while so again I'm so sorry! Well to make it up to you loyalist (those who have endured my story for the good stuff) I have decided that this chapter is the one where we get a little Romy, a new possible couple (as requested by number 333 half way to hell who has helped me so much) and one of the moments you've all been waiting for. Enjoy!
Dedication: The new couple and a good part of this story is dedicated to Number 333, thanks so much for you're advice, suggestions, and help, as well as to my dedicated reviewers, Paprika, Magcat, Yaya, Jrkgirl, musagirl, and everyone else thanks so much!
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It was close to two-thirty when the teenagers had arrived back at the iron gates of the Xavier School for Gifted Youngsters. They hadn't been able to find their secret entrance place from the other side so they would have to enter through the front gate. Well, over the front gate really. So one by one, they hoisted themselves over the gate and onto the grass. For a moment it looked like they would be able to sneak back in the school through Christina's smock covered room without ever getting caught. Too bad this fantasy was short lived.
They were nearing the side of the school, all that was left was the front door and as soon as they passed it the group would be in the clear. At the last moment the door knob rotated to the right and pulled away revealing several stiff and upset adults whose presence caused the teenagers to freeze in place. It seemed like a couple even forgot how to breathe as the withering stares of a couple of their parents and staff looked at them.
Okay, Seth had thought this once but now he was sure of it, he was dead. They were all dead. And not by ninjas either…nah those guys were wimps compared to this. What is this? This is the wrath of moms and dads! Well the wrath that should have been there anyways. What was worse was the fact that they were just standing there looking at them. Their faces were blank, but an air of disapproval was about them. It seemed to mercilessly wail on the kids with its heavy ball of guilt attached to a chain of shame to form one scolding mace.
"Get inside. We need to have a word with all of you." Beast said adjusting his eye glasses as he finished speaking. Rogue, Pietro, and Kitty nodded their heads in agreement but said nothing as they turned solemnly and walked inside. Hesitantly, they followed inside. The group walked through the foyer and into the kitchen where those afternoon fridge raiders were shoed out. One of them happened to be a spiky blonde haired teen who just happened to by Kyle Ro, best friend of Jason Costan, right hand man to Darren Summers, leader of the X-teens. The curious teenager considered sticking around to find out what was going on. Though the lackey in him over ruled that and he scampered off to report what was going on. Maybe something good would happen; if that was the case then he couldn't let the others out of the eavesdropping.
Back in the kitchen there was an ominous feeling around everyone. It was a mixture between annoyance, disappointment, and remorse for whatever reason there was to have those emotions. The kids sat around the circular table, most with their heads hung out of embarrassment that they had been caught and that they were being punished like little kids. What a way to make a dominating statement to those X-teens. Here they were getting scolded by mom and dad.
"Lemme' get dis st'aight." Rogue said breaking the long period of silence that had been looming over their heads in a taunting manner. "Ya' get inta' a fi'ght an' t'en sneak out af'ta the P'ofessa' tells ya ta stay put?" She asked them her eyes narrowed out of disappointment to all of the kids who could simply nod their head. All but Ian and Christina though, they seemed to not care that they were in trouble. Instead they just studied the face of their supposed second parent.
"What were you thinking? You know better then that!" Melissa lectured her arms crossed over her chest disapprovingly. She had subconsciously decided to stand next to Pietro who was watching his son watch Christina.
"It was Ian's idea." Seth muttered under his breath just low enough for the adults to not fully be able to make out what he had said to them.
"What?" Pietro asked wanting his son to repeat whatever remark he had just made. At that Tyler kicked Seth in the shin from under the table for blabbing. Tattle tales man, sheesh.
"It was Smokey's idea." Seth said saying the first name that came into his head, which happened to be Christina's pet.
"Mon garcon, dey cat told ya' ta'? If a cat tol' ya' ta' bark li'e a dog would ya'?" Gambit asked deciding to humor the obvious cover up about the true identity of the mastermind behind the sneaking out escapade. At that Kitty and Rogue just turned and looked at him as if he had lost his marbles or something. Remy just turned his to look at them. "What?"
"Vhere did you go anwvays? You don't now vhere anyvhing is." Kurt said holding Trevor in his arms. He wasn't upset with Trevor, though he was irked with these teenagers taking a seven year old from this school without his knowledge. It was an unsettling feeling, even if the boy was as powerful as he was.
"We went to the old Brotherhood home." Lenore told them having enough bravery to look up at their faces. What she saw were the blank stares from her parents and the rest of adults as they tried to decide whether this was punishable or condemning for them.
"What did you see inside?" Pietro finally had the guts to ask. There was no telling what old forgotten things they had stowed away in there over the years. He knew there was a lot of stuff he didn't want his son seeing, or anyone else's kid seeing either.
"We didn't see anything. We never got inside!" Amber huffed upset about their wasted trip and then to get caught about on top of that was just a giant irritation to her.
"Yeah these gang members surrounded us and wouldn't let us in." Ian said the fire growing in him now that it the flame had been sparked.
"Which explains my double black eye." Tyler added to the now silent assembly of parents.
"They attacked you? Why didn't you fight back?" Lance asked earning him two hard punches in the shoulders from Melissa and Kitty. "What kind of influence is that?" Kitty demanded. She was more grateful then ever that Christina hadn't been raised with that way of thinking.
"Geeze it was a question! That's all!" Lance whined rubbing his two sores as he spoke.
"Because they were being lead by this freaky chick." Christina stated. After a moment of realizing her mom and everyone else wasn't going to stop giving her those skeptical looks she decided to continue. "Well she was. She wore a red body suit, a trench coat, and her hair was died like a rainbow at the tips of the spikes." She said like it was the most obvious and believable thing in the world.
From outside the kitchen around the side and out of sight a group of teenagers snickered and tried desperately to hold back their laughter, cheers and hollers. Tyler and Darren were grinning at each other like crazy while Celia and Nikki bumped fists then released their hands like an explosion. Tori and Jason didn't show emotion or a reaction to the news. Actually, not true, Tori was expressionless but Jason had traces of worry written across his face, not because of the fact that Tyler had gotten a black eye, actually that part he really liked, what he was worried about was the fact Amber had been there. He knew first hand it was dangerous for people to be anywhere near that gang especially ones who seemed to have an "X-ie label" like her.
"Their second day here and they meet the Hexes. Man, Sometimes life is just too good." Darren whispered to Celia who giggled under her breath hoping that no one heard them.
Jason felt a hand rest on his shoulder and turning his head he discovered that the milky white hand belonged to Tori. Her head was pointed straight forward even though he was off on her side. "Yeah Tor?" He asked noticing no one seemed to be listening to what he was asking.
"Don't worry Jason, nothing happened. She's okay." Tori told him softly. She may be blind but she was still able to see when one of her friends was down. Just a perk of being empathic though that wasn't her mutant ability.
Jason had been about to respond to her when Kyle quieted them all down so they could hear the punishment part of the conversation that was coming up. Sure enough the kids had finished giving their defense and the sentencing portion was now beginning.
"We had been planning on allowing you to go out into town while we were here so you wouldn't feel trapped like rats in this school but now it looks like you will be." Pietro told them with a general consensus from the rest of the adults in agreement to the decision. Who knew he'd have grown up enough to be the one to handle the punishing? None of his old team mates had that's for sure.
"Mom does that go the same for us to?" Amber asked hoping her puppy dog pout would change the sentencing into just a warning for the next time they would mess up.
"Yes it stands for you two as well." Melissa told them sternly, glancing at Quicksilver out of the corner of her eye in order to confirm her decision for herself. Hey if he was going to be this mature about this then she had to be too, maybe even more so.
"What about Trevor? Will he be punished too?" Lenore asked looking over at Mr. Wagner who was holding his son in his arms after the seven year old had burned out trying his best to use his mutant power to restore Quicksilver's car. He had an unusual power, almost like an unseen force of power, insight, and knowledge rolled into one little boy. Yet it seemed to drain him so quickly of his energy, it was something that surely would have to be looked into in the near future.
"I von't vhink so. I vhink that I'll just have him not wander off into vhe deeper parts of vhe mansion. Maybe have him be vith the other children his age." Kurt stated seeming to be thinking out loud more then speaking to anyone.
"If we promise to not do anything stupid like this again can he still hang out with us? He's like the coolest little kids we've ever met." Christina asked Mr. Wagner. She knew they had messed up but hopefully there was some chance they would be given a second chance with Trevor.
"Yeah please?" Seth asked quickly after Christina had posed her question. Trevor was his room mate and he liked having him as a friend. Besides maybe that would help him score brownie points with Christina. He wasn't sure exactly why he cared. Maybe it was because she intrigued him, with her streaked hair and mysterious (well to him anyways) personality or maybe even because she was in fact good looking.
Kurt shifted Trevor to his other arm and glanced over at the other parents hesitantly. These were the children of his closest friends, the ones he had pulled stupid stunts with when they were teenagers, but the teenagers weren't the same as their parents so he couldn't be too sure. "Vhat do you all vhink?" He asked them keeping his attention mainly on Kitty, Rogue, Melissa, and Storm who was also standing in the room with them.
"I think that they can be trusted if they would learn how to follow directions." Kitty said giving a pointed look at the table of current delinquents. Honestly when these children got together they acted like…like how she and her fellow mutant friends would act. Some more then others.
"Well? You guys promise to stay here for the rest of the time here?" Lance asked giving his son a more firm look then he was to anyone else, mainly because he didn't have a real right to give stern looks to the other teenagers.
"We promise." Ian muttered now glaring as hard as he could at the table seeming to hone in one tiny little spot that was actually a coffee stain from when Ororo and Logan had agreed to stay up with the older kids one night to allow them to cram for a mid-term the next day that they hadn't studied for before because they had all camped out on a side walk for three days in order to get tickets for a concert. Well with text books and papers strewn everywhere a pot of coffee had easily been knocked over. It had been cleaned up but left a small stain.
"Your parents are very merciful people." Ororo told them speaking for the first time during that whole lecture. "If they had been caught doing what you have done just today then they would have been in a great deal more trouble. You should thank them that your punishment isn't greater then what it is. This evening you will have a danger room run through to determine the level of your mutant power and see how well you have been able maintain and control it. For now you are dismissed." She said nodding her head solemnly as the teenagers began to rise from the table.
"Crud, Celia quick." Daren whispered knowing that in seconds they'd be caught if she didn't use her power. Thankfully she did and as the X-kids filed out of the kitchen no one was in sight.
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Half an hour later Celia came rushing into the rec room with her hair styled, deep shades of make up and a gold plastic name tag pinned to a dark blue shirt with a black skirt. "Oh come on where is it?" She muttered to herself looking around hastily.
"I'm right here?" Ian said smugly pushing an old photo album he had been looking through off of the couch to make room for her.
"I don't have time to deal with you." She replied curtly and continued searching around the floor and behind chairs and other furniture items.
"Aww Celia I'm hurt." Ian said feigning a broken heart.
"I'll send you a condolence card." She said sarcastically before finding a black boot and slipping it on her left foot. "I'm late enough as it is." She muttered more to herself then to him.
"I thought we weren't allowed to go anywhere because of this morning. And why was your shoe in here anyways?" He relied a curious and confused look placed upon his face.
"Well the shoe was in here because I forgot to get it last time I took it off in here and I got a job I gotta get to so good bye." She said grabbing a set of keys off of a coat rack that was filled with different sets of keys on key rings and running out the door. She was so distracted on the fact that she was going to be late for her job that she didn't notice Tabitha heading to the front door as well intended on running an errand. Within moment the two mutants had collided and were now sitting on the ground.
"Oh my gosh I'm so sorry…Boom Boom right?" Celia asked hoping she had gotten Tabitha's mutant name correct.
"Yep that's my name and it's all right, I was a spazz too when I was a teenager." She said with a nod and stood up.
"Oh no I'm not a spazz I'm just late for work is all." She said also getting up in more of an anxious manner then Tabitha had.
"Where do you work? The uniform looks fimilar." The fellow blonde commented taking note of that.
"Oh I work at a club called Tidal Wave. From three to seven I do special effects before all the minors are kicked out." She explained with a light laugh at the last part.
"Ah ha! That's where I know the uniform from!" Boom Boom exclaimed proud of herself for making the obvious connection. "In fact, I'm headed there right now. I can give you a lift." She said jingling the keys to her cherry red sports car convertible.
"Well all right. Sure. Thank you." Celia said slipping her keys into her pocket with a smile to Boom Boom for the lift. Tabby hardly ever made trips to her club in Bayville because it was the location that had the least problems so it wasn't a surprise Celia didn't recognize the owner and therefore her boss, the highest level of power a boss could have at that. So with that the two mutant girls left the school grounds for the club currently open to the public.
"Thanks for the ride. We got here a lot faster then I would have driving myself." Celia said as they passed through the doors to the club. She was about five minutes late but hopefully someone clocked her in early for her.
"Yeah who ever said stops signs were necessary obviously didn't drive my car." Tabitha said smugly. Taking a look around she was able to notice some of the furniture and other minor details that seemed to make her club and the others just like it so wonderful.
"Well I need to get to work. I'll see you back at the Institute." Celia said shifting her black bag to her other arm.
"Hang on lets chat. I'd like to find out what's goin' on at that school now-a-days." Tabitha said motioning for her to sit down at small table in the center of the table area.
"But what about what you had to do or see about doing here?" Celia asked slightly baffled at how blind Tabitha seemed to be to the fact that Celia had a commitment she had to keep which was known as her job.
In response Boom Boom merely waved her hand in the air as if dismissing the thought. "I'll deal with it later. As for your job don't worry about it for today." She said and then waved over one of the waiters who was making his rounds. "Hey there…Chris." She said reading his name tag. "You know who this is?" She asked nodding to Celia who was currently sitting down.
"Yeah of course, she's Celia Morgan." He said looking amazed at the fact that Celia was sitting with Roxanne, even if Celia didn't know it.
"Great so would you mind explaining to the manager that she's going to still get paid for today even though she'll be talking with me the entire time?" Tabitha asked with a pleasant smile on her face.
"Sure, no problem." Chris said nodding his head before asking if he could get them anything. After taking their order he left to go give his boss the message from his boss's boss.
"So what's it like at the school now?" Boom Boom asked taking a sip of her free soda compliments of herself.
"It's really cool. Well up until now anyways." Celia sighed picking at her plate if fries. She had gotten a plate of fries and a soda as well.
"What happened? I thought it'd be great having a bunch of new students showing up. New faces, fresh meat, you know all that good stuff." The former X-students and Brotherhood girl mused.
"Well we thought so too. My friends and I anyways. But ever since they got here they've had this major attitude. It's like just because their parents are mutant super stars they are too. And then they've had this sour, moody, spoiled brat attitude going on ever since they showed up because they feel they're too good to be here. Even though they probably barely even know how to use their power, let alone have the capability of understanding how tremendous their ability could be. They're so ungrateful; my friends and I worked so hard to get into this school. Do you know that every mutant in every country tries to get into this school. It's like the Harvard of mutant specialized schools. Almost all of my friends come from a different country and had to learn English just to go here. I traveled here from Denmark on a scholarship and they get a free ride and don't even appreciate it! It's unfair." She exclaimed looking up at Tabitha who seemed to have a look of understanding on her face. Taking several deep breaths Celia was able to calm down. It felt really good to let out all these emotions and thoughts that had been bubbling over inside her head but couldn't express it to any of the adults at school.
"I can understand that." Tabitha said nodding her head thoughtfully. "Happened to me one time." She mused recalling back the memory.
"Really?" Celia asked her curiosity sparked.
"Oh yeah, first day of school, senior year." She began drawing Celia's interest instantly. "Well these punky freshmen decided to sit at the Brotherhood table at lunch and when we went over to them they refused to give it up. Now we could have picked a new place to sit but for one, that was the Brotherhood table and everyone knew it so we had a reputation to keep and the second one, well, we were just plain lazy." Tabitha explained with a laugh at the Brotherhood logic.
"So they wouldn't get up, what'd you do?" Celia asked.
"Easy, we scared 'em to death then took our spot back when they went to the office begging to go home." She said with a smirk picking up one of the fries and eating it.
"Scared 'em to death eh?" Celia asked the gears in her mind beginning to turn.
"Yeah but on a different topic, got a boy friend?" Tabitha asked raising an eyebrow inquisitively.
Celia looked down at her soda as a blush crept into her cheeks.
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Ian hadn't budge from his position on the couch ever since Celia came in and left. Though now he had mounds and mounds of photo albums on the coffee table in front of him. Currently he was flipping through one from the 90's. He didn't know which he couldn't believe more, that his dad was a teenager once, or the clothes he wore.
There were all types of photo albums in front of him. Some looked like they were put together by five year olds, or teenagers who went a little happy-go-crazy with glue and buttons, while others were made with worn out leather covers and old worn paper that looked able to crack at any moment. Still, the remaining ones had fancy lace edging and cushioned covers and then there were the store bought ones with plastic covers and flowery patterns all over them. It was enough to make anyone go bug eyed. Anyways back to Ian.
Ian had just finished going through his third plastic store bought photo album and decided to go for one of the albums on top which happened to have a sky blue cushioned cover with baby pink silk flowers sewn on. Taking one look at hit he groaned, rolled his eyes, and made a gagging sound as he turned to the first page. He looked down at the first picture and his eyes shot open. It was a picture of his dad being pinned up against the wall by that Logan guy with three claws pressing against his neck. Beside the picture was a comment written sideways with a blue gel pen with the message "Logan hears the news. I say he took it really well."
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Kitty Pryde had been planning on sun bathing on the roof. She had her hair tied up, a pair of blue sunglasses complimenting her blue eyes, a towel, book, head phones, and sun block in a tote bag with a white t-shirt over her bikini. Normally after a predicament that had recently took place like what she had gone through with her daughter and the other children, a person would have a cup of tea, work out, take a bath, any thing to relieve stress and take his or her mind off of what had happened but for her, that relaxation came from emerging herself with the warmth of the rays of lights sent out from the sun. She had been walking down the hall way that would lead her to the roof accompanied by the sound of a sad violin tune coming from the dorm room that Lenore shared with Tori only a couple feet away. She had been so caught up in the music and her own thoughts she completely walked right into a form that had been standing in front of her.
"Hey what's the big idea?" She asked looking up to see none other then Lance. A wave of uneasiness rushed over her the second they made eye contact and she quickly looked away, determined to avoid his gaze as if that'd make him go away.
"We need to talk." His voice was soft but very firm and his eyes held the same look in them.
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"Christina!" Ian deafening shout rang throughout the hallways and rooms of the Mansion. At that Christina, who had only been two rooms away, waltzed in slowly as if the whole world was waiting for her to make her arrival. She stopped directly in front of Ian, pursed her lips and blew smoke out of her mouth, moving her lips up, down, and sideways until the smoke spelled out the word "What" in the air.
Ian waved his hand lazily clearing the air of the gray smoke. "Don't you know this is a no smoking Institution?" He asked with a smug smile and a raised eyebrow.
"Save it Bender." Christina said placing her hands on her hips waiting for him to continue.
"Take a seat. There's something you should see." Ian said nodding for her to sit next to him and she did so. "So what's up?" She asked looking at the photo album in his hands. She was currently on a page that held a picture of her mother as a teenager just waking up with a very set expression on her face. There was a caption written under it that stated "One day closer, one day meaner." Then in capital letters and a different hand writing was the message "YOU WOKE ME UP AT FREAKIN' 7 AM NO DUH KURT!"
"What's all this about Ian?" Christina asked looking over at him expectantly. "Well that is your mom right?" Ian asked and Christina nodded. "Well this is your mom who's lookin' pretty pregnant and this--" He turned the page "Is your mom and my dad with baby clothes." It was true the picture was of Kitty and Lance shopping in a store holding up two different outfits, one pink and one blue." With a caption reading "So which outfit's for which baby:P"
At that Christina and Ian looked at one another in astonishment. Their eyes were wide and their breathing shallow. In the distance a violin (who it later turned out to be Lenore who was the violinist) played a slow and sad melody that wafted into the rec. room making the moment seemed unreal, a dream that they were dreaming instead of living. They didn't speak for so long, neither one wanting to or having anything to say. The presence of the other was comforting and spoke loud enough for the two of them. They weren't alone in this world, they had a sibling, no they had a twin. One a grunge bad boy and the other a free spirited artist that had gone having nothing to everything to do with each other. They stayed there, motionless, unable to comprehend what they had just discovered almost afraid that if they moved this dream would be shattered to glass and this would be nothing more then a memory they had both shared.
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"So wat a'e weh gonna do?" Rogue asked sitting on a chair in the library with her husband beside her. He placed an arm around her waist and pulled her in close to him and she rested her head on his shoulder.
"Remy don' know belle. He don' know. What would Leno'e want ta do?" He asked softly brushing his thumb against her clothed arm. Lowering his head he placed a kiss ontop of her head gently no longer having to constantly be the suave flirt, at least not in privateanyways.
"She'd probably like ta' stay." Rogue sighed. "But ya' love O'leans." She said remembering how delighted Remy had been when she agreed that they could move to New Orleans and have their home their, near his large family which had grown to love Remy and Rogue's little girl as if she were their very own.
"Leno'e's mo' impo'tant. If she wants at' stay den we'll stay." Gambit assured his wife before looking up as Jean and Scott walked in with Jamie, John, and Kurt.
"Why not wait until we've stopped whatever's threatening the Professor before you start talking about whether you're leaving or not." Scott suggested offering a friendly smile as Jean squeezed his hand lovingly.
"What is it anyways? A bad dream?" Jamie asked his childish face matching his sense of humor to a tee as he took a seat next to John on one of the couches.
"Actually yes. Someone is manipulating the Professor's dream to threaten him because whoever it is too big of a coward to do it himself." Jean said trying to lighten the mood by making light humor.
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"A coward am I? I'll show you Ms. Grey, or should I say Mrs. Summers. I want things sped up to tonight. You know who to take and who to dispose of. Got it?" A voice mused to his informant that was spying on the conversation in the library.
"Got it."
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"Kitty this is silly!" Lance declared as he pounded down the stairs in a hurry to catch the retreating form of his once girlfriend.
"You're the one being immature!" She retorted back not slowing her pace but in fact picking up speed as she raised herself to float down the stairs.
"I'm not the one running away now am I?" He asked in a huff as he began losing his breath now turning a corner to continue chasing after her, determined to catch her so they could continue talking.
Kitty didn't respond but rather floated in a rush down the hall and into the closest open room, the rec. room. As soon as she entered though she froze in mid air and Lance, who had only been feet away crashed right into her. Stepping back he saw why Shadow Cat had stopped. They weren't alone and were being greeted by very cold and hurt faces.
"Hi mom."
""Nice to meet you dad."
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Author's Note: Well there you go, hope It was worth it. I'd love to hear what you thought of it, requests, or suggestions you have, it'd mean a lot to me thanks! Oh in the next chapter prepare for an big attack, kidnappings, and flirting!