Later that day, the brotherhood boys made their way back to Mystique's house, chatting.

'Why won't you shut up!' cried Lance as he opened the door and made his way in, 'She probably has a hangover. Get over it!'

'But what if she's hurt?' asked Pietro anxiously, 'I dunno, maybe she got in a fight with someone and lost!'

'Me? Lose?' asked a female voice from the kitchen, 'I think not!' from that room came Vixen holding a bowl of cereal.

'What are you doing here?' asked Toad hopping up to her and stealing a mouthful of cereal.

'Yeah, Baby,' said Quicksilver coming and standing beside her. 'Why weren't you at school?'

'I left the X-men.' she declared uninterestedly, tucking into her cereal of which Toad and Blob were stealing big spoonfuls.

'You did What?!?!?' cried Lance in surprise. All the boys stared at her in astonishment, making her feel ever so slightly self conscious.

'What?' she asked faintly nervous, 'don't you want me here?'

'No, no, no!' shouted Pietro waving his hands at her, 'They didn't mean that!' he glared at Lance menacingly, 'They're just a little surprised to see you here.'

'But I'm always hanging around here…' said the girl tentatively, looking from one lad to the others and back, 'It wouldn't be any different.'

'Sure it won't.' exclaimed Toad shrugging and helping himself to some more of her cereal. 'Come on guys it'll be fun.'

'Yeah, we'll get drunk every night!' cried Pietro trying to encourage Lance who still seemed a little uncertain of the whole situation.

'who's gonna pay for it all?' he asked putting a hand on his hip, and frowning at Vixen. 'She can't keep popping over to Xavier's crib if she's left them.'

'Well I did manage to nick 50$ off of Kitty, and 100$ from Jade.' admitted the blond girl.

'You stole from Kitty?' asked the dark haired boy angrily, glowering at her but she glowered back.

'Don't you wanna get drunk?' she shouted back at him, her hands in fists, her face furious. The teenager backed down moodily still glaring irritably at her. 'Good. Now we've got that over with, can I stay or not? Cos' if I can't I'll leave and go and find some porch to sleep under. Wouldn't be the first time.'

'No no no!!!' cried the silver haired boy yet again waving his hands at her. 'We'd love to have you here! You can have my room!'

'I'd rather have you in your room with me…' she said flirtily, raising her ever provocative left eyebrow at him. He smiled broadly at her, then tried to regain his usual non-chalant posture.

'Woah!' said Blob looking down at Toad meaningfully 'It'd be great if you stayed here.' he continued looking over at her, she smiled back at him in a friendly manner.

'Yeah!' joined in Toad, gently punching her shoulder affectionately, 'We'll have heaps of fun! Truth or dare will be so much better now there's a girl! Wanda never wanted to play.'

The rest of the teens stared at him weirdly. The uncomfortable boy grinned and shrugged nervously.

'Changing the subject from that slightly off putting image…' said Vixen putting on a fake happy face, 'What's for dinner? Pizza? Chinese? Indian? My treat.'

'Chinese!' cried Toad.

'Indian!' shouted Blob, pushing Toad's head down to shut him up.

'Sushi!' yelled Pietro over the top of the others.

'Pizza it is!!!' said Vixen clapping her hands together and smiling broadly. 'What do you all like?'

'Anchovies!' shouted Lance.

'Pineapple!' hollered Quicksilver, pushing the first boy out of the way.

'Green peppers!' barked Toad waving his arms in the air behind Pietro, trying to get her attention… and failing miserably.

'Pepperoni it is then!' laughed the blond girl 'Now… to the serious business.' her face fell and became grim. The others all looked at her nervously, waiting for what she was going to say. 'Drinks?'

'BEER!!!' they all hollered at the top of their lungs before falling about laughing.

Several weeks later, Vixen came down the stairs dressed only in one of Pietro's shirts, obviously in a bad mood.

'Wow.' said Lance who was watching the TV along with Toad, (Blob was somewhere in the kitchen, rummaging around for food.) 'You're up early. It's only 10.30, and Saturday.' she glared at him, followed by the sound of rapid footsteps.

'Vixen! Come back here!' came Pietro's angry voice. The girl raised her eyes exasperatedly at the ceiling, Lance smiled understandingly.

'You come here.' she shouted back. 'You usually don't mind having to come first, do you?' Toad and Avalanche glanced at each other and Blob popped his head around the kitchen door.

'That's not the point,' mumbled Pietro reaching the bottom of the staircase. 'You shouldn't have said it.'

'This is gonna be good.' muttered Lance to Todd, pressing the off button on the remote control.

'It doesn't mean anything!' the girl shouted back at him as he stepped down a few more steps to be level with her. 'You probably don't even know him!'

'Well I kinda do,' cried the silver haired boy at her, 'since he's kinda part of the X-men!' he finished, pointing in the direction of the Institute.

'How do you know it's him?' asked the girl heatedly.

'Have you seen the way he looks at you?' asked the boy. 'He's obviously so into you! How can you not see?'

'He is not!' yelled the girl back at him, 'He's my best friend, Pietro! And he does not look at me that way! You're just paranoid.'

'Then why did you scream his name at a very inopportune time last night?' shouted Quicksilver putting his hands out as though she was going to give him something.

'It wasn't him!' she screamed, pulling at her long silky hair, 'It was probably someone I knew before I came here!'

'What are you guys talking about?' asked Blob, munching on a large sandwich in the kitchen doorway.

'Last night,' started the girl looking at him, 'when we were…' there was a short and awkward pause, 'busy… I said a name. Not Pietro's. And he seems to think it means something.' she finished, pointing at Quicksilver.

'It DOES!' roared the boy she was pointing at. 'Come on, how can you say it doesn't?'

'Because it doesn't!!!' bellowed the girl back at him, almost throwing herself at him, 'Come on do you honestly think you're the first guy I've ever slept with? And it's not the first time this has happened.'

'Who's name did you say?' asked Lance malevolently, gazing from one to the other, both of whom glared at him.

'She said Kurt.' said Pietro finally, sighing and looking at her sadly, she sighed and looked down at the floor in the stunned silence that ensued.

'You said Kurt?' asked Toad curiously gazing at her.

'It's not necessarily Nightcrawler.' she replied defensively, frowning at them all. 'I've met more than one Kurt in my life.'

'Yeah, but there's only one Kurt in your life now.' said Todd quietly, leaning forwards and watching her reaction.

'He's my Best Friend.' she said loudly and slowly, as though she was speaking to a spastic. 'I don't think that way about my best friends.'

There was an awkward silence, which was only broken every now and then by Blob's munching sounds.

'Vixen…' started Pietro as though he was choosing his words very carefully. 'I'd like to say this in front of the guys… so you know I mean it.'

'What?' said the girl sarcastically, crossing her arms and scowling. 'You're dumping me cos' I said the wrong name? Get a life, I've done much worse to past boyfriends.'

'No.' continued the boy watching her as she flounced, looking very pretty in his favourite shirt. 'I… I love you, Vixen.' he said hesitantly, trying to stand tall.

The girl looked back at him in surprise, her arms slowly fell to her sides in defeat.

'What?' she asked, in astonishment, frowning slightly at the boy in front of her.

'Oh, come on you guys.' exclaimed Lance sarcastically. 'You've gotta be kidding me. This is so corny. Get a grip.' but the couple ignored his cynical comment.

'Really?' Vixen asked slightly disbelieving, a tentative smile sneaking it's way onto her alluring lips.

'Yes.' whispered Quicksilver, not taking his eyes off her, 'I said I meant it.' the girl laughed, then she marched right up to him and kissed him passionately.

'I didn't mean Nightcrawler.' she whispered back. 'Promise. Or if my subconscious did, well I'm a twisted freak. Right?'

'I guess you are,' smiled Pietro, 'but that's just how I like you.' she giggled meekly and kissed him again. In the background, Toad and Lance turned to each other and mimed vomiting, and Fred guffawed.

Later that day, as they ate a nutritious lunch of potato chips and lots of ketchup, Todd had an idea.

'Hey y'all!' he exclaimed loudly, throwing a chip at Pietro, 'It's Halloween next week, right?' The others mumbled agreement, 'Well… let's have a partay!'

'Yeah!' cried Vixen jumping up and grinning broadly, 'But, instead of a party… well a party costs money, doesn't it?' she asked as the others faces fell, 'Let's crash the mall! Come on, I've never done it before! Please!!!' she pleaded.

Pietro smiled adoringly at her, Todd's face broke into a huge smile, and Fred stopped eating (OMFG!!!).

'We're always doing that.' replied Lance sceptically, 'That's boring, we could crash a party?'

'Aww come on, Lance.' implored the girl putting her hands into a praying position, 'Please, I've never done it before.

'Yeah, come on Avalanche!' added Todd, also praying to him. 'She's never done it. Just this once.' +++

'Besides,' acknowledged Fred, (who had started eating again), 'it's been ages since we trashed the mall.'

'FINE!' cried Lance, finally admitting defeat, 'We'll crash the mall.' the young girl smiled and threw her arms around his neck, pulling him into a tight hug.

'Thank you, Avalanche!' she cried happily, still squeezing him tight.

'When exactly is Halloween?' he asked as he unwrapped her arms from around his neck, giving a slightly uncomfortable cough.

'That's lucky.' said Quicksilver looking at a calendar hanging on the wall next to the fridge, 'It's Friday. So we'll go crazy on the shopping centre on Friday night… then we'll grab a pizza, kay?'

'Cool!' giggled the girl excitedly, fidgeting in anticipation. 'I can't wait.'