"So you slammed the door on his face?" Lance asked trying to keep his voice from sounding angry. The frightened mutant in front of him nodded quickly still wide-eyed.

They were in the kitchen and Fred had just come running in to tell him who was at the door. Lance squeezed the bridge of his nose in an annoyed manner. The door bell rang again. The door opened and then slammed shut again.

"LANCE!" came Pietro's voice. "X-Men!"

"Why me?" Lance asked the ceiling with a whimper.

Pietro ran in and was about to say something when the front door flew open.

"You know it's rude to slam doors in people's faces!" Logan's low voice echoed threw the manor.

"Boy's, we just want to talk," the Professor said calmly.

"I can see that," Lance said walking in and staring at the door about to fall off it's hinges.

It was just the adults of the Institute at the door. Lance sighed in relieve, in the fact that he didn't have to deal with the much more annoying members.

"Maybe you'll learn some manners," Logan frowned as he crossed his arms.

"I wouldn't count on it," Lance crossed his arms too. "what do you guys what?"

"We just wanted to stop by and see if you were all okay," the Professor smiled kindly. "after the destruction of your house we got worried. Then you disappeared, and now the students say you're avoiding them and that you've been kicked out of school again,"

"Awwwe they were worried about us Lance," Pietro smirked. "I feel so loved," he wiped away an imaginary tear.

Toad appeared at the top of the stairs. Once he saw who was at the door, he screamed and disappeared down the hall again.

"What was on Toad's neck?" Ororo asked still staring at where the mutant once stood.

"Oh nothing," Fred yawned. "he's just mutating into a bass," Both Lance and Pietro turned to glare at him. "what?"

"He's mutating?" the Professor asked with a frown.

Lance sighed. "It's nothing, he's fine,"

"Are you sure?"

Lance rolled his eyes. "I'm positive," he noticed the looks on their faces. "everything's great, now get out!"

"Listen bub!" Wolverine growled sticking a finger towards Lance. "the Professor's bein' kind enough to make sure you troublemakers are still alive, so you better start bein' respectful!"

Pietro took a step back, away from the ever growing temper of Logan. Lance didn't budge.

"I don't have to start doing anything! This is our house, so get OUT!"

Logan took another step forward and unleashed his claws with an angry growl.

"Logan," the Professor spoke calmly. "it's okay, I think we've overstayed our welcome,"

Ororo walked over and grabbed on to Logan's arm to lead him to the door. The Professor stole one last glance at Lance and then rolled out of the manor.

"Damn Lance," Pietro sighed. "you almost got yourself sliced there,"

"Yeah man, not even Toad's dumb enough to mess with the Wolverine" Fred said. "what were you thinking?"

Lance didn't say anything. He just stood there watching the closed door.

"Lance?"

"Shutup," Lance growled through clenched teeth. His hands were in fists and the veins on his neck were halfway sticking out.

"Should we be worried?" Fred whispered to Pietro. The speed demon shrugged and they continued to watch Lance.

They felt the floor start to vibrate under their feet. It was soft and somewhat subtle.

"At least it doesn't seem like he's going to destroy the house this time," Pietro mumbled.

The vibration stopped as quickly as it had come and they stood in silence waiting for Lance to say something. Lance sat down on the floor and crossed his legs. Pietro and Fred watched as he just stared at the floor. The house became quiet, so quiet that Todd came down the stairs to investigate. Before he could say anything, he noticed Lance's position and shut up.

"Wha'd I miss?" he finally whispered to Pietro.

Pietro didn't answer, didn't even look at him, his eyes still focused on Lance.

"What are we?" They all jumped at the sudden words that came from Lance. It took a moment for them to catch up.

"Wha'da mean?" Fred asked.

"I mean, to Magneto, we're nothing but lab rats," he kept his eyes on the floor and continued. "to the X-Men we're nothing but troublemaking kids. And to the rest of the town, we're evil mutants that need to be locked up,"

"So we're hated," Todd shrugged. "i'm used to it,"

"But don't you ever get tired of it?" Lance asked as he finally looked up at his friends. "I'm tired of being treated either as a kid, or as a convict. I stopped being a kid when I got these powers, and I don't know when in the hell I became a convict,"

"Maybe it was the time you destroyed your school?" Toad asked in deep thought. "oh, wait, they didn't know that was you did they, or maybe the time..?"

"I hear ya Lance," Fred announced loudly. "I'm tired of being treated like elephant shit!"

"That's an odd way of putting it," Pietro said. "but the big guy as a point. I know i'm tired of being talked down to, like everyone's so much better then me. Whatever! I just speak my mind, and if those jackasses can't handle that then screw them all!"

Fred nodded his head with a serious expression on his face. "I say we show them what we've got," he suggested.

"Yeah!" Todd joined in. "show them, just because I smell, and I look like a fish, doesn't mean i'm a worthless smelly fish!"

Fred nodded again.

"Show them that the Brotherhood is more then just my father's pathetic lackeys. Show them that we can be just as good as those dumbasses down at the institute,"

"Better!" shouted Todd.

"We're not pathetic, we're not weak, we're not controlled,"

"We're the Brotherhood!" both Toad and Fred shouted.

Lance stood up quietly and walked up to his room, but they saw it. They saw the large and somewhat evil grin that was plastered on his face as he stood and walked up the stairs.