Chapter 14: So Wrong

Mortimer sat at the table picking at his food. He wasn't feeling too good and wasn't in a mood to eat the slimy chicken and corn with potatoes that sat in front of him. Kaida sat next to him talking to Brittany. Next to her was her husband, Tony, and beside him was Joseph. On Mortimer's other side sat Rick and his daughter who he decided to bring along. The whole time they ate Joseph refused to take his eyes off of Mortimer. Giving him dirty looks every chance he got. Mortimer closed his eyes as a sudden wave of nausea came over him but it quickly passed.

"You okay there, Mort?" Joseph asked. "You look a bit… green around the edges." Mortimer wasn't sure if he just used that phrase cause he looked sick. Or if Joseph knew who he really was Mortimer didn't want to think about that.

"I'm fine." Mortimer said. Kaida turned to Mortimer a gasped quietly.

"Mort you're looking very pale. Are you sure your okay?" Mortimer nodded.

"Yeah I'm fine. I'm just going to go to the washroom I'll be right back." He kissed her forehead before excusing himself from the table.

Almost as soon as Mortimer had left the room Joseph got up and sat next to Kaida in Mortimer's seat. "Hello Kaida."

"What do you want Joseph?" She asked sick of the way he had been acting all night.

"You know what I want." He smirked.

"Yeah well I have a boyfriend now so you can back off."

"What? You think he's good enough for you?" He whispered. "Come on. We both know your yarning for a real man." Kaida turned to him suddenly angry.

"Mortimer is more of a man than you'll ever be Joseph. He is kind and knows how to treat a lady." Joseph laughed at this.

"Too bad you're not a lady." He laughed. Kaida became angry at this.

"He could also hand you your ass gift wrapped!" She was about to stand up and challenge him but there was a loud crash and a scream emanated from the washroom in the hall. It wasn't a loud scream but it was loud enough that everyone at her table and the one next to them heard it. "I'll be right back I'm going to go see what's going on." Joseph followed Kaida out into the hall but she stopped him before she went into the washroom.

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Mortimer barely made it into the washroom as the few contents he had consumed that day came up and into the garbage can he had managed to make it to. He felt extremely cold and his whole body shook. He cried out and knocked the garbage can over as he fell into it. A pain so intense it cause white lights to dance behind his eyes wracked his body and he hell to the floor clutching at the black and white checkered tiles.

"Mortimer? Are you okay?" He heard Kaida's voice coming from the other side of the door.

"Yeah. I'm fine." He managed to get out through the pain. Though the lie was ruined by the scream that followed it. Kaida came in through the door and covered her mouth in shock. Mortimer lay on the ground looking for all the world like he had been stabbed or worse. He looked like he was in so much pain. But what shocked her even more was that his skin was turning a slight green in spots and his fingers were starting to become webbed.

"Mort. I think we should get out of here." Toad leaned against the wall as the pain started to subside a bit. His skin was noticeably turning greener and he could feel his tongue and his body changing. He weakly moved his hand up to his face and felt the warts on his face. He looked down at his hands and noticed that they had turned back to their usual green colour. The pain had now subsided but he still felt weak and a bit nauseous. "Come on Mort I think we should get out of here."

"Why?" Toad asked. "You ashamed to be seen with me now that I'm a mutant again."

"Mort I would never be ashamed to be seen with you and you know that!" She said. "I love you." She looked behind her at the door. "But if we don't get out of here someone's going to recognise you as who you are and we'll be back to square one. Running again." Toad struggled to stand up and after a few moments he managed to do so leaning on the wall for support.

"And how do you propose we do that with your little lover boy standing outside the door?"

"How did you-"

"Oh come now. I make a ruckus like that. They're all going to know something's going on in here and their going to want to know what." He said. "So genius. How we going to get out? Pull your Houdini act now."

"Why are you being so sarcastic?"

"Why are you being so positive? There's no way we're going to get out of this one." He said. "Not without anyone seeing me." Kaida felt the waves of sadness radiating off of him. He hid it well on the exterior. But she could always feel what he felt. He was back to hiding again. Hiding his face from a world that doesn't understand. Kaida poked her head out the bathroom door and saw that Joseph had once again taken his seat at the table.

"Come on. Braden is making a speech. We can get past them without anyone seeing." Toad shook his head as he moved away from the wall. Kaida stepped quietly out the door followed closely by Toad. They managed to make it up the stairs and out the front door.

"Great. Now what?" Toad asked.

"I knew there was something familiar about you." Both Kaida and Toad turned to see Joseph standing behind them. He must have seen them leave and had followed. "You're dating this freak?"

"The only freak here I see is you Joseph." Kaida said to him. "Go back inside."

"They say your dangerous now…" Joseph continued. "That true Mutie Morty?" He laughed. "You going to hurt me?" Mortimer didn't move. "Nah. Of course you wouldn't. You're too much of a wimp. You always have been. So easy to pick on."

"Oh grow up Joseph." Kaida said angrily.

"You know I've only heard him talk once tonight. He still retarded?" He laughed. "If you ever decide you want a real man to warm your bed. Add me to the long list of men you've slept with." Toad lashed out then. He jumped in front of him and grabbed onto his neck throwing him against the wall hard.

"You shut the fuck up!" He said to Joseph as he squeezed his windpipe. "Not so funny now is it?" Toad asked as he watched Joseph's face slowly turn red. "You are going to go back inside. And you are going to pretend you never saw me. If you breath a word of this to anyone one. I'll hunt you down. And rip every appendage from your body. Starting with your dick. You got that Hardcore?" Joseph looked like he was trying to nod. Toad let him go and he fell to the ground gasping for air. Joseph stood up and watched Toad for a few moments before running back inside.

"Hardcore?" Kaida asked slight humour in her voice.

"Yeah. He thinks he's so hardcore cause he thinks he can pick on mutants."

"Come on… let's get home. This dress is getting really uncomfortable." She said winking at him.

(A/N oh I'm on a roll… three chapters in one night…. Way to go me…. R&R or….. or…… or….. I'll….. well I don't know what I'll do but…. I'll send you mental nightmares is what I'll do! I'll do it! I swear it!)