A/N: Oo another chapter. I'm on a roll. This is mostly dialogue ish :) So enjoy! More to come tonight!

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Chapter 29: The fishes aren't swimming

Alyce massaged her arm, the pain dying down a bit. John force feeding her did make her feel better, but if it wasn't her stomach gurgling, it was her bones aching. She felt old, like she belonged in an old folks home, rather than the Mansion.

The cold night air, swished between them, as if it was begging them to talk to each other. They had been sitting in silence for a while now, the muffled sound of the party music still playing in the background.

"So you're not going to tell me what happened to your arm?" John asked, acting as if he was talking to himself.

Alyce sighed, suddenly wishing she had wore her band shirt, rather than this low cut blouse. It was just so uncomfortable. She looked over at John, avoiding eye contact. "It's nothing serious."

"Serious if you disappeared for two weeks. Then a day ago, The Professor tells us you had to get surgery because you broke some bones. You should've just went with me, instead--"

"I didn't follow you outside for you to argue." Alyce interrupted, leaning back on the bench, the hard wood oddly comforting her back. "I got into a little fight, and I got a bit roughed up." Alyce closed her eyes, the images of the fight between her and Magma all to vivid.

John let out a sigh, his fingers fiddling with his Zippo lighter. "So you're not going to tell me what happened? What did that white haired punk, say something? You like him now?"

"No."

"No for what?"

"For everything." Alyce looked up into the night sky. The tension between them was just too great. Alyce looked over to John, his jaw clenched. "Some mutant from the Brotherhood attacked me when I went to go get Kitty, so we could go back home. That guy that she met took her home, and I got my ass kicked. Then I wake up in the garden, and Remy brings me inside. Happy?"

John took in a deep breath, his face twisting as if something had hit him in the chest. Alyce turned her head back to look at the sky. "You don't need to worry about me. My cousin, Bella is here. She's going to be staying here until I can walk by myself. I'm limping everywhere."

Alyce tried her best to let out a little chuckle. But it sounded forced, strained. She couldn't read John's emotions. And it was bothering her.

"I..." John exhaled in confusion. "I worried. A lot."

Alyce blinked her eyes. Was this really John who sat next to her? Why wasn't he cursing and being bossy. "You don't need to worry about me."

"Fine." He grumbled. A failed attempt, he decided to try to explain his emotions.

"I didn't mean it like that, I'm just saying. We're mutants John, I can understand if I wasn't one. But I fought well. Sure, a couple broken bones. But I came back with my head on my body."

John rolled his eyes, hunching forward. He was acting like a stupid little girl. He shouldn't have to explain anything about his feelings. "You shouldn't even be at that party."

"I shouldn't. But, Bella put it together, and she wanted me to come. It's been ages since I've seen her."

"When was the last time you've seen her?"

"Maybe when I was about, 15 or so. The last time I really hanged out with her. She had come over to spend the summer, and it was when my mutant powers started acting up. She would walk around with this big wooden baseball bat all the time."

John let out a laugh. "Why?"

Alyce smiled. "To protect me from people who didn't understand."

"She sounds like a trooper."

"She is. As small as she looks. But this one time, we both got beaten up pretty bad. Me for being a mutant, and her for protecting one. Since then, I'm pretty over protective of her."

John let out another laugh. "I thought you were super hard core. You're just lame." He placed his hand over Alyce's bandaged right hand. He gently stroked her palm. "Don't get hurt anymore. Or disappear."

"I'll try not to. No guarantees."

"Heh right."

"So...do you have an secrets you need to tell me?"

John looked at Alyce, confusion plastered on his face. "Huh?"

"The girl from the brotherhood, she had these lava powers. I guess you jinxed me."

"How so?"

"I'm always jumping into fire lately."

The sound of crickets began to play around them, as the night sky began to get darker. The cool winds hushed down, letting the trees sleep and relax from their swaying. A cool mist settled in the air, leaving John and Alyce's breath to hang in the air in white clouds.

John shook his head and shrugged. "It's not my fault you're so careless." He smiled to himself. "Once you play with fire, it's just impossible to get away from it."

Alyce laughed, breathing in the cool night time air. "We should go back inside, Bella might be going crazy." She probably was. How Alyce managed to get out of her cousin's watchful eye, was amazing. Remy must've put his charms on to the maximum level.

John got up, sticking his hand out for Alyce. She grabbed his hand lightly, his hand closing over hers. "We should, she better not beat me with any baseball bats."

"If you act up, she just might..."