Shifting Sands
By Todd Fan
Disclaimer: "Whats Mole's story?" "Trust me on this one- you don't wanna know. Audrey, don't tell him. You shouldn't have told me, but you did, and now I'm telling you- you don't wanna know"
**** Pixie Flyer - Ahh Sid can only stay in a feline form for a limited amount of time, so if she fell asleep in a form, by the time she woke up, she would have shifted to her natural form *see chapters 1-2*.
****
Chapter 5 - Family Issues
****
Sidney awoke in the tunnels with a groan. EVERY muscle in her body ached. She yawned and stretched before padding off to the main gathering-area of the Alley. Evan glanced up from where he was sitting eating breakfast with a little girl and a guy who looked...kinda like a lizard. He smiled and waved her over to them.
"Morning Sid!", he said cheerfully, obviously, he had got used to the mind numbing COLD, "sleep well?".
"Yeah, like a log", said Sidney, "a petrified one".
"You'll get used to it", replied the lizard-like guy, "the first nights are always the roughest".
"Oh this is Lucid", said Evan, pointing at the lizard-guy, then at the little girl, "and this is Torpid".
Torpid gave Sidney a small shy wave, before going back to hiding behind Evan.
"She doesn't speak", explained Evan.
"Oh", replied Sidney, flicking her tail, "well...at least she's nice than Caliban.
"EVERYONE'S nicer than Caliban", pointed out Lucid, "even Scaleface is nicer than Caliban".
"I'll say" said Evan, then smiled at Sidney, "so, how's everything up top?".
Sidney chuckled.
"Letsee, we're being bullied, hunted and abused by flatscans", she said, "Principle Kelly would like to see us all wiped off the face of the Earth, oh and everyone seems to have a date but me".
"Oh, normal then", said Evan, ducking to avoid a claw-swipe, "How's Auntie O?. Is she doing okay?".
"I'll say", said Sidney with a chuckle.
Evan paused. That was NOT the response he was expecting.
"What does that mean?"
Uh oh.
"You...don't know about her and Forge..do you?", said Sidney blinking.
"Her and Forge? WHAT HER AND FORGE?!!!!!", said Evan, standing up.
Sidney cleared her throat.
"Well, they are..errr kinda, sorta an...", she winced, "item"
"WHAT?", said Evan, starting to pace, "that is wrong, sick and wrong!!!!!".
"Errr...Evan?", tried Sidney, "they ARE both adul...."
"I don't care!", said Evan, "no one dates my Auntie, especially not little inventor people who speak seventies lingo!!!!!".
"...Isn't that for Storm to decide?", asked Sidney, crossing her arms.
"Hah!", said Even, "my poor Auntie O?. I'm gonna go stop him before he breaks her heart into a million pieces".
"I really don't think Forge wants to....".
But Evan hadn't listened, he'd already stood up and stormed out.
"Well.....", said Lucid, "that went well".
*****
"Sidney!", shouted Pietro as he ran through the park, before stopping on a hill, thinking for a second...oh it was worth a shot, "Sidney, Sidney come home!".
Nothing. He sighed, leaning on a tree, glancing at a missing pet picture...heeeey wasn't that Max?...Huh. It was then an idea came to him, and he sped off to the Mall.
"'Have you seen our cat?. She is a tabby with some black fur. Answers to the name of Sidney. We miss her very much. Reward offered. Contact the Brotherhood Boarding House with any information'".
Lance looked up from the poster Pietro had handed to him.
"You're going to try and get Sidney back with a missing pet ad?".
"Yeah", said Pietro, as if it was the BEST idea, ever, "i mean, no ones gonna want to find a lost mutant....but a lost pet....".
"I hate to admit it, but he's right", said Todd, "besides, anything is worth a shot".
"I am NOT walking around Bayville putting up lost pet ads for HER", said Wanda, sitting down definatly, "go do it yourselves, see how much i care!".
"....Wanda you're taking this really hard", said Pietro carefully, "it's okay to admit you're worried about her".
"Worried about her?!", said Wanda with a indignantly, "hardly. I'm GLAD she's gone. Finally i can date Todd without having her jealous stares all the time!".
The boys glanced at each other before sighing sadly...it was obvious that Wanda believed there could only be ONE female in the Brotherhood house...and she was her.
****
After she had eaten her meagre breakfast, Sidney had padded off to explore the tunnels, meeting various Morlocks along the way. There were the sisters, Feral and Tornn, Cybelle, Tommy, Annalee...and that was just in an hour. Apparently, a few were on missions to secure some food and provisions. Sidney sighed, coming to a stop in a large hollow of the sewers, which had tunnels parting four different ways. She sat down to just...think.
"Hi there".
She blinked, turning around to see one of the most bizare people yet. He was completely white...including his eyes, and had no hair. He gave her a friendly smile.
"Hi i'm Morph", he said, giving her a wink.
"Hello, Morph", said Sidney, rolling her eyes before moving away.
"I...didn't quite catch your name", said Morph, following after her.
"That's because i didn't throw it", said Sidney.
"Awwww, don't be like that", said Morph, coming to a grinning skid in front of her, "i'm a newbie here too, arrived last night. Kinda got the cold shoulder from everyone else. Particually that night-of-the-living-dead- wannabe Caliban".
Despite herself, Sidney gave a giggle. Morph grinned at this result.
"You expect him to start walking around going like this...".
Morph suddenly changed shape, shifting into a dead-ringer of Caliban. He grinned before walking around like a zomie-his hands outstretched in front of him.
"Brainsssss, i need brainssssss", he said, matching Caliban's voice perfectly.
Sidney laughed shaking her head.
"You are one...bizare individual", she said.
Morph changed into his true from and gave her a wink.
"Hey, i'll juggle kumquats if you tell me what your name is".
Sidney gave a defeated sigh.
"Sindey", she said, "Sidney Cagney".
"GET OUT!", said Morph, "MY name's Kevin Sidney".
"Sid and Sid, huh?", said Sidney, arching an eyebrow, "i can hear the jokes now".
"And what's wrong with a few laughs?", asked Morph with a grin.
"....I haven't found alot worth laughing about at the moment", said Sidney with a sigh.
"Weeeeelllll, you came to the right place", said Morph, "if anyone can cheer you up, Miss Cagney, it's me".
****
Meanwhile, in the Xavier Insitute for Gifted Youngsters, Bobby and Sam were facing their 'punishments' for the trick they played with the lost pet posters. Forge had tied them both to chairs, and left them locked in a room while 70's tunes played continuously. They boy's screams for mercy were quite a sound to hear.
"And to think", said Storm with a chuckle, "they feared Logan's punishments".
"I believe in physcologial torture", said Forge with an evil grin, tapping his head, "lasts much longer".
"And you say I'M evil", she replied, rolling her eyes, "anyway, how's the Max-free household?".
"Sad and lonely", replied Forge, "i've never seen Warlock so bummed out".
"I was talking about you", said Storm, "he WAS your dog".
Forge gave a small shrug.
"Yeah...i miss him", he said with a sigh, then saw Storm's raised eyebrow, "okay..i miss him alot".
Damn, despite trying to be one of the more mysterious mutants in Bayville, keeping alot of himself hidden....that woman could still read him like a book, without trying.
"That's better", said Storm, giving him a kiss on the forehead, "i'm sure he'll come back eventually".
BANG.
Speaking of coming back....Both glanced up as the doors to the Institute SLAMMED open, revealing a none-to-happy looking Evan.
"Evan!. You came home!", said Storm, before blinking, "what is it?".
Evan pointed at both Storm and Forge, trying to find the right words.
"You...and you...", he said, "no no, bad...wrong!".
"....I think he's trying to tell us something", said Forge.
"YOU!", said Evan, shooting off a spike which shot past the inventor, embedding itself into the wall next to him, making Forge jump out of the way pretty quickly, "you!. What gives you the right to date my Auntie?".
"EXCUSE ME?", said Storm, crossing her arms, "i am an adult, i can date who i want!".
"Not him!", snapped Evan, "he's.......he's FORGE!".
"Yes...that i am", replied Forge, calmly, "and..."
"Stay out of this you!", said Evan, before looking back at his Aunt, "it's....icky!".
"Icky?", said Storm, raising an eyebrow, "you want to take away my happiness for the reason of it being 'icky'?".
"LOOK at him", said Evan, waving a spiked hand in the direction of Forge, "he looks MY age. You'd be accused of cradle-snatching if you were to date him openly in public".
"'He' is in the same room", said Forge with a sigh, "'He' can hear every word".
"Evan, you and i BOTH know that however old Forge looks, he's OLDER than that", said Storm, "he's older than ME, you know?"
"......What a way to kick me while i'm down", said Forge, sighing, and still being ignored.
"I don't care!", said Evan, "he's Forge....it's just...CREEPY!".
Forge gave a squeak, ducking as a barrage of flaming spikes narrowly missed his head.
"Come on Evan, be reasonable about this", he said, "you never used to hate me".
"That was before you started putting your tounge down my Aunt's throat!", snapped Evan, shooting off more spikes, "what the heck possesed you to do that?. Did you PURPOUSELY wait until i was out of the picture to 'make your move'?".
"Evan!", snapped Ororo, thunder starting up in the sky, "stop trying to impale my boyfriend!".
.....THERE was a sentence a person should never have to use.
"I really think you're reading this the wrong way", said Forge from where he hid behind a pillar, "and i DIDN'T wait until you left. You can't choose when you fall in love with someone, you know?".
Evan paused in mid spike-throw.
"You....love her?".
"You...love me?", squeaked Ororo, the nasty weather stopping instantly.
Forge poked his head out from behind his makeshift shelter before standing up and walking over to them.
"That's what i've been TRYING to say", he said to Evan, "i love her....".
He paused, turning to smile at Storm.
"I love you", he said softly, taking her hands in his.
Ororo smiled back.
"I love you too", she said softly.
Evan watched this before giving a frustrated sigh.
"Great, now i feel like a jerk", he muttered, storming off angrilly.
****
Whoot another chapter done. In case you're wondering, Morph is a character from the Exiles comics, and i love him to bits, tee hee. Do review. Until next time...
By Todd Fan
Disclaimer: "Whats Mole's story?" "Trust me on this one- you don't wanna know. Audrey, don't tell him. You shouldn't have told me, but you did, and now I'm telling you- you don't wanna know"
**** Pixie Flyer - Ahh Sid can only stay in a feline form for a limited amount of time, so if she fell asleep in a form, by the time she woke up, she would have shifted to her natural form *see chapters 1-2*.
****
Chapter 5 - Family Issues
****
Sidney awoke in the tunnels with a groan. EVERY muscle in her body ached. She yawned and stretched before padding off to the main gathering-area of the Alley. Evan glanced up from where he was sitting eating breakfast with a little girl and a guy who looked...kinda like a lizard. He smiled and waved her over to them.
"Morning Sid!", he said cheerfully, obviously, he had got used to the mind numbing COLD, "sleep well?".
"Yeah, like a log", said Sidney, "a petrified one".
"You'll get used to it", replied the lizard-like guy, "the first nights are always the roughest".
"Oh this is Lucid", said Evan, pointing at the lizard-guy, then at the little girl, "and this is Torpid".
Torpid gave Sidney a small shy wave, before going back to hiding behind Evan.
"She doesn't speak", explained Evan.
"Oh", replied Sidney, flicking her tail, "well...at least she's nice than Caliban.
"EVERYONE'S nicer than Caliban", pointed out Lucid, "even Scaleface is nicer than Caliban".
"I'll say" said Evan, then smiled at Sidney, "so, how's everything up top?".
Sidney chuckled.
"Letsee, we're being bullied, hunted and abused by flatscans", she said, "Principle Kelly would like to see us all wiped off the face of the Earth, oh and everyone seems to have a date but me".
"Oh, normal then", said Evan, ducking to avoid a claw-swipe, "How's Auntie O?. Is she doing okay?".
"I'll say", said Sidney with a chuckle.
Evan paused. That was NOT the response he was expecting.
"What does that mean?"
Uh oh.
"You...don't know about her and Forge..do you?", said Sidney blinking.
"Her and Forge? WHAT HER AND FORGE?!!!!!", said Evan, standing up.
Sidney cleared her throat.
"Well, they are..errr kinda, sorta an...", she winced, "item"
"WHAT?", said Evan, starting to pace, "that is wrong, sick and wrong!!!!!".
"Errr...Evan?", tried Sidney, "they ARE both adul...."
"I don't care!", said Evan, "no one dates my Auntie, especially not little inventor people who speak seventies lingo!!!!!".
"...Isn't that for Storm to decide?", asked Sidney, crossing her arms.
"Hah!", said Even, "my poor Auntie O?. I'm gonna go stop him before he breaks her heart into a million pieces".
"I really don't think Forge wants to....".
But Evan hadn't listened, he'd already stood up and stormed out.
"Well.....", said Lucid, "that went well".
*****
"Sidney!", shouted Pietro as he ran through the park, before stopping on a hill, thinking for a second...oh it was worth a shot, "Sidney, Sidney come home!".
Nothing. He sighed, leaning on a tree, glancing at a missing pet picture...heeeey wasn't that Max?...Huh. It was then an idea came to him, and he sped off to the Mall.
"'Have you seen our cat?. She is a tabby with some black fur. Answers to the name of Sidney. We miss her very much. Reward offered. Contact the Brotherhood Boarding House with any information'".
Lance looked up from the poster Pietro had handed to him.
"You're going to try and get Sidney back with a missing pet ad?".
"Yeah", said Pietro, as if it was the BEST idea, ever, "i mean, no ones gonna want to find a lost mutant....but a lost pet....".
"I hate to admit it, but he's right", said Todd, "besides, anything is worth a shot".
"I am NOT walking around Bayville putting up lost pet ads for HER", said Wanda, sitting down definatly, "go do it yourselves, see how much i care!".
"....Wanda you're taking this really hard", said Pietro carefully, "it's okay to admit you're worried about her".
"Worried about her?!", said Wanda with a indignantly, "hardly. I'm GLAD she's gone. Finally i can date Todd without having her jealous stares all the time!".
The boys glanced at each other before sighing sadly...it was obvious that Wanda believed there could only be ONE female in the Brotherhood house...and she was her.
****
After she had eaten her meagre breakfast, Sidney had padded off to explore the tunnels, meeting various Morlocks along the way. There were the sisters, Feral and Tornn, Cybelle, Tommy, Annalee...and that was just in an hour. Apparently, a few were on missions to secure some food and provisions. Sidney sighed, coming to a stop in a large hollow of the sewers, which had tunnels parting four different ways. She sat down to just...think.
"Hi there".
She blinked, turning around to see one of the most bizare people yet. He was completely white...including his eyes, and had no hair. He gave her a friendly smile.
"Hi i'm Morph", he said, giving her a wink.
"Hello, Morph", said Sidney, rolling her eyes before moving away.
"I...didn't quite catch your name", said Morph, following after her.
"That's because i didn't throw it", said Sidney.
"Awwww, don't be like that", said Morph, coming to a grinning skid in front of her, "i'm a newbie here too, arrived last night. Kinda got the cold shoulder from everyone else. Particually that night-of-the-living-dead- wannabe Caliban".
Despite herself, Sidney gave a giggle. Morph grinned at this result.
"You expect him to start walking around going like this...".
Morph suddenly changed shape, shifting into a dead-ringer of Caliban. He grinned before walking around like a zomie-his hands outstretched in front of him.
"Brainsssss, i need brainssssss", he said, matching Caliban's voice perfectly.
Sidney laughed shaking her head.
"You are one...bizare individual", she said.
Morph changed into his true from and gave her a wink.
"Hey, i'll juggle kumquats if you tell me what your name is".
Sidney gave a defeated sigh.
"Sindey", she said, "Sidney Cagney".
"GET OUT!", said Morph, "MY name's Kevin Sidney".
"Sid and Sid, huh?", said Sidney, arching an eyebrow, "i can hear the jokes now".
"And what's wrong with a few laughs?", asked Morph with a grin.
"....I haven't found alot worth laughing about at the moment", said Sidney with a sigh.
"Weeeeelllll, you came to the right place", said Morph, "if anyone can cheer you up, Miss Cagney, it's me".
****
Meanwhile, in the Xavier Insitute for Gifted Youngsters, Bobby and Sam were facing their 'punishments' for the trick they played with the lost pet posters. Forge had tied them both to chairs, and left them locked in a room while 70's tunes played continuously. They boy's screams for mercy were quite a sound to hear.
"And to think", said Storm with a chuckle, "they feared Logan's punishments".
"I believe in physcologial torture", said Forge with an evil grin, tapping his head, "lasts much longer".
"And you say I'M evil", she replied, rolling her eyes, "anyway, how's the Max-free household?".
"Sad and lonely", replied Forge, "i've never seen Warlock so bummed out".
"I was talking about you", said Storm, "he WAS your dog".
Forge gave a small shrug.
"Yeah...i miss him", he said with a sigh, then saw Storm's raised eyebrow, "okay..i miss him alot".
Damn, despite trying to be one of the more mysterious mutants in Bayville, keeping alot of himself hidden....that woman could still read him like a book, without trying.
"That's better", said Storm, giving him a kiss on the forehead, "i'm sure he'll come back eventually".
BANG.
Speaking of coming back....Both glanced up as the doors to the Institute SLAMMED open, revealing a none-to-happy looking Evan.
"Evan!. You came home!", said Storm, before blinking, "what is it?".
Evan pointed at both Storm and Forge, trying to find the right words.
"You...and you...", he said, "no no, bad...wrong!".
"....I think he's trying to tell us something", said Forge.
"YOU!", said Evan, shooting off a spike which shot past the inventor, embedding itself into the wall next to him, making Forge jump out of the way pretty quickly, "you!. What gives you the right to date my Auntie?".
"EXCUSE ME?", said Storm, crossing her arms, "i am an adult, i can date who i want!".
"Not him!", snapped Evan, "he's.......he's FORGE!".
"Yes...that i am", replied Forge, calmly, "and..."
"Stay out of this you!", said Evan, before looking back at his Aunt, "it's....icky!".
"Icky?", said Storm, raising an eyebrow, "you want to take away my happiness for the reason of it being 'icky'?".
"LOOK at him", said Evan, waving a spiked hand in the direction of Forge, "he looks MY age. You'd be accused of cradle-snatching if you were to date him openly in public".
"'He' is in the same room", said Forge with a sigh, "'He' can hear every word".
"Evan, you and i BOTH know that however old Forge looks, he's OLDER than that", said Storm, "he's older than ME, you know?"
"......What a way to kick me while i'm down", said Forge, sighing, and still being ignored.
"I don't care!", said Evan, "he's Forge....it's just...CREEPY!".
Forge gave a squeak, ducking as a barrage of flaming spikes narrowly missed his head.
"Come on Evan, be reasonable about this", he said, "you never used to hate me".
"That was before you started putting your tounge down my Aunt's throat!", snapped Evan, shooting off more spikes, "what the heck possesed you to do that?. Did you PURPOUSELY wait until i was out of the picture to 'make your move'?".
"Evan!", snapped Ororo, thunder starting up in the sky, "stop trying to impale my boyfriend!".
.....THERE was a sentence a person should never have to use.
"I really think you're reading this the wrong way", said Forge from where he hid behind a pillar, "and i DIDN'T wait until you left. You can't choose when you fall in love with someone, you know?".
Evan paused in mid spike-throw.
"You....love her?".
"You...love me?", squeaked Ororo, the nasty weather stopping instantly.
Forge poked his head out from behind his makeshift shelter before standing up and walking over to them.
"That's what i've been TRYING to say", he said to Evan, "i love her....".
He paused, turning to smile at Storm.
"I love you", he said softly, taking her hands in his.
Ororo smiled back.
"I love you too", she said softly.
Evan watched this before giving a frustrated sigh.
"Great, now i feel like a jerk", he muttered, storming off angrilly.
****
Whoot another chapter done. In case you're wondering, Morph is a character from the Exiles comics, and i love him to bits, tee hee. Do review. Until next time...