Well, here's chapter five. I was struck by an overwhelming inspiration to write while reading my reviews. By the way, THANK YOU EVERYONE for the WONDERFUL responses!!!!!! I managed to get in everybody's POV, *including* the X-men's!!!!!!!!!!!!! YAY!!! Anyway, enjoy!

________________________________________

Bruder Nicht Mehr- Behind the Blank Expressions
________________________________________

Pietro lay quietly on his bed, thinking to himself. He hadn't even bothered to take off the horrible suit. He'd just came straight up to his room, laid down on the bed and stared at the ceiling. The horror and shock was still fresh in his mind. He just felt numb.

They had lost.

Pietro's breathe hitched in his throat just at the thought. When the judge had announced that they were to stay with the foster families, he'd just wanted to explode. Scream, cry, anything to show the man how much he needed Todd and Lance and Freddy. They were his family. They knew him and understood him ten times more then these people ever would.

He remembered the courtroom clearly. When the decision had been announced, the former Brotherhood had taken it like a stab through the soul. Lance had cried. Pietro had never seen him cry before. And Todd...Todd had looked so afraid. So afraid and alone. Even Fred, who had previously seemed indifferent, had appeared shaken by the news. Their separate foster families had shown up to take them away before they'd even got a chance to say goodbye to one another.

Pietro took a shaky breath as he thought about how different things were going to be. He'd lived with the Brotherhood for two years. It would be three months before he even got to see them again. It was going to be so different after not being away from them for more than a week in the last two years. And the family he was with...he could grow to stand them over time, but he would never be at ease with them like he had Todd, Lance, and Fred.

Pietro sighed as he heard the older woman, Mrs. Parker, call for him, saying dinner was ready. He sat up slowly, then made his way to the door and to the stairs. As he descended the steps, he made a silent promise to himself. 'I swear to God, no matter what it takes, I'll find the person who turned who turned us in.'

'And they will pay.'
_________________________________________

Fred looked out of his window, sighing. It had been a long day. He thought back to the courthouse, remembering the hurt and puzzled looks Lance and the others had been giving him as they witnessed his indifference. Actually, he did miss them a little, but truthfully, it didn't really matter to him where he stayed and with whom. Being part of that family had been nice, but it didn't really sadden him if he had to go somewhere else. He didn't need Pietro, Todd, and Lance like they needed each other. Fred sighed.

'Oh, well. I'd rather feel nothing than feel what they're feeling.'
___________________________________________________

Todd picked at the food on his plate, moving it around with his fork, glancing nervously from time to time at Mr. and Mrs. Willis. Neither one had spoken to him since Mrs. Willis told him it was time to eat. For that he was glad. He didn't want to say the wrong thing unknowingly and set one of them off.

Todd's thoughts drifted to his friends. Pietro had kept giving him concerned looks all throughout the hearing. And Lance...it was all so confusing. First they ignored him when he really needed them, then they acted as if they cared about him. Todd didn't know what to think.

Todd was so engrossed in his thoughts that he didn't hear Mr. Willis tell him repeatedly not to mess with his food. Therefore he nearly fell out of his seat, startled, when Mr. Willis suddenly shouted out his name. In his hurry to catch himself, he knocked Mrs. Willis's glass of wine off the table and onto the white carpet. Mrs. Willis let out a shriek of horror and grabbed his arm, pulling him out of his seat and pushing him forcefully away from her. "You little freak!" she screeched, " Look what you did!"

Todd started to back away from Mrs. Willis, who was totally freaking out, but before he knew what was happening, he found himself sprawled on the floor, clutching his face in pain. Mr. Willis stood over him, glaring. Mr. Willis swiftly kicked Todd as hard as he could in the ribs. The small boy yelped in pain and tried to crawl away from the terrifying presence above him.

Mr. Willis saw his escape attempt and, infuriated, grabbed him by the throat and threw him back into the wall. Todd head snapped back and hit the plaster, making stars explode behind his eyes. As each blow landed, Todd drew further into himself, detaching himself from his body, trying to ignore the intense agony his foster parent was dealing his thin body. As his world faded into darkness, one slightly delirious thought crossed his mind.

'Wonder if they'll beat me for bleeding on the carpet.'
____________________________________________________

Lance banged angrily on the bedroom door for the fifth time. He finished off the pounding with a fierce kick to the thick wood. The 13-year old behind him glared, annoyed. "Give it up, mutie. They're not going to let us out. Get it through your thick skull." Lance gritted his teeth in frustration and rested his forehead against the wall. " Stop calling me that."

Derek smirked. "Why? That's what you are." Lance turned and glared at him. "That. Is. Not. The. Point." Derek rolled his eyes. "Whatever. Anyway, stop. They're not going to let us out and Terri and Matt are trying to sleep. " Lance turned his gaze to the two six-year olds sleeping on the floor and nodded, resigned, as he sat down on the bed next to Derek. "Sorry. This just really ticks me off.'

Lance's foster parents, Mr. and Mrs. Wilson, were so good at acting it was amazing. As soon as, the Social Worker disappeared, so did the sweet, clean-cut couple. In their place were two alcoholics who constantly screamed and fought, and locked their four foster children in a tiny upstairs bedroom with only one bed. Lance and the others had been locked in the room ever since they'd returned from the courthouse that afternoon. It was now almost eleven o' clock and Lance was starving. He hadn't eaten in almost three days. They were almost never allowed out of the small room.

As far as the other kids went, they were okay. If he'd didn't dwell on how Derek continually called him 'mutie' after he'd shaken the house in frustration the first time he'd been locked in here. (Lance had a feeling the kid didn't say it to be cruel, just to get a rise out of him. Thirteen year olds were annoying like that.) Or how Terri never talked unless she was directly spoken to, and Matt never shut up. He would just sit there and go on and on and on about nothing whatsoever. Lance sighed, exhausted.

He laid down on the floor and quietly waited for sleep to bring him solace from this depressing reality.
_________________________________________

Rogue stared at the Professor, her jaw hanging open in shock. She snapped it shut, fuming, as she processed what he'd just told them. Finally, she voiced her thoughts.

"YOU DID WHAT?"

The others stared at her surprised, while the Professor looked startled and a little alarmed. " I-" "Ah know what ya said." Rogue interrupted, furious. "That was rhetorical. How could ya do that to them? You have NO idea what those foster homes are like! Ah mean, the Brotherhood wasn't a threat anymore. They said themselves, they didn't even believe in the whole 'world domination' thing. They just did that because it got them a place to live, got them out of the foster homes. And the first thing ya'll do is to put them back there." At this point, Rogue turned to her fellow X-men. " And how can ya'll stand there and agree with them? Oh yeah, Ah forgot, ya'll never been a foster home before have ya? Well, can you imagine it? Imagine having this cozy little family of ya'lls split up? Well, maybe ya should think about it, because you just destroyed the best thing those guys ever had and ya'll don't seem to care. If ya'll can't manage some kind of remorse, well, than ya'll 're just sick."

That being said, Rogue turned on her heel and stomped out of the room, leaving her gaping teammates and one astonished Professor behind.
________________________________________

Whoo! That took me, like, four hours!!! So be happy!!!! And I don't mean to torture you guys, I just have a hard time with inspiration and when I DO get it, it comes in small doses. Therefore, small chapters. But I'm trying!!!!! And also, the reason I making Freddy kind of a bad dude is: 1. I don't know what else to do with the guy. 2. He doesn't exactly strike as a kind of guy who would have a breakdown like the other three kind of do. 3. I know, like, nill about this dude's personality. (If he even has one.) Also, I really didn't want to write in any of the x-men but Rogue's speech kinda jumped me. Anyway, I'll shut up now and let those of you who read these move on. See you in chapter 6!!!!!! REVIEW!!!!