Disclaimer: :sighs: I don't own the x-men, if I did forge and storm would still be together and Gemma would have joined and bobby would never have left. BUT I DO OWN THE SONG YES I AM SHERYL CROW I LIKE WRITING X MEN FANFICS IN MY SPARE TIME

Not
Damn you Sheryl damn, you, yes peeps Sheryl crow own the song, I cut out the last verse for the storyline's sake.
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Gemma stepped up onto the stage a big smile on her face; it had been like a dream this vacation.

Her first vacation alone with Mathew.

It would be over soon, but they still had this one night together, he'd let Gemma pick the place, of course she'd chosen the nearest karaoke bar.

It didn't matter to her that the plaster was uneven and the paint job chipped, or that the carpet was worn from one two many pairs of shoes passing over it, or that the half the fancy festival lights needed changing. As long as she could sing it was perfect.

She loved this town, New York, this was the second time she'd gone on the stage this evening, oh Mathew laughed at her , said she must have mutant powers to charm every audience or something, saying she was such a n innocent that something as simple as music could thrill her so much. But the truth was he loved it when she sang, and she knew it.


She would still sing even if he didn't though, she would still sing, because when she was singing nothing else mattered, nothing but the sweet sensations of the rhythm playing over her, she had wanted to be a superstar when she had been a little girl, but her dreams had faded to more realistic things. Here and now, she was a little girl again; the trip to New York Mathew had treated her to, before they were separated in different universities had rekindled all those childhood dreams. Small amidst these great buildings, under the lights on Broadway, but feeling as if nothing in the world could go wrong.

Gemma waved to Mathew in the audience he smiled and waved back, she stepped up to the mic, closed her eyes and began to sing, one of her favorite songs, but one she hadn't sung in a long time…

"She was born in November 1963
The day that Aldous Huxley died
And her mama believed
That every man could be free
So her mama got high, high, high
And her daddy marched on Birmingham
Singing mighty protest songs
And he pictured all the places
Where he knew that she'd belong
But he failed and taught her young
The only thing she'd need to carry on
He taught her how to
Run baby run baby run baby run
Baby run

Past the arms of the familiar
And their talk of better days
To the comfort of the strangers
Slipping out before they say
so long
Baby loves to run

She counts out all her money
In the taxi on the way to meet her plane
Stares hopeful out the window
At the workers fighting
Through the pouring rain
She's searching through the stations
For an unfamiliar song
And she's pictures all the places
Where she knows she still belongs
And she smiles the secret smile
Because she knows exactly how
To carry on

So run baby run baby run baby run
Baby run

as she held the last note, of the chorus caught in the emotion of the song she heard a gasp, a gasp of… fear? What was wrong.

She opened her eyes, looked around the room, a see of faces all staring at her, scared angry, confused, why why are they staring at me like that? She glanced at Mathew, he looked so mad. But what' what did I do?

She looked down at her self …

And screamed!

One hand was holding a gem stone, like the ones that decorated her room, it was a bright sapphire, perfect and unflawed, more valuable than anything she'd ever owned, more beautiful too, her other hand was incased in crystal as she pulled it away from the mic.

"She's a mutant," someone in the crowd whispered disbelievingly.

Mathew, had gotten up without saying anything, the anger still in his eyes, she'd seen him angry before, but not like this. But he loved her…. He wouldn't hurt her! Would he?

He climbed up on stage and advanced towards her…unconsciously she took a step back without thinking about it, and then stopped her self, staring into eyes, so full of anger that they scared her.

"How could you Gemma, how could, you I thought I knew you, how could you be a mutant?" he whispered, that was worse than him shouting at her, "Mathew…" she whispered on trembling lips, how could he think this was her fault, he acted like she'd planned all this, but that wasn't true, this couldn't be happening to her. She put out a hand to push him away from her slightly.

"DON'T TOUCH ME YOU MUTANT BITCH" he yelled angrily, and slapped her hard across the face. She let out a small whimpering sound like a trapped animal and backed away from him.

"GET THAT MUTANT, DEATH TO ALL MUTANT SCUM" someone in the back of the room shouted, jumping up, the rest of the crowd, losing their shock and taking the first course of action that presented itself, stood up and began to move towards the stage.

Gem looked at them, they were like animals, if anyone was a monster it was this crowd, all humanity had drained from those eyes and what was left held no pity.


She whimpered again and jumped off the stage, bolting through the door, the shouting mob pursuing her.