Disclaimer: I own…a really cool looking pen. But not these characters or the storyline. Hey, think they'd be willing to trade?

Notes: Sorry this one took a little longer. I had trouble thinking up a way to incorporate the Queen Mab speech without making Pietro sound as if he were on something. And at last I came to the unfortunate conclusion that…I couldn't. So I just kind of made up a similar speech that sounded less like an acid trip, but was just about as long. And I now know that I have been reading far too much Shakespeare, because I was able to write it so it sounded kind of like that mode of talking…but I was making it up as I went. Pretty soon I swear I'll be talking in Elizabethan English. (sigh) Oh well. That was pointless. Enjoy.

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Scene IV

Lance pulled his car up to the curb in front of the Xavier mansion and turned it off. He twisted around to look at the other people in the vehicle, and then opened the door and got out. "We're here."

"Cool," Todd said and also exited. He looked up at the warm golden lights streaming out of the big house's windows. "This is gonna be fun." He shook his head. "Too bad Tabitha got that killer headache. She'd have loved to live it up over here."

The senior frowned contemplatively. "Yeah. You know what? Why don't I go back. You know, to see if she needs anything. I could…keep her company."

Fred stopped the dark haired boy with a hand on his chest as he headed for the car again. "No way, lover boy. You're going to that party if I have to carry you."

Lance sighed in defeat and nodded. He turned his gaze to the mansion as well, and then focused on the building's gate. For once it was thrown wide open, as if welcoming all, but he knew that was far from the truth. "Yeah, well. How're we gonna get in, anyway? I mean, Pietro might be invited, for God alone knows what reason, but the rest of us aren't. Do we just crash it?"

Taryn made her way up the sidewalk in a fancy, slinky red dress. She shot them an odd look, as if wondering what they were all doing standing there, and then proceeded on to the mansion. Lance was exasperated to notice that all of his friends were lost to the moment as they appreciatively watched the curvaceous girl walk away.

Todd woke up, finally, and blinked at him. "What? Oh, that's no problem. There are so many people goin' in there tonight, they aren't gonna notice a couple more. Believe me, they've got more important things to worry about. Like making sure one of Duncan's asshole friends don't get drunk and piss on a Picasso, or something."

Pietro Maximoff ambled up the street over to them. He heard the Toad's last comment and snickered. "Tell me about it.  That's the sort of stupid thing they'd do. Hm…And come to think of it, that'd be a simple thing to engineer. Just buddy up to one of them, mix a few drinks, and voila."

Fred rolled his eyes. "Uh-oh. He's got that evil look on his face again."

"Everybody run for the hills," Todd joked. "Hey, Pietro. 'Bout time you got here."

"Well, a little bird told me there was going to be a party, so how could I resist?" Pietro frowned. "Actually, it was more like a little wolf. But who's counting?"

"This is stupid," Lance broke in. "I'll come in and just hang or something until you guys are done."

Pietro laughed and shook his head, disturbing his perfectly combed white hair. "No way, Lance. We must have you dance."

"Not I, believe me. I'm too depressed to dance."

"Well, you're in love, aren't you? Isn't love supposed to 'lift you up where you belong'?" The speedster dashed away and rummaged in his friend's car for a moment, and then ran back. He placed something in Lance's hand.

The teen looked down at the object. "A Red Bull soda?"

"Why, don't you know? Red Bull gives you wings!"

He shook his head in exasperation and handed it back. "Funny. Very funny. Ha Ha. Sorry, but its not going to work. Under love's heavy burden do I sink. It is too rough."

The speedster grinned, a bad sign. Pietro was always ready to argue about anything as long as he could piss the other person off while he was doing it. "If love be rough with you, be rough with love," he said. "Prick love for pricking, and you beat love down."

Todd broke in. "Can we go in already?" He glanced impatiently around as a small crowd of people passed them on their way to the mansion. "It's getting late."

Lance gestured. "Fine. Go ahead. I'll stick around so I can give you a ride home, but I don't want to be a part of it."

Pietro sighed. "Lance, you're missing the point. The whole reason we're here is for you. You can't sit out. And Todd's right. We're wasting time and daylight. So stop arguing about it already!"

Lance stared at him as if he were crazy. "We're not wasting daylight," he said very slowly and distinctly. "Because its night time. I'm sure if you look around for a moment, you'll figure it out."

"Oh, I meant that figuratively, and you know it."

"Look. I don't want to go."

"Why not?"

The senior sighed. "Because I had a dream," he said. His tone was bored and put upon. It was obvious he was making this up.

Pietro just smiled, not fazed. "What a coincidence. So did I."

"Well, what was yours?"

"That dreamers often lie."

"Not true. In bed asleep, they do dream things true."

"Not really." Pietro shook his head. "How can you judge what things are true, anyway? Even when you're awake, truth is often fleeting. How do you judge? With your eyes? Ears? Touch? All these things are but ephemeral courtesies that tell not of your vaunted truth."

"What are you talking about?"

'Dreamers often lie, but you can perhaps forgive the faultiness of your mind's rest when your own senses do be often deceived. How many times has a girl seemed nice and then turned out to be a terrible bitch? How many times have the weathermen predicted snow and then we get sunny weather? We do pretend to be but normal persons every day of our lives, and that is the biggest lie of them all. And so how do you say that dreams tell the truth when you are constantly surrounded by lies? It only makes sense that they should lie too. I mean, look at Mystique. Her entire life was one big lie. She was a different person from day to day, switching faces and personalities as if they were gauzy handkerchiefs that go with one blouse or another. We lived with her for nigh on a year, and never did we see her true face. Our entire existence here is based on a lie as false as she is false…" Risty walked by them just then in a dark purple outfit that perfectly matched her dyed hair. She gave Pietro such an evil glare as she passed that he faltered in his speech until she had disappeared into the mansion.

"Okay, weird," he muttered, and then turned back to Lance, opening his mouth to speak once more. The senior raised a hand, stopping him before he could get on a roll.

"Peace, Pietro. Peace. You talk of nothing."

"Exactly," the silver haired boy said, just as if his friend had agreed with him. "Because I speak of dreams, which are but children of an idle brain. They are built on lies and fantasies and should be paid no attention.

Todd shivered and spoke up again, wrapping his arms around his skinny chest. "Look. If you're all done talking our ears off, Quickie, then could we please go in now? I'm freezing to death out here, and they've got to have finished supper by now. If we wait much longer there won't be a party to go to."

"I wish it were later," Lance muttered. He spoke again as Pietro opened his mouth. "No. Don't start up. I'm going. I'm going."

"Thank God," Todd muttered and led the way inside.

***

Well, what did you think? Was Pietro's little speech okay, or should I have done it differently? Too much Shakespeare? Too little? Any other suggestions? Write me! Review!