A/N: This story is dedicated to The Scribe and his disgruntled horde of New Mutant fans.
Credit goes to my cat, who helped me write this chapter by laying on the keyboard. AQZ!-shift are not important keys. I thank him for bringing this to my attention.
*****
"Like, all systems go, Mr. Logan," Kitty said as she boarded the X-Jet. Scott struggled up the ramp behind her, carrying an overnight bag and a very large suitcase. She looked around the aircraft's interior. "Where's your stuff?"
Logan pointed to a plastic shopping bag behind the co-pilot's seat.
"That's it?" Kitty marveled. "Wow, you must be, like, the best packer *ever*."
"It's a change of clothes and a toothbrush," Logan said.
"Oh. I'll *never* understand guys and their packing habits," Kitty shrugged. She picked a seat and waited while nothing happened.
"Is there a problem?" Scott eventually asked.
"Yeah," Logan said. "It might be *nice* if you told me where we're going, One-eye."
"Oh. Seattle," Scott said, feeling kind of dumb. "And I really do have two eyes, you know."
"Good for you."
*****
The 37 bus crawled up to the sign and jerked to a stop. Team Dig'em, as Evan had decided to call them, got on.
"Scranton, please," Jean said to the driver.
"That's where we're goin'," he replied boredly.
"Man, Jean, don't you know how to ride a bus?" Evan scanned the posted notice and dumped an appropriate amount of money in the box.
"I've never been on a public bus before," she confided as they slid onto a bench.
"You're kidding me."
"No," Jean shook her head. "No Red-n-Tans, no Greyhounds, no Pumpkin Coaches. No school buses."
"How'd you get anywhere?"
"My parents drove me. Or I walked."
"The wonders of suburban living."
*****
Kurt ambled across the Institute grounds, activating his hologram as he approached the gates. There was a crowd of kids on the sidewalk. He recognized some of his schoolmates among them. He was less than pleased to notice Duncan Matthews.
"Hey you, Institute kid," Duncan said upon seeing him.
"Jean is away this weekend," Kurt halted on his side of the fence.
"Whatever," Duncan gripped the iron bars. "We just wanted to know what goes on in there."
"Nothing interesting," Kurt lied.
"Can I come in?" the jock peered through the gate.
"No."
"Why not?"
"It's private property."
"So? Your friends have been on my property," Duncan argued.
"They were invited," Kurt pointed out.
"I'm waiting," Duncan stood his ground.
Kurt crossed his arms. There were several long minutes of mutual glaring.
"Fine," Duncan backed off a step. "You're all losers, anyway. Tell Jean I said hi."
"I said she's not home," Kurt shouted after the retreating group. He was completely ignored. He sighed, waited for them to turn the corner, and retrieved the mail.
*****
Later that afternoon, Rogue wandered into the kitchen and sifted through the mail on the table. "Bill, to the Resident, you may have already won a million dollars," she mumbled. There was also a postcard. In her interest to read it, she failed to notice that it had no stamp. "You are invited to a party," she read. "10 AM Sunday morning at the community center. No RSVP necessary."
"Take me with you!" Bobby cried as he tackled her leg.
Rogue startled and looked down. "Bobby? It doesn't say you're invited."
"Who's it addressed to?"
Rogue turned the card over. "A big scribble, and 'Xavier Institute'."
"See, that includes me," Bobby looked up hopefully.
"Fine," Rogue sighed. "Ask the Professor."
"Woohoo!" Bobby bolted for the study. "I get to do something!"
Rogue scooped up a magazine addressed to the good doctor, and headed for the basement wing where he spent a lot of time doing who-knew-what.
Her footsteps echoed in the narrow passageways. She stopped in front of the room Dr. McCoy used for his office, and knocked on the door.
"Come in!"
Rogue entered. "Hi," she said. "Your," she looked at the glossy cover, "'Scientific American' is here."
"Ah, good," the doctor glanced up. "You can leave it on the desk. I'll clear the pile eventually."
Rogue balanced the periodical on a precarious stack of papers. "Haven't seen you in a while," she commented.
"Been busy with my work," McCoy replied. "I'm afraid I can't stop. Almost done, though."
"Have fun," Rogue said as she left.
*****
"Can I go, please tell me I can go!" Bobby shouted as he burst into the study.
The Professor looked up from his work. "Go where?"
"There's a party tomorrow and I'm so bored here at the Institute, I never get anything to do and I just *have* to go!"
"Who's supervising?" Xavier asked.
"I dunno, it didn't say, you *have* to say yes!" Bobby begged.
"I can't let you go if it's unsupervised," Xavier said firmly.
"Come on, Professor, it's on a Sunday. You *can't* have a wild party on a Sunday morning. Especially not at a community center. And Rogue is going."
Xavier considered this. "All right. If Rogue accepts responsibility for you, you can go."
"Yes!!!" Bobby jumped in the air and ran out.
*****
The next door Rogue knocked on happened to belong to Kurt. "Door's open," was the answer she got.
"Want to go to a party tomorrow?" she waved the card.
"Is there food?" he asked, predictably.
"Of course there's food. All parties have food."
"I knew there was a reason I liked America," Kurt grinned.
At that moment, the door banged open and 8 kids stampeded into the room.
"We want to go to the party," Bobby said breathlessly. "The Professor says you have to take us or...or neither of you can go!"
Rogue and Kurt shared a skeptical look.
"He didn't say that," Rogue folded her arms.
"How'd you know?" Bobby's face fell.
"You lie *way* too obviously."
The New Mutants all sagged visibly.
"But...we'll take you anyway."
There was a sudden rise in the room's mood.
"If you promise to behave yourselves."
There was a quick huddle.
"On our honor," Bobby said solemnly.
"*And* if you can stay in our general area while pretending to have never seen us before."
"Deal."
Credit goes to my cat, who helped me write this chapter by laying on the keyboard. AQZ!-shift are not important keys. I thank him for bringing this to my attention.
*****
"Like, all systems go, Mr. Logan," Kitty said as she boarded the X-Jet. Scott struggled up the ramp behind her, carrying an overnight bag and a very large suitcase. She looked around the aircraft's interior. "Where's your stuff?"
Logan pointed to a plastic shopping bag behind the co-pilot's seat.
"That's it?" Kitty marveled. "Wow, you must be, like, the best packer *ever*."
"It's a change of clothes and a toothbrush," Logan said.
"Oh. I'll *never* understand guys and their packing habits," Kitty shrugged. She picked a seat and waited while nothing happened.
"Is there a problem?" Scott eventually asked.
"Yeah," Logan said. "It might be *nice* if you told me where we're going, One-eye."
"Oh. Seattle," Scott said, feeling kind of dumb. "And I really do have two eyes, you know."
"Good for you."
*****
The 37 bus crawled up to the sign and jerked to a stop. Team Dig'em, as Evan had decided to call them, got on.
"Scranton, please," Jean said to the driver.
"That's where we're goin'," he replied boredly.
"Man, Jean, don't you know how to ride a bus?" Evan scanned the posted notice and dumped an appropriate amount of money in the box.
"I've never been on a public bus before," she confided as they slid onto a bench.
"You're kidding me."
"No," Jean shook her head. "No Red-n-Tans, no Greyhounds, no Pumpkin Coaches. No school buses."
"How'd you get anywhere?"
"My parents drove me. Or I walked."
"The wonders of suburban living."
*****
Kurt ambled across the Institute grounds, activating his hologram as he approached the gates. There was a crowd of kids on the sidewalk. He recognized some of his schoolmates among them. He was less than pleased to notice Duncan Matthews.
"Hey you, Institute kid," Duncan said upon seeing him.
"Jean is away this weekend," Kurt halted on his side of the fence.
"Whatever," Duncan gripped the iron bars. "We just wanted to know what goes on in there."
"Nothing interesting," Kurt lied.
"Can I come in?" the jock peered through the gate.
"No."
"Why not?"
"It's private property."
"So? Your friends have been on my property," Duncan argued.
"They were invited," Kurt pointed out.
"I'm waiting," Duncan stood his ground.
Kurt crossed his arms. There were several long minutes of mutual glaring.
"Fine," Duncan backed off a step. "You're all losers, anyway. Tell Jean I said hi."
"I said she's not home," Kurt shouted after the retreating group. He was completely ignored. He sighed, waited for them to turn the corner, and retrieved the mail.
*****
Later that afternoon, Rogue wandered into the kitchen and sifted through the mail on the table. "Bill, to the Resident, you may have already won a million dollars," she mumbled. There was also a postcard. In her interest to read it, she failed to notice that it had no stamp. "You are invited to a party," she read. "10 AM Sunday morning at the community center. No RSVP necessary."
"Take me with you!" Bobby cried as he tackled her leg.
Rogue startled and looked down. "Bobby? It doesn't say you're invited."
"Who's it addressed to?"
Rogue turned the card over. "A big scribble, and 'Xavier Institute'."
"See, that includes me," Bobby looked up hopefully.
"Fine," Rogue sighed. "Ask the Professor."
"Woohoo!" Bobby bolted for the study. "I get to do something!"
Rogue scooped up a magazine addressed to the good doctor, and headed for the basement wing where he spent a lot of time doing who-knew-what.
Her footsteps echoed in the narrow passageways. She stopped in front of the room Dr. McCoy used for his office, and knocked on the door.
"Come in!"
Rogue entered. "Hi," she said. "Your," she looked at the glossy cover, "'Scientific American' is here."
"Ah, good," the doctor glanced up. "You can leave it on the desk. I'll clear the pile eventually."
Rogue balanced the periodical on a precarious stack of papers. "Haven't seen you in a while," she commented.
"Been busy with my work," McCoy replied. "I'm afraid I can't stop. Almost done, though."
"Have fun," Rogue said as she left.
*****
"Can I go, please tell me I can go!" Bobby shouted as he burst into the study.
The Professor looked up from his work. "Go where?"
"There's a party tomorrow and I'm so bored here at the Institute, I never get anything to do and I just *have* to go!"
"Who's supervising?" Xavier asked.
"I dunno, it didn't say, you *have* to say yes!" Bobby begged.
"I can't let you go if it's unsupervised," Xavier said firmly.
"Come on, Professor, it's on a Sunday. You *can't* have a wild party on a Sunday morning. Especially not at a community center. And Rogue is going."
Xavier considered this. "All right. If Rogue accepts responsibility for you, you can go."
"Yes!!!" Bobby jumped in the air and ran out.
*****
The next door Rogue knocked on happened to belong to Kurt. "Door's open," was the answer she got.
"Want to go to a party tomorrow?" she waved the card.
"Is there food?" he asked, predictably.
"Of course there's food. All parties have food."
"I knew there was a reason I liked America," Kurt grinned.
At that moment, the door banged open and 8 kids stampeded into the room.
"We want to go to the party," Bobby said breathlessly. "The Professor says you have to take us or...or neither of you can go!"
Rogue and Kurt shared a skeptical look.
"He didn't say that," Rogue folded her arms.
"How'd you know?" Bobby's face fell.
"You lie *way* too obviously."
The New Mutants all sagged visibly.
"But...we'll take you anyway."
There was a sudden rise in the room's mood.
"If you promise to behave yourselves."
There was a quick huddle.
"On our honor," Bobby said solemnly.
"*And* if you can stay in our general area while pretending to have never seen us before."
"Deal."