Disclaimer: X-Men: Evolution and all related names are property of Marvel Entertainment, Inc.
By the way, for those of you keeping score at home, this is the sequel to "Unrequited," which was the sequel to "Letters," which was the sequel to "The Price," which was based on "Mainstream." You may want to go back and read those first three stories first before you read this one, otherwise it might all be a little confusing. By the way, I don't remember if I mentioned it or not... but wasn't Mainstream a great episode? Well... onto the story!
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"Hearts Were Made for Breaking"
By William Logan
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Wanda Maximoff laid in her bed and sighed, thinking about going downstairs to get some of the pizza that Toad had brought home. She had fixed the mascara that had been running down her cheeks, and her hair was a bit neater now than it had been. She looked at herself in the mirror, rubbing at her puffy eyes, wishing that they would look a little less red. Even as the thought was entering her mind, her eyes returned to normal. She smiled, a real smile, not her usual predatory smile when she was about to do something cruel to Toad or Blob. She liked the way it looked on her, although she'd never admit it to anyone. She never wanted to appear weak. There was a part of her, however, that forced the smile to disappear, the dark side of her, the side that she showed to the world. She refused to show any other emotion besides her deep hatred for her father, something for which she had never gotten truly satisfying payback. A scowl crossed her features again, making them a truly terrible sight indeed, and she marched out of her room and downstairs. As she stepped off the last creaky stair and glanced around, she saw that she was all alone. She headed to the kitchen and saw Lance sitting there, alone, by the box of pizza.
"Well, it took you long enough," he said, "it's cold. Took me nearly bringing the house down on Blob and Toad to keep them from devouring the whole thing on you." Wanda slowly began to move towards the table, taking a seat across from Lance. She opened up the pizza box and placed a slice of cheese pizza on her plate, wrinkling her nose slightly at the appearance of it. The cheese had returned to a solid state and was no longer gooey, like pizza ought to be. She brought it up to her mouth and took a bite, frowning a bit. It wasn't bad, but it certainly was no longer good.
"Where did the goon squad go?" She asked as she swallowed the first bite.
"Went out to go get some soda from the store," Lance said, turning to look at her. He had a serious look on his face, "You know, Wanda..." he said. Wanda could feel her heart jump into her throat. Was he going to say something to her that she was going to like, like maybe that he was interested in her? Or was he going to mention Kitty again. "The microwave is working again, if you want it hot." Her frown deepened.
"I like it fine the way it is," she grumbled, taking a few more bites, trying not to look at Lance.
"Did I say something wrong?" He blinked, clueless.
"No, you didn't say anything at all," she said, meaning every word exactly as she said it.
"Hey, Wanda, do you think it's stupid for me to keep chasing after Kitty?" Lance asked out of the blue, scratching at the back of his had.
The thoughts racing through her mind simply wouldn't stop, she wanted to scream "Yes!" and tell him everything she felt, all that managed to get out was a shrug of the shoulders and a soft grunt through a mouth filled with the remainder of her pizza.
"It's just," he sighed, "she was the first girl that made me feel really special. Like I was something, you know?"
"There are other girls out there that could do the same thing for you, Lance. Ones that won't hurt you like she did," she couldn't meet his eyes. She just stared at the table, tracing patterns on it with her index finger.
"Like who?" Lance asked, rolling his eyes, like there weren't any other girls in the universe who would look past his mutation, past his rough exterior, and see who he really was inside.
"Like me," she murmured softly, under her breath. She felt chills run all over her skin as she said it, and winced, waiting for him to react as badly as she had anticipated he would if she ever told him her feelings.
"No, seriously," he said, "someone who'd actually be interested in me." Wanda looked up at him, a small smile playing across her lips.
"No, I really mean it," she said, "I would be."
"You mean, you really feel that way about me?" He asked, a little bit of a blush coming to his cheeks.
"Well, yeah," Wanda replied, feeling a bit more confident now, "you're a great guy, Lance. I mean, I don't think you're just a hood." She saw the pain in his eyes as she said the word "hood." She leaned across the table, resting her hand on his. He looked up at her and smiled, wrapping his fingers around hers. A warmth pulsed up her arm and filled Wanda's entire being. Her lips parted into a wide smile, and she actually giggled softly. Their eyes locked together for a few moments, and it seemed like the two were being drawn together by magnetic forces that they had no control over. Wanda leaned forward, as did Lance, and their lips drew closer to one another. She smiled as she felt her lips caress... a pillow?
"No!" She screamed, her head jerking up off the bed, noticing that she was still in her room. She had fallen asleep and had been dreaming, "It's not fair!" she shouted at the top of her lungs, tears coming to her eyes. She threw her pillow across the room, knocking her make up off her dresser. The glass in her window shattered, as did her mirror, and her alarm clock radio exploded into a shower of sparks. Random objects from around the room levitated from their places and began orbiting rapidly around Wanda. Her breathing was heavy and erratic as she forced back the tears that threatened her so. A few moments later, she heard a knock on the door.
"Hey, Wanda, is everything all right in there?" she heard Lance's voice ask.
"Yeah," she said, everything beginning to fall back into place after her tantrum, "is there still any pizza left?"
"Just two slices, and I had to pry Blob off of them, you wanna come down and eat them before he gets hungry again?"
"I'll be down in a bit," she said, leaning her head against the backboard of her bed in frustration. She heard Lance's footsteps as he walked back down the stairs. She pulled her knees up to her chin, hugging them tightly. It was hopeless, she knew, Lance's heart belonged to Kitty. Wanda would spend the rest of her life alone, surrounded by people who thought she was a psychotic witch, the same people who would forever tell Lance that he was nothing but a hood. She wasn't about to go down there and face Lance after the dream she just had, it would be humiliating for her, even though he had no clue what had been going on. The only thing she could do was sit alone in the silence of her room, listening to the sound of her own heart breaking.
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FIN
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By the way, for those of you keeping score at home, this is the sequel to "Unrequited," which was the sequel to "Letters," which was the sequel to "The Price," which was based on "Mainstream." You may want to go back and read those first three stories first before you read this one, otherwise it might all be a little confusing. By the way, I don't remember if I mentioned it or not... but wasn't Mainstream a great episode? Well... onto the story!
-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-
"Hearts Were Made for Breaking"
By William Logan
-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-
Wanda Maximoff laid in her bed and sighed, thinking about going downstairs to get some of the pizza that Toad had brought home. She had fixed the mascara that had been running down her cheeks, and her hair was a bit neater now than it had been. She looked at herself in the mirror, rubbing at her puffy eyes, wishing that they would look a little less red. Even as the thought was entering her mind, her eyes returned to normal. She smiled, a real smile, not her usual predatory smile when she was about to do something cruel to Toad or Blob. She liked the way it looked on her, although she'd never admit it to anyone. She never wanted to appear weak. There was a part of her, however, that forced the smile to disappear, the dark side of her, the side that she showed to the world. She refused to show any other emotion besides her deep hatred for her father, something for which she had never gotten truly satisfying payback. A scowl crossed her features again, making them a truly terrible sight indeed, and she marched out of her room and downstairs. As she stepped off the last creaky stair and glanced around, she saw that she was all alone. She headed to the kitchen and saw Lance sitting there, alone, by the box of pizza.
"Well, it took you long enough," he said, "it's cold. Took me nearly bringing the house down on Blob and Toad to keep them from devouring the whole thing on you." Wanda slowly began to move towards the table, taking a seat across from Lance. She opened up the pizza box and placed a slice of cheese pizza on her plate, wrinkling her nose slightly at the appearance of it. The cheese had returned to a solid state and was no longer gooey, like pizza ought to be. She brought it up to her mouth and took a bite, frowning a bit. It wasn't bad, but it certainly was no longer good.
"Where did the goon squad go?" She asked as she swallowed the first bite.
"Went out to go get some soda from the store," Lance said, turning to look at her. He had a serious look on his face, "You know, Wanda..." he said. Wanda could feel her heart jump into her throat. Was he going to say something to her that she was going to like, like maybe that he was interested in her? Or was he going to mention Kitty again. "The microwave is working again, if you want it hot." Her frown deepened.
"I like it fine the way it is," she grumbled, taking a few more bites, trying not to look at Lance.
"Did I say something wrong?" He blinked, clueless.
"No, you didn't say anything at all," she said, meaning every word exactly as she said it.
"Hey, Wanda, do you think it's stupid for me to keep chasing after Kitty?" Lance asked out of the blue, scratching at the back of his had.
The thoughts racing through her mind simply wouldn't stop, she wanted to scream "Yes!" and tell him everything she felt, all that managed to get out was a shrug of the shoulders and a soft grunt through a mouth filled with the remainder of her pizza.
"It's just," he sighed, "she was the first girl that made me feel really special. Like I was something, you know?"
"There are other girls out there that could do the same thing for you, Lance. Ones that won't hurt you like she did," she couldn't meet his eyes. She just stared at the table, tracing patterns on it with her index finger.
"Like who?" Lance asked, rolling his eyes, like there weren't any other girls in the universe who would look past his mutation, past his rough exterior, and see who he really was inside.
"Like me," she murmured softly, under her breath. She felt chills run all over her skin as she said it, and winced, waiting for him to react as badly as she had anticipated he would if she ever told him her feelings.
"No, seriously," he said, "someone who'd actually be interested in me." Wanda looked up at him, a small smile playing across her lips.
"No, I really mean it," she said, "I would be."
"You mean, you really feel that way about me?" He asked, a little bit of a blush coming to his cheeks.
"Well, yeah," Wanda replied, feeling a bit more confident now, "you're a great guy, Lance. I mean, I don't think you're just a hood." She saw the pain in his eyes as she said the word "hood." She leaned across the table, resting her hand on his. He looked up at her and smiled, wrapping his fingers around hers. A warmth pulsed up her arm and filled Wanda's entire being. Her lips parted into a wide smile, and she actually giggled softly. Their eyes locked together for a few moments, and it seemed like the two were being drawn together by magnetic forces that they had no control over. Wanda leaned forward, as did Lance, and their lips drew closer to one another. She smiled as she felt her lips caress... a pillow?
"No!" She screamed, her head jerking up off the bed, noticing that she was still in her room. She had fallen asleep and had been dreaming, "It's not fair!" she shouted at the top of her lungs, tears coming to her eyes. She threw her pillow across the room, knocking her make up off her dresser. The glass in her window shattered, as did her mirror, and her alarm clock radio exploded into a shower of sparks. Random objects from around the room levitated from their places and began orbiting rapidly around Wanda. Her breathing was heavy and erratic as she forced back the tears that threatened her so. A few moments later, she heard a knock on the door.
"Hey, Wanda, is everything all right in there?" she heard Lance's voice ask.
"Yeah," she said, everything beginning to fall back into place after her tantrum, "is there still any pizza left?"
"Just two slices, and I had to pry Blob off of them, you wanna come down and eat them before he gets hungry again?"
"I'll be down in a bit," she said, leaning her head against the backboard of her bed in frustration. She heard Lance's footsteps as he walked back down the stairs. She pulled her knees up to her chin, hugging them tightly. It was hopeless, she knew, Lance's heart belonged to Kitty. Wanda would spend the rest of her life alone, surrounded by people who thought she was a psychotic witch, the same people who would forever tell Lance that he was nothing but a hood. She wasn't about to go down there and face Lance after the dream she just had, it would be humiliating for her, even though he had no clue what had been going on. The only thing she could do was sit alone in the silence of her room, listening to the sound of her own heart breaking.
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FIN
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