Disclaimer: All characters used belong to Marvel, and how we love them for it. Because without them there would be no Scooter to love, no Lance to make fun of and no Wolverine to dress up in a ballerina outfit.
Author Note: In order not to confuse the hell out you all I should explain that N and I are taking turns writing chapters for each other, she writes a part of 'Awakening' for me and I write a part for 'Home Sweet Home', and so on. And by now you should all know that this is Post 'DoR' and falls into the Mutatis Mutandis time line which is being archived at www.originofspecies.cjb.net
And now to answer a few questions and comments:
To Tim: N and I haven't exactly made up our minds about Tabby and Amara, I would be lying if I said we didn't toy with the idea of them being lesbians but let's face it… They're all kids right? Kids play around, experiment with each other in order to find whom they really are. So they might hook up, they might not. Amara is a nice girl and definitely has more than Tabby to choose from, who knows she might just suddenly find uhm…Jamie irresistibly sexy! Rowrrr, I know I do. That sweater…those..urmm apples! YEAH!
(N's Note: All women are secretly lesbians, didn't you know that?)
To The Scribe: As for Roberto and Ray, well they are in this chapter as well as Jamie. Ray is my favorite New Mutant (tied with Jamie of course) so I got the privilege of writing his chapter. Hoohaw!
And now on the with the show…..
Home Sweet Home
Chapter Three
By starched_undergarments
As far as he could tell he was in hell.
Not the typical hell he had heard about when he was young and had actually gone to Sunday school; there was no fire or brimstone, no lakes of ice.
Oh no, this was it, the real hell.
The real hell that Ray Farrah Crisp was stuck in was the back kitchen of Bucky Burger, and the fire and brimstone was more like mounds of greasy unnatural meat that was being handled by pimply desperate youths looking for extra cash like himself.
It was the start of the second week that the New Recruits had been living on their own, bathing at the local 7-11 and scraping together whatever money they could find. Tabitha had been sneaking out and stealing small change, and Jamie had been supplying the house with small food such as apples and a few candy bars. And Ray had noticed that there was never a shortage of Chocolate Sugar Bombs.
When he asked Jamie about this odd occurrence the younger boy had just grinned devilishly and said, "Maybe it was one of Bobby's black helicopter aliens."
Ray had stood there, staring at the kid. Then he and Jamie had both broke up laughing, the first real laugh they had had since leaving the now destroyed institute. They had laughed until their stomachs hurt, and then they would look at each other and one would bug his eyes out like some sort of space man and the two would fall over again, tears rolling down their cheeks. Jubilee had heard them from the living room and had given them that 'what the hell' kind of look.
It was then that Ray decided to take it upon himself to get a job, something that would help the other's out. He was the oldest after all. He had been planning on getting some sort of slack job, like at a coffee shop or skate shop. Fate however, decided that he should be part of something a little more demeaning.
Bucky Burger was next to the Bayville mall, and across from the town's and Save-On-Foods and the ever-popular Wal-Mart. This meant that the majority of the customers were either packs of obnoxious teenagers looking for a cheap meal substitute or unhappy mothers who brought their screaming children in with them.
The decor of Bucky Burger was made up of a horribly mismatched color scheme of bright orange and puke green. That was bad enough. Then there was the mascot… Bucky Burger's friendly mascot was not a clown, or even a freckle faced girl; it was a huge grinning Beaver.
Ray hated it.
How could someone hate a cute smiling Beaver, you might ask? Well how about if you had to wear its ugly grinning face on your head? Every member of the 'Bucky Burger family' had to wear special 'productivity' hats, which meant you had to dress as the biggest looser in the free world to work there.
"Six Bap Happy Burger Packs to go!" One of the other employees yelled back to him. Ray had to fight back the urge to yell back if they wanted the 'special fap sauce' with that. The number of sexual jokes he had to restrain himself from blurting out was unbelievable.
Slapping some more inedible 'meat' on the grill he set his mind on more pleasant things, thinking about how when he got home he would just lay down on the ground in the living room and die. Yeah dying sounded good, just letting his spirit fly out of his body…
But there was a problem with that. The whole idea of his spirit zooming out of his body, anyway. Ray was an Atheist.
When he was little his mother had taken him to Sunday school, not to make sure that his soul was going to be saved but rather because his mom worked Sundays and couldn't afford a babysitter or day care. So he had spent many Sundays in the church basement, learning about what good little boys and girls do and how if you did something bad like stealing or cursing you were going to hell.
In all honesty, Ray hadn't been afraid of hell. He thought it sounded like a really cool amusement park, and so began his 'falling out'.
He could remember having to make beanie angels, and how his wound up looking more like some sort of fat blobby thing with a Mohawk and a tail. The other kids had made fun of him and he had just told them to fuck off, something else that earned him points with the devil in the teacher's mind.
He had shown his mother his strange beanie angel, his eyes hard and fighting back tears. She had smiled and hugged him, her face weary and tired from work, but her eyes kind and full of life.
"An angel huh?" She had turned the beanie over in her hand and grinned at him. "I think it looks more like a Blob Snake!" He laughed as she made it slither and nip at his toes, the harsh words of the other kids fading from his mind.
After that it never bothered him again, the declarations that he was going to hell, such nick names as 'Devil's Boy' or 'Satan Lover.' The only thing he ever got mad about was the one time one of the kids had called his mom a harlot and told him that since she was divorced she was going to hell and so was he.
It had been his first fight. He'd come home proud with a bloody lip and a grin that said 'you should see the other guy.'
Years after that he told his mother that he no longer believed in God. She had nodded and patted him on the shoulder, telling him that was his right and she loved him regardless. He always considered himself lucky to have such a great mom; she had worked all her life and supported the two of them. She had been cool about him shaving his hair, cool about him getting his ears pierced, and most of all she had been cool about him being a mutant.
Flipping the stack of sloppy meat Ray thought that now more than ever he missed her, and how he wished he had told her before that she was the best, that she never made him feel dumb or like a freak, and that he loved her so much.
And now he wasn't even sure if he ever could.
***
Roberto DaCosta, like most guys, hated shopping. However he didn't mind window-shopping with girls, especially when they were as cute as Rahne and Jubilee.
"Oh Rahnie, that would look adorable on you!" Jubilee exclaimed pointing at a spaghetti strap emerald green dress that had small sequins on the trim. Rahne wrinkled her nose and shook her head, her pigtails flopping about cutely.
Roberto looked and smiled at Rahne. "Yeah it would really bring out your eyes," he said smoothly. She looked up at him and blushed.
"I dunno," she said. Jubilee sighed and walked towards the next store.
"It doesn't matter, its not like we can afford it anyways."
"Tis true," Rahne agreed and took one last look at the dress and Roberto before catching up to Jubilee.
They had been sitting around the house when Jubilee had mentioned the idea of going to the mall, "Just to look around."
Roberto had agreed to come with them in the hopes of lifting his rotten mood; sitting around in that dark house had an effect on a guy. But now, in the bright fluorescent lighting of the mall he was beginning to enjoy himself. The girls were both oohing and ahing at the newest fashion trends while he watched and offered his opinion, which was always positive.
After all, you can't get somewhere with a girl being negative about fashion. Girls liked guys who offer them compliments about their clothes, and Roberto was an expert on giving compliments.
They went into a music store and Jubilee started to bop along to the loud punk-pop music being played over the intercom. Roberto laughed and twirled her gracefully.
She laughed and tossed her hair over her shoulder. "You know Sum 41 always makes me think of Ray."
Rahne looked up from the CDs. "Where is that lad anyways?" She asked and Roberto grinned.
"He's at work," he said carefully.
Jubilee looked at him, surprised. "What? Since when does he have a job?"
Roberto shrugged. "Since two days ago." He fingered through a few CDs and then looked at the two girls and smiled.
"We can go visit him if you'd like…"
***
Ray was not having a good day. His troubled thoughts about his mother had made him loose his concentration and he had wound up spilling a large coke all over his shirt and pants, making him curse the blasted drink dispenser.
Then one of his co-workers had to leave early because she had a 'doctor's' appointment so he got stuck up at the register, having to deal with over-weight customers who were hungry for more Bucky Burger goodness.
Thank god I only have a few minutes left of this hell, he thought to himself, passing a customer their filthy meal. He turned around and cringed; coming through the door was Jubilee, Rahne and Roberto.
Oh you fucker, he thought and tried desperately to hide his face, praying that they were only here to use the bathrooms. But of course his heart knew better.
The other night he had been creeping into the house after pulling the late night training shift. Still wearing his work clothes he had snuck quietly into the dark house, tip toeing past the large pile of garbage.
Suddenly he was face to face with Roberto, who was in his sleepwear with a drink in one hand and a wide grin on his dark face.
He had told Roberto not to say anything, that he was working in secret because he didn't want anyone making a big deal out of it. In actuality he just didn't want anyone to know that he wore a beaver on his head.
"Well, well, well," Roberto said as he walked up to the cashier, a lazy grin stretched across his face. Ray blushed when he noticed that both Rahne and Jubilee were staring at him in disbelief. He kicked himself for trusting the biggest asshole of Brazil.
"What do you want?" He asked curtly.
Roberto faked offense. "Now is that any way to talk to a customer? I think not."
Ray clenched his hands into fists and his sides, his eyes shifting over to his manager who was indeed watching him. "Welcome to Bucky Beaver Burger sir, how can I help you today?" He said, trying to restrain the urge to reach over and punch Roberto in the face.
"I think I'll have three vanilla shakes to go my young man," Roberto said, pulling out some cash. Ray turned and prepared the shakes, debating weather or not he could spit or even jack off into Roberto's drink without his manager noticing.
After paying Roberto handed the shakes to the girls and grinned at Ray. "Love the hat by the way," he said. Jubilee laughed and Rahne giggled.
Ray wanted to die more now then ever.
***
"Aww, what a cute little boy!"
Jamie looked up in time to see a herd of old women flocking his way, he groaned and assumed the 'position', which meant he stood with his eyes wide and his cheeks ready to get pinched.
"Now where is your mommy little boy?" One of them asked, her white hair reflecting a tint of blue under the bright lights of the Save-On.
"I..I don't have a mommy," Jamie said, sniffling a little. The flock of old women embraced him, running their hands over his head and stuffing old candies and spare change in his pockets, telling him that he should go and buy some food or at least catch a cab to a shelter. Finally their husbands led them away, each of them calling over their shoulders, offering a home in their houses.
Jamie sighed and popped one of the candies in his mouth; they were nice ladies but holy cow! Did they have to wear so much perfume??
He dug around in his pockets to see how much they had given him. It came to a total of 4.25$, not nearly enough. He sighed and decided that he would have to do it the old fashioned way, walking up and down the aisles, stuffing what he could in his over-sized sweater.
Granted, he did feel a little bad about stealing but he and the other New Recruits were desperate, and besides, he was pretty sure that no one save Tabby or Ray knew that he was doing it.
Jamie casually strolled down the cereal aisle and looked around, then reached up and grabbed a box of Chocolate Sugar Bombs, his favorite cereal. He smiled as he quickly stuffed it up his shirt; remember the laugh he and Berzerker had had when he had been questioned about the cereal.
He liked Ray, despite his sometimes harsh words and loud attitude. In all honesty, Jamie actually looked up to him. Ray always said what he was thinking, and obviously didn't care how he looked, not like Bobby or Roberto who took forever in the bathroom.
And Ray was the oldest, the coolest out of all the guys, not to mention he didn't seem to care about girls or any of that icky stuff, which was something he and Jamie had in common.
"Hey you!!" Jamie whirled around in surprise and found one of the Save-On employees walking sternly towards him; Jamie tightened his grip on his sweater and took off down the aisle.
"Wait!" The man called out to him, running after him. Jamie ignored him and dashed towards the front doors, praying that none of the other employees would catch him.
It was then that he crashed head first into the display case set up near the registers; his feet skidded out from under him and the stolen items flew out from his sleeves. He cried out when he slammed against the heavy case, his powers kicking in involuntarily.
"Oh my god!! It's one of those freaks!!" He heard someone scream. Jamie looked around frantically, trying to find the doors.
"Mutant SCUM!" He heard a male voice say, and then someone was grabbing him, shaking his body. Pain flared in his head and he realized that someone was punching him. His breathe caught in his throat and he went limp, the sounds of anger and fear swirling around him.
***
When Ray exited the doors of Bucky Burger his first thought was to just leave it alone, to just get on his crappy stolen bike and go home, leaving the day's trials and mishaps in the parking lot.
However when he got outside and came upon the site of Roberto and the girls hanging out, the sly grin still on Roberto's face, Ray decided to go the other route.
He walked calmly over to Roberto and punched him the stomach.
Jubilee uttered a small shriek as Rahne just stared at him in disbelief; Roberto sank to his knees, struggling to catch his breath. Ray sniffed and adjusted the bag that held his uniform. Jubilee's mouth worked and finally she spoke.
"What the hell??" She asked loudly. Ray shrugged and started to walk towards his bike. Roberto finally stood and charged him from behind, pushing the older boy to the pavement.
He felt the familiar feeling of his skin scraping against cement and he grimaced, rolling Roberto off of him and standing up. He could feel blood pulse its way down his cheek, he looked up and saw that Roberto was no longer smiling. Ray spat and tasted blood
"You wanna play rough, you fucking pussy?" He spat at Roberto, feeling the entire day's anger boil over. He stood ready for the other boy's move.
"Stop it!" He could hear Rahne yelling, her eyes scared and full of concern. The two boys stood there, staring hard at each other, their muscles flexed and poised, ready to fight.
It was then that Ray heard the gunshot.
***
He couldn't explain why, but as he dashed across the busy road Ray Crisp had the sick feeling in his stomach that he knew what had happened, but he couldn't put his finger on it.
Blood trickled down his neck and he ignored it, pumping his legs harder, heading straight towards the large crowd that was now blocking the entrance to the Save-On.
One minute he had been standing, ready to kick the shit out of that smarmy little Brazilian bastard and then next he was taking off towards the sound of a gunshot. He could hear Jubilee yelling at him to slow down; she sounded very far behind him. He reached the doors to the Save-On and tried to make his way through the hordes of people.
He could hear screaming, some of it angry, others sounded afraid and even panicked. He pushed his way through trying to find the source of all this activity.
"Holy shit," he whispered and stopped short.
The figure was lying face down on the tiled floor, blood pooled around its head and torso. Ray could see the dark liquid seeping into the small cracks in the floor. His heart froze and he could just stand there and stare in disbelief.
It was Jamie.
"no…" he said, his voice sounding very quiet all of a sudden. He took a step forward.
"JAMIE!!!!!!" He spun around in time to see Rahne breaking through the crowd, her eyes bulging and her voice breaking as she screamed the young boy's name.
He watched as she pushed people away, her mouth working into a feral snarl, he watched as she slid down and clutched at the boy's frame, blood staining her once innocent hands.
"Jamie?" She shrieked. "JAMIE??!"
Ray started to move forward, to pull her away, to tell her to calm down when he noticed that she was changing, her body becoming coated in fur, her eyes going wide and sad like a hurt dog's.
Shit, her powers! She can't control them! He looked about and saw a large man who wore a dirty T-shirt move forward, one hand seizing Rahne's small wrist, the other bringing up a gun… presumably the one he'd used to shot Jamie with.
"NO!" Ray yelled and ran forward, one hand pushing Rahne onto the floor, his other curling up into a fist. Anger sparked, he let loose and a powerful bolt of electricity was sent forward, hitting the large man and making him cry out in pain. Ray grabbed at Rahne and shoved her towards the doors, hating the way she howled as they barreled out of the super market, her cries of protest as they ran from the swarms of people.
Jubilee and Roberto were just catching up. Ray shoved Rahne at Jubilee. "MOVE!" He barked and the four of them ran until they were gasping and drained. When they finally stopped they found themselves in the back parking lot of a closed up Greek restaurant. Rahne was sobbing, her face burrowed into Jubilee's yellow coat.
Roberto looked at him, his eyes confused. Ray could only look away, his heart sinking.
Jamie, he thought and collapsed to his hands and knees, his eyes blurring with tears.
What happened to you wasn't fair, he thought and closed his eyes, hot tears falling onto the cold pavement. And I swear that I will never see it happen again.
***
End.