Mommy Mystique (cont.)
"What was all that about?" Xavier asked Rogue.
"Idon'tknow," she said. "I gotta go burn off some of this energy." She took off like a shot, using Pietro's borrowed speed.
She came back about half an hour later . . .
Pietro was still out. The others had put him in one of the guest rooms till he woke up, but it looked like it might be some time.
"We got rid of all his puppets." Toad told her. "Except the one he tried to hide under the bed, that is . . ."
"Puppets?"
"We, um, used to have puppet shows."
"Why?"
"I dunno. He liked--I mean, likes--puppets."
"You're kiddin'." Rogue found this hard to believe.
"Yeah, he's real good with 'em, too. The voices all sound the same, though."
"Whoa." This was a new one on Rogue.
"D'you think he'll wake up soon?"
"Let's hope not."
"Why?" he asked. "Doncha want him to be okay?"
"Not that--I mean 'cause he'll kill me if he finds out you told me about the puppets."
"He won't find out. C'mon, let's see where they're hiding the food in this joint."
"Maybe later...." Rogue was still trying to figure out what had happened. She hadn't even had a clue Pietro liked her, and then he goes and--
It was just too confusing. "Where is mah head at?"
"Well, you got part of Speedy's brain in there with you or something, right?"
"Why?"
"His thoughts'd mess anybody up."
"No kiddin'. Ah should get home and study," Rogue said abruptly. It was the week before finals, and she wasn't doing all that great in a couple of her subjects. Naturally, the most important ones.
When Pietro finally came to.... the first thing he saw was Toad's face hovering over him.
"Aaaagghhh!"
"Chill, Pietro!" Toad said.
"Where am I? What happened? Where's Rogue?"
"Long story . . ."
" How long?"
"Mr. Kelly's class long."
Pietro shuddered. Soon-to-be-Acting Principal Kelly was known for endless boring lectures on the history of some place that none of them could afford to visit even if they wanted to.
"Why am I still here?" he asked.
"Uh, we didn't want to move you cause it might hurt you worse."
"Huh?"
Toad started to explain.
Pietro was only half-listening. He was wondering where Rogue had got to, and trying to figure out what he'd say to her when he saw her. He didn't know why he'd done such a dumb thing, but he knew he didn't want her mad at him.
"So how do we get outta here?"
Toad shrugged. "I dunno. Follow a trail of bread crumbs?"
"Forget it. Let's just go."
So they went back to the boarding house . . .
. . . where they found Rogue.
Pietro stared at her . . .
"What're ya lookin' at, Speedy?"
"Uh . . . "
Pietro started to slink away but Rogue stopped him.
"Hold it, Speedy."
"What's up?"
Rogue took a step closer. "We gotta talk."
"You're not kidding."
They sat down.
Toad shuffled his feet. "Uh, I'll just go now . . ."
Neither of them paid any attention.
When they were alone, Rogue looked at him and sighed. "So what was that kiss all about?"
"You like to get right to the point, don't you?"
"Yeah."
"Uh . . ." Pietro, for once in his life, was speechless. He just stared at her . . .
"Ah said, what was that all about?"
"I don't know. It just kind of happened . . ."
"So now what do we do?"
Pietro was quiet for what seemed like an eternity . . .
"I don't know," he said finally, in a very small voice. "I feel like everything's falling apart. Well, I mean . . ."
"What's the matter, hon?"
"I just don't know . . ."
The door slammed loudly. Lance had just returned home from his first day of his new job.
"I don't wanna hear a word!" he warned them both.
Rogue and Pietro looked at each other. "What was THAT all about?"
Fred hadn't said much about the whole situation. It usually took him a while to think things over. But that didn't mean he was stupid, or that he didn't care.
He stayed with Mystique after the others had gone.
"How you feelin', Mystique?"
"Tired," she said. "I forgot how exhausting all this is."
"All what?" Fred asked, confused.
"Having babies . . ."
"Oh." He sat down in a nearby chair, then jumped up again when it started making alarming creaking noises. "Uh . . . are you glad you're having the babies?"
"What?"
"I mean . . . did you mean to?"
"Well . . ." She thought about it. "Now that you mention it, not really, but now that they're on their way, I'm looking forward to having them."
She coughed a few times.
Fred thumped her on the back . . . a little too hard; she nearly lost some teeth.
"Not so hard next time, Fred."
"Sorry."
Someone came in at that moment . . .
. . . Kurt.
"You can go now," he said to Fred.
"Uh, if it's okay, I think I wanna stay." Fred replied.
There was a tense moment.
"Okay," Kurt said finally. "Just don't get in my vay."
"OK."
"I just want to go home," Mystique moaned. Her voice was starting to cut out on her again.
"Ssh, Mama, it's okay," Kurt murmured. He spoon-fed her some tea for a while . . . and soon, her voice started to come back . . .
"You're such an angel," she whispered. "And I've been so horrible to you . . ."
"Ssshhh . . . it's okay. Things will be different from now on."
She reached out and petted his hair. It was softer than she'd expected.
"Muzzer...."
"My first baby . . ." she said.
"Only by a minute."
"A minute's a long time."
Kurt found himself agreeing with her . . .
"Uh . . ." Fred said. "I'll just go find something to eat." So he left . . .
Meanwhile, Magneto had stopped by the Brotherhood house . . . and was astonished by the almost total silence.
"Where is everyone?" he wondered aloud.
Toad was just getting in the door. "Lance is in his room sulking, Rogue and Pietro went for a walk, and Fred's still with Mystique." He went into the living room to watch cartoons.
Magneto sat down at the kitchen table. He couldn't believe what a mess things had become.
"It's all that woman's fault," he sighed. "If she hadn't been running around like a common trollop . . ."
He didn't see Pietro come in, and thus couldn't know that his son had overheard the last part of his sentence. It would have avoided a lot of confusion (not to mention beatings) later on.
"What was all that about?" Xavier asked Rogue.
"Idon'tknow," she said. "I gotta go burn off some of this energy." She took off like a shot, using Pietro's borrowed speed.
She came back about half an hour later . . .
Pietro was still out. The others had put him in one of the guest rooms till he woke up, but it looked like it might be some time.
"We got rid of all his puppets." Toad told her. "Except the one he tried to hide under the bed, that is . . ."
"Puppets?"
"We, um, used to have puppet shows."
"Why?"
"I dunno. He liked--I mean, likes--puppets."
"You're kiddin'." Rogue found this hard to believe.
"Yeah, he's real good with 'em, too. The voices all sound the same, though."
"Whoa." This was a new one on Rogue.
"D'you think he'll wake up soon?"
"Let's hope not."
"Why?" he asked. "Doncha want him to be okay?"
"Not that--I mean 'cause he'll kill me if he finds out you told me about the puppets."
"He won't find out. C'mon, let's see where they're hiding the food in this joint."
"Maybe later...." Rogue was still trying to figure out what had happened. She hadn't even had a clue Pietro liked her, and then he goes and--
It was just too confusing. "Where is mah head at?"
"Well, you got part of Speedy's brain in there with you or something, right?"
"Why?"
"His thoughts'd mess anybody up."
"No kiddin'. Ah should get home and study," Rogue said abruptly. It was the week before finals, and she wasn't doing all that great in a couple of her subjects. Naturally, the most important ones.
When Pietro finally came to.... the first thing he saw was Toad's face hovering over him.
"Aaaagghhh!"
"Chill, Pietro!" Toad said.
"Where am I? What happened? Where's Rogue?"
"Long story . . ."
" How long?"
"Mr. Kelly's class long."
Pietro shuddered. Soon-to-be-Acting Principal Kelly was known for endless boring lectures on the history of some place that none of them could afford to visit even if they wanted to.
"Why am I still here?" he asked.
"Uh, we didn't want to move you cause it might hurt you worse."
"Huh?"
Toad started to explain.
Pietro was only half-listening. He was wondering where Rogue had got to, and trying to figure out what he'd say to her when he saw her. He didn't know why he'd done such a dumb thing, but he knew he didn't want her mad at him.
"So how do we get outta here?"
Toad shrugged. "I dunno. Follow a trail of bread crumbs?"
"Forget it. Let's just go."
So they went back to the boarding house . . .
. . . where they found Rogue.
Pietro stared at her . . .
"What're ya lookin' at, Speedy?"
"Uh . . . "
Pietro started to slink away but Rogue stopped him.
"Hold it, Speedy."
"What's up?"
Rogue took a step closer. "We gotta talk."
"You're not kidding."
They sat down.
Toad shuffled his feet. "Uh, I'll just go now . . ."
Neither of them paid any attention.
When they were alone, Rogue looked at him and sighed. "So what was that kiss all about?"
"You like to get right to the point, don't you?"
"Yeah."
"Uh . . ." Pietro, for once in his life, was speechless. He just stared at her . . .
"Ah said, what was that all about?"
"I don't know. It just kind of happened . . ."
"So now what do we do?"
Pietro was quiet for what seemed like an eternity . . .
"I don't know," he said finally, in a very small voice. "I feel like everything's falling apart. Well, I mean . . ."
"What's the matter, hon?"
"I just don't know . . ."
The door slammed loudly. Lance had just returned home from his first day of his new job.
"I don't wanna hear a word!" he warned them both.
Rogue and Pietro looked at each other. "What was THAT all about?"
Fred hadn't said much about the whole situation. It usually took him a while to think things over. But that didn't mean he was stupid, or that he didn't care.
He stayed with Mystique after the others had gone.
"How you feelin', Mystique?"
"Tired," she said. "I forgot how exhausting all this is."
"All what?" Fred asked, confused.
"Having babies . . ."
"Oh." He sat down in a nearby chair, then jumped up again when it started making alarming creaking noises. "Uh . . . are you glad you're having the babies?"
"What?"
"I mean . . . did you mean to?"
"Well . . ." She thought about it. "Now that you mention it, not really, but now that they're on their way, I'm looking forward to having them."
She coughed a few times.
Fred thumped her on the back . . . a little too hard; she nearly lost some teeth.
"Not so hard next time, Fred."
"Sorry."
Someone came in at that moment . . .
. . . Kurt.
"You can go now," he said to Fred.
"Uh, if it's okay, I think I wanna stay." Fred replied.
There was a tense moment.
"Okay," Kurt said finally. "Just don't get in my vay."
"OK."
"I just want to go home," Mystique moaned. Her voice was starting to cut out on her again.
"Ssh, Mama, it's okay," Kurt murmured. He spoon-fed her some tea for a while . . . and soon, her voice started to come back . . .
"You're such an angel," she whispered. "And I've been so horrible to you . . ."
"Ssshhh . . . it's okay. Things will be different from now on."
She reached out and petted his hair. It was softer than she'd expected.
"Muzzer...."
"My first baby . . ." she said.
"Only by a minute."
"A minute's a long time."
Kurt found himself agreeing with her . . .
"Uh . . ." Fred said. "I'll just go find something to eat." So he left . . .
Meanwhile, Magneto had stopped by the Brotherhood house . . . and was astonished by the almost total silence.
"Where is everyone?" he wondered aloud.
Toad was just getting in the door. "Lance is in his room sulking, Rogue and Pietro went for a walk, and Fred's still with Mystique." He went into the living room to watch cartoons.
Magneto sat down at the kitchen table. He couldn't believe what a mess things had become.
"It's all that woman's fault," he sighed. "If she hadn't been running around like a common trollop . . ."
He didn't see Pietro come in, and thus couldn't know that his son had overheard the last part of his sentence. It would have avoided a lot of confusion (not to mention beatings) later on.