More Drama, Angst and Explosions

At the same time many of the other mutants were sitting in the backyard wondering about the recent turn of events. "I can't believe that Low Light was a mutant all this time and he never even told us!" Fred said.

"Yeah he wouldn't even talk about it during the flight," Amara said. "Kept saying 'Shut up and leave me alone'."

"What is with him?" Kitty pouted. "I mean what's so bad about being a mutant? I mean he's had those powers for a while and he's never used them? What's with that?"

"I don't think it's being a mutant that's bugging him," Lance said. "I think it's how he became a mutant that's really getting him. And I can't say I blame him."

"What do you mean?" Bobby asked.

"You wouldn't understand," Todd said. "When somebody does things to you, you know fiddling around with your DNA…It's like someone poisoned your soul. It's the worse feeling in the world. Like you're tainted."

"That's the way you felt, didn't you Lance?" Kitty asked.

"Yeah," Lance let out an involuntary shiver. "God only knows how long that guy was drugging me. Still gives me nightmares."

"I didn't know," She said softly.

"Hey guys let's go see what's over there," Althea said grabbing Todd's arm.

"Hey we can take a hint ya know!" Todd snapped.

"Since when?" Althea quipped as she led the rest of them away, leaving Lance and Kitty alone.

"Lance…" Kitty touched his arm. "You know you can talk to me about what happened with you, right?"

"I want to," Lance sighed. "It's just…right now it's too soon. I mean, there's a lot of stuff that I don't want to burden you with."

"Why not?" Kitty asked. "I want to help."

"I know it's just…" Lance sighed. "There's just so much baggage I have from my past. There are things that I'm not very proud of. Some of it is pretty hairy. I just don't want to…you know…let too many people know about it. Someday I can talk about it, but a lot of it I'm just not ready to talk about. Okay?"

"I understand," Kitty said. "When you're ready you'll tell me." She hugged him.

"Thanks Kitty," Lance sighed as he hugged her back.

"Oh yeah one more thing," Kitty asked. "Who's Willow?"

"Uh…a friend?" Lance gulped.

"What kind of friend?" Kitty asked as she pulled away, her voice getting dangerous.

************************************************************************

Low Light sat in his room on the bed. Cover Girl gently knocked on the door. "Do you want to talk?" She asked.

"Not really," He grumbled.

"You're going to have to you know," She sat next to him. "Sooner or later. Now that your secret's out. Were you afraid how we'd react to you? Is that why you didn't tell us?"

"Yes…no…I don't know," He groaned.

"You didn't have to be," Cover Girl told him. "We're your friends. We understand. More than anyone else would." Low Light put his head in his hands. "I'm sorry…I'm making you feel uncomfortable."

"I'm just tired…" Low Light said softly. "Tired of fighting it. Tired of being afraid of it. Tired of being ashamed for letting it happen to me…"

"Why should you feel ashamed about that?" Cover Girl asked.

"You don't know what they did to me," Low Light's voice shook. "What they almost did to me…I makes me shake just thinking about it…"

He slumped into her embrace. She held him for a few minutes. "It wasn't your fault," She said gently into his ear.

"I know that…now," He sighed.

"And you're still Low Light, no matter what they did to you," Cover Girl told him.

"I know," He said softly.

"And you're still a Joe and that means you're not alone," She told him, gently stroking his hair. "You didn't have to hide it from us."

"Yes I did," Low Light told her. "I couldn't take the chance of Bragg or anyone else finding out. Then I would have been…okay I was scared. I admit it."

"Well I guess that proves you're only human after all," Cover Girl told him.

"I don't feel human…" He whispered. "Ever since that day…I felt like some kind of…thing. Not even like an animal, just something so alien. So I buried it. I suppressed it with all the will I had."

"Until now," Cover Girl said. "It must have been so hard for you to do what you did."

"But at the same time it felt so good," He breathed. "I felt…free. You can't imagine it. It's like a terrible pressure inside that was building and building and building…just to let loose like that was…" He shuddered.

"Listen to me," She removed his night vision goggles so she could see his eyes. "You don't have to hide anymore. It doesn't matter to any of us what you can do."

"Well it must matter somewhat," Low Light grumbled. "Why do you think Hawk really sent me here?"

"He must have known you couldn't hide what you are forever," Cover Girl said. "And you're still a good man. Genetics doesn't change anything of who you are inside. I'm not saying you should just go all superpowers on us all the time. Just take your time. We're your friends. We're here for you. Got it?"

"Yeah," He nodded. "Yeah I got it."

"Feel better?" She asked.

"Actually…yeah, a little," He sighed. "Cover Girl I…" Just then the sounds of screaming could be heard.

"They're at it again," Cover Girl sighed. They went downstairs.

"Now what's going on?" Low Light snapped. Kitty was screaming at Lance in the living room. The other Misfits were watching casually.

"Kitty found out about Willow," Pietro snickered. Then there were the sounds of shouts from the other room. "And now it sounds like all the other X-Men found out about Rogue's daddy being mine too."

"Oh…Goody," Cover Girl sighed. They saw Lance and Kitty going at it before them.

"I can't believe you!" Kitty snapped. "You slept with her didn't you?"

"That's none of your business!" Lance said hotly.

"He did," Pietro said. "They were all over each other."

"Will you stay out of this" Lance shouted at Pietro.

"You are disgusting!" Kitty snapped.

"Oh for crying out loud Kitty!" Lance snapped. "You're one to talk! You were with Colossus this whole time! What did you think I'd just close myself off from the world and never date again?"

"No but I didn't expect you to jump into bed with the first tramp who threw herself at you!" Kitty snapped.

"Willow is not a tramp!" Lance snapped. "She happens to be a very nice person who is very affectionate!"

"Oh I'll bet she is!" She stomped away.

"I can't believe you never told us Magneto was your father!" Scott shouted after Rogue. He, Kurt, Remy and Jean were following her.

"Forget about you!" Kurt snapped. "She should have at least told me! I had to find out from Toad of all people!"

"Well what was I supposed to say?" Rogue snapped. "Magneto created me for an experiment? It wasn't any of your business!"

"What the hell do you mean it was none of our business?" Scott shouted. "If one of my team mates is related to one of our greatest enemies I want to know about it!"

"That's all I am to you isn't it?" Rogue snapped.

"That's not what I meant," Scott sighed.

"Well that's what it sounds like," Remy said. "Maybe Rogue just didn't feel she could trust you with it?"

"That is ridiculous!" Scott snapped. "Why wouldn't she trust us?"

"Maybe its because you hurt her before," Remy said softly.

"That's insane!" Jean snapped. "Rouge's our friend! We'd never hurt her!"

"You guys are so thick it's scary," Pietro said. "You don't even know about the crush Rogue had on you Summers!"

"Shut up Pietro!" Rogue snapped.

"What are you talking about?" Scott asked.

"Why do you think Roguey really left the Brotherhood?" Todd snapped. "Well other than the fact that her mom was a lying manipulative witch."

"That's not true!" Scott snapped. He then looked at Rogue. "Is it?"

Rogue glared at Pietro and Todd. "I swear I am gonna wring your scrawny little necks!"

"You can't really mean to tell me that you never noticed Rogue staring at him?" Pietro asked Jean.

"Yeah even I picked that up and I ain't the most observant person on the planet," Fred snickered.

"I knew there was something," Jean said. "But I just thought it was…I don't know. Some kind of innocent friendship."

"Wait, wait a minute! You were in love with me?" Scott blinked at Rogue.

"Maybe," Rogue sighed. "But that's history! You never had eyes for anyone but Jean the way you were always drooling over her! Especially when she was with Duncan!"

"Oh god, am I never going to be forgiven for that disaster?" Jean groaned.

"Jean come on, it doesn't take a telepath to see what kind of guy Duncan was!" Rogue snapped. "Look, whatever feelings I might have had for you are gone! Past tense! Got it! I got over you a long time ago Scott. Let's leave it at that!"

"Forget him Chere," Remy hugged Rogue. "You with a real man now."

"What the hell is that supposed to mean?" Scott snapped.

"Just what you think it means!" Remy got into Scott's face.

"You wanna take this outside?" Scott snapped.

"Gladly!" Remy agreed. Both boys left the room while Rogue and Jean squared off.

"I still don't see the big deal!" Rogue snapped. "Magneto's just another enemy as far as I'm concerned!"

"But he's still your father," Jean said.

"Some father!" Rogue spat. "He was absent for most of my life!"

"Trust us, you were lucky," Pietro told her. Rogue stormed out with Jean following.

Just then Kitty stormed in followed by Lance. "Kitty I'm just saying that it's hypocritical to judge my relationship with Willow!"

"I never slept with Peter!" Kitty snapped.

"It doesn't make a difference!" Lance snapped.

"The hell it doesn't!" Kitty snapped. "What was so great about her that you just leapt into her bed huh?"

"You would have to see her to believe her," Pietro said.

"What is she better looking than me?" Kitty snapped.

"Kitty that's like comparing apples and melons," Lance groaned.

"Melons?" She snarled.

"Oranges! I meant oranges!" Lance recovered.

"Actually in Willow's case it is more like melons," Pietro said.

"Shut up Pietro!" Lance snapped.

"Jean if you don't knock it off I'm gonna knock you into the next room!" Rogue's voice could be heard.

"I swear it's like watching Days of Our Lives," Kurt groaned as he shook his head. "You never know what's going to happen next!"

The sounds of explosions from outside shook the house. "Actually around here that's pretty predictable," Althea said. "Looks like Cyclops and Gambit are at it. Who wants to go bet on 'em?"

"Yeah this fight's pretty predictable anyway," Todd said. They left and soon the sounds of all of them fighting could be heard.

"Yeah track down an all powerful mutant with homicidal intentions with two teams of mutants who want to kill each other," Low Light grumbled. "Piece of cake."