Back at the mutant teens' table, Tabitha caught sight of the two waitresses. "Umm, what do you think is up with them?" Everyone glanced in their direction. The girls felt the gazes on them and looked back. They smiled again, and proceeded to crack up again because it was just too much to hold in.

"Something tells me I don't wanna know," Lance said.

Fred stuck his hand up and motioned them over. Todd tried to tug his hand down. "What are you doing that for?!" he hissed.

"I'm still hungry, and I want dessert," he responded innocently. All others still seated at the table groaned.

"You're ALWAYS hungry, Blob," Lance said, rolling his eyes.

"Hey, I'm a growing boy!"

"Yeah, growing sideways."

"No one understands me."

The waitresses reached the table in time to hear the little squabble. "I understand you, buddy," Courtney said. "Well, sorta. My brother is like that, too. Good ol' Fred-"

"Hey! That's my name too!"

Her eyes lit up. "Imagine that!" She smiled. "But I bet you're not a football player though, huh?"

"I eat 'em for breakfast," he joked.

She pointed a finger at him playfully. "You stay away from my big brother then." Her professionalism found its way out again and she pulled out her notepad. "Alright, besides Freddy here, is anyone ready for dessert?" Lilith, who had actually gone for a moment, came back with an armful of the dessert menus. She passed them around including one at Pietro's seat.

"Should he be back soon?" Todd asked.

Lilith shrugged. "That depends to what my boys did to him." She smiled sweetly.

"Hans and Sven? You sicced THEM on him?" he yelped.

"Oh, 'sicced' is such a strong word. I prefer 'introduced.'"

Todd nodded, sinking down in his seat. "Do me a favor and never 'introduce' us formally."

"Don't give me a reason to," she countered, smirk present on her face.

"Deal."

Just then they saw Pietro stumble out of the room, his skin an unhealthy gray tone. His whole posture screamed of the paranoia you normally only find in spies and double agents. His eyes were wider than normal and kept flicking around nervously.

Tabitha got up and ran over to him. "Speedy? You okay?" He mumbled something too quickly for Tabitha to decipher. She wrapped an arm around him and walked him back to his seat at the table. "Now, Pietro, you're gonna be a good boy from now on, right?" Lilith chastised.

He shot a weak glare in her direction before glancing around warily at no one in particular. Anything that made a noise instantly had his attention.

Lance sent Lilith an irritated look. "Your 'boys' broke him."

"They did not! He's not even bruised!"

"He's bein' quiet now so Ah have no complaints."

"Rogue, he's so distraught though!" Tabitha exclaimed. "Look at him, all freaky eyed and stuff." She ran her hand through his hair, trying to soothe him. He shuddered under her touch but didn't fully recoil away.

Courtney cleared her throat. "So... about dessert?"

"I think I'll have the cherries jubilee," Todd said. Remy nearly sprayed his drink on the others and began alternately coughing, trying to breathe, and laughing.

Rogue patted him on the back, shaking her head. "Ya've got a sick mind, Rem."

Todd looked confused. "What did I say?"

"Don't worry 'bout it, Todd." She looked at Remy who was still trying to get some air to his lungs. Courtney held a giggle in while she scribbled it down.

"What else?" She looked at Lance. He pointed in the menu to the cheesecake chimichangas. "Oooh, great choice. Tabitha?"

"Chocolate brownie pie for me." Her eyes glazed over as she looked at the picture in the menu.

"Ugh, you guys are killing me here," she moaned. "Pietro?" He shook his head. "O-kay, we'll get back to you then... Fred?" As soon as she gave him the word for him to start, she regretted it.

"Well, I'll have what they're having... That toffee thing looks good... the cherry pie-"

There was another burst of laughter from Remy. They all looked at him. "Sorry, sorry."

"-a large sundae... Oh, you know what? Just bring me everything on the menu and I'll be fine."

"You can eat all that?" Courtney sounded amazed.

"I'll force myself." He gave her a smile and she crossed out what she'd had for him before and wrote "entire dessert menu - NOT joking."

"Moving on... Rogue?"

"Umm..." She browsed through the menu quickly. "Ah'm feelin' like chocolate too... how 'bout the triple chocolate cheesecake?"

Courtney smiled. "Great." She looked at Remy and her breath caught in her throat. She slowly remembered how to breathe... and that his girlfriend was watching. "Am I to assume you want something with cherries in it?"

He laughed silently, glancing down at the menu briefly. "Actually, I'm in de mood f'r plain ap'le pie t'night." He smiled at her and handed her his menu. Everyone else passed theirs over as well.

"Sure you don't want anything?" she asked Pietro. He shook his head again. "Alright. I'll get everything out here as quick as I can... but it may be awhile, so thank Fred while I'm gone." She smiled sweetly at him to show she was just joking and left.

"And I'd better check my other tables. There's probably not much to do since it's past the main rush, but oh, well," Lilith added. She passed by Pietro on the way out and touched him lightly on the shoulder. He yelped and was suddenly was five feet away.

"Hmm... maybe they WERE a little hard on him. I'll get him something... soothing since he didn't order a dessert."

"It'd bet'er be more den soot'in'."

"Got it. I'll be back in a few."

"Yay," a miserable Pietro mumbled sarcastically from back in his seat.

"What did they do to you anyway, yo?"

"You actually want me to repeat it?"

"Yeah, or I wouldn't have asked. Duh."

"I don't wanna tell you guys."

"Aww, Speedy, you don't have to if you don't want to." Tabitha wrapped her arm around his shoulders and hugged him to her. He allowed it.

"You know we'd give you crap either way, so spill," Lance laughed. Pietro mumbled something too low to hear.

"What?" Rogue asked.

"They threatened me."

"Dat's it?" Remy snorted.

"Ifyouhadtwohugeguysthreateningtotieyouintoapretzelyou'dbealittlejumpytoo!!!"

"Yeah, I'd be freaked out," Todd admitted. "And those guys were massive as hell."

"See?!" Pietro squeaked. Tabitha hugged him closer.

"Shhh, it's okay..." She even rocked him slightly. Normally he would've backed away, but as it was, he needed the comfort.

Rogue's nose twitched. Remy hadn't held her like that since they'd gotten there. He usually tried to fit anything like that in whenever possible. She squirmed in her seat from her sudden discomfort. Remy wasn't unaware of that little fact, but he didn't say a word or do anything to change it. He was sick of her walking all over him. Besides, he was enjoying torturing Pietro. Revenge was sweet.

"I wonder what kind o' info dose guys have access t'... T'ink dey could track down y're address if dey wanted t'?"

Pietro's skin, which was just beginning to get some color back into it, paled again, even further, until it matched his hair. "You WOULD help them with that just to get back at me," he growled.

"An' jus' what are you implyin' by sayin' I would help dem? Meanin' dat I'm interested in dis sorta shit?"

"You said it, not me."

Remy clenched his fist. He happened to be holding a fork. Not a good thing. "Remy, maybe you should put that down," Rogue stated quietly. It was beginning to glow.

"Quiet f'r once, p'tite. I jus' need a minute."

Rogue opened her mouth, then thought better of it. He was pissed enough without her saying anything else. A silence that you could cut with a knife descended over the table.

"Hi, I'm ba- Woah." Lilith halted at the dangerous atmosphere. "I sense a disturbance in the Force." She set a shot glass of blue colored liquid in front of Pietro.

"What the hell is this?"

"Just drink it."

"How do I know it's not Windex or something?"

"We have a policy against poisoning customers."

"But you don't have one against threatening them?"

"Let's just say I didn't sign that paper when I started working here," she smiled wickedly. She caught a glimmer of the light in Remy's lap. "Can you put the lighter out?" she asked him, unaware just how far off she was from what he'd really been doing.

"Que? Oh, sure." He dropped it under the cover of the tablecloth and a tiny 'boom' shook the table.

Lilith's eyebrows shot up, but she decided to not even ask. Asking was usually a bad idea with these people. "Just don't tell me, okay?"

"Can I have a new fork, si'vous plait?" he asked sheepishly.

'Definitely not asking.' "Oookay. Sure. Whatever you want." As she walked off and they heard her mutter. "I think I'M going to need something 'soothing'."

"She took that well," Tabitha commented to no one in particular.

TBC...