(A/N: Thanxies for all the reviews, love you guys:-)
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Wanda stood in front of the door to the room her brother was staying in, she took a deep breath and counted to three, she knew she had to talk to him, he hadn't come out since yesterday afternoon, hadn't even made a sound, which was completely unlike him, but that came as no surprise.
She swallowed hard, summoning all her courage, then knocked.
No answer, she knocked again.
Not so much as a murmur, she growled, "Alright, Pietro, we'll do this the hard way" she tried the doorknob, it was locked, she hexed it and entered the room.
Quicksilver was sitting on the edge of the bed, starring at his feet, she walked over and stood in front of him, hands on her hips.
"Look, I don't know what kind of twisted relationship you had with Magneto that would make you miss him this badly, hell I can't figure out what made you work for him in the first place, but I'm not going to let you waist your next eighteen years mourning his death. He's gone. Deal with it. But don't stay up here moping, he was a power-hungry lunatic and a cold-blooded killer, humans aren't the only ones who'll be better off without him"
That being said, she turned to go, but stopped when she heard her brother muttered something, "What?"
"I said, he was still our father" his voice was hoarse and strained, Wanda didn't turn around as the sentence escaped his mouth.
Silence followed his words, then, "No, Pietro, he was never a father"
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Kitty sat extremely still on the arm of the couch, her legs were crossed and her hands were folded in her lap, she had her eyes diverted to the right of her as if she were looking at something, a hint of a smile was on her lips.
"Beautiful, very good" Peter said as he started to sketch the image in his art pad, she was posing for one of his pictures, he'd asked her that morning if she would and she'd eagerly agreed, right in front of Lance, the scowl on the rock tumbler's face had been priceless.
She really didn't see why he was so upset, sure they'd had a nasty breakup, and it still hurt her when she thought about it, but she wasn't gonna let it get in the way of her having a life, she deserved to be happy and he needed to move on.
Rogue walked in with her portable CD player and was bopping her head to the beat, singing out loud as the music blasted through her headphones, "Ah've got some pain to kill, hurt to heal, anything Ah hafta do Ah will, so come on ba-"
The Goth girl stopped abruptly when she caught a glimpse of what Peter was doing, she flicked off her tunes, much to Kitty's relief, her friend had a great voice but the singing was distracting her and she didn't want to mess up the pose.
Rogue started glancing at her then back at Peter's art pad, the same as Peter was doing, Kitty was dying to ask why but Colossus had told her it was vital that she be completely unmoving in order for him to get the picture just right.
Rogue began gesturing to the sketch, muttering stuff that Kitty couldn't hear, they got into a whispered conversation then Peter commented out loud, "I never knew you were a fellow artist"
Rogue shrugged, "Ah doodle here and there, nothing special", he raised an eyebrow, "I highly doubt that, perhaps when I am done here you would allow me to see some of your work?"
"Sure" she answered, "Maybe you can show me yours as well" he nodded, "It would be my pleasure"
Rogue grinned, "That is if you and Kitty don't have other plans" she shot Kitty a questioning look.
"Nope, it's, like, cool" the Valley girl answered, only moving her mouth, she really wasn't all that happy about it, she'd wanted to ask Peter if he would go into town with her, but how long could flipping through a few sketches take?
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Wanda sat on Irene's porch swing, her knees pulled up to her chin and her arms hanging loosely around her ankles.
She couldn't remember the last time she had been in this position, she'd only curled up like this when she felt alone with her pain, she had never felt alone when she was younger and still living with her father and brother, pained yes, but never alone.
It was because Pietro had always been there, they had always looked out for each other during those long nights when her parents would be downstairs fighting, when the sound of murderous threats wafted through the air vents and heart-wrenching sobs shattered any hope of a peaceful night ever settling on the Maximoff house.
Wanda knew her dad had beat her mother, when she rebelled against him he couldn't stand it, so he hit her, to make himself feel in control and superior, it happened every time she disagreed with his plans.
The Scarlet Witch seethed, barely succeeding in keeping her powers from going haywire, the flashbacks she was having were renewing her burning hatred towards Magneto, she could never miss such an iron cold man.
Her mom had been a gentle, caring, beautiful, patient woman, she deserved a far better life than she'd gotten.
Wanda remembered the nights when Magneto had been working late, her mother would come into her room and they would have quiet talks about nice things, things that would take their minds off their hardships.
Wanda closed her eyes and called up a mental image of her mom, she was gorgeous: long, coal-black hair, deep brown eyes that swam with kindness and wisdom seemingly beyond reach, delicate pale skin with a natural rosy hue in her cheeks.
Her mom had never liked makeup, she once told Wanda, "People have already slipped behind enough masks and emotional shields that no one can tell the difference between reality and deception, makeup's just another elaborate way of covering up who you truly are"
Wanda had clung to every word her mother had said and followed all her advice, but when her mother died, all that, that last star in the sky, that last candle lighting the way through a dark, depressing forest, died with her.
Wanda felt tears sting her eyes, the sensation was unfamiliar, she hadn't cried since the day her father had locked her up in the asylum.
Now she couldn't hold back the unwelcome moisture that trickled down her cheeks, she wiped at it furiously, but that only resulted in a stained sleeve and an exposed face.
Realizing that all her makeup was gone made her tears increase in their insistent flow, "I'm sorry mom" she whispered, "I'm sorry that I covered up who I was, I'm sorry for everything that he did to you"
Wanda heard someone coming, she tired to compose herself in time, which was a futile attempt because the person was already at her side, a comforting arm wrapped around her shoulders and a gloved hand squeezed hers.
The Scarlet Witch rested her head on Rogue's forearm, finding herself glad for the assuring embrace.
Then the front door opened and Kitty stepped out, the perky girl was about to say something when she saw the scene in front of her, she quickly came over and sat on the other side of Wanda, hugging her as well.
Soon the girl stopped crying, the three girls sat there like that, looking out onto the miles of farmland, still closed in a tight embrace, and Wanda knew that she wasn't alone with her pain, all three of them knew what it was to be alone, feel worthless, and hate yourself or another person with unspeakable malice.
All three of them would be there for each other no matter what, that was the unspoken promise when they'd first started bonding, and unlike the other promises in their lives, this one would not be broken.
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Later that day Rogue was sitting with Peter on the porch steps, they were looking over each other's artwork and commenting on how good it was while Kitty leaned against the doorframe tapping her foot impatiently.
"This one is very lovely" Colossus said, pointing to Rogue's most recent picture of Angel, she glanced at it while turning to another page in Peter's tablet, "Ah could say the same for this one" she tapped the now finished sketch of Kitty sitting on the couch arm.
"Awww, what's this?" Gambit came towards them, he'd just finished exploring some parts of the land Irene owned, and was ready to relax from the excessive amount of walking he'd done by teasing his favorite girl.
Rogue quickly closed her pad and handed back Peter's, Colossus followed suit, they were both protective of who saw the stuff they drew, Rogue because art was her way of expressing herself and she revealed herself to an extremely scarce amount of people, Peter mostly out of shyness.
"C'mon, show me what your hiding, Petite" Remy coaxed, trying to snatch the notebook out of her hands, she jumped up and dodged out of his reach, "Back off, Swamp Rat, Ah'm warning you"
He gave her his best puppy dog expression, "Pleeeeeaaasssseeee, with whipped cream and sugar and chocolate syrup a la Remy"
Rogue cringed in disgust, "Ugh, do you want to make me incurably sick with eternal nightmares haunting my mind?"
He grinned, "That depends, the nightmares be about me?"
Rogue growled and began backing into the house, "Don't flatter yourself" she turned on her heel and raced inside, knowing he was right behind her, she suddenly skidded to a stop and whirled to face him.
He came closer, but found he couldn't get more than a foot farther, she grinned, "Telepathic barrier"
He pouted, she went the rest of the way to her room and put her pad in her dresser drawer, sealing the hiding spot with a telekinetic force field so he couldn't steal it when she wasn't in there.
Rogue came out of her room and headed back outside with a satisfied smile, St. John, Wanda, and Lance had joined Remy, Kitty, and Peter on the porch.
"I'm bored" Kitty whined, "Lets go into town", everyone agreed, "Ah think Ah'll stay here" Rogue said, Gambit frowned, "C'mon, Cher`e, you don't get out enough"
"Yea, if I have to put up with these losers so do you" stated Wanda, the Scarlet Witch hooked arms with the other Goth girl, "We don't have to go near Bayville, in fact we don't have to go near New York at all, there's plenty of states with plenty of clubs in road trip range"
Rogue smirked, "Well, Mystique is going to be gone for a while, Ah'd say we've got 'bout a week at the least" Wanda knew what that evil twinkle in her friend's eyes meant, "Lets show these guys how to really party, Goth style"
"Uh-oh" Kitty murmured leaning over to whisper in Peter's ear, "You guys are, like, so in for it"
"What are we waitin' for?" John asked, "Lets get crackin'"
"Wait" Rogue held up her hand, "Shouldn't we ask the others if they want to come?" Wanda shook her head, "No way in hell am I gonna have Toad tagging behind me twenty-four-seven while I'm clubbin'"
"And Fred's, like, too much of a burden" Kitty added, Rogue nodded, "Pietro wont be much fun, either" Rogue glanced at Avalanche, he'd been silent through the whole thing.
"Lance isn't coming" she decided out loud, earning her a glare from said person, *Until you can stop wallowing in self-pity and get over your breakup, Ah'm not letting you anywhere near Kitty*
He clenched his jaw with her projected message and mumbled some comment about needing a rest, then went inside.
Kitty shot Rogue a grateful glance.
"So this only leaves two obstacles" everyone looked towards Remy expectantly, "Money and transportation" he licked his lips and rubbed his hands together, a devilish glint in his eyes.
"Hold your horses, cowboy" Rogue raised a hand, "Don't go gettin' any ideas that we're gonna let you steal our required necessities, 'sides, Ah've got as much money as we'll be needing for this. As for a vehicle, follow me" she motioned them down the porch and around the house where an old garage stood.
Fishing a key out of a concealed pocket in her black stretch pants, Rogue knelt down and felt for the small lock at the bottom of the garage door, she could almost see Remy's eyes traveling along her body and she tried not to blush.
Finally she found the distinctive metal design poking out just above the grass, she fit the key in and turned, a clicking was heard and Rogue slipped her hands under the entryway, lifting it up.
A few whistles and approving comments came from the group at what they saw, two cars and one motorcycle.
One of the cars was a mustang convertible painted a sleek black with two silver stripes running down it's hood and trunk, the other was a navy blue jeep, and the motorcycle had a fire pattern swirling on it's chrome sides.
"There's a truck in the barn if ya'll don't want any of these" Rogue said teasingly, everyone starred at her, then went back to admiring the cars.
"How can you afford these?" Gambit asked, she smirked, "Irene and Mystique are kinda like the Professor, they have an endless supply of cash in a high security bank account that Ah doubt even Bobby could hack into"
"Is that how you are getting the money we need?" Peter climbed into the driver's seat of the convertible as Rogue shook her head to his question, "Ah've got my own recourses"
"That was, like, cryptic" Kitty observed phasing into the backseat, Rogue shrugged.
"C'mon, we'd better get packing if we want to hit the road sometime today" Wanda said, they all headed back to the house and up to their rooms.
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An hour later everyone was ready to go, Rogue had three hundred dollars in her wallet and a lot more tucked away in her duffel, she was saying goodbye to Irene and promising to be back within eleven days.
The group climbed into the convertible, Rogue in the driver's seat, Remy riding shotgun and the others squeezed into the back.
There was one person too many to fit in a five-seater, so Kitty was sitting on Peter's lap while Wanda and St. John couldn't avoid being pushed together, "Ain't this a cozy arrangement" Pyro said with a goofy smile, Wanda grunted and folded her arms across her chest.
"I'm, like, totally enjoying it" Kitty commented snuggling closer to Peter.
Rogue rolled her eyes and revved the engine, "Alright, here we go!"
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(A/N: Again I'm sorry for the slow update, I can't promise they'll be getting faster, not exactly writer's block, just short attention span, I've got some pretty good ideas, just worried that they're not very consistent with what I've got so far. Anyway, enough rambling, love you, love you, love you, for all the reviews:)
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Wanda stood in front of the door to the room her brother was staying in, she took a deep breath and counted to three, she knew she had to talk to him, he hadn't come out since yesterday afternoon, hadn't even made a sound, which was completely unlike him, but that came as no surprise.
She swallowed hard, summoning all her courage, then knocked.
No answer, she knocked again.
Not so much as a murmur, she growled, "Alright, Pietro, we'll do this the hard way" she tried the doorknob, it was locked, she hexed it and entered the room.
Quicksilver was sitting on the edge of the bed, starring at his feet, she walked over and stood in front of him, hands on her hips.
"Look, I don't know what kind of twisted relationship you had with Magneto that would make you miss him this badly, hell I can't figure out what made you work for him in the first place, but I'm not going to let you waist your next eighteen years mourning his death. He's gone. Deal with it. But don't stay up here moping, he was a power-hungry lunatic and a cold-blooded killer, humans aren't the only ones who'll be better off without him"
That being said, she turned to go, but stopped when she heard her brother muttered something, "What?"
"I said, he was still our father" his voice was hoarse and strained, Wanda didn't turn around as the sentence escaped his mouth.
Silence followed his words, then, "No, Pietro, he was never a father"
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Kitty sat extremely still on the arm of the couch, her legs were crossed and her hands were folded in her lap, she had her eyes diverted to the right of her as if she were looking at something, a hint of a smile was on her lips.
"Beautiful, very good" Peter said as he started to sketch the image in his art pad, she was posing for one of his pictures, he'd asked her that morning if she would and she'd eagerly agreed, right in front of Lance, the scowl on the rock tumbler's face had been priceless.
She really didn't see why he was so upset, sure they'd had a nasty breakup, and it still hurt her when she thought about it, but she wasn't gonna let it get in the way of her having a life, she deserved to be happy and he needed to move on.
Rogue walked in with her portable CD player and was bopping her head to the beat, singing out loud as the music blasted through her headphones, "Ah've got some pain to kill, hurt to heal, anything Ah hafta do Ah will, so come on ba-"
The Goth girl stopped abruptly when she caught a glimpse of what Peter was doing, she flicked off her tunes, much to Kitty's relief, her friend had a great voice but the singing was distracting her and she didn't want to mess up the pose.
Rogue started glancing at her then back at Peter's art pad, the same as Peter was doing, Kitty was dying to ask why but Colossus had told her it was vital that she be completely unmoving in order for him to get the picture just right.
Rogue began gesturing to the sketch, muttering stuff that Kitty couldn't hear, they got into a whispered conversation then Peter commented out loud, "I never knew you were a fellow artist"
Rogue shrugged, "Ah doodle here and there, nothing special", he raised an eyebrow, "I highly doubt that, perhaps when I am done here you would allow me to see some of your work?"
"Sure" she answered, "Maybe you can show me yours as well" he nodded, "It would be my pleasure"
Rogue grinned, "That is if you and Kitty don't have other plans" she shot Kitty a questioning look.
"Nope, it's, like, cool" the Valley girl answered, only moving her mouth, she really wasn't all that happy about it, she'd wanted to ask Peter if he would go into town with her, but how long could flipping through a few sketches take?
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Wanda sat on Irene's porch swing, her knees pulled up to her chin and her arms hanging loosely around her ankles.
She couldn't remember the last time she had been in this position, she'd only curled up like this when she felt alone with her pain, she had never felt alone when she was younger and still living with her father and brother, pained yes, but never alone.
It was because Pietro had always been there, they had always looked out for each other during those long nights when her parents would be downstairs fighting, when the sound of murderous threats wafted through the air vents and heart-wrenching sobs shattered any hope of a peaceful night ever settling on the Maximoff house.
Wanda knew her dad had beat her mother, when she rebelled against him he couldn't stand it, so he hit her, to make himself feel in control and superior, it happened every time she disagreed with his plans.
The Scarlet Witch seethed, barely succeeding in keeping her powers from going haywire, the flashbacks she was having were renewing her burning hatred towards Magneto, she could never miss such an iron cold man.
Her mom had been a gentle, caring, beautiful, patient woman, she deserved a far better life than she'd gotten.
Wanda remembered the nights when Magneto had been working late, her mother would come into her room and they would have quiet talks about nice things, things that would take their minds off their hardships.
Wanda closed her eyes and called up a mental image of her mom, she was gorgeous: long, coal-black hair, deep brown eyes that swam with kindness and wisdom seemingly beyond reach, delicate pale skin with a natural rosy hue in her cheeks.
Her mom had never liked makeup, she once told Wanda, "People have already slipped behind enough masks and emotional shields that no one can tell the difference between reality and deception, makeup's just another elaborate way of covering up who you truly are"
Wanda had clung to every word her mother had said and followed all her advice, but when her mother died, all that, that last star in the sky, that last candle lighting the way through a dark, depressing forest, died with her.
Wanda felt tears sting her eyes, the sensation was unfamiliar, she hadn't cried since the day her father had locked her up in the asylum.
Now she couldn't hold back the unwelcome moisture that trickled down her cheeks, she wiped at it furiously, but that only resulted in a stained sleeve and an exposed face.
Realizing that all her makeup was gone made her tears increase in their insistent flow, "I'm sorry mom" she whispered, "I'm sorry that I covered up who I was, I'm sorry for everything that he did to you"
Wanda heard someone coming, she tired to compose herself in time, which was a futile attempt because the person was already at her side, a comforting arm wrapped around her shoulders and a gloved hand squeezed hers.
The Scarlet Witch rested her head on Rogue's forearm, finding herself glad for the assuring embrace.
Then the front door opened and Kitty stepped out, the perky girl was about to say something when she saw the scene in front of her, she quickly came over and sat on the other side of Wanda, hugging her as well.
Soon the girl stopped crying, the three girls sat there like that, looking out onto the miles of farmland, still closed in a tight embrace, and Wanda knew that she wasn't alone with her pain, all three of them knew what it was to be alone, feel worthless, and hate yourself or another person with unspeakable malice.
All three of them would be there for each other no matter what, that was the unspoken promise when they'd first started bonding, and unlike the other promises in their lives, this one would not be broken.
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Later that day Rogue was sitting with Peter on the porch steps, they were looking over each other's artwork and commenting on how good it was while Kitty leaned against the doorframe tapping her foot impatiently.
"This one is very lovely" Colossus said, pointing to Rogue's most recent picture of Angel, she glanced at it while turning to another page in Peter's tablet, "Ah could say the same for this one" she tapped the now finished sketch of Kitty sitting on the couch arm.
"Awww, what's this?" Gambit came towards them, he'd just finished exploring some parts of the land Irene owned, and was ready to relax from the excessive amount of walking he'd done by teasing his favorite girl.
Rogue quickly closed her pad and handed back Peter's, Colossus followed suit, they were both protective of who saw the stuff they drew, Rogue because art was her way of expressing herself and she revealed herself to an extremely scarce amount of people, Peter mostly out of shyness.
"C'mon, show me what your hiding, Petite" Remy coaxed, trying to snatch the notebook out of her hands, she jumped up and dodged out of his reach, "Back off, Swamp Rat, Ah'm warning you"
He gave her his best puppy dog expression, "Pleeeeeaaasssseeee, with whipped cream and sugar and chocolate syrup a la Remy"
Rogue cringed in disgust, "Ugh, do you want to make me incurably sick with eternal nightmares haunting my mind?"
He grinned, "That depends, the nightmares be about me?"
Rogue growled and began backing into the house, "Don't flatter yourself" she turned on her heel and raced inside, knowing he was right behind her, she suddenly skidded to a stop and whirled to face him.
He came closer, but found he couldn't get more than a foot farther, she grinned, "Telepathic barrier"
He pouted, she went the rest of the way to her room and put her pad in her dresser drawer, sealing the hiding spot with a telekinetic force field so he couldn't steal it when she wasn't in there.
Rogue came out of her room and headed back outside with a satisfied smile, St. John, Wanda, and Lance had joined Remy, Kitty, and Peter on the porch.
"I'm bored" Kitty whined, "Lets go into town", everyone agreed, "Ah think Ah'll stay here" Rogue said, Gambit frowned, "C'mon, Cher`e, you don't get out enough"
"Yea, if I have to put up with these losers so do you" stated Wanda, the Scarlet Witch hooked arms with the other Goth girl, "We don't have to go near Bayville, in fact we don't have to go near New York at all, there's plenty of states with plenty of clubs in road trip range"
Rogue smirked, "Well, Mystique is going to be gone for a while, Ah'd say we've got 'bout a week at the least" Wanda knew what that evil twinkle in her friend's eyes meant, "Lets show these guys how to really party, Goth style"
"Uh-oh" Kitty murmured leaning over to whisper in Peter's ear, "You guys are, like, so in for it"
"What are we waitin' for?" John asked, "Lets get crackin'"
"Wait" Rogue held up her hand, "Shouldn't we ask the others if they want to come?" Wanda shook her head, "No way in hell am I gonna have Toad tagging behind me twenty-four-seven while I'm clubbin'"
"And Fred's, like, too much of a burden" Kitty added, Rogue nodded, "Pietro wont be much fun, either" Rogue glanced at Avalanche, he'd been silent through the whole thing.
"Lance isn't coming" she decided out loud, earning her a glare from said person, *Until you can stop wallowing in self-pity and get over your breakup, Ah'm not letting you anywhere near Kitty*
He clenched his jaw with her projected message and mumbled some comment about needing a rest, then went inside.
Kitty shot Rogue a grateful glance.
"So this only leaves two obstacles" everyone looked towards Remy expectantly, "Money and transportation" he licked his lips and rubbed his hands together, a devilish glint in his eyes.
"Hold your horses, cowboy" Rogue raised a hand, "Don't go gettin' any ideas that we're gonna let you steal our required necessities, 'sides, Ah've got as much money as we'll be needing for this. As for a vehicle, follow me" she motioned them down the porch and around the house where an old garage stood.
Fishing a key out of a concealed pocket in her black stretch pants, Rogue knelt down and felt for the small lock at the bottom of the garage door, she could almost see Remy's eyes traveling along her body and she tried not to blush.
Finally she found the distinctive metal design poking out just above the grass, she fit the key in and turned, a clicking was heard and Rogue slipped her hands under the entryway, lifting it up.
A few whistles and approving comments came from the group at what they saw, two cars and one motorcycle.
One of the cars was a mustang convertible painted a sleek black with two silver stripes running down it's hood and trunk, the other was a navy blue jeep, and the motorcycle had a fire pattern swirling on it's chrome sides.
"There's a truck in the barn if ya'll don't want any of these" Rogue said teasingly, everyone starred at her, then went back to admiring the cars.
"How can you afford these?" Gambit asked, she smirked, "Irene and Mystique are kinda like the Professor, they have an endless supply of cash in a high security bank account that Ah doubt even Bobby could hack into"
"Is that how you are getting the money we need?" Peter climbed into the driver's seat of the convertible as Rogue shook her head to his question, "Ah've got my own recourses"
"That was, like, cryptic" Kitty observed phasing into the backseat, Rogue shrugged.
"C'mon, we'd better get packing if we want to hit the road sometime today" Wanda said, they all headed back to the house and up to their rooms.
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An hour later everyone was ready to go, Rogue had three hundred dollars in her wallet and a lot more tucked away in her duffel, she was saying goodbye to Irene and promising to be back within eleven days.
The group climbed into the convertible, Rogue in the driver's seat, Remy riding shotgun and the others squeezed into the back.
There was one person too many to fit in a five-seater, so Kitty was sitting on Peter's lap while Wanda and St. John couldn't avoid being pushed together, "Ain't this a cozy arrangement" Pyro said with a goofy smile, Wanda grunted and folded her arms across her chest.
"I'm, like, totally enjoying it" Kitty commented snuggling closer to Peter.
Rogue rolled her eyes and revved the engine, "Alright, here we go!"
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(A/N: Again I'm sorry for the slow update, I can't promise they'll be getting faster, not exactly writer's block, just short attention span, I've got some pretty good ideas, just worried that they're not very consistent with what I've got so far. Anyway, enough rambling, love you, love you, love you, for all the reviews:)