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"I think we should make a real effort to be nice to them, no matter how obnoxious they are," Scott said looking around the cafeteria table at the other X-Men. "They're taking this thing with Lance petty hard."
"Well what'd ya expect?" Rogue asked. "I mean how'd we feel if it were one of us who was bein' killed by our own powers?"
A small shudder went around the group for the most part they had been avoiding the topic of what had caused Lance's collapse. Both the X-Men and the Brotherhood generally thought of their powers as a gift and even Rogue's uncontrollable ability didn't put her life in danger. It wasn't comfortable to be faced with evidence that the unique-ness of their genetic structure could give them powers beyond their body's ability to withstand.
"So what do you vant us to do?" Kurt asked.
"Well I think they're probably going to stay with us until this is over one way or another. So don't let them antagonize you. No taking challenges… Evan that means you. No insult wars or prank wars. Try to be friendly, we've done it before."
"Before we knew them," Jean said cattily, the blushed putting her hand to her mouth as if to force the words back. "I didn't mean that. I know you're right Scott but you just mean at the mansion, right? Not at school, what would our teachers think if we suddenly started hanging out with them?"
"They're the one's who always start things," Evan objected. "You can't expect me to just ignore Pietro's stunts. He dumped paint on me yesterday!"
"Look, I think you're pretty far off his radar right now, so can you handle avoiding him?" Scott asked Evan sounding frustrated. "And Jean, act like normal, you barely hang out with us at school anymore, I'd hardly expect you to start spending time with them. Just keep Duncan and the rest of your friends from starting anything with them, okay?"
Evan and Jean nodded.
"I vill look out for Tabitha," Kurt volunteered.
"Huge surprise," Rogue said. "Ah guess that leaves you and Ah to watch out for the guys, Scott. Less you wanta recruit some of the new mutants?"
"No," Scott sighed. "They'd be a bad influence on the kids."
****** ****** ******
"What are they doing?" Pietro demanded.
Todd glanced back at Pietro from his perch on Fred's shoulder. "She's looking at the cat scans they took of his head some more," he reported.
"Why doesn't she do something? Why couldn't we have stayed in there?" Pietro demanded pacing the small room.
"You wouldn't quit bugging her, that's why we got kicked out," Kitty snapped. "Move Blob, it's my turn for the window."
"I hate this, hate-it-hate-it!" Pietro explained.
"Why don't you go running," Tabby suggested tiredly. "We're all sick of watching you pace."
Pietro glared at her.
"It's not a bad idea yo," Todd said. "All we can do is wait."
"You don't wait well," Fred added.
"Fine, I-can-tell-when-I'm-not-wanted!" Pietro exclaimed disappearing in a burst of speed.
The other sighed with relief at his departure.
"Move it!" Kitty repeated a moment later glaring at Todd and Fred.
"Use your powers ditz," Tabby said.
Kitty glared at the other girl, her cheeks coloring hotly. Then she leaned through the wall phasing just far enough to see in.
"It'll relieve the boy's symptoms Charles," Dr. MacTaggart was saying. "But this operation isn't a cure. I've yet to determine the root cause of his problem, let alone finding a way ta solve it. The surgery isna without risks and given another year or two we'll be right back in the same snarl."
"But we will have that time to research a more permanent solution," Xavier said.
"Aye, that we will," Moira replied. "But I needed ta be sure ye understood that this was a stop-gag, nothing more."
"Understood," Xavier replied. "Shall we begin?"
Moira nodded.
Kitty pulled her head back through the wall with a gulp. She walked across the hall and sank into one of the chairs, her face pale.
"What's with you?" Tabby asked.
"They said surgery," Kitty said in a sickly voice. "I don't think I want to see that."
Todd hopped off of Fred's shoulder and joined Kitty. "It'll fix him right?" he asked.
"I think he'll wake up after they're done," Kitty replied deciding that a partial truth was the kindest answer.
****** ****** ******
When the X-Men arrived at the Institute after school they noticed Pietro lying on the front lawn.
Scott and Rogue exchanged a glance and then the Goth-girl sighed. "Ah got it, you go check on the others."
"Thanks Rogue," Scott said as she climbed out of his convertible and started walking toward Pietro.
The silver-haired boy was gasping for breath and dripping with sweat.
"You okay?" Rogue asked a touch of concern in her voice.
"Out of breath, tired," Pietro panted, grudgingly opening his eyes to look at her.
"Ah can see that," Rogue replied. "Just never seen you out of energy before."
"You've never seen me run before," Pietro replied.
Rogue snorted with disbelief. "What do you call what you do practically all day long?" she asked.
"Just my mutation," Pietro said. "Twenty miles an hour is a leisurely stroll for me. Moving, talking, living at your tempo is like pretending I'm moving through molasses."
"So what were you running for?" Rogue asked.
For a moment she didn't think Pietro would answer and when he did he wasn't so much talking to her as just talking. "Who ever said you can't run away from your problems never tried it," he said. "If you run hard enough everything goes away, all you think about is keeping the pace, you can't worry."
"You gotta stop though," Rogue pointed out. "Even you."
"I know that," Pietro said angrily. "At least it's a break. It's not even like he's a friend. Well, not someone I would have chosen for a friend… I guess that's the fun part of not having a choice. I think I care more about Lance than about the people I wanted as friends before the whole mutant thing started."
Rogue sat down on the grass beside him. "Ah know what you mean. After all Jean and Kitty ain't exactly mah type of people, but Ah'm closer to them than Ah am to Risty, cause no matter how much Ah have in common with her or how much Ah like her we've got this secret that she ain't a part of. Even if Ah told her about being a mutant Ah don't think she'd understand."
Pietro nodded. They sat together in silence for a while then he asked. "Why'd you leave us?"
"With mah mutation it ain't easy to buy into Magneto's spiel about us being superior," Rogue said.
"Come on," Pietro replied rolling his eyes. "Do you honestly think any of us buys that line? The next step in evolution, destined to inherit the planet, blah, blah, blah. We're a bunch of freaks, some of whom get luckier than others. Even me and I'm just about perfect but sometimes it would be nice if someone could keep up with me."
"Like you enjoy competing with Evan till you're ready to kill each other?" Rogue snorted.
Pietro frowned at her. "The only reason I can stand talking with you for so long is because I don't have any energy left to do anything else. There's nothing, no one that fits with me, that lives any where near my pace."
"Like Ah don't know what it's like being alone, I can't touch remember," Rogue replied and the conversation faltered again.
"Why do you guys stay with Magneto if you don't believe in him?" Rogue asked after awhile.
"Because he ditched us first," Pietro replied factiously.
"Really," Rogue pressed.
"Do you want to be killed when they find out about us?" Pietro asked. "I don't buy into the destiny stuff, but if it's normal people or us… your group will do the same when they come for you. And Magneto and Mystique never asked us to pretend to share their ideals, hell even Mystique didn't really believe all of Magneto's crap, they just wanted us to do what we're told. How can you stand Baldy preaching at you day and night about living in harmony with them then having him freak at the idea of them finding out?"
"Least we try to hope," Rogue replied. "Even if maybe we don't totally believe all the time."
"Hope's for suckers," Pietro said rolling to his feet.
Rogue followed him inside and down to the med lab.
Pietro frowned at the empty hall worriedly then walked in.
"Yo, Quickie," Todd said, his voice subdued but happy. "The prof says Lance is gonna be fine."
"He's sure?" Pietro asked with a relieved sigh as he grabbed a chair.
"Yeah," Kitty said, she'd taken what was rapidly becoming her normal spot holding Lance's hand. "The professor says he can sense Lance's brainwaves returning to normal."
"What happened? Why'd it happen? What do we do so it doesn't happen again?" Pietro demanded.
Dr. MacTaggart hesitated, glancing toward Xavier; he easily picked up on her concerns about doctor-patient confidentiality.
"Go ahead," he said. "They'll need to understand."
Moira nodded, she pulled up a chair facing the Brotherhood and Kitty. "Lance's powers seem to be causing a type of hydrocephalus, a build of fluids in his skull, causing his headaches. When the pressure reached critical levels he lost consciousness. I preformed surgery to drain off the excess fluids and reduce the pressure to normal levels."
"So if Lance keeps using his powers this will happen again?" Pietro asked frowning.
"I'm afraid so," Moira replied. "This condition is treatable, in baseline humans there are a number of different assignable causes and there are a number of proven treatments as well. However, Lance's symptoms appear to be directly related to his mutation and until I understand the interaction between his symptoms and his powers I'm reluctant to attempt anything beyond ameliorating the immediate danger. Further complicating the matter, my surgery, while necessary to prevent any brain damage, temporarily compromises the brain's natural protective structures; until he has completely recovered from his surgery any use of his abilities could prove fatal. I won't even begin to be able to investigate a cure or permanent solution for at least three months."
Pietro looked toward Xavier, his expression suspicious. "That means we'll have to stay here," he said. "Until she finds a way to fix Lance, right?"
"Lance will have to stay," Xavier replied. "The rest of you are welcome to do so as well, provided you will abide by the Institute's rules."
"I figured," Pietro said. "You know, sometimes I can really see how you and D- Magneto were friends. He's good at turning other people's problems to his advantage too." He looked toward the other three members of the Brotherhood, seeing no overt decent he said. "Okay, we're in, until Lance is better at least. When is he going to wake up?"
"I expect it will happen sometime tomorrow," Xavier said. "Until then I think it would be best if you all attended school tomorrow."
"No," Pietro replied. "We're not just going to abandon Lance here."
"All right," Xavier compromised. "One of you may stay."
Pietro glanced uncertainly between his friends. "Fred stays," he said after a moment's consideration.
"Can I stay?" Kitty asked.
"I'm sorry Kitty," Xavier said. "I was will to make an exception today because of our uncertainty regarding Lance's condition. Now that we know he is stable and improving I think it would be best if you resumed classes."
"Yes Professor," Kitty sighed. "You'll let me know as soon as he wakes up though, won't you?"
"Certainly," Xavier said. "Now we should see about settling everyone in. Pietro I'd like you to share a room with Scott, Todd with…"
"Hang-on-one-second!" Pietro exclaimed. "This place is a mansion, why should we share rooms?"
"I find sharing quarters helps build camaraderie and improves my students' ability to function as a team," Xavier said.
"This isn't permanent," Pietro replied. "Don't start trying to incorporate us into your little dream."
"Then the three boys may share the guest room," Xavier said. "Tabitha your old spot is still open."
"Fine, whatever," Tabby said. "We both know I don't belong here, living in my old room won't change that."
"I'll go collect some things for us," Pietro volunteered.
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