Disclaimer:  X-men not mine.

Akai Kah'ghe:  A baby bunny, hunh? Hoppy ;)

Laureate:  Well, if your cat commands it, Then I HAVE NO CHOICE!

hnh:  I counter with incredibly stale dutch bread!  If you turn it a certain way, it can be a shield!  Lemon hunh?  Damn, I just sacrificed my last lemons to take care of gremlins in my other story.

Flamingo1:  As for Hezibah, she's a wild animal.  It's going to take a bit for her to get situated.  As for the muses, You are more than welcome to take on the sunspider.  I have not determined whether or not it's male or female or it's name, but toss in your suggestions and I shall integrate them into the story and place it in the studying abroad muse program.

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"So, you're a mutant, hunh?"

"That's what everybody says."

Gag me.  Cut my heart out with a spoon.  Pour hot wax into my ears.  ANYTHING to get me away from those two. 

Chrissy and Ray. I don't know if he knew she was flirting with him, but I was about to hurl. 

My parents were helping us pack the van with stuff.  A cooler of food, some blankets, all that good stuff. I managed to talk them into letting me go with my friends for the rest of the trip.  They said yes after Herman accidentally got caught in my mom's hair. 

Yeah, that wasn't fun.

"So what is your power?"

"I can shoot bolts of electricity."

"How shocking!"

Eww, Eww, EWWWWWWWW.  I cannot believe she just said that.  Now I really am going to hurl.

"Dan?  You okay?"  I looked way up at Arcane. 

"I'm just going to throw up.  It's alright." I jerked my head over at Chrissy.  She was doing this little stretching thing for Ray's benefit.  She saw me talking to Arcane and smirked.

"Oh, Danny, why are you still working?  Have your boyfriend do it."

I hunched my shoulders a bit and hissed, "He's not my boyfriend."

"Danny, Danny, Danny.  Do you not like men?  Are you attracted to something else?"

"Chrissy!"

There goes mom, jumping in. 

"Mom, she hasn't had a boyfriend since sixth grade, and he wasn't something to look at.  So the only possible explanation is that she must have some other attraction…"

I will let loose a small secret.  I have a temper.  And though I may not be fast, I am strong. 

And she was doing nothing to improve my mood.

"You're right!"  Ray commented cheerfully.  I was about to leap for him when he added, "Why be attracted to human boys when she can be attracted to mutie guys?  Everybody knows mutie guys are a better breed.  Except for maybe Jared.  He's a cool kid."

"Are you insinuating that you are better than other guys?  You're a mutant!"

"That's what makes me better."  Ray gave her his best smile.  She just glared at him.  I was mentally crowing. 

"Hmph!  I guess my suspicions were correct.  You turned out rotten, Danny."  She turned and walked back into the house.  I think she was upset because she couldn't seduce Ray.  Or something.  I try to stay out of her head.  I may get lost in the void.  But from what I do know, Chrissy sticks her nose up at everything I do, but can't stand for me to have something she doesn't, hence her flirting with my friends.  It didn't quite work the way she wanted it too. 

For some strange reason, when she opened the door it hit her in the head by some weird twist of fate…I looked over at Wanda.  She swiftly looked anywhere but at me.

"Danny!"

I turned around to see my Lilliputians running towards me.

"Are you going again?"

"Why is Chrissy so mad?"

"Chrissy said you were a bad person!"

"I think Chrissy has Kavroki issues."

I snorted.  "What kind of issues?"

"I heard it on T.V"

"Chrissy is stupid!"

"I can neither confirm nor deny that statement."  I told the cute little blonde.

"Sam is cute."  A brunette informed me.  I took a quick side glance at Sam.  He was acting as if he hadn't heard anything, but his ears were red.

"I like Wance."

"And Ray!"

"And John!"

"And this guy!"  The twins latched themselves to Arcane.  He just sort of stood there, like he didn't know what to do.  I rolled my eyes.

"You guys just think they're cute cause they're the only guys that aren't family that you've seen."

"So?"

"The universal answer to everything.  You guys wanna help me get the dogs and my bat friend out of my room?"

"YAY!!!"  They all ran off towards my room.  I neglected to mention to Mom that Hezibah was not a dog.  But that's alright.  What she didn't know wouldn't hurt her, right?

"AAAAAAAAAAAIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIEEEEEEEEE!!!!!!!!"

Uh Oh.

I bolted inside the house with Arcane and my mom in quick pursuit. Hezibah was out of my room, as was Doggy and Herman.  But Doggy and Herman did not have Chrissy backed up against the wall.

NO ONE STRIKES HEZIBAH!!!!!!!!!!!

I swiftly ran over and stepped carefully between my sister and the seventy-five kilograms that is a spotted female hyena. Yeah, that was a bad place to be.  But mother would not approve of Hezibah taking out my sister.

(Calm.  Hezibah, calm yourself.)

SHE STRUCK HEZIBAH!!!!!!!!!!

(It's okay.  Please Hezibah, leave her be.  She is stupid, immoral, and goodness knows she shouldn't have hit you, but she is my sister and I will not move.)

HEZIBAH--- Hezibah sees.  Hezibah will back down.  But the next time she challenges Hezibah she will die.

(Point taken.)

Hezibah turned around and padded over to Doggy.  He led her outside.  I quickly let out the breath I didn't know I'd been holding and turned around to face my sister.

"HOW DARE YOU STRIKE HEZIBAH!  WHAT IS YOUR PROBLEM?!  ARE YOU STUPID OR SOMETHING?!"  I was furious.  How dare she?  I could take her making snide comments at me all morning, but striking my friends, how dare she?!!?

"Dan."  Arcane caught my shoulder.  "Let it go."

"I!—fine.  I'll let it go.  This is me, letting it go."  I turned on my heel and strode out of the house.

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"I can't believe this.  Why'd we get stuck trying to find that stupid spider while everybody else tries to put the lights back on?!"

"Perhaps, mon ami, because it was you who coerced de chere into setting off de fireworks.  Which makes Gambit wonder why he here."

Gambit and Bobby, monster hunters.  Never mind that said monster was a giant spider, but hey. 

"Well yeah, but I didn't know that a stray firework would fly off and take out the electricity.  And you're probably here for charging up the muffins, remember?"

"Non.  Gambit don' know what you talkin' about.  Remy bin on his best behavior."

"Yeah right.  Hey wait, there he is!"  Bobby shined his flashlight on the furry lump on the table. 

"Get it."  Gambit shoved him forward.  Bobby slipped and collided with the table, sending said furry lump flying.

And having it land on Gambit.

On the other side of the mansion, where Hank was checking the comatose Professor's condition, he heard a long stream of what sounded like Creole obscenities. 

"Is seems our Cajun friend has found our little spider," he chuckled.

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"Oh honey, I love you.  Be good, alright?"  My mom had me in another bearhug.  The munchkin mobsters had already said goodbye to Kally, Herman, Hezibah, and Doggy.  They were in the car.  Well, except for Kally.  Kally was hanging off Ray's shirt upside down.

Strange rat.  Dad scooped me up in a big hug as well, and told me to call as soon as I got back to the institute.  I told him I would, and seized my little sister's and brother in a big hug and told them I'd come back to visit again. 

While I was doing this, Chrissy came back out.  She passed by Ray, giving him a dirty look.  And got a rat on her shoulder.  Believe me, that just topped off everything the way she ran back into the house screaming.  She must have something against rats.  Kally swiftly clawed her way up Ray to sit on his shoulder and began to groom herself in a very contented way.

She shouldn't look at my Ray that way.  He's too good for her.

(I agree with you.)

We said our goodbyes and I jumped back into the backseat of the bus.  I put my foot up on the big cooler Dad had given us.  He gave us three coolers.  All chock full of snack food.  And drinks.  Hezibah stuck her nose to the window when my little munchkins ran to the side to wave.

Hezibah likes pups.

Doggy crawled over me to join her.  Herman sat on my shoulder.  I had changed back into my gothic clothes before we left.  Dad had given me a bag and I packed up some of my old clothes.  Just in case. 

After earning another glare of Death from Dad, Arcane got into the driver's seat.  Ray and Kally jumped into the seat in front of us, with Wanda.  John stole shotgun while Sam, Rogue, and Lance grabbed front middle.

We pulled out of the drive, and I waved until I couldn't see them anymore. 

Again.

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And they are on the road again!

Kally is taking reviews again!  This time she has Hezibah with her, so remember to be nice.  You know what happened to Chrissy.