AN: Remember that Fluff Alert last chapter? It count's for this one too.
Chaotic Boredom: Let the games begin. And your unlikely to fall behind, read AN at the bottom.
Chapter 31: Guthrie Madness
After the X-Men had been herded onto the bus, they had shipped out to the Jefferson Monument, where they had a second helping of 'canned lecture' and were set loose upon the monument.
As Kyle and Amara walked around the building, Kitty and Lance were watching them as they leaned against one of the many pillars.
"Do you think they're, like, already together? I mean, they're holding hands and, like, everything."
Lance smiled down at the girl leaning against his chest. "Maybe, but I doubt it. She's walking a bit in front of him, like she's leading him."
Kitty nodded, "I, like, totally hope they're not! Then all that planning was, like, totally wasted."
Piotr was leaning against a pillar himself, his sketchpad in hand, as he put to paper the scene of beauty before him. Tabby was leaning back against one of the pillars overlooking Plutonic, (Yes, The Jefferson Memorial does look out over it, I've been to it.) That was what made the image, in Piotr's mind. The trees swaying improved on it. But the girl before him, leaning against the pillar, the gray sky only serving to out-line her beauty more, was what made the picture.
For her part, Tabby was reveling in the coolness of the air. She hadn't been kidding when she said that Arizona weather only came in hot and hotter. So, for her, this coolness was a great feeling.
Rahne and Sam were standing in the main circle, looking at the statue of Jefferson. Rahne's head was leaning on the shoulder of the tall Kentucky farm boy, as Sam's arm lay wrapped around her waist. As they walked away from the Jefferson statue, their position barely changing to compensate for moving, they came across another mime.
"Anothar mime?" Asked Rahne, surprised.
"Mahybe there's one at everah monument?"
As they watched, the mime went through an amusing set of impressions. Rahne almost hyperventilated laughing at his monkey impression, which brought Kurt so much to mind that she couldn't help it. Eventually the two mutant teenagers left the mime, and turned to the favorite sport of the X-Men, getting Kyle and Amara together.
Soon, however, their fun was cut to an end, as the teacher herded them back onto the bus.
At the Nam Memorial Wall, the teacher gave not only a 'canned lecture', but told some stories from his time in Vietnam. He then sent the children off, asking that they be quiet in respect to those who had died in what he called a 'pointless war.'
As the Reflection Pond was not far from the Nam Memorial, about two hundred feet, the students were basically free at that point until they had lunch at said Pond. Kyle sat down in the grass near the wall, yet hidden by some trees, and began to meditate.
As his sightless eyes closed, he heard someone walk through the grass, and sit with their back to the same tree he was against. A voice broke the silence.
"You know, it's rather amusing to think that the others are trying to hook us up, yet we've already done so."
Kyle smiled at the girl's comment. "Indeed it is 'Mara. Indeed it is. You realize, however, that you are very detrimental to meditation."
She smiled, "I am?" she asked coyly.
"Highly." Was all Kyle said, as he began to meditate once more.
Amara gave a playful huff at her secret boyfriend's comment, and then stood up, and walked away.
The purpose of that scene became clear to Kyle a second later, when his impressive sense of hearing picked up the sound of a voice.
"Vhat did he do? She zertainly levt in a hurry."
"I'd say he just royally ticked off the local Princess."
Kyle grinned, no better way to keep their matchmaking going than to make them think he pissed her off.
Rahne and Sam were sitting together, looking over the Reflecting Pond. Rahne was reclining back against Sam, as he leaned against a tree. Her head rested on his chest, and, all in all, Sam wouldn't of cared if the world ended at that moment. However, it was not the end of the world, but another, far worse fate, that shattered their happy little world.
"SAMMY" Nine voices chorused.
Sam was up, quick as a flash. However, his quick movement disturbed Rahne, sending her rolling downhill, inexertably hitting the Reflecting Pond. As the Guthrie children watched, the red-headed Scottish mutant hit the pond with a large splash. They watched with the facination that is characteristic of a train wreck, as the girl righted herself in the water, turned to face Sam, wiped the hair from her face, and made her way back up the hill.
When Rahne reached her boyfriend, she smiled sweetly, something all who knew the young lady knew meant trouble.
"You have two seconds to run."
"Ah'm weahren a silvah necklace."
She growled out at the young man before her, "I'm not a wahrwulf, boyo."
"Oops."
"Time's up, Rahne." Came Kyle's voice from a few trees over. As the Guthrie's looked around, they saw that about seven or eight young men and women watching the events with amusement.
The girl smiled, "Thanks, Kyle." With that, she grabbed Sam by the collar of his shirt, and, said, "Remember that Judo Sensei taught us, boyo?"
Sam nodded nervously.
"Let's see if it works."
With that, the girl sent Sam rolling down the hill, where he, to, met the watery fate of the Reflecting Pool. Sam stood up, and walked uphill slowly, until he finally was face-to-face with his girlfriend, who was smiling with all the confidence of a wolf.
*Your overconfident, pup. Your mate may just retaliate.*
'Your jumpin the gun. He be knowin it was payback.'
Sam smiled as he watched Rahne's face go through the appearance of a conversation without her lips moving. Those who knew the young lady knew when she was talking with the wolf. He cut the conversation off in the best method available to him.
*Told you, pup*
'Shut it.' Responded Rahne, not breaking her lip-lock with Sam.
"EWWW!!! SAMMY! THAT'S GROSS!"
Sam smiled as he broke the kiss, and turned to his siblings.
"That's what ya'll say now. Waiht a few years, and ye'll change ya tune Carolyn."
The other young men and women whom Mrs. Guthrie had observed watching the scene walked over.
"The rest of the clan?" Asked a young Native American from just behind Sam and Rahne.
Sam smirked. "Yup, 'cept fo' Paige."
Another girl rolled her eyes, "Obviously, Sam."
"These friends o' yours, Sam?" asked Mrs. Guthrie.
"Yes, mamma. These are mah' classmates at the Institute."
The Native American chuckled, "Yep, we're the guys who have to dodge the Cannonball."
The rest of them chuckled, as Sam rubbed the back of his head in embarrassment.
Rahne shook her head, "Lay off me boyo! That's my job! 'Nd I mean ye, Kyle."
Sam turned to look at his mother. "How did ya'll get the money to come up here?"
Mrs. Guthrie smiled, "Professah Xavier covered it all. He even booked us in the same hotel ya'll are in. I'm one of the Chaperones."
Bobby's smile lessened. "That's why we were one short."
Jubilee smacked the boy on the arm, "Cheer up, Bobby! Its not that big a problem."
Kitty giggled, "Like, totally! Sam's sisters are all soooooooo cute!"
Kurt shook his head in mock horror. Turning to Mrs. Guthrie, he said, in an overly serious tone of voice. "Ma'am, it may be vor ze best to get your children away from 'ere."
Kitty laughed, and slugged the Nightcrawler on the arm. "I'm not, like, that bad Kurt."
Tabby smirked, "Wanna bet?"
Mrs. Guthrie watched the easy banter between the X-Men with the smile of a mother watching her children. They acted so naturally together, almost like a family.
However, as she watched, one of the girl's seemed to gain static bars across herself for a second. Moaning, she glared at her watch.
"My holowatch is fritzing out on me."
The boy named Kurt winced sympathetically. "Ja, vell, at least yours isn't that bad. You can just make something up about dye and contacts."
The girl's face brightened at that, "That's true, never thought about that. Thanks Kurt" The X-Men all glanced around the area, looking to check for people watching them. They nodded, and Amara reached down to her watch. Tapping a button on the side, her appearance blurred for a second, and, before the eyes of the Guthrie clan, the girl's hair streaked with a dark scarlet color which seemed to throw light from itself, and the colored part of her eyes transformed into a gleaming orange-yellow color, giving her black pupils an incredibly piercing effect.
Mrs. Guthrie stepped back, and gathered her children to her. Sam raised his hands to his mother.
"Calm down, mamma! It's part of her, well, you know!" Mrs. Guthrie stared at her son for a moment, not comprehending what he was saying.
Kyle, exasperated, stepped forward, and, walking past Rahne and Sam, stood before Mrs. Guthrie, spoke in a low, calm, reasoning tone.
"Amara's appearance is part of her mutation. It 'evolved' as we call it, fairly recently, changing her appearance in the process. She's still not totally comfortable with it, because the image you saw earlier was what she used to look like."
Nodding slowly, Mrs. Guthrie let her children go, and said to Amara.
"I'm sorry, dearie. It's just that you startled me so, transformin ya'll's looks laike that."
Amara smiled at the lady. "It's quite alright. I know I'm a frightening sight."
Kyle turned to look at her. "You are far from a frightening sight."
"How would you know? You can't even see!"
Kyle chuckled, "Eyes of the blind, remember?"
Amara shook her head, remembering the way they had met. Mrs. Guthrie cut in at this point.
"Ah brought a bit of lunch, if any of ya'll're hungry."
With that, the X-Men all nodded fervently, and Mrs. Guthrie spread out a massive picnic blanket, with the help of Rahne, Amara, and Jubilee. The guys then set the food out, and the group sat down to eat. Mr. Nallik sat down to join them, and the group quickly sat down to eat.
Mrs. Guthrie looked at the young men and women before her. "So, what are ya'll's powahs?"
Rahne smiled at the motherly woman. "Let me show ye." The X-Men once again checked the surrounding area, and Rahne, receiving the nod, shifted into a wolf before their eyes. The Guthrie's eyes widened, amazed at the transformation. Rahne then transformed back. "I can alsa transform ta anythin' between human 'nd wulf."
Amara grinned at the stunned Guthrie's and Mr. Nallik. "Well, besides the way I look..." She raised
her right hand, and in it formed a ball of lava. "I can create lava." Mr.
Nallik looked at the sphere floating over her hand with a little bit of fear
present in his eyes, knowing exactly what that sphere could do. She smiled, and, before their eyes, the
sphere vanished. "I can also re-absorb what I create."
Bobby chuckled, "Fire and Ice." He said to Amara, getting a laugh from the whole team. As the un-informed turned to look at him, the X-men, once again checked the perimeter, even though they had set up in a spot well shielded by trees, they didn't want to chance it. Bobby, receiving the nod, transformed his body into a shell of ice. As he transformed back, he smirked, then tapped Mr. Nallik's soda. As he sipped it, he realized that it was ice-cold. "By human standards, me and Amara should be dead."
At the looks from the unknowing, he elaborated. "Our body temperatures. My blood should literally be frozen in my veins, but it isn't. Amara's brain and blood should be boiled at her average body temperature, but it isn't."
Jubilee shook her head at her boyfriend's remarks. "Way to make them feel better." She then paffed her boyfriend, just enough for those present to see. (Paff being the little fireworks.)
Tabby smiled, as she created a few of her explosive balls. "There's a reason they call me Boomer." Mr. Nallik spoke up, "Those things explode, don't they?"
"Only after I let them go, and I can control how hard, and how long a delay." With that, she re-absorbed the boom-balls.
Kurt chuckled, as he said, "I, too, have an odd appearance, but it vould be more prudent to show you that later. But, for now." He smiled as he bamf'ed next to Mrs. Guthrie.
She turned to look at him, and, with a grin, he teleported back to his original spot.
Lance's eyes rolled up into his head as he returned, and a small tremor shook the ground, making his reentry a little less smooth.
"Lance, that was mean." Said Kitty.
"Sorry." He said, even as he smiled jokingly at Kurt. The two had built up a joking friendship over his time in the X-Men.
Kitty shook her head, "Men," she said, even as she reached into the picnic basket to grab another sandwich. The impressive thing was that the lid was closed.
Kyle shook his head, "My power isn't as easy to display, or describe so that your children would understand it. The best way is this." Turning to Jubilee, he said, "Punch me."
As she looked at him, not quite sure, he sighed. "I'm a mist Jubes." She smiled as he said that, and put a fist through his face.
As the Guthrie's and Mr. Nallik watched, horrified, she withdrew her hand, and his face reassembled itself, looking for all-the-world like a mist, even as it clung to her hand for a bit, before springing back to his face.
Turning to the horrified people, he spoke. "My mutation lets me change my body's properties, so that I can be as hard as a diamond, or as vapid as a mist." Mrs. Guthrie nodded, smiling slightly.
Piotr smiled as he too received the nod. With a minimal effort, his skin transformed itself into a layer of organic metal, then back.
The teacher and the Guthrie's finished their meal in relative peace after the display, marveling at the easy interaction between the young mutants.
Soon after, the mutants headed back to the buses, and, due to weather, AKA, a freak storm, headed back to the hotel.
An: that's all for this chapter. Expect the updates to slow down in the near future, as school starts Monday for me, plus, I've got another story being written too. X-Men Evolution/Dragon Ball Z crossover, that I will actually make work so that it make SENSE! Go read it, please!
