Uncommon Knowledge Chapter 3: Meals, mutants and musings.oh my!
Disclaimer: I sadly own neither X-Men nor Buffy the Vampire Slayer. Nicholas Brendon and Anna Paquin own themselves, I'm fairly certain. I'm just borrowing Xander and Marie for a bit, I'll return them no more harmed than their owners have harmed them. Tammy is mine. However, the opinions she expresses are her sole property, and not endorsed by the author of this fic. I am personally against the Mutant Registration Act.
Dedication: To my wonderful fiancée. I love you!!! 'nuff said.
Special Thanks: To my reviewers. Thanks for putting up with the sporadic nature of these updates. It looks like I'm going to have a couple more 50+ hr work weeks ahead of me before the summer's over. Yea.I hate it too...
And now true believers, we return to our semi-regularly scheduled fic
Tammy leaned back against an empty booth with a relieved sigh as she watched the last of the late night customers exit the diner. With a smile, she closed her eyes and was about to indulge in a fantasy about the handsome young man who had flirted with her not even an hour ago * Alexander * she thought * I mean Xander. I hope he gives Uncle Dave a call and decides to stick around for a little while...maybe a long while *. It'd been a long while since she'd had a boyfriend who hadn't grown up in the same area as she had and most of them had come to view her as a little sister, hence unsuitable for continued dating. As a result, she had plenty of guy friends, but sometimes she wished for a little more * Definitely, some fresh blood wouldn't be a bad thing around here * she thought. Further thoughts of Xander were interrupted by the chime of the bell attached to the diner's front door. Groaning, Tammy opened her eyes and glanced in the direction of the sound, taking note of a slender figure in a beaten up green trench coat and holding an even more beaten up duffel standing in the doorway, glancing furtively around, as if she wasn't used to being in such brightly lit areas. Pushing herself away from the booth, Tammy headed towards the young woman, steeling her heart for what she knew she had to do; it wasn't easy to turn away the homeless who'd wander in from time to time looking for change or to use the restrooms, but the diner's policy strictly laid out that restrooms were for paying customers only and that change was not to be given except in exchange for cash money or as part of a bill. She was about to launch into the well learned, polite, speech asking the young woman to please leave when the runaway turned and faced her head on. Her dark eyes were the most telling feature of her young face, Tammy decided, trying not to see the pain and fear in them, as she soundlessly worked her mouth, struggling to bring the words that would turn the poor girl back into the night into her mouth.
Fortunately, the second chime from the door saved her from having to say anything. " You know, for a short girl who obviously hasn't had anything in awhile, Marie, you sure have a lot of energy. Most people don't run headlong through parking lots late at night without looking around" Xander said, coming up behind her and placing his hand on her shoulder with a gentle squeeze , " Well, ok so I do it, but usually cause something really nasty's chasing me, but most normal people don't" he added. The young runaway blushed slightly, a small smile tugging at her lips, " Ah can't help it if you're just slow. And how often do nasty things chase you?" she asked curiously, " Don't tell me you play knight in shining armor on a regular basis". Seeing an opening Tammy quickly grabbed the two's attention, " Hi, I'm Tammy, and I'll be your waitress tonight here at the Moon Song. Do you need a table for two, or will anyone else be joining you?". Throwing a curious glance in Xander's direction she added, " Just couldn't get enough when you were here earlier, huh Xander?". " Table for two will be fine," He answered, " And how could I stay away from an all night diner with great food and a beautiful waitress." Tammy beamed and began leading the pair to an out of the way table, a thousand questions running through her mind. The girl was obviously a runaway, did that mean Xander was too? What else could be possibly want with her if he wasn't a runaway himself? A few answers quickly popped into her head, none of them pleasant and she even more quickly brushed them away. She didn't know how she knew, but something told her that Xander wasn't the type to take advantage of someone in need of help. * What was that she said, about knight in shining armor ? * Glancing back, she saw clearly the dark purple bruise on Xander's jaw and the questions in her mind intensified. * I'll ask later * she decided. Waving at the table, she asked " Will this be alright?"
" It's fine with me," Xander said, smiling as he turned to his companion, " what do you think Marie?" ." Yea, it's fine" she replied quietly, sliding into a chair without another word and setting her duffel under the table, looking anywhere but at Xander or Tammy. Xander plunked down into the chair across from her and smiled as Tammy handed him two menus. " So what can I start you two off with?" she asked, pulling a pen and pad from her greasy apron. " I'll just have a coffee," Xander said, " But I think Marie here will start out with a nice, thick, strawberry milkshake. She may need a few minutes with the menu though before she'll be ready to order anything else." Tammy smiled and took Xander's menu back from him as he set the other in front of Marie, "Go ahead and take your time with the menu I'll be right back with your drinks" Tammy smiled prettily and strolled off to place the drink order, trying not to show her discomfort at Marie's presence. " You don't have to do this you know." Marie whispered, staring intently at the table top, " Ah'm not some charity case. Ah can take care of myself, Ah have been for the past couple months and Ah'm still here, so Ah must be doing something right." Xander reached over, intending to lift her chin so he could see her eyes when she jerked back slightly, staring at him like he was crazy. He made a mental note of her reaction, and brushed it aside for the moment, meeting her eyes, " I know I don't have to Marie. I want to. Like I told you earlier, I've seen too many young people put in the ground before their time. If there's something I can do to prevent that by even one night for someone, I'm going to."
Marie let his words sink in, trying to make sense of them.* What kind of life has he had that he's so familiar with death at only eighteen * she wondered opening the menu and fighting to ignore the rumbling of her stomach as she perused the selection. They sat in comfortable silence for a bit, Marie studying the menu with Xander studying her, listening to the soft country music being played over the radio. * Why'd she pull away? I wasn't going to hurt her * he wondered. Something primal, what he'd come to recognize as the hyena, tugged at his mind as he recalled her warning the vamp not to touch her, that he'd get hurt, and then their mutual reaction to his touching her. * Her scent is off * the hyena whispered in his mind * Dangerous, wild..rogue..she has no pack * He shook it off, as he always did. The hyena was something he'd really rather have left buried, he didn't care for the memories of his actions when it'd possessed him completely sophomore year. He was about to ask if she'd found anything interesting when the sound of a news report breaking in in the middle of a song caught both of their attention.
" Rioting has broken out in a Knoxville suburb this evening," a man's voice said, and behind it was clearly the sound of emergency vehicles and shouting, " Though details are sketchy at best, it seems that the cause of the riot was the refusal of two residents, James and Sarah Morris, to hand over their children, six month old Kayla and two year old Jessie, to an organization tentatively identified as the "Friends of Humanity". Apparently, the children in question had been recently exposed at their local daycare center as being mutants. One moment.." Xander and Marie both stared intently at the speaker in the ceiling, wearing identical expressions of concern, though neither noticed the other, " ..I have just been informed that none of the Morris family has survived the riot and that several "Friends of Humanity" members have been taken into custody, it is not known at this time what if any specific charges will be brought against them." Xander glanced at Marie and noticed her wiping roughly at her eyes with her gloved hand. " Here," he said gently, handing her a napkin from the dispenser. Silently, she took it from him, dabbing at the tears that continued to well in her eyes as they listened to the continuation of the broadcast " We have a live commentary from Senator Kelly on Capital Hill, who has been made aware of this tragedy." Xander rolled his eyes disgustedly, waiting to hear what the bigoted Senator would have to say. " While I certainly do not condone the murder of any American citizen, be it human or mutant," the Senator said, " This is clear evidence of the need to pass the Mutant Registration Act. It provisions for the establishment of both integrated and separate housing communities, so those who have issues living in the same neighborhood as mutants do not have to do so, while those who do not see the threat mutants pose to our society, may live near them. I honestly believe that this horrific tragedy could have been avoided if the Senate had passed the act when I first introduced it months ago instead of allowing it to be bogged down in debate on the floor." The station concluded the report, transitioning back to music, and Xander and Marie sat in silence, each mulling over the report.
" God, I hope that act gets passed soon" Tammy interrupted their thoughts, setting the drinks on the table. " I'd hate to serve some mutant. I mean, what if they didn't like their order? Or just didn't feel like paying? They could make my head explode or something like that". * Which would be a vast improvement * both Xander and Marie thought at the same time. " You don't see the danger in something like that?" Xander spoke up, causing both girls to stare at him. " What do you mean? The act is to reveal the danger of mutants in our society. Not all of them can be identified on sight you know, some look like normal people. For all I know, you and.is it Marie?..could both be mutants" Tammy laughed, as if the idea were the most ridiculous in the world, not noticing how Marie suddenly went rigid. Xander however, caught the tensing of her muscles, and things started to make a lot more sense. " The danger of that act is there's no clearly defined stopping point. Are only mutants who have powers to be registered? Or are they including simple physical mutations like scales or an extra finger or something, even if they just look different? And if they want to get technical, what about birth defects? Many of them are caused by minor mutations in genes in development. Who has the final say in what counts as mutation? I just think this whole thing is going to get a lot uglier if they actually try registering American citizens based on genetic differences; or have we learned nothing from Nazi Germany?" he finished, aware that his tirade had had profoundly different effects on the two women.
Tammy was staring at him as if he'd sprouted a third eye, while Marie was actually smiling, something close to admiration in her eyes. " Can I take your order?" Tammy asked Marie, clearly wanting to change the subject. " Ah think Ah'll just stick with the milkshake" she replied. Noticing the look Xander was giving her, she added, " After hearing about that, Ah don't think Ah could keep anything down right now." Resigned, Xander just nodded and sipped his as Marie handed her menu back to Tammy. " Take your time" Tammy said, walking off, all thoughts of Xander as possible boyfriend material fading from her mind. Xander watched Marie quietly work on her milkshake, gathering up his courage. Finally he asked, " You're a mutant, aren't you Marie?"
( Author's note: Yes, I'm evil, leaving it off on a cliffhanger like this. I blame Marie, it was her idea. As for the formatting on dialogue, I know it could use some work, but I just type as it all flies into my head, and I'm still trying to wrap my brain around the concept of easy to type isn't always the easiest to read.)
Disclaimer: I sadly own neither X-Men nor Buffy the Vampire Slayer. Nicholas Brendon and Anna Paquin own themselves, I'm fairly certain. I'm just borrowing Xander and Marie for a bit, I'll return them no more harmed than their owners have harmed them. Tammy is mine. However, the opinions she expresses are her sole property, and not endorsed by the author of this fic. I am personally against the Mutant Registration Act.
Dedication: To my wonderful fiancée. I love you!!! 'nuff said.
Special Thanks: To my reviewers. Thanks for putting up with the sporadic nature of these updates. It looks like I'm going to have a couple more 50+ hr work weeks ahead of me before the summer's over. Yea.I hate it too...
And now true believers, we return to our semi-regularly scheduled fic
Tammy leaned back against an empty booth with a relieved sigh as she watched the last of the late night customers exit the diner. With a smile, she closed her eyes and was about to indulge in a fantasy about the handsome young man who had flirted with her not even an hour ago * Alexander * she thought * I mean Xander. I hope he gives Uncle Dave a call and decides to stick around for a little while...maybe a long while *. It'd been a long while since she'd had a boyfriend who hadn't grown up in the same area as she had and most of them had come to view her as a little sister, hence unsuitable for continued dating. As a result, she had plenty of guy friends, but sometimes she wished for a little more * Definitely, some fresh blood wouldn't be a bad thing around here * she thought. Further thoughts of Xander were interrupted by the chime of the bell attached to the diner's front door. Groaning, Tammy opened her eyes and glanced in the direction of the sound, taking note of a slender figure in a beaten up green trench coat and holding an even more beaten up duffel standing in the doorway, glancing furtively around, as if she wasn't used to being in such brightly lit areas. Pushing herself away from the booth, Tammy headed towards the young woman, steeling her heart for what she knew she had to do; it wasn't easy to turn away the homeless who'd wander in from time to time looking for change or to use the restrooms, but the diner's policy strictly laid out that restrooms were for paying customers only and that change was not to be given except in exchange for cash money or as part of a bill. She was about to launch into the well learned, polite, speech asking the young woman to please leave when the runaway turned and faced her head on. Her dark eyes were the most telling feature of her young face, Tammy decided, trying not to see the pain and fear in them, as she soundlessly worked her mouth, struggling to bring the words that would turn the poor girl back into the night into her mouth.
Fortunately, the second chime from the door saved her from having to say anything. " You know, for a short girl who obviously hasn't had anything in awhile, Marie, you sure have a lot of energy. Most people don't run headlong through parking lots late at night without looking around" Xander said, coming up behind her and placing his hand on her shoulder with a gentle squeeze , " Well, ok so I do it, but usually cause something really nasty's chasing me, but most normal people don't" he added. The young runaway blushed slightly, a small smile tugging at her lips, " Ah can't help it if you're just slow. And how often do nasty things chase you?" she asked curiously, " Don't tell me you play knight in shining armor on a regular basis". Seeing an opening Tammy quickly grabbed the two's attention, " Hi, I'm Tammy, and I'll be your waitress tonight here at the Moon Song. Do you need a table for two, or will anyone else be joining you?". Throwing a curious glance in Xander's direction she added, " Just couldn't get enough when you were here earlier, huh Xander?". " Table for two will be fine," He answered, " And how could I stay away from an all night diner with great food and a beautiful waitress." Tammy beamed and began leading the pair to an out of the way table, a thousand questions running through her mind. The girl was obviously a runaway, did that mean Xander was too? What else could be possibly want with her if he wasn't a runaway himself? A few answers quickly popped into her head, none of them pleasant and she even more quickly brushed them away. She didn't know how she knew, but something told her that Xander wasn't the type to take advantage of someone in need of help. * What was that she said, about knight in shining armor ? * Glancing back, she saw clearly the dark purple bruise on Xander's jaw and the questions in her mind intensified. * I'll ask later * she decided. Waving at the table, she asked " Will this be alright?"
" It's fine with me," Xander said, smiling as he turned to his companion, " what do you think Marie?" ." Yea, it's fine" she replied quietly, sliding into a chair without another word and setting her duffel under the table, looking anywhere but at Xander or Tammy. Xander plunked down into the chair across from her and smiled as Tammy handed him two menus. " So what can I start you two off with?" she asked, pulling a pen and pad from her greasy apron. " I'll just have a coffee," Xander said, " But I think Marie here will start out with a nice, thick, strawberry milkshake. She may need a few minutes with the menu though before she'll be ready to order anything else." Tammy smiled and took Xander's menu back from him as he set the other in front of Marie, "Go ahead and take your time with the menu I'll be right back with your drinks" Tammy smiled prettily and strolled off to place the drink order, trying not to show her discomfort at Marie's presence. " You don't have to do this you know." Marie whispered, staring intently at the table top, " Ah'm not some charity case. Ah can take care of myself, Ah have been for the past couple months and Ah'm still here, so Ah must be doing something right." Xander reached over, intending to lift her chin so he could see her eyes when she jerked back slightly, staring at him like he was crazy. He made a mental note of her reaction, and brushed it aside for the moment, meeting her eyes, " I know I don't have to Marie. I want to. Like I told you earlier, I've seen too many young people put in the ground before their time. If there's something I can do to prevent that by even one night for someone, I'm going to."
Marie let his words sink in, trying to make sense of them.* What kind of life has he had that he's so familiar with death at only eighteen * she wondered opening the menu and fighting to ignore the rumbling of her stomach as she perused the selection. They sat in comfortable silence for a bit, Marie studying the menu with Xander studying her, listening to the soft country music being played over the radio. * Why'd she pull away? I wasn't going to hurt her * he wondered. Something primal, what he'd come to recognize as the hyena, tugged at his mind as he recalled her warning the vamp not to touch her, that he'd get hurt, and then their mutual reaction to his touching her. * Her scent is off * the hyena whispered in his mind * Dangerous, wild..rogue..she has no pack * He shook it off, as he always did. The hyena was something he'd really rather have left buried, he didn't care for the memories of his actions when it'd possessed him completely sophomore year. He was about to ask if she'd found anything interesting when the sound of a news report breaking in in the middle of a song caught both of their attention.
" Rioting has broken out in a Knoxville suburb this evening," a man's voice said, and behind it was clearly the sound of emergency vehicles and shouting, " Though details are sketchy at best, it seems that the cause of the riot was the refusal of two residents, James and Sarah Morris, to hand over their children, six month old Kayla and two year old Jessie, to an organization tentatively identified as the "Friends of Humanity". Apparently, the children in question had been recently exposed at their local daycare center as being mutants. One moment.." Xander and Marie both stared intently at the speaker in the ceiling, wearing identical expressions of concern, though neither noticed the other, " ..I have just been informed that none of the Morris family has survived the riot and that several "Friends of Humanity" members have been taken into custody, it is not known at this time what if any specific charges will be brought against them." Xander glanced at Marie and noticed her wiping roughly at her eyes with her gloved hand. " Here," he said gently, handing her a napkin from the dispenser. Silently, she took it from him, dabbing at the tears that continued to well in her eyes as they listened to the continuation of the broadcast " We have a live commentary from Senator Kelly on Capital Hill, who has been made aware of this tragedy." Xander rolled his eyes disgustedly, waiting to hear what the bigoted Senator would have to say. " While I certainly do not condone the murder of any American citizen, be it human or mutant," the Senator said, " This is clear evidence of the need to pass the Mutant Registration Act. It provisions for the establishment of both integrated and separate housing communities, so those who have issues living in the same neighborhood as mutants do not have to do so, while those who do not see the threat mutants pose to our society, may live near them. I honestly believe that this horrific tragedy could have been avoided if the Senate had passed the act when I first introduced it months ago instead of allowing it to be bogged down in debate on the floor." The station concluded the report, transitioning back to music, and Xander and Marie sat in silence, each mulling over the report.
" God, I hope that act gets passed soon" Tammy interrupted their thoughts, setting the drinks on the table. " I'd hate to serve some mutant. I mean, what if they didn't like their order? Or just didn't feel like paying? They could make my head explode or something like that". * Which would be a vast improvement * both Xander and Marie thought at the same time. " You don't see the danger in something like that?" Xander spoke up, causing both girls to stare at him. " What do you mean? The act is to reveal the danger of mutants in our society. Not all of them can be identified on sight you know, some look like normal people. For all I know, you and.is it Marie?..could both be mutants" Tammy laughed, as if the idea were the most ridiculous in the world, not noticing how Marie suddenly went rigid. Xander however, caught the tensing of her muscles, and things started to make a lot more sense. " The danger of that act is there's no clearly defined stopping point. Are only mutants who have powers to be registered? Or are they including simple physical mutations like scales or an extra finger or something, even if they just look different? And if they want to get technical, what about birth defects? Many of them are caused by minor mutations in genes in development. Who has the final say in what counts as mutation? I just think this whole thing is going to get a lot uglier if they actually try registering American citizens based on genetic differences; or have we learned nothing from Nazi Germany?" he finished, aware that his tirade had had profoundly different effects on the two women.
Tammy was staring at him as if he'd sprouted a third eye, while Marie was actually smiling, something close to admiration in her eyes. " Can I take your order?" Tammy asked Marie, clearly wanting to change the subject. " Ah think Ah'll just stick with the milkshake" she replied. Noticing the look Xander was giving her, she added, " After hearing about that, Ah don't think Ah could keep anything down right now." Resigned, Xander just nodded and sipped his as Marie handed her menu back to Tammy. " Take your time" Tammy said, walking off, all thoughts of Xander as possible boyfriend material fading from her mind. Xander watched Marie quietly work on her milkshake, gathering up his courage. Finally he asked, " You're a mutant, aren't you Marie?"
( Author's note: Yes, I'm evil, leaving it off on a cliffhanger like this. I blame Marie, it was her idea. As for the formatting on dialogue, I know it could use some work, but I just type as it all flies into my head, and I'm still trying to wrap my brain around the concept of easy to type isn't always the easiest to read.)