Magneto and Charlie take themselves out to the X-Van, and Kurt, Logan,
Ororo, Jean, and Katherine make their way down to the changing room.
"He's absolutely wrong," Katherine says confidently to no one in particular as they head down the stairs. "There's no one stalking us, there couldn't be."
"At least we don't have to make no more small talk with Maggie," Logan growls. "I couldn't take much more o' that."
"I wonder if it's a cute stalker?" Jean babbles on.
They reach the changing room door at the bottom of the stairs (it's in the basement), which is aptly labelled, "Changing Room".
"Anyone got the key?" Logan asks.
"Nope."
"Oh, that's alright then, cuz I've got it." Logan shoves the key firmly in the lock.
"Ha ha, Volvie dude," Kurt says sarcastically, not impressed.
"Here you go, ladies," Logan says firmly, sweeping Kurt out of the way and holding him back to let the "ladies" past.
"Ach! Let go of my tail, Logan!" Kurt complains.
"Quit whingin', Blue Boy. I'm getting a lust for blood now."
While the X-Men get changed, Charlie and Magneto sit in the X-Van. Magneto is knitting himself a long black and red scarf and Charlie is happily babbling to himself about conspiracies, under the (wrong) impression Maggie is listening.
Charlie is about to start on about his great theory of the Banana Conspiracy when his X-Men, dressed in their expensive uniforms, appear. Without a word from any of them, Wolvie rips open the doors at the back of the van and they all climb in.
Charlie is sat proudly in the driver's seat. "Yes!" he cries triumphantly. "I get to drive!"
"I NEVER get to drive!" Ororo protests.
Katherine tuts to herself.
"Where are we going to look, Charlie?" Jean enquires. "I mean, how is this different from any other time?"
"While you wasted time getting changed," Charlie says, unaware of the fact that he told them to get changed, "Maggie dude came up with an amazing idea. So amazing, it might even put us up to twenty-ninth out of thirty on the Superhero Intelligence chart."
"Actually," Katherine butts in, "we already are twenty-ninth. Captain America is below us, simply for the reason that when you're frozen in ice, you don't tend to have amazing brainwave scans."
"Well, anyway, Maggie Dude's idea is that I use my telepathy to find Spider-Dude. Isn't that clever?"
Kurt secretly thinks it is, but since no one else says anything he doesn't either.
* * * * *
It is some time later and the X-Men have driven around in several big circles as Charlie insists he's found him this time. But every time there's no sign of the Spider, and no real sign of any stalkers.
Charlie slams on the breaks. "Hey! You see that woman over there?"
Everyone turns to the windows, peering out at a frail old woman with a walking stick.
"She is the stalker. I'd bet anything on it." Charlie grins. "She has to be, look at her."
"No, Charlie," Logan growls. "I don't think so, somehow. Keep looking."
There's a sudden flicker of shadow overhead. Seven heads look up as one and Jean and Logan yelp, "Spider-Man!" in unison.
"Follow that radioactive dude!" Charlie cries. "Oh, right, I'm driving." He hits the accelerator at a speed that impresses Kurt and they begin their stalking trail.
* * * * *
Some hours later. It's now nearly half ten, and Katherine feels about ready to get home and go to bed. They've been following Spider-Man all over the city, sometimes coming close enough to almost run him over when he's near the ground and other times losing sight of him all together.
But now he's come to a rest inside a large mansion.
"We know where he lives!" Charlie howls excitedly.
"No we don't, Charlie," Ororo says, with some sarcasm. "We know where we live. This is OUR house."
"Either way, the Spider's in our web now," Charlie replies importantly. "Ha, don't you think that was a great pun?"
"No," replies Jean honestly.
"Well, quit arguing with me and get inside and get him!"
This will prove harder than expected.
Logan, Jean, Ororo, Katherine and Kurt crowd around the front door. Spider- Man flew in through one of the open upstairs bedroom windows but times call for a more conventional entrance for the X-Men.
Logan pops his claws ready and sniffs. "Everyone split up. If you find him, yell like hell."
All five of them take separate directions. Katherine glides through the walls in the hope of surprising him. Kurt teleports in and out of every room, scanning the darkness with his glowing yellow eyes, and then going to the next one. Logan uses his heightened senses to hunt down his prey. Jean attempts to sense him with her mind, and Ororo... Ororo just peers around doorframes in the hope that someone else will find him before her. Not one of them bothers to put the light on.
This is probably why Ororo and Jean walk straight into each other. "Waaaaaaaarrrghhhhhh!"
Jean recovers quicker. "What the hell are you doing?"
"Same thing as you. Screaming like hell because someone just walked into me."
The two lean against a wall to rest and relax their nerves a little when a second scream echoes down the corridor.
Logan, hearing two different sets of screams, is confused. "They can't both have got the kid... unless there's TWO of Spider-Man... oh, that cheating piece of scum!" He runs in the general direction of Jean and Ororo's screams.
Katherine, having found Spider-Man, had done as Wolverine had said and "yelled like hell". However, no one was coming to her aid. Fine, she figures. Well, I'll do it myself then.
Katherine had been known to be pretty good at kicking butt when she felt like it, and she guesses now is a pretty good time to show that off once again. Only... how to trap him??? The two superheroes stare at each other across the room, which happens to be Logan's bedroom. They size each other up cautiously. Katherine is backed up against a wall. Spider-Man shoots a strand of web at her, expecting to trap her, but she leans back and phases straight through the wall, leaving him stuck to the wall by webbing for just long enough for Katherine to come back and get around and kick him from behind.
Spider-Man gives a groan of pain and falls to the ground. Katherine, sensing victory, pulls over a conveniently-placed bookcase on top of him, making him unable to move. "WOLVER-RIIINE!" Katherine yells.
Logan, Kurt, Ororo and Jean are all standing around, still getting over the shock of having walked, run, or teleported into each other. "Kitty needs our help!" Logan cries. All five wander towards Wolvie's bedroom.
"I got him I got him I got him!" Katherine squeals. "I did it, I did it, I did it! I caught him!"
Spider-Man, lying pathetically on his back, looks up at them. "She cheated," he groans. "But it's nice to meet you. Wolverine, Nightcrawler, Jean Grey, and Storm, I believe?"
There are polite nods and agreeable noises. But Katherine gives a shriek of recognition. "I know that voice!"
Spider-Man groans again. "I'm sorry, Kathy."
"Peter Parker!" she pulls his mask off. "What are you doing pretending to be Spider-Man?"
"I AM Spider-Man, Kathy," Spider-Man sighs. "But I'm also Peter Parker, and that's... that's how I always knew when you were looking for me."
Katherine leans forward and slaps Peter round the face. There are gasps all round.
"Well, I'm sorry," Katherine says tartly. "But I told him that I was Shadowcat, I had a right to know this!" She pauses. "Oh, and Peter? You're dumped."
Jean looks hurt. "You never told me you had a boyfriend. And you certainly never told me he was Spider-Man."
Before Katherine gets a chance to give a smart reply, Logan drags the bookcase off of Spider-Man and ties him up with some handy string that happened to be in his pocket. "We're kidnapping you," Logan announces.
-------------------------------------------------------------
Even I didn't know that was going to happen. I'm sure someone did, but I didn't.
Any preferences for future added characters, anyone?
"He's absolutely wrong," Katherine says confidently to no one in particular as they head down the stairs. "There's no one stalking us, there couldn't be."
"At least we don't have to make no more small talk with Maggie," Logan growls. "I couldn't take much more o' that."
"I wonder if it's a cute stalker?" Jean babbles on.
They reach the changing room door at the bottom of the stairs (it's in the basement), which is aptly labelled, "Changing Room".
"Anyone got the key?" Logan asks.
"Nope."
"Oh, that's alright then, cuz I've got it." Logan shoves the key firmly in the lock.
"Ha ha, Volvie dude," Kurt says sarcastically, not impressed.
"Here you go, ladies," Logan says firmly, sweeping Kurt out of the way and holding him back to let the "ladies" past.
"Ach! Let go of my tail, Logan!" Kurt complains.
"Quit whingin', Blue Boy. I'm getting a lust for blood now."
While the X-Men get changed, Charlie and Magneto sit in the X-Van. Magneto is knitting himself a long black and red scarf and Charlie is happily babbling to himself about conspiracies, under the (wrong) impression Maggie is listening.
Charlie is about to start on about his great theory of the Banana Conspiracy when his X-Men, dressed in their expensive uniforms, appear. Without a word from any of them, Wolvie rips open the doors at the back of the van and they all climb in.
Charlie is sat proudly in the driver's seat. "Yes!" he cries triumphantly. "I get to drive!"
"I NEVER get to drive!" Ororo protests.
Katherine tuts to herself.
"Where are we going to look, Charlie?" Jean enquires. "I mean, how is this different from any other time?"
"While you wasted time getting changed," Charlie says, unaware of the fact that he told them to get changed, "Maggie dude came up with an amazing idea. So amazing, it might even put us up to twenty-ninth out of thirty on the Superhero Intelligence chart."
"Actually," Katherine butts in, "we already are twenty-ninth. Captain America is below us, simply for the reason that when you're frozen in ice, you don't tend to have amazing brainwave scans."
"Well, anyway, Maggie Dude's idea is that I use my telepathy to find Spider-Dude. Isn't that clever?"
Kurt secretly thinks it is, but since no one else says anything he doesn't either.
* * * * *
It is some time later and the X-Men have driven around in several big circles as Charlie insists he's found him this time. But every time there's no sign of the Spider, and no real sign of any stalkers.
Charlie slams on the breaks. "Hey! You see that woman over there?"
Everyone turns to the windows, peering out at a frail old woman with a walking stick.
"She is the stalker. I'd bet anything on it." Charlie grins. "She has to be, look at her."
"No, Charlie," Logan growls. "I don't think so, somehow. Keep looking."
There's a sudden flicker of shadow overhead. Seven heads look up as one and Jean and Logan yelp, "Spider-Man!" in unison.
"Follow that radioactive dude!" Charlie cries. "Oh, right, I'm driving." He hits the accelerator at a speed that impresses Kurt and they begin their stalking trail.
* * * * *
Some hours later. It's now nearly half ten, and Katherine feels about ready to get home and go to bed. They've been following Spider-Man all over the city, sometimes coming close enough to almost run him over when he's near the ground and other times losing sight of him all together.
But now he's come to a rest inside a large mansion.
"We know where he lives!" Charlie howls excitedly.
"No we don't, Charlie," Ororo says, with some sarcasm. "We know where we live. This is OUR house."
"Either way, the Spider's in our web now," Charlie replies importantly. "Ha, don't you think that was a great pun?"
"No," replies Jean honestly.
"Well, quit arguing with me and get inside and get him!"
This will prove harder than expected.
Logan, Jean, Ororo, Katherine and Kurt crowd around the front door. Spider- Man flew in through one of the open upstairs bedroom windows but times call for a more conventional entrance for the X-Men.
Logan pops his claws ready and sniffs. "Everyone split up. If you find him, yell like hell."
All five of them take separate directions. Katherine glides through the walls in the hope of surprising him. Kurt teleports in and out of every room, scanning the darkness with his glowing yellow eyes, and then going to the next one. Logan uses his heightened senses to hunt down his prey. Jean attempts to sense him with her mind, and Ororo... Ororo just peers around doorframes in the hope that someone else will find him before her. Not one of them bothers to put the light on.
This is probably why Ororo and Jean walk straight into each other. "Waaaaaaaarrrghhhhhh!"
Jean recovers quicker. "What the hell are you doing?"
"Same thing as you. Screaming like hell because someone just walked into me."
The two lean against a wall to rest and relax their nerves a little when a second scream echoes down the corridor.
Logan, hearing two different sets of screams, is confused. "They can't both have got the kid... unless there's TWO of Spider-Man... oh, that cheating piece of scum!" He runs in the general direction of Jean and Ororo's screams.
Katherine, having found Spider-Man, had done as Wolverine had said and "yelled like hell". However, no one was coming to her aid. Fine, she figures. Well, I'll do it myself then.
Katherine had been known to be pretty good at kicking butt when she felt like it, and she guesses now is a pretty good time to show that off once again. Only... how to trap him??? The two superheroes stare at each other across the room, which happens to be Logan's bedroom. They size each other up cautiously. Katherine is backed up against a wall. Spider-Man shoots a strand of web at her, expecting to trap her, but she leans back and phases straight through the wall, leaving him stuck to the wall by webbing for just long enough for Katherine to come back and get around and kick him from behind.
Spider-Man gives a groan of pain and falls to the ground. Katherine, sensing victory, pulls over a conveniently-placed bookcase on top of him, making him unable to move. "WOLVER-RIIINE!" Katherine yells.
Logan, Kurt, Ororo and Jean are all standing around, still getting over the shock of having walked, run, or teleported into each other. "Kitty needs our help!" Logan cries. All five wander towards Wolvie's bedroom.
"I got him I got him I got him!" Katherine squeals. "I did it, I did it, I did it! I caught him!"
Spider-Man, lying pathetically on his back, looks up at them. "She cheated," he groans. "But it's nice to meet you. Wolverine, Nightcrawler, Jean Grey, and Storm, I believe?"
There are polite nods and agreeable noises. But Katherine gives a shriek of recognition. "I know that voice!"
Spider-Man groans again. "I'm sorry, Kathy."
"Peter Parker!" she pulls his mask off. "What are you doing pretending to be Spider-Man?"
"I AM Spider-Man, Kathy," Spider-Man sighs. "But I'm also Peter Parker, and that's... that's how I always knew when you were looking for me."
Katherine leans forward and slaps Peter round the face. There are gasps all round.
"Well, I'm sorry," Katherine says tartly. "But I told him that I was Shadowcat, I had a right to know this!" She pauses. "Oh, and Peter? You're dumped."
Jean looks hurt. "You never told me you had a boyfriend. And you certainly never told me he was Spider-Man."
Before Katherine gets a chance to give a smart reply, Logan drags the bookcase off of Spider-Man and ties him up with some handy string that happened to be in his pocket. "We're kidnapping you," Logan announces.
-------------------------------------------------------------
Even I didn't know that was going to happen. I'm sure someone did, but I didn't.
Any preferences for future added characters, anyone?