Nocturnal Visitations

"Well this is one project that's going to have to wait until the morning," Logan grumbled as they looked around and saw the huge piles of feathers. "Has Shipwreck taken that bird back yet?"

"Yes," Spirit nodded. Low Light and the Blind Master were with him as well. "They took the kids back too. We'd better be heading out. And I thought that business with the Hellions was a mess."

"Good thing you found us so fast," Low Light remarked.

"It was easy," Spirit told him. "Between myself and Logan we were able to track you down."

"Please," Logan waved. "Those jokers left such and obvious trail a blind person could follow it. No offense." He looked at the Blind Master.

"None taken," Blind Master grinned. "See you in the morning."

************************************************************************

You would think after a day like today I would fall asleep easily…Kurt thought as he teleported to the kitchen.

To both their surprise he teleported right in front of Amanda. "Yikes!" He gasped.

"What are you doing here?" They both asked at the same time. "I couldn't sleep…" Both snickered as they realized what they had done.

"Is it a bad sign when you start thinking like your boyfriend?" Amanda asked with a grin.

"In this case, probably," Kurt smiled. "So what are you doing down here?"

"I just needed to get some warm milk," Amanda sighed. "I keep thinking about my mother."

"I'm sorry things have been so crazy lately we haven't had a chance to talk," Kurt apologized as he sat down.

"Don't be," Amanda waved. "Actually in a way this has kind of helped me take my mind off my problems. Is it always like this around here?"

"No. Well maybe a little," Kurt sighed. "It's usually not as crazy 24-7. I mean for some reason it seems like things have really piled up this week."

Amanda sighed. "I just can't get it out of my head. My own mother lied to me about who she was and what she could do all this time. Why couldn't she tell me? Was she that afraid of how I'd react?"

"Maybe," Kurt said. "Or maybe she just really did want you to lead a normal life."

"Well shouldn't it be my choice to decide how 'normal' I want my life to be?" Amanda asked. "And who's to say what's normal?"

"True," Fred walked in. "I mean take a look at your dating situation for starters."

"What are you doing here?" Kurt asked.

"I got hungry," Fred told him. "There's nothing left back in our place."

"So you'd eat our food?" Kurt grumbled. "Why not?"

"Hey!" Fred looked in the fridge. "There's nothing in here but birdseed!"

"Blame your stupid parrot for that," Kurt told him.

"Polly's Shipwreck's parrot not mine," Fred told him. "Now Amanda, about your problem…"

"Blob now is not the time for this!" Kurt grumbled. "Besides it's nothing you would understand."

"Actually I've been doing a bit of reading on this subject," Fred told him. "And I have had some life experiences on this as well."

"Life experiences?" Amanda looked at him.

"Well yeah," Fred told her. "I got a mom too ya know. Of course I haven't seen her since I was a baby. She kinda gave me up to my grandmother to raise. I mean okay maybe she didn't want a kid hanging around her but if you look at it logically she probably knew she couldn't take care of me and her lifestyle ain't exactly perfect for child rearing."

"Fred I'm sorry. I had no idea. What does she do?" Amanda asked.

"Well she started out wanting to be a Vegas showgirl," Fred told her. "Ended up as a stripper. Then she made a career change. Ten years ago she sent me a postcard saying that she was going to become an agent of the glorious people's revolution. I don't have any idea where she is but I know the postcard was from China."

"Oh…" Amanda blinked.

"Of course a few years ago I heard a rumor from one of my cousins in the circus that she was last spotted in Russia on the arm of some mob boss," Fred shrugged. "But then again who knows what she's really doing. I mean my cousins have habits of stretching the truth a bit. Like the time they claimed they were swallowed alive by a python, that never happened. They were only bitten by a couple dozen rattlesnakes. What were we talking about again?"

"About my mother lying to me all these years…" Amanda said. "Although after listening to you it does put things into perspective."

"That's why the two of you get along so well," Fred told them. "Both of you have very tolerant natures. I mean look at him; he practically forgives that psycho witch of a mother of his for all the lousy stuff she's done to him. So in retrospect Amanda you've got it pretty easy."

"Now the Blob is psycho-analyzing our relationship at two in the morning," Kurt moaned. "Can this night possibly get any…" He heard a loud shout and a zap from upstairs. "Worse?"

"You guys really have to learn to stop saying things like that!" Fred grumbled.

They went upstairs and saw Shipwreck running by them being chased by an angry Ororo in her nightgown. "COME BACK HERE AND DIE LIKE A MAN!" She shouted.

"What is going on here?" Logan walked down the hall wearing only his pajama bottoms.

The other X-Men had congregated in the halls. "It looks like Shipwreck stayed behind for a little visit," Scott told him.

"And he's not the only Joe here," Jean pointed.

Jinx walked out wearing only a blue pajama top. "Uh…What's going on?"

"AND YOU HAVE THE NERVE TO LECTURE US ABOUT OUR SEX LIVES?" Rogue yelled.

"We are never going to get any sleep tonight," Kurt sighed.

Next: Ever wonder what a dragon thinks about? Find out in the next chapter and a whole new adventure begins. Again…