Meaning of Christmas and all that stuff
By Todd Fan
Disclaimer: "I never liked a girl well enough to give her 12 sharp knives"
***
Tee hee, nice to see i'm torturing you all with whom Wanda's married to. You won't find out until chapter 7....yes i'm THAT evil. And now, i shall show i can still do Rietro!
***
Chapter 5 - Past heartaches
***
Pietro glanced around as the scenery around them shifted again, this time to a Christmas party in the offices of what would one day become 'Alvers & Maximoff Mutant Security Company'. A large group of mutants were celebrating cheerfully. The tune to 'I wish it could be Christmas Everyday' droned out of one of the speakers in the room. There was the sound of clinking glasses as a Tabby in her early twenties stood up on a table.
"Hey all you happy people!", she said cheerfully, "are you enjoying the paaaarrrrrtyyyyy?"
A resounding sounds of 'whooos' came from the crowd.
"Good 'ol Tabby, always ready for a laugh", chuckled Pietro, then blinked as a 20 year old version of himself sped past, muttering as he looked at sheets of numbers.
"Pie, Pie, Pie", said a younger, living Lance, taking the sheets off him, "we are supposed to be having fun, now sit still and listen to Tab's speech, huh?"
"But we have to get...", started young Pietro before giving a defeated sigh and sitting down, letting Tabby continue.
"We have great reasons to celebrate this Christmas Eve", said Tabby, then sighed, "but also a time to reflect. It's been three years since Kurt's death, and much has changed since then. With our 'Reach-Out-To-Mutant's Scheme', we can get the sentinel blocking technology to mutant family's across the globe. Thanks, Forge, we couldn't do it without your techno brain"
A younger, living Forge gave an embaressed cough as the crowd clapped. Pietro glanced over to his deceased counterpart, who mearly motioned for him to keep listening to Tabitha's speech.
"With Lance helping us out with our books, and Pietro using his speed to get the SCS's to home faster than ever, i think we can really start saving lives", said Tabitha, "we're doing a good thing, here people. Now enough about feeling low down, LETS PARRRRTYYYY!".
Tabby danced off the table she had stood on for her speech and danced off along the tables, shoomsing along the way.
"Okay", said Pietro, "so what are you trying to show me here? That Tabby can throw a great shindig?"
"No", said Forge patiently, "just trying to show you the good thing she had going, until you and Lance wreaked it".
"We didn't wreak it!", protested Pietro, "we made it better"
He watched as Lance snuggled up to Kitty, a gorgeous engagement ring on her finger. He glanced around at the party guests...so many mutants were not there who should have been. He sighed as he saw his younger self grab more books and speed off to go back to work.
"...Guess my mind wasn't on partying", he said as of a way of excuse.
"Was it ever?", said Forge.
The scene suddenly changed again, going forward a few years....yet staying in the same office. Pietro blinked as he saw himself and a living Lance going through some paperwork. There was a resounding SLAM of a door and Tabby stormed in, her face filled with anger.
"What the HECK is going on?", she snapped, glaring at the two men, "Roberto just said you were charging him for his SCS"
"Yes, we did", said Lance, chuckling, "you know the price people will pay for protection, we should have done this a LONG time ago"
Tabby, narrowed her eyes.
"The whole point of this was to give them away for free, to HELP people! There shouldn't be a price on freedom, on safety!"
"Well, we can't exactly re-produce them anymore", said Pietro smugly, "you know what they say about anyone's works, as soon as the bloke that made them is dead, they go up in price...'cause there won't be anymore".
The older Pietro chuckled at his younger self's wit.
"Eight hours, Pietro", said Forge quietly from where he was stood behind him, "i had been dead for eight hours, and you two were already making a profit from it"
Pietro shrugged.
"Hey, i don't wait around for anyone", he replied, "especially not a corpse"
"Now that the FOH have instaled all of that new mutant-killing technology on those sentinels, they need to be available to people more than ever!", shouted Tabby.
"Oh and who GAVE the FOH their technology?", said Pietro, "that traitor deserves all he got".
The older Pietro winced, glancing over to the spectral Forge.
"I.....didn't mean that"
"You can't lie to the dead, Pietro", said Forge, his voice emotionless, looking straight ahead.
"Well....i didn't know what you'd been through".
Silence.
"Okay, so i knew, i was just trying to make a profit, okay, you happy now, MR Ghost of Christmas Past?"
"Shadup and pay attention to what's happening", replied Forge
"I want OUT of this", said Tabby, "i want nothing to do with you two while you're sucking the money out of people for something that should be free!"
"Sure, whatever", said Pietro, waving his hand as he went back to his books.
"Don't let the door hit you on the way out", chuckled Lance as the door slammed shut, heralding Tabby's depature.
"That was the last time i saw her alive", said Pietro quietly as he watched the scene, "...she was attacked by a sentinel a few hours later"
"I know", said Forge, "come on, time we see ANOTHER lady"
The scene changed once more, this time, to inside a general store. Pietro saw a 29 year old version of himself pushing past a crowd of people.
"Ah hah!", he said joyously, reaching out and grabbing the last tin of canned tomatoes...only to have another hand grab it at the same time.
"Hey!", said a southern voice Pietro knew only too well.
The younger version of Pietro came face to face with Rouge. She gasped seeing him, then smiled.
"Oh...hello Pietro", she said, "...how're you doing?"
The younger Pietro grinned back.
"I'm doing great, Rogue..haven't seen you for AGES, wow, were'd you been?"
The older Pietro watched as the pair launched into conversation.
"She'd been living in New Orleans with the Cajun idiot", he said, "..she'd come back to Bayville after Remy died...we got to talking about old times. We got...close, i mean, how could she resist?"
"We have one more Christmas to visit", said Forge, "thankfully, man, i can't take much more of hanging around with you"
The scene changed to a much more recent time..in fact, Pietro figured it was only about a year from his present time. He and Rogue were sitting in a cafe, Rogue looking glumly into her coffee.
"No", said Pietro, watching the scene and shaking his eyes, "anything but THIS one, Forge...come on, have a heart!"
"I have a heart", said Forge, "it just stopped beating"
"Pietro", said Rogue after a long while, "a'h...a'h don't think we should see each other anymore"
Pietro blinked, before shaking his head and chuckling.
"I doubt you'll say that after seeing THIS", he said, pulling out a very expensive looking diamond engagement ring, "marry me, Rogue"
Rogue stared at the ring before sighing.
"Pietro, you're not listening to me", she said, "come on, Lance was MURDERED a month ago...Kitty's a mess, and you, you didn't show up at his funeral, you didn't offer Kitty a word of condolence"
"Okay, i'll do that", said Pietro, then sighed, "what has this got to do with you not wanting to marry me?"
"Because i know that the money used to buy that ring came from mutant familys so they could be safe. You took it away, so they barely have enough to eat. A'h...a'h can't marry a man like that. To you, everything has a price tag, even love!".
Pietro narrowed his eyes, closing up the ring box.
"I'm only providing a service"
"Providing a service?", sneered Rogue, standing up, "Pietro, you are CHARGING for a service that Tabby and Forge gave for free. If they could see this now...they would be pretty damn angry"
"She's got that one right", muttered Forge.
"Rogue, wait!", said Pietro standing up, but Rogue was already leaving the cafe. Pietro sighed, pocketing the ring and going back to his coffee.
"I should have gone after her", said Pietro with a shuddery sigh as he watched, "..oh man....i....i miss her so much"
Forge rolled his eyes as Pietro gave a quiet sob.
"You mean i showed you all that stuff and the only thing that gets to you is your love life?", he said, "man, typical you. Self, self, self".
"I don't want to see any more", said Pietro quietly, "you hear me, Forge?. NO MORE!"
He spun around, finding Forge had gone. He blinked, spinning around in a circle...he was back in his appartment....completely alone.
"That.....was weird"
***
And thus Pietro's journey through the past ends. In the next chapter, meet the Ghost of Christmas Present. Do review. Until next time....
By Todd Fan
Disclaimer: "I never liked a girl well enough to give her 12 sharp knives"
***
Tee hee, nice to see i'm torturing you all with whom Wanda's married to. You won't find out until chapter 7....yes i'm THAT evil. And now, i shall show i can still do Rietro!
***
Chapter 5 - Past heartaches
***
Pietro glanced around as the scenery around them shifted again, this time to a Christmas party in the offices of what would one day become 'Alvers & Maximoff Mutant Security Company'. A large group of mutants were celebrating cheerfully. The tune to 'I wish it could be Christmas Everyday' droned out of one of the speakers in the room. There was the sound of clinking glasses as a Tabby in her early twenties stood up on a table.
"Hey all you happy people!", she said cheerfully, "are you enjoying the paaaarrrrrtyyyyy?"
A resounding sounds of 'whooos' came from the crowd.
"Good 'ol Tabby, always ready for a laugh", chuckled Pietro, then blinked as a 20 year old version of himself sped past, muttering as he looked at sheets of numbers.
"Pie, Pie, Pie", said a younger, living Lance, taking the sheets off him, "we are supposed to be having fun, now sit still and listen to Tab's speech, huh?"
"But we have to get...", started young Pietro before giving a defeated sigh and sitting down, letting Tabby continue.
"We have great reasons to celebrate this Christmas Eve", said Tabby, then sighed, "but also a time to reflect. It's been three years since Kurt's death, and much has changed since then. With our 'Reach-Out-To-Mutant's Scheme', we can get the sentinel blocking technology to mutant family's across the globe. Thanks, Forge, we couldn't do it without your techno brain"
A younger, living Forge gave an embaressed cough as the crowd clapped. Pietro glanced over to his deceased counterpart, who mearly motioned for him to keep listening to Tabitha's speech.
"With Lance helping us out with our books, and Pietro using his speed to get the SCS's to home faster than ever, i think we can really start saving lives", said Tabitha, "we're doing a good thing, here people. Now enough about feeling low down, LETS PARRRRTYYYY!".
Tabby danced off the table she had stood on for her speech and danced off along the tables, shoomsing along the way.
"Okay", said Pietro, "so what are you trying to show me here? That Tabby can throw a great shindig?"
"No", said Forge patiently, "just trying to show you the good thing she had going, until you and Lance wreaked it".
"We didn't wreak it!", protested Pietro, "we made it better"
He watched as Lance snuggled up to Kitty, a gorgeous engagement ring on her finger. He glanced around at the party guests...so many mutants were not there who should have been. He sighed as he saw his younger self grab more books and speed off to go back to work.
"...Guess my mind wasn't on partying", he said as of a way of excuse.
"Was it ever?", said Forge.
The scene suddenly changed again, going forward a few years....yet staying in the same office. Pietro blinked as he saw himself and a living Lance going through some paperwork. There was a resounding SLAM of a door and Tabby stormed in, her face filled with anger.
"What the HECK is going on?", she snapped, glaring at the two men, "Roberto just said you were charging him for his SCS"
"Yes, we did", said Lance, chuckling, "you know the price people will pay for protection, we should have done this a LONG time ago"
Tabby, narrowed her eyes.
"The whole point of this was to give them away for free, to HELP people! There shouldn't be a price on freedom, on safety!"
"Well, we can't exactly re-produce them anymore", said Pietro smugly, "you know what they say about anyone's works, as soon as the bloke that made them is dead, they go up in price...'cause there won't be anymore".
The older Pietro chuckled at his younger self's wit.
"Eight hours, Pietro", said Forge quietly from where he was stood behind him, "i had been dead for eight hours, and you two were already making a profit from it"
Pietro shrugged.
"Hey, i don't wait around for anyone", he replied, "especially not a corpse"
"Now that the FOH have instaled all of that new mutant-killing technology on those sentinels, they need to be available to people more than ever!", shouted Tabby.
"Oh and who GAVE the FOH their technology?", said Pietro, "that traitor deserves all he got".
The older Pietro winced, glancing over to the spectral Forge.
"I.....didn't mean that"
"You can't lie to the dead, Pietro", said Forge, his voice emotionless, looking straight ahead.
"Well....i didn't know what you'd been through".
Silence.
"Okay, so i knew, i was just trying to make a profit, okay, you happy now, MR Ghost of Christmas Past?"
"Shadup and pay attention to what's happening", replied Forge
"I want OUT of this", said Tabby, "i want nothing to do with you two while you're sucking the money out of people for something that should be free!"
"Sure, whatever", said Pietro, waving his hand as he went back to his books.
"Don't let the door hit you on the way out", chuckled Lance as the door slammed shut, heralding Tabby's depature.
"That was the last time i saw her alive", said Pietro quietly as he watched the scene, "...she was attacked by a sentinel a few hours later"
"I know", said Forge, "come on, time we see ANOTHER lady"
The scene changed once more, this time, to inside a general store. Pietro saw a 29 year old version of himself pushing past a crowd of people.
"Ah hah!", he said joyously, reaching out and grabbing the last tin of canned tomatoes...only to have another hand grab it at the same time.
"Hey!", said a southern voice Pietro knew only too well.
The younger version of Pietro came face to face with Rouge. She gasped seeing him, then smiled.
"Oh...hello Pietro", she said, "...how're you doing?"
The younger Pietro grinned back.
"I'm doing great, Rogue..haven't seen you for AGES, wow, were'd you been?"
The older Pietro watched as the pair launched into conversation.
"She'd been living in New Orleans with the Cajun idiot", he said, "..she'd come back to Bayville after Remy died...we got to talking about old times. We got...close, i mean, how could she resist?"
"We have one more Christmas to visit", said Forge, "thankfully, man, i can't take much more of hanging around with you"
The scene changed to a much more recent time..in fact, Pietro figured it was only about a year from his present time. He and Rogue were sitting in a cafe, Rogue looking glumly into her coffee.
"No", said Pietro, watching the scene and shaking his eyes, "anything but THIS one, Forge...come on, have a heart!"
"I have a heart", said Forge, "it just stopped beating"
"Pietro", said Rogue after a long while, "a'h...a'h don't think we should see each other anymore"
Pietro blinked, before shaking his head and chuckling.
"I doubt you'll say that after seeing THIS", he said, pulling out a very expensive looking diamond engagement ring, "marry me, Rogue"
Rogue stared at the ring before sighing.
"Pietro, you're not listening to me", she said, "come on, Lance was MURDERED a month ago...Kitty's a mess, and you, you didn't show up at his funeral, you didn't offer Kitty a word of condolence"
"Okay, i'll do that", said Pietro, then sighed, "what has this got to do with you not wanting to marry me?"
"Because i know that the money used to buy that ring came from mutant familys so they could be safe. You took it away, so they barely have enough to eat. A'h...a'h can't marry a man like that. To you, everything has a price tag, even love!".
Pietro narrowed his eyes, closing up the ring box.
"I'm only providing a service"
"Providing a service?", sneered Rogue, standing up, "Pietro, you are CHARGING for a service that Tabby and Forge gave for free. If they could see this now...they would be pretty damn angry"
"She's got that one right", muttered Forge.
"Rogue, wait!", said Pietro standing up, but Rogue was already leaving the cafe. Pietro sighed, pocketing the ring and going back to his coffee.
"I should have gone after her", said Pietro with a shuddery sigh as he watched, "..oh man....i....i miss her so much"
Forge rolled his eyes as Pietro gave a quiet sob.
"You mean i showed you all that stuff and the only thing that gets to you is your love life?", he said, "man, typical you. Self, self, self".
"I don't want to see any more", said Pietro quietly, "you hear me, Forge?. NO MORE!"
He spun around, finding Forge had gone. He blinked, spinning around in a circle...he was back in his appartment....completely alone.
"That.....was weird"
***
And thus Pietro's journey through the past ends. In the next chapter, meet the Ghost of Christmas Present. Do review. Until next time....