Hmm…not as many reviews as usual…oh, well. Since FanFiction.net's been off and on around the time I posted, I'll blame technical difficulties. Maybe this chapter will do better. Yes, it's a bit late in posting, but gimme a break—I was on vacation! I put a lot of effort into it, and it took a LOT of time; first I wrote out an entire episode script from watching it on KaZaZ, then altered certain scenes both for continuity, and some just for the heck of it. But I did keep a lot of the scenes and jokes. The end result came out pretty cool…
On a side note…*does happy dance* X-MEN: EVOLUTION IS COMING BACK FOR A SEASON FOUR!!! AND IT'S ALSO COMING TO CARTOON NETWORK!!! SCHWEET!!! (If you don't believe me, check it our for yourself at comicscontinuum.com!)
Bunny Angel—Boy, you people sure love your Romy, don't you. Believe it or not, I got the quote from my 13-year-old brother; we were playing a word-association game, and he suddenly started reciting the whole thing! Read it in a boy scout manual a year or so ago…can you believe it?
Pyromaniac—Yeah, only time I give a signed review is when I'm already logged in. A St. John fan, huh? You'll like this chapter—I partially rewrote a few of the scenes so Pyro actually SPEAKS. *gasp* And of course Manda and Todd'll be in it. After all, TTTWATW focuses primarily on Wanda/Todd and Amanda/Kurt.
Eileen—Normally, I can't refuse a challenge, but I'm afraid I have to in this case. Work in school is getting more intense now that we're in the second quarter, and I'm nearing hell week for Anything Goes. And when that's done, I have 6-10pm review sessions for SATs coming up in April, May, and June. (They're out to kill me!) Basically, I'll just post whenever I have the time, even staying up late some nights to work on the fic. Hopefully, you'll still post up new chapters anyways! *puppy-dog eyes* pwetty pwease?
Lady MR—Wait…don't tell me you think this story is all happy-happy? You bring up a good point; it was like once Evan left, he ceased to ever exist. Seeing as I happen to be an Evan fan, this was something I would definitely have done better. I've decided to let the story play out on its own and see what happens—these things tend to have a mind of their own at times. The quotes I get from pretty much anywhere I can find them. I carry around a notebook and constantly write a good one when I see/hear it. The quote below, for example, was said by the Astronomy teacher at my school earlier this year. Aha! You've caught on to my writing style! ^_^ I do that purposely so many future scenes will remain a surprise, and add an aura of mystery to the air. Hope it's working.
Sabrin—*sweatdrops* Remy wasn't even IN chapter 9. Oh, well. Your prayers are answered anyways, 'cause he DOES appear in the next two chapters.
[Random Quote: "When things cool down, they tend to contract…isn't that right, gentlemen?"]
Rogue arrived at school the next day a little earlier than usual, wanting some time to catch up on her reading. She had been a bookworm ever since she was little, often finding an escape from her harsh reality through the pages of numerous works of fiction. It was one of the few pleasures Irene had allowed the young southern belle amidst her isolated upbringing back home in Caldecott.
Currently, she was rereading an old copy of Interview with the Vampire, by Anne Rice—the pages were folded, the cover worn and torn, but she could never put it down. It was her favorite book in the world because it gave her characters she could relate to: Louis, the guilt-ridden vampire who detested the "gifts" he was given without choice…Claudia, the forbidden child vampire who could never grow up, never live the life she had a right to. But above all else, Rogue cherished the bond they formed over a mutual need for companionship, the unwavering love between them. In many ways, if reminded her of—
"Hey, knock it off, jerks!"
Immediately recognizing Evan's voice, Rogue snapped her head up and looked around to see where the sound had come from. She spotted him almost immediately over by the bleaches next to the track field, being ambushed by a couple of seniors. Ugh…stupid bullies. She thought to herself, getting up to lend her fellow teammate a hand.
"You muties think you're better than us just 'cuz you got powers." The taller one spoke up, giving Evan a harsh shove for good measure. "Well, we ain't fooled like the others. You're nothing but a bunch of freaks, is all!"
Around this time, Rogue stepped up in front of him. "Why don't y'all just leave him alone, huh?" She spat out, placing her hands on her hips and glaring at the two bullies. They pulled back slightly from surprise, looking to one another briefly before turning back with a sneer.
"Lookie, lookie..another freak come to the rescue. Why don't you just go back under whatever rock you crawled out of!" He then moved as if to strike her as well.
That was the last straw. Throwing his books to the ground, Even got into a fighting position and tensed up his muscles. "That's it!" Rogue cried out in protest, but it was too late. A dozen or so bone spikes jutted out from his arms and upper body, ripping his shirt and green hooded sweater to shreds. The two boys quickly backed away in fear, their eyes wide. With hardly another word, they turned and ran away in the opposite direction.
"Wait 'till Kelly hears about this!" they called back before disappearing from sight.
Evan moved to follow, but Rogue grabbed him by the shoulder. "Spyke, don't! They're not worth it." He stared after them, his breathing having grown slightly heavy, but obliged. Calming himself down enough to gain control of his air intake, he turned back to Rogue. "Now retract those things before you get in trouble." In reply, Evan closed his eyes and relaxed his muscles, willing the bones to vanish back into his skin.
After a few seconds, he opened them again in alarm. "It's not working!" His sight darted from one spike to the next, panicked. Not again… "What's happening to me?"
Rogue seemed just as surprised as him. Looking frantically to see if anyone else was around, she whispered. "Come on, porcupine…concentrate." Evan nodded wordlessly and closed his eyes again. He concentrated hard, until he could almost feel the beads of sweat forming on his forehead. Slowly, the spikes were pulled back in.
With a sigh of relief, Rogue turned around. "You go change, I'll try and head those goons off before they tell anyone." At that, she took off.
All the while, the two bullies were still clumsily running in a desperate attempt to get away from those "freaks" who had dared try to attack on school grounds. They hardly watched where they were going, glancing backwards every other second to make sure no one followed. Spending so much time looking behind them, however, neither one noticed who was directly ahead, calmly leaning against a tree trunk as if in waiting. Another mutant, no doubt, with light auburn hair…devilish red-on-black eyes…a cocky grin present as he absently shuffled a deck of cards in one hand….
The boys came to a screeching halt the instant they saw him and froze in place. The demon-eyed mutant slowly stood up straight, placing his cards safely in the pocket of his brown duster trench coat. "Remy saw how y' treated de femme jus' now." He spoke up, maintaining a poker face so neutral it seemed more frightening than a glare. "Gotta say…don' like it at all."
"Oh..yeah?" The taller one blinked, gaining enough courage to speak up, if somewhat weakly. "What are you gonna do about it, hmm?"
"Simple, mon ami. Gon' give y' a lil lesson in manners, maybe ev'n make gentlemen out o' y'."
He closed the distance between them, walking over to the one who spoke, who appeared to be the leader of the two. The boy gulped, leaning back slightly, but otherwise didn't budge. Gambit smirked at this, his eyes trailing down to the boy's shirt pocket where a couple of pens were clipped. He pulled one out and, much to the human duo's amusement, began twirling it in between his gloveless fingers.
The bewilderment quickly turned to fear as he released a minute amount of energy into the object—just enough to make it glow a bright red. "Remy only gon' tell y' once, so y' better lis'n good, non?" He impulsively tossed the pen away so that it embedded itself into the tree to his left. It remained glowing. The boys jumped from the sudden action, their eyes going from Gambit to the pen and back again.
The next words that came out were in a menacing whisper. "Don' mess wit' de mutants." His red-on-black pupils glared at them so hard it almost burned; finding themselves suddenly able to move, the duo took off in the opposite direction.
"Y-y-yes, sir!" The 'leader' called over his shoulder before they vanished from sight.
Remy watched the two retreating figures with a satisfied grin before he heard something to his right. Recognizing it almost immediately as Rogue, he swiftly backed up against the tree and did a graceful backwards flip onto one of the lower branches. He then climbed up higher until he reached a thicker area of brush and leaves, where he could see but not be seen.
Rogue made it about as far as the school oak tree before realizing the two bullies were nowhere to be seen or found. She was just about to turn back when a sliver of bright light caught her eye. Curiosity getting the better of her, she made her way over to see what it was.
A pen. It was a bright red pen, glowing as if it were on fire. Or as if… Not taking her eyes off the spectacle, the southern subconsciously removed her right hand glove and hesitantly reached out before she even knew what she was doing. At first, she pulled away in uncertainty, but on her second try, gently placed all four fingers over it.
A sudden wave of heart consumed her as exposed skin absorbed what little energy was left in it. She closed her eyes, a gasp escaping her lips in jubilation. It was faint, but Rogue knew this feeling, this familiar aura of warmth that spread over her like a thick comforter. "Remy…" She breathed, sensing him almost immediately.
He was close—so very, very close. Opening her eyes, she quickly surveyed the area in hopes of catching even a glimpse of him. There was none to be found.
Remy watched from his position up in the tree as she headed off, looking so forlorn and dejected. He wished desperately he could jump down and wipe away the tears he saw threatening to spill over. Even as she ran into a couple of her friends (Kurt and Amanda, if he wasn't mistaken—her teammate and his girlfriend) moments later, the Cajun could easily tell that sudden smile on her face was forced.
"Je suis si désolé, ma chere." He whispered so softly that he could barely hear himself. Remy can' protect y' and be wit' y' at de same time. Can' risk puttin' y' in so much danger…
Rogue paused suddenly in her steps, but never turned around. It was as if she had heard him somehow. From his current position it was impossible to see her expression, but Remy could sense the brief feeling of peace that came to her. She whispered something in reply, too faint for him to audibly hear, then continued on her way. His eyes followed her until she was no longer in his line of sight.
The smell of smoke abruptly drew his attention over towards the nearby bridge, where he could just barely make out the summit of flames reaching above roofs of a few of the taller buildings. Remy hardly blinked twice at the sight. Look' like Pyro foun' de femme…
A few blocks from the school, Scott and Jean noticed the high-rising flames as well. Even from where they were, they could hear the screams of people caught in traffic trying to run away from the apparent source. "It's coming from the bridge." Scott observed.
Jean nodded in reply. "Let's go!" Without another word between them, Scott sped up towards the impending battle site.
Only moments after calmly stepping out of the taxi cab, Wanda found herself ducking behind the car door to evade a shower of fireballs raining down upon her. Shielding her eyes from the early morning sunlight, she could just barely make out a shadowy figure on top of the nearest arch blasting fire from twin engines. Her eyes squinted in an attempt to get a better look at her assailant and for the briefest moment, the flames seemed to take on the image of four horseman atop their noble steeds. She audible gasped at the sight, remembering reading about them in old story books when she was younger, and took a step back in surprise.
The apparition vanished almost as instantly as it had appeared.
Shaking her head to regain composure, Wanda stood up. She held out one hand and, with a steadfast glare, sent out a hex bolt in the general direction of the figure. The sun made it difficult to see, but as her intended target jumped out of harm's way, she could hear the blast reflect off one of the metal beams. The boy (she had been able to gather that much) resumed his insane cackling as he slid down one of the support cables, shooting off streams of fire and bending them to his will.
It was like he was enjoy it, like this was some childish game. In between dodging fireballs and attempts at hex-bolting him into the waters below, Wanda's scowl deepened.
"Pyro…" She hissed, having recognized her father's lackey, and send an even stronger hex-bolt than the previous. Pyro dodged it too, jumping from harm's way about halfway down the cable with a mid-air summersault and landing about forty feet away from her in a kneeling position. He stood up, and she braced herself for another attack. It never came. In fact, he hardly moved at all; he just stood there. Waiting.
Everyone else had long since run off, leaving the two in a long bout of silence. Wanda slowly walked towards the mutant pyromaniac, not daring to take her eyes off him. Still, he didn't move. The heat from surrounding flames intensified more every minute, as did the crackling sound that accompanied it. She all but ignored it completely. Pyro's grin seemed to widen with every step she took, reflecting the light from the fire in an almost eerie manner. Her expression remaining steadfast, Wanda didn't pause in her steps until she was hardly two feet away from him.
Pyro met her glower with a cocky grin that vaguely reminded her of her brother. "Miss Scarlet Witch, I presume?" He greeted her in a thick Australian accent, giving her a mock bow.
"I don't like being patronized." She snapped. Her fists clenched tightly together for a moment in annoyance before she calmed herself down enough to ask, "Now what is it you want with me? Or…should I say…that my father wants?"
"Ah-ah-ah," He held up one finger, waving it almost tauntingly. "Now, that would be telling."
Wanda glared harder, unknowingly beginning to power up again. "Where is he, Pyro?" Her voice raised in volume as her temper grew shorter. Seemingly unfazed by the younger girl's threatening tone, Pyro continued grinning as he reached into a back pocket, pulling out a slip of paper. He tossed it over to her and she caught it with one hand, staring at it in uncertainty. "What the hell is this?"
"Perhaps you should ask your dear brother, Scarlet. I believe he could tell you more than I." With that, he took off before she could say anything more.
Wanda watched him leave for a moment before turning her attention back to the slip of paper, turning it over a few times. She hadn't the faintest clue what it could be. Ask my "dear brother,", huh? Perhaps Pietro has been keeping secrets from me after all… Her eyes narrowed at the thought.
One by one, the bridge support cables continued to snap under the intensity of the fire, unnoticed by anyone at the time. It wasn't until a nearby arch beam broke free of it's structure and headed straight for her that Wanda even realized something was wrong. She looked up instinctively at the last moment, giving out a cry of surprise and ducking reflexively. The sound of laser striking metal followed a few seconds later, and Wanda glanced upwards just in time to see a red beam of light fly over her head.
She barely had time to react, however, when the ground beneath her started to shake violently; the bridge was collapsing! Feeling weak from the robust inferno she had been fighting in, Wanda hadn't the strength to keep herself from falling backwards. All around, numerous abandoned vehicles were rolling off and into the harbor below. Only quickly reflexes saved her from following them into the frigid waters as she reached out at the last moment and grabbed onto the railing.
Her left hand missed completely, and her right was gradually slipping further…further…until… "Got you!" A firm hand grabbed hold of her just as she had released her grip. The sound of rain falling could be heard vaguely in the background as Wanda managed to pull herself back up and onto solid ground again, leaning against the very railing she had topped over moments before. She placed one hand to her head in pain, wincing as the inevitable migraine began to set in.
"I think he's gone." The redhead voiced her opinion, placing on hand on the younger girl's shoulder in comfort. "Are you okay?"
Wanda sharply pulled away, irritated. "I'll live."
The shade-wearing boy, who she immediately recognized as the X-geek leader, was looking up towards the sky, where the weather goddess was using the rain to extinguish the last of the flames. "Storm's got it under control." He bluntly stated the obvious, then turned his attention forward. "Wanda, was that Pyro after you?"
"Yes." She replied harshly, a renewed anger rising at the sound of his name. "He was delivering a little message…from my father."
"Magneto? What kind of message?" Again, from the redhead. Jean, she mentally corrected herself, having heard the name during past battles.
Standing up straight, Wanda turned to leave as she stared at the ticket in her hand. "I haven't a clue," She called back, then softened her voice to just above a whisper. "But I think I know someone who does…" The two seniors watched her walk back towards Bayville with a more determined look than ever before.
Having smothered the last of the flames, Storm gently floated down to join them. She too, seemed a bit perplexed at the girl's tone of voice. Not a word was spoken between the three as they stared at one another in bewilderment.
That afternoon, there was an uncanny aura of silence that hung over the Brotherhood manner and its current residents. Despite the fact that it was crisp, clear day, only Lance was actually spending his time outdoors (or, more specifically, toiling away on his wreck of a Jeep in a feeble attempt to keep his mind off other things). The other three had opted to remain inside, watching television in the living room. Todd and Fred sat on the floor across from one another, neither saying a word. But instead of watching the screen, their eyes were more intently focused on the other person in the room.
Pietro sat (more like slouched) on the tattered couch with his feet up on the coffee table and facing the screen, remote in hand. He'd been unusually silent and unlike himself all day long, and the others were starting to worry about him. While the two boys exchanged brief sideways glances at one another, he flickered away at the channels, staring at the screen, unblinking. No smile, no frown…nothing.
It was Todd who finally spoke up. "You feelin' okay, Pietro?" He questioned. "You been actin' awful weird since we fought those X-Geeks last night." But before anymore could be said on the subject, a strong wind outside knocked over the antennae and the picture went static.
Groans of protest erupted from two of the people in the room. Todd reluctantly stood up and volunteered to fix it, already hopping out the window and up towards the roof before anyone could say anything. He quickly began fiddling with the wires, having some experience when it came to electronics.
Fred, meanwhile, grew nervous as the tension in the room rose. Pietro was still staring at the screen as if her were in some kind of trance. "I'm gonna get something to eat." Fred finally declared, moving to stand up. "You want anything?"
"Ham-sandwich-with-horseradish-butter-lettuce-and-grilled-onion-on-the-side," came the response in one breath. Fred paused to blink for a moment as he tried deciphering what Pietro had just said, then headed towards the kitchen.
"Let's see," He muttered to himself, "Umm…buttered onion, grilled lettuce, horse on the side…no…uh…"
"And no crust!"
The front door opened and the sound of Todd struggling up on the roof could briefly be heard before it was shut again. Lance soon walked in the room, wiping off the oil on his hands with an old rag as he entered. He heard Pietro ask something about his transmission and muttered a reply—he'd been trying to repair it all day and after two hours straight of mechanical work he'd come to a decisive conclusion. The damn thing was shot to hell.
About that time, a scream and loud *THUD* was heard coming from outside. Todd had fallen off the roof. Nobody seemed to notice.
Throwing the rag in the nearest trash can, Lance finally got a good look at his teammate sitting on the couch, staring at a fuzzy screen. "Hey, you all right?" He asked, concerned.
"Why does everybody keep asking me that?" Pietro suddenly grew very defensive, standing up in protest with a glare directed straight at Lance. "I'm perfectly fine, thank-you-very-much."
"Chill, man. I was just asking!"
A very light-headed Todd wandered back into the room, followed by Fred carrying a tray of sandwiches. Pietro took note of their presence and inwardly decided to use this opportunity to turn their attention to things other than his recent mood. "After all, Magneto put me in charge for a reason. And do you know what reason that is? Because, my friends, you need some serious leadership. Strong, decisive, fearless—"
"PIETRO!"
Interrupted mid-sentence, Pietro froze as the unmistakable sound of Wanda's voice rang out. He turned to look out the window and saw her storming up the walk furiously. "Ahh! Wanda!" He screamed in fear, zipping out of the room and into the hall closet. "Don't tell here I'm here!" With that, he slammed the door shut.
Fred and Lance looked at one another, not sure whether to burst out laughing or follow Pietro's example. Todd, on the other hand, headed straight for the door. "Babycakes!" He greeted her excitedly as soon as he opened the door, "You've come back to me!"
Wanda all but ignored the frog boy, pushing him aside with ease. "Where is he?" She demanded to no one in particular.
Todd jerked a thumb towards the hallway entrance. "Pietro? Hidin' in the closet." She immediately stormed over to the closet door and tore it off with her powers to reveal a whimpering Pietro. He sent a harsh glare towards Toad, who was leaning up against the wall with a half-hearted grin. "Hey, it was either you or me…"
"All right, Pietro…where's Magneto?" She demanded of him.
"I-I don't know Wanda, I swear!" Her eyes narrowed into thin slits and she fired up another Hex bolt, but he sped away just in time to escape harm. She tried again, but he ducked. With his attention distracted, she managed to catch him off guard and threw him against the opposite wall. Fred and Lance, drawn by the commotion, appeared at the hall entrance only to halt in their tracks when they saw Wanda.
"How can you lie to me?" Her voice suddenly grew unnervingly calm as she walked towards the spot where he fell. Holding his head where he hit it, Pietro looked up to see the same vacant expression on his sister's face she had worn only a few nights prior. "He's done some horrible things to me in my life, Pietro—to both of us—but last night was an all-time low." She paused, giving Pietro enough time to stand up. He did so, but didn't run away this time. Wanda walked straight up to him, and spoke her next words softly. "He took Ryo away from me. The best and only friend I've ever been able to have, and he took that away."
The three onlookers were speechless, but something was triggered in Todd's mind. Ryo? He wondered to himself. Hey, ain't that the name of that new X-chick?
During the moment of silence, Wanda grew angry again, though this time Pietro wasn't sure if the anger was directed at him or his father. "Where is he?!" She asked again, this time much louder than before. He winced at her volume, crouching down in fear.
"I still don't know, Wanda." He insisted, his voice breaking. "I…he only contacts me when he needs me."
She stared him down for a moment before deciding he was telling the truth. For once. Reaching into her pocket, she pulled out the slip of paper Pyro had given her. "What's this?"
"How am I supposed to know?" Was the initial reply. "It looks like a ski lift ticket or something."
Todd hopped over from where he was watching by the sidelines and took the ticket from Wanda's hand to examine it closely. "Aeraros?" He read the name written on top. "Hey, that must be Mount Aeraros!"
"Mount Aeraros?" Wanda repeated somewhat surprised; she certainly hadn't expected her answers from Toad.
"That's the local ski resort." He explained, handing back the ticket before getting a gleam in his eye. "Say the word, Poopsie, and we'll hit the lodge, sip coacoa by the fire." He raised his eyebrows suggestively. She groaned in disgust, rolling her eyes as she snapped at him to get out of her way, pushing him aside dismissively. Not willing to give up so easily, he followed her into the next room. "But, Sweetums…I'm your servant, your slave…" He leaped in front of her, blocking her exit path. "Just tell me what I have to be to win your love!"
Irritated to the max, Wanda hex-bolted him into a nearby dresser and gave the first response that came to mind: "Someone else."
She left before Todd could have a change to recover. But when he did, her answer replayed itself over in his head. "Someone else?" He muttered to himself. After a moment of thought, something clicked his mind and he got an idea. "…I can do that!"
Kurt stood outside the Sefton resident at a quarter to six that evening, staring down his ensemble one last time. He had allowed Kitty to choose his outfit that evening on the grounds that he was too nervous to do it himself and had to admit she'd done a pretty good job. The slacks were a dark shade of navy blue, matching the tie she had picked out almost perfectly in color, and were extremely comfortable despite their formal appearance. Kurt had considered wearing a suit jacket, but had been told a crisp, white dress shirt would be nicer. Before he had left the mansion, she'd handed him a bouquet of flowers with instructions to present them to Mrs. Sefton as a gift, something he hadn't even thought of.
It definitely paid to have a female best friend.
After a moment of mentally preparing himself, Kurt moved to knock on the door, but it opened before his fist could even reach for the knob. It was Amanda. "Kurt!" She exclaimed in surprise. "You're early."
He took this as a bad sign. "Okay, I'll leave."
Looking down dejectedly, he turned to go back home. She giggled at his apprehensive behavior and sad puppy-dog eyes, yanking him inside by the collar. "No, silly, it's fine." Shutting the door behind her, Amanda greeted him with a quick kiss before stepping back to get a good look at him. "You look very nice, Kurt." She finally commented with a smile. He nervously smiled back at her. "Don't worry; everything's going to be fine." She whispered, giving his hand a quick squeeze in reassurance.
"It's not zat," He spoke up, holding up his free arm to stare at the object on his wrist. "I—I just don't know. My image inducer's been acting up lately. What if it—"
"But I want them to meet the real you, anyway." She interrupted him mid-sentence, reaching over and turning the tiny machine off. The normal looking teenage boy suddenly disappeared, only to be replaced by a fuzzy, blue elf-like creature.
Kurt's golden eyes went wide in shock. "Amanda! What did you do zat for?" He pulled away suddenly and moved to switch back. Just then, he heard voices heading towards them and panicked. Darting his head around in search of an escape, he teleported away, leaving the faint smell of brimstone and a puff of smoke in his wake. Seconds later, Mrs. Sefton walked into the room.
"Was zat Kurt I just heard?"
Positive that Kurt was still in the house, Amanda searched every room she could think of. It was nearly ten minutes later when she finally found him. He sat in her father's study on one of the steps, curled up tightly in fetal position, his inducer still turned off. Amanda knocked quietly on the door frame; he lifted his head towards the sound. Wordlessly, she entered the room and sat down beside him.
"I'm sorry," were the first words out of her mouth. She reached up with her fingers to gently stroke his hair, tilting her head to the side so she could look him in the eye. "I didn't know it was such a big deal."
Kurt smiled at the touch, but continued to look straight down. "Nein, it's not your fault. I'm just not ready to show up at your house looking like…like me." She tenderly kiss him on the cheek before laying her head down atop his shoulder, eyes closed.
"But I love the way you look. You know that."
His mood brightened considerably as he looked down at the girl next to him, both proud and delighted to be able to call her his girlfriend. Kurt wrapped on arm around her and kissed the top of her head, earning a smile from her, before resting his own head against it. "I know, liebchen, I know." He sighed. "But you need to understand—I've spent so much of my life in hiding because of my appearance. At least with ze image inducer, I can pretend to be normal even zough I am not."
A heavy silence fell upon the two, but neither seemed to mind, enjoying the tranquility of the moment. Nothing more seemed to be said. It was a mutual agreement between them; Kurt's secret identity as a mutant would remain just that. A secret.
"Mom, Dad…this is Kurt 'Vah-gner'." Amanda introduced him, glancing back to be sure she had correctly pronounced his name, receiving a nod in confirmation. Earlier that day, Kurt had taught her the proper German pronunciation and she wanted to be sure and get it just right.
Mr. Sefton extended one hand in hospitality. "Kurt, a pleasure!"
Worried about him feeling his fur, Kurt began to panic. Nervously, he extended the flowers Kitty had given him earlier that evening. "Um…zese are for you—" Realizing his mistake, he pulled them back and presented them to Mrs. Sefton. "—I mean, for your mutter—I mean, Amanda's mutter." While Amanda vainly tried to stiffen a giggle, her mother smiled appreciatively, accepting the flowers.
"Thank you Kurt; they're lovely!" She gave them a whiff before turning towards the kitchen. "I'll go put these in water."
As she left, Mr. Sefton turned to his daughter. "Why don't you show him around, Amanda? I'll get us some cold drinks." He then followed his wife out of the room, leaving the young couple alone.
"Oh, zey hate me!" Kurt groaned as soon as he was out of sight.
With a small laugh, Amanda grabbed hold of his arm, "Kurt, will you relax?" She told him. "Everything is going fine!"
At this, Kurt lifted his head. "You're right…I'm being silly. Now how about zat tour of ze house?" Reaching up, Amanda gave him a quick kiss on his cheek.
"All right. Which room would you like to see first?"
He grinned sheepishly. "…yours?"
"Kurt!"
Much to the young couple's delight, dinner went off without a hitch. The meal was delicious, conversation revolved mostly around details of how Kurt and Amanda met (they were sure to neglect the fact that inter-dimensional dinosaurs had been present at their first date), and the image inducer was working perfectly. Afterwards, Kurt gentlemanly volunteered to help clear the table and wash the dishes, much to the delight of Mrs. Sefton.
There was something nagging at the back of his mind, something that had been all evening. "Um, Mrs. Sefton?" Kurt spoke up as he scrubbed away at one of the plates. "I hope I am not being rude or anyzing, but I was just wondering…where were you born?" The elder woman smiled knowingly, not even flinching at the question.
"You are very observant, Kurt. As to your question: ja, I come from Germany…as do you, I see." With a slight blush, Kurt nodded. Margali (he had heard her husband refer to her by that name earlier) gave a slight chuckle before continuing. "As a matter of fact, I met Amanda's vater zere when he was on vacation. We lived in my hometown for many jahre before Amanda was born." This caught him visibly by surprise. "Of course, we came to America while she was still very young."
"So I guess you remember nozing of Germany?" He turned to ask his girlfriend.
"Nope." Amanda shook her head in response. "I'd love to go back some day, though." She gave him a knowing glance which took him a moment to catch onto. When he did, he blushed so deeply it was visible even through the image inducer, turning his attention directly back to the dish and rag in his hands. Amanda smirked, concentrating on her own work load
Desperate to change the conversation, Kurt spoke up again. "I—um—wanted to say danke, Mrs. Sefton, for dinner. It was delicious."
"Well, it was so sweet of you to offer to do the dishes."
Amanda saw this as a great opportunity to heighten her mother's opinion of Kurt even further, securing a spot for him on her good side. "Oh, Kurt is very considerate. He gets good grades, too…and he has the nicest friends…" No sooner had the words left her mouth, however, when a sudden, unexpected visitor came crashing in through the window. Literally. "…Toad?!" Amanda cried out as she got up.
He perched himself on top of the kitchen sink. "Hey, elf boy. I need to borrow this." He reached out to grab the image inducer off his wrist, but accidentally slipped a bar of soap, falling backwards into the sink. "Eww! I touched soap!"
"What's going on in here?" Mr. Sefton's voice called from outside.
It was then Kurt noticed he was blue and fuzzy. Quickly, he grabbed the inducer back and turned it on just as Mr. Sefton walked into the room. But Todd had recovered from his earlier fall enough to spit slime into Kurt's eyes, tackling him while blinded. "Toad!" He cried out. "I can't see!"
"Get off him!" Amanda shouted, more annoyed than anything else. She tried prying the frog boy off her boyfriend, and succeeded in helping Kurt push him off just in time to face her two very shocked and speechless parents.
"Mr. And Mrs. Sefton," Kurt began, "I—I really…apologize for…" But he couldn't get any further before Toad tried jumping him again.
Kurt managed to escape through the kitchen doors, but Toad came flying through them, grabbing the inducer while Kurt was still down. He then hopped up on top of the living room chandelier, thinking he'd be safe up there, but it quickly gave in to his weight, falling down and shattering the piano beneath it. Toad had managed to hop off it just in the nick of time to evade injury, but Kurt used that opportunity to grab his inducer back again mid-air, turning it on just as Amanda and her parents came running in.
As Margali gasped in terror at the damage, Toad tried for the inducer once more. He managed to tackle Kurt to the ground, and both unintentionally succeed in knocking over the nearby table and, thus, the vase atop it as well. "Oh…Grandmother's vase!" Amanda cried out.
"I got it!" Reaching out, Kurt managed to catch the item in question just before it hit the ground, and managing to hand it safely over to Amanda. "…Toad!" He cried in exasperation as the boy still wouldn't let up, flipping him over. Luckily, his quick reflexes allowed Kurt to land feet first on the dinner table, in a crouching position.
Toad tackled him again, and the two wound up wrestling all over the living room. They were knocking over chairs and completely flattened the coffee table on impact. Meanwhile, the Seftons tried to pick up some of the plates and other objects that had fallen during the struggle, while Amanda just stood still, watching the fight and holding tightly to the vase.
Todd and Kurt rumbled on.
It lasted for several moments before Kurt finally managed to toss his opponent through the nearest window, consequentially shattering the glass in the process. Pausing to catch his breath, he managed to pull himself to his knees before looking over at the Seftons, both who were staring at him wide-eyed. "Mr. And Mrs. Sefton," he managed to get out, wincing from the injuries he had received, "I…I don't know what to say. I—" Toad's tongue shot just then and grabbed the inducer, catching Kurt off guard inducer before disappearing from sight.
Kurt suddenly found himself…well…looking like himself. He vaguely heard the Sefton's gasping in shock, but unexpectedly grew weary and light-headed. He was just about to collapse when Amanda appeared at his side. "Kurt! Are you okay?"
She smoothed back his navy-colored hair, revealing a nasty looking bruise at the top of his forehead. Wondering for a moment if he had bumped it hard enough to cause a concussion, she was startled by her father clearing his throat. They both turned to face her parents, cornered and at a loss for words. Mr. Sefton looked about as confused as anyone in his position could be. Mrs. Sefton—Margali—on the other hand, looked like she was about to burst.
Then she did. "Look at my house!" She exclaimed, "It's ruined!"
"Mom, calm down—" Amanda began.
"Silence, young lady. I will NOT calm down!" Margali took that opportunity to mutter a few choice words to herself in German that her daughter didn't know, but her husband and Kurt certainly did. She then turned on Kurt. "And you! You are one of zem, nein? One of zose mutants? I recognize you from ze television."
"Margali…" Mr. Sefton stepped forward, only to be stopped in his tracks as his wife held out one hand, not taking her eyes off the boy.
Her eyes narrowed as she pointed an accusing finger. "Listen here, dämon, I want you to stay away from my daughter, verstehen sie? You und zat… 'friend' of yours are nozing but trouble, und I will NOT have you dragging her down with you. Und you, Amanda," she turned to her daughter, who was still crouched down next to Kurt, "You are not to see zis creature any more, is zat clear?"
Unable to take anymore, Kurt teleported away in grief with tears in his eyes. "Kurt!" Amanda cried out before turning to her mother angrily. "How could you be so cruel to him? He wouldn't hurt a fly, honest! He was attacked!"
"Zat is enough." Margali told her, her voice suddenly growing very weary. "Zis discussion is over. Go to your room."
"But, Mom—"
"Now, Amanda." Throwing one last glare in her general direction, she quickly turned around and stormed up the stairs. Her vision had blurred completely by the time she reached her room and she had to fumble for the doorknob a moment before managing to get inside, slamming it shut and flopping herself face-down on her bed to cry.
___________________
TO BE CONTINUED…
*note—I had to split this into two separate chapters because already it's my longest one yet (by more than 15KB). Opening night of Anything Goes is this Friday, so I have rehearsal every friggin' night this week, but I'll try to get the next chapter up as soon as I possibly can.