Don't
Crystal heard a knock on the door. She looked over at it.
"Come in." Warren walked in and stopped dead in his tracks.
"Crystal? I didn't think you would be us so soon." She looked back at the mirror.
"I've been through worse." Warren watched her carefully.
"What do you mean?"
"It's a long story." Warren smiled.
"I'd like to hear. Maybe over dinner?"
Angelic Demon start out into the night sky. She was on top of a very tall building. Her wings were gone. She placed her fore arm against a pole and leaned into the pole.
"Dammit Smokescreen! Where are you?"
Crystal stared at Warren.
"Well . . . I guess that's alright . . ." Warren raised an eyebrow.
"Is something wrong?" Crystal gave him a faint smile.
"It's just that . . . I've never been on a date."
Blade was nestled into her bed. She had lost all color and seemed too thin to be healthy. Dixie sat by her bed.
"Blade . . ." She had tears running down her face. "Blade, please! Please, you have to eat. You have to leave this bed." There was no response. "Please, you're scaring me. I . . . I want you to eat something! It isn't healthy!" No response. Dixie sighed. There was no way to force her to eat. She could react violently if someone tried. But if she kept this up . . . Dixie didn't want to think about it. She brushed the tears away. "Dammit! Why can't you understand that this hurts us! You're hurting us! Don't you care!"
"Get out." It was the first time she had spoken in awhile. Dixie stared at her in shock. "GET OUT!" Dixie stood up and left quickly.
"Don't." Crystal whispered. Warren barely heard her.
"Don't what?" Crystal shook her head.
"This." Warren stared at her.
"What is this?" Crystal sighed and turned away.
"Look, I am thankful for you saving me. And taking care of me. And giving me clothes. But please, please, don't try to start anything. I've been around long enough to know that it will all end in pain. And neither of us need any pain." Warren watched her carefully.
"Crystal, tell me your story."
"Why do you want to know Warren?" Warren smiled.
"I just do. Humor me." Crystal hesitated. "Think of it as payment for your rescue."
"There's nothing that needs to be dug up. Just leave it be." Warren raised an eyebrow.
"I want you to tell me. It's the past, it's dead. The past can't do anything." Crystal sighed and nodded.
"Fine, I'll tell you. But not now . . ."
"Then you can tell me at dinner." Crystal gave him a faint smile as he left. She sat on the edge of the bed.
"Great . . . the first guy that ever asked me out is going to run the second he hears any of my life."
Dixie walked quietly pass Kurt and Bobby as they cleaned every inch of the mansion. She was silent as she wandered into her room. She shared a room with Amara. Dixie picked up her favorite teddy bear and hugged it close to her. Her blue dress fanned out around her. Dixie slowly pulled her knees up to her chest as she leaned back against the large pile of pillows on her bed. She pulled the teddy bear as close as she could. She was all alone but she refused to cry. 'W-why? Does she hate me? What happened?' Pushed her check into the bear's head. Her grandmother had given her this teddy bear when she was six and said that she should hold it if she was sad. There was a knock on her door.
"Dixie?" It was Ororo. Dixie to a minute to make sure that her voice held.
"Yes Ms. Munroe?"
"May I came in?" Dixie hesitated for a moment.
"Yes." Ororo opened the door and stepped in. She quietly closed it behind her.
"What's wrong?" Dixie looked away, silent. "Is it Blade?" Dixie slowly looked up at her. "I see. Well, we're all worried about her." Dixie nodded.
"Yeah . . ."
"But?" Ororo asked.
"She didn't scream at anyone else to get out."
"She spoke?" Dixie nodded. "Well, look at it this way: it is some improvement."
"I know . . . but . . . well, I guess I don't like the idea of Blade yelling at me. She's never done that before." Ororo nodded.
"I know, but she is going through some difficult times right now." Dixie sighed.
"Yeah, but I still don't like it when she yells at me." Ororo smiled and brushed some hair from her face.
"She's just not herself at the moment. I think she is coping the best way she can." Dixie stared at her.
"She's been through real bad stuff with the Furies." Ororo smiled.
"Yes, but not like this." Before Dixie could say anything Ororo continued. "Well, I have to get going. I hope you feel better."
"185!" Only a few people were home. Ororo, Hank, Blade, Jamie, Rogue, and Dixie.
"186!" Rogue had drawn the curtains in her room. The door was locked and her music was loud.
"187!" She told Kitty that if she came in the girl would be in a coma for a month.
"188!" So Kitty decided to go to the mall. Which meant that she would be alone for several hours.
"189!" And that's what Rogue wanted. She hung a 'Do not disturb' sign on her door.
"190!" Rogue had cleared a large section in the closet so she could use the bar. The bar could hold twice her weight, she had asked that when she got the bar for the hangers.
"191!" Although, she had gotten some strange looks about that. At the moment, Rogue was hanging upside down on the bar.
"192!" She had her hands slightly touching the sides of her head as she pulled her body up and made her elbow touch the opposite knee.
"193!" Her sports bra and biker shorts were several shades darker.
"194!" She used a bandanna to hold her hair out of the way. She was covered in sweat.
"195!" Rogue clenched her jaw together tightly as she pulled herself up once more to touch a knee.
'Ah will not have ta be rescued.' Rogue grunted in her mind.
"196!"
'Ah won't be useless.'
"197!"
'Ah won't!'
"198!" Rogue felt her sore stomach wince as she pulled herself up again.
"199!"
Rogue pulled her self up one more time.
"200!" Rogue let herself drop back down and her arms dangle. After a moment's rest she pulled herself up and grabbed the bar. She slowly lifted her legs from the bar as she twisted around to get off of the bar. With a soft thud, Rogue landed on the ground. Rogue grabbed a towel and wiped off some sweat. She waited for a few minutes until her breathing was alittle more even. Rogue reached back into the closet and pulled the hangers together. She cleared out a spot in the room and started to do one handed push ups very slowly.
"1!" Rogue grunted. Her muscles burned as she pushed them pass their limits.
"2!" As Rogue pushed herself up her muscles gave out and she collapsed onto the carpet floor. "Ahh!" Rogue cried out. She rolled over onto her back and breathed heavily for a moment. Her body ached with pain. Rogue pushed herself off of the ground while she swallowed a cry. She walked over to her closet and pulled out a light green bath robe. She wrapped it around herself as she grabbed a change of clothes. Rogue glanced at the clock. It was a Friday night. Not many would be home. It was some time around nine so she would be able to have a long shower. Rogue walked down the hall, ignoring all her pain as it screamed at her. She opened the bathroom door and closed it behind her. Rogue dropped the clothes as she locked the door behind her. She let the robe fall of. Rogue reached into the shower and turned the handle for the hot water. She pulled the notch up for the shower. The water sprayed out of the shower head as Rogue stood up pulling off the bandanna. She pulled off her clothes and climbed into the shower. The steam had created a thick fog in little time. She could barely see before her. Rogue winced slightly as the hot water burned into her skin. It soothed the screaming muscles. Rogue leaned against the tile wall and allowed the water to beat into her skin.
Crystal stood in awe at the food in front of her. Warren sat across from her.
"Something wrong? You haven't eaten." Crystal shook her head slowly.
"It just looks to good to eat. I'm afraid I'd ruin the beauty of it." Warren chuckled.
"Don't. Just eat." Crystal smiled and nodded.
Rogue came back into her room in her fluffy light green robe. She had just gotten out of the shower and was toweling off her head. Only a few others were home and no one had come back yet. Ororo, Hank, Blade, Jamie, and Dixie. She noticed the window open. Confusion written across her face, she made her way over to it and shut it.
"Could have sworn Ah closed it . . ." Rogue muttered. Her eyes widened when she saw a white rose on her pillow with a tag. Rogue picked the rose and inhaled the sweet scent with a smile dancing on her lips. Rogue lifted up the tag carefully. "I'll be there." Rogue smiled as she sat down on her bed. "Cute swamp rat, cute."
Crystal ate quietly for a few minutes.
"So?" Warren asked. Crystal sighed.
"Are you sure?" He nodded. "Fine. I know this sounds impossible but . . . I'm well over five thousand years old." Warren raised an eyebrow. "I was immortal, along with two friends. I had a contract with the daughter of Apocalypse. As long as he lived, I would be immortal in order to help her destroy him. Do you know of the Xavier Institute?" He nodded. "Rogue?" Another nod. "Well, she was that daughter's reincarnation. The daughter took her over a few months back and went after her father. She took our immortal when she first awoke. My friends and I were obligated to help her, so we did. But before that, we tried to stop her. When that didn't work, we told the X-men everything we knew about her and her father. With their help, along with the Acolytes, we went to Apocalypse's tomb and fought his horsemen while his daughter and he fought. Needless to say, she won." Warren smiled.
"Well, I am sure that's true." Now Crystal raised an eyebrow. "I had half of a key. So I know about that deal. I think Xavier contacted me about it alittle while ago and said that it was no longer a problem." Crystal nodded. "But, I wanted to know about you. Not about what happened with Apocalypse." Crystal stared at him. "Don't even think about dodging the question. I want a straight answer." Crystal hesitated.
"Well . . . I'm a Fury . . . we are in Chicago . . . I guess we are somewhat like the X-men, but there are only three of us, and one in training." Warren nodded.
"And?"
"And what?"
"Well, tell me something. You had to of done more in life than what you have told me."
"Well . . ." Crystal trailed off. She really did not want to tell him that she was an assassin. Not something you tell people during dinner.
"Well?" Crystal sighed. Better just spit it out. She figured he wouldn't give up.
"Well, I'm old right? Well, I was an assassin!" She blurted out. Her mouth wouldn't stop, though. "And that meant I spent a lot of time around the world. I've had to eat things I don't even think were dead. And then I met the other Furies and was immortal! And you know that means, I had to stay with them because of that contact!" Crystal's mind started to scream her mouth to stop, but it didn't listen. "And the others, Lady Hawk and Angelic Demon, were always there. I never had time alone! Angelic Demon and I always bickered! Lady Hawk would always have some wise thing to do and it drove me nuts! And no matter how hard we tried, someone would always be there! It was like we didn't have our own lives!" Crystal rambled on. "I had to go through the worst kinds of ages! I was alive during times when witch hunts were around! Do you know how hard it is when you have to sit through a trail that made no sense! I mean, it was like the human race were totally idiots!" Warren watched her as she continued her rant. "And I had to go through all of Lady Hawk's and Angelic Demon's weird and crazy phases! I think I blew out a few vocal cords screaming into my pillow all day long!" Warren nodded slightly with wide eyes. "I'm serious, I have never had so much as a two minute break from the Furies! None of us have ever taken a day off! I've never even been on a date! And then, here you are! Wanting to know about me, having dinner with me! And you're . . . you're just wonderful . . . but I don't think it will work!" Crystal sighed at the end of her rant. Warren started to laugh. Hard. He was almost in tears. "What?!" After a minute it died down.
"I'm sorry, but I don't think I have seen anyone get so worked up about something!" He smiled. "You ate crazy things, well, who hasn't? And you traveled. And you were always with those three, it's the same as everyone else's families. And you bicker, I do the same with my cousins. And you've seen people make fools of themselves, I see it every day." He shrugged. "And I don't care that you were an assassin. As long as you don't try and kill anyone know, I'm fine. I don't want to date the others. I want to date you." Crystal stared at him with a blank face.
"Why?" He smiled at her.
"Because you're smart, and funny, and beautiful, and things are so much more interesting with you than with anyone else." Crystal blinked a few times.
"Did you just say I'm beautiful?" Warren laughed.
"Yes, I did. And I meant it."