John didn't know what to do, he'd never been in a situation like this.
Screaming riots mere blocks away from the front door, with only Magneto to
protect them. He heard either an ambulance or a fire engine's siren pass
the house, and more yelling, a few more gunshots.
John was getting very agitated.
"Relax, John. You're starting to make me nervous." Eric said from the couch.
John didn't think Eric was even capable of becoming nervous. "Sorry, it's just I've never been around this kind of stuff, you know what I mean?"
"Yes, I understand, but you have nothing to worry about, no one is getting in here who would want to harm you."
John frowned and flipped his lighter a few times. "Yeah, that's what the Professor always said too, but you know how that turned out."
To his surprise, Eric chuckled a little. "John, at this point, I think it's safe to say that Charles and I are worlds apart. No human is going to set foot in this house, and even if they somehow managed to get past my defenses, it's not as if they're attacking a group of toddlers, now is it?"
"I guess." John said.
"What are you?"
That question caught him by surprise. "I...I'm a mutant."
"Just remember that anytime someone tries to make you feel inferior. You're a mutant, which is?"
"A god among insects." John repeated Magneto's words back to him from when they first spoke on the Blackbird.
Magneto smiled, "I'm glad to see that your memory wasn't damaged when you fainted. Now don't worry, others will come, the riots will be over in a few more days at the most, then we'll take you back."
Eric last few words made John feel like some item that could just be returned to the store, but ignored his feelings and returned to what he was doing: reading '20,000 Leagues Under The Sea'.
He had found the book on the coffee table; Mystique had just finished reading it before the whole mess at Alkali Lake. "Read something, it'll take your mind off what's happening outside," Mystique had told him. He thought that, now that he'd spent more time with them, Magneto and Mystique weren't really so bad. He didn't care what the rest of his classmates thought about them; he knew Rogue was terrified of Mystique and hated Magneto, and that Bobby's feelings were a watered down version of Rogue's, but that was only because they were dating.
John scoffed at their relationship, why in the world had Bobby wanted to go out with a girl he could barely even kiss?
It seemed like a waste of time to him. As for John's own girlfriend...well, they weren't official yet, but they'd been talking for a couple of weeks.
"Oh, here come some of us now." Eric muttered from his seat on the couch across from John's armchair.
Eric had been keeping still and quiet-with the exception of his and John's short conversation a few moments before-as he maintained his concentration on the protection of the house.
John looked up from the book and watched as Eric's eyes seemingly shifted gears from keeping others out, to letting people in.
He heard the back door open and quickly slam shut, then the new arrival was suddenly in the room with them.
"Man, people are going crazy out there!" the young man declared loudly.
"I'm glad to see you made it here safely. Where's your sister?"
"She's right behind me, be here in a second."
Eric nodded and introduced him to John. "John, this is my son Pietro, his sister Wanda-as you just heard- will be with us shortly."
John and Pietro looked each other up and down. They had the same deceptively lean build to their bodies and were about the same height. John's coloring was darker; Pietro was far more fair in his skin, eyes and hair. While John's hair was dark brown, Pietro's head was crowned in snow white locks- John figured it was part of his mutation.
"You didn't leave her by herself out there, did you?"
"No, of course not! I told you already, she's only a few blocks behind me."
"A few blocks?! Pietro, she could-"
"Father, relax. Her powers have grown a lot since you last saw us, trust me three months can change a mutation." "I hope you're right. If anything happens to her-"
"I know, I know, it'll be on me. Don't worry, she could handle a mob like this in her sleep." Pietro then moved farther into the room and sat down on the couch, looking at John.
"So what's your story?"
"Well, I'm a student at Xavier's-"
"Xavier's?! Father, are they-"
"No, Pietro, I suspect that the X-men will be far too busy dealing with their own troubles to come here looking for him. They might not even know he's alive. Mystique and I rescued him, from the Alkali flood."
"Ah, gotcha. How long are you staying?" Pietro asked him.
"Just until the riots die down." John said.
"Yeah? Well, it might be awhile, especially now that Wanda's out there."
"Hey, I never hear you complain when I'm rattling some thug." Came a new, female, voice from the doorway.
John, Pietro and Eric looked over to see Wanda standing casually next to the television. She had come in without being noticed, completely silent.
Wanda didn't look like Pietro or Eric; she had long black hair, dark brown eyes and a subtle tan rather than the creamy coloring of her father and brother. John would have liked to just stare at her for a little longer, but Pietro snapped him out of it.
"Hey, John, you're drooling on the carpet."
John shook it off and greeted Wanda properly.
*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*
Finally, like the flame of a candle, the near worldwide riots finally burned themselves out.
John was thankful.
Though he liked staying with Magneto, the twins and Mystique, he knew that he should go before he wore out his welcome. It was time to go back to Xavier's, though he felt a little reluctant.
In the week he had been staying with them, he'd made friends with Pietro and Wanda, and didn't want to just leave them behind. He knew that everyone at Xavier's would consider it sort of like sleeping with the enemy if he were to continue hanging out with them.
Not that he minded the idea of sleeping with Wanda...
"John, are you ready?"
He turned to see Mystique in the doorway of his adopted bedroom. He'd miss this room, and having a naked woman walking all over the place.
"Yeah, I'll be down in a second." He replied. Mystique went downstairs and John followed after her, outside and into a car.
For whatever reason, maybe just to show off, Mystique shape shifted into a chauffer, complete with the uniform and hat. "Right this way sir." She said as she opened the door for him. Eric, Wanda and Pietro were in the back seat waiting.
"Thank you ma'am." He said as he climbed in.
The ride seemed to go fast, almost too fast. Maybe it only seemed that way because John didn't really want to leave his new friends, but at the same time he wanted to make sure his other friends at Xavier's were alright.
"Well, here we are." Magneto said as the car stopped.
"Already?" John asked.
"I'm afraid so. Do give my love to Charles, won't you?"
"Uh, sure." John said as he moved to get out. "Eric? Thank you."
"You're welcome, John. Take care."
"I will." John got out of the car, the twins followed him.
"Hey, John, we'll see you around man, alright?" Pietro asked.
"No doubt." John and Pietro shook hands and patted each other a couple times on the back.
Pietro went back into the car, Wanda stayed behind. "John, here's our number, in case you ever need some help, ok?" she slipped the scrap of paper into his hand and pecked him on the cheek.
"Thanks Wanda."
Then, John was alone outside, nothing between him and the gates of Xavier's school.
"Hey, John," he turned around to see Mystique in the driver's seat of the car. She didn't say anything, only smiled and winked a chrome yellow eye at him. She pushed a button and the car's tinted window went up before he could say anything back to her.
The car went back down the road, out of sight.
John stood outside the gates to Xavier's, and sighed heavily, not so sure anymore if this was the right choice.
John was getting very agitated.
"Relax, John. You're starting to make me nervous." Eric said from the couch.
John didn't think Eric was even capable of becoming nervous. "Sorry, it's just I've never been around this kind of stuff, you know what I mean?"
"Yes, I understand, but you have nothing to worry about, no one is getting in here who would want to harm you."
John frowned and flipped his lighter a few times. "Yeah, that's what the Professor always said too, but you know how that turned out."
To his surprise, Eric chuckled a little. "John, at this point, I think it's safe to say that Charles and I are worlds apart. No human is going to set foot in this house, and even if they somehow managed to get past my defenses, it's not as if they're attacking a group of toddlers, now is it?"
"I guess." John said.
"What are you?"
That question caught him by surprise. "I...I'm a mutant."
"Just remember that anytime someone tries to make you feel inferior. You're a mutant, which is?"
"A god among insects." John repeated Magneto's words back to him from when they first spoke on the Blackbird.
Magneto smiled, "I'm glad to see that your memory wasn't damaged when you fainted. Now don't worry, others will come, the riots will be over in a few more days at the most, then we'll take you back."
Eric last few words made John feel like some item that could just be returned to the store, but ignored his feelings and returned to what he was doing: reading '20,000 Leagues Under The Sea'.
He had found the book on the coffee table; Mystique had just finished reading it before the whole mess at Alkali Lake. "Read something, it'll take your mind off what's happening outside," Mystique had told him. He thought that, now that he'd spent more time with them, Magneto and Mystique weren't really so bad. He didn't care what the rest of his classmates thought about them; he knew Rogue was terrified of Mystique and hated Magneto, and that Bobby's feelings were a watered down version of Rogue's, but that was only because they were dating.
John scoffed at their relationship, why in the world had Bobby wanted to go out with a girl he could barely even kiss?
It seemed like a waste of time to him. As for John's own girlfriend...well, they weren't official yet, but they'd been talking for a couple of weeks.
"Oh, here come some of us now." Eric muttered from his seat on the couch across from John's armchair.
Eric had been keeping still and quiet-with the exception of his and John's short conversation a few moments before-as he maintained his concentration on the protection of the house.
John looked up from the book and watched as Eric's eyes seemingly shifted gears from keeping others out, to letting people in.
He heard the back door open and quickly slam shut, then the new arrival was suddenly in the room with them.
"Man, people are going crazy out there!" the young man declared loudly.
"I'm glad to see you made it here safely. Where's your sister?"
"She's right behind me, be here in a second."
Eric nodded and introduced him to John. "John, this is my son Pietro, his sister Wanda-as you just heard- will be with us shortly."
John and Pietro looked each other up and down. They had the same deceptively lean build to their bodies and were about the same height. John's coloring was darker; Pietro was far more fair in his skin, eyes and hair. While John's hair was dark brown, Pietro's head was crowned in snow white locks- John figured it was part of his mutation.
"You didn't leave her by herself out there, did you?"
"No, of course not! I told you already, she's only a few blocks behind me."
"A few blocks?! Pietro, she could-"
"Father, relax. Her powers have grown a lot since you last saw us, trust me three months can change a mutation." "I hope you're right. If anything happens to her-"
"I know, I know, it'll be on me. Don't worry, she could handle a mob like this in her sleep." Pietro then moved farther into the room and sat down on the couch, looking at John.
"So what's your story?"
"Well, I'm a student at Xavier's-"
"Xavier's?! Father, are they-"
"No, Pietro, I suspect that the X-men will be far too busy dealing with their own troubles to come here looking for him. They might not even know he's alive. Mystique and I rescued him, from the Alkali flood."
"Ah, gotcha. How long are you staying?" Pietro asked him.
"Just until the riots die down." John said.
"Yeah? Well, it might be awhile, especially now that Wanda's out there."
"Hey, I never hear you complain when I'm rattling some thug." Came a new, female, voice from the doorway.
John, Pietro and Eric looked over to see Wanda standing casually next to the television. She had come in without being noticed, completely silent.
Wanda didn't look like Pietro or Eric; she had long black hair, dark brown eyes and a subtle tan rather than the creamy coloring of her father and brother. John would have liked to just stare at her for a little longer, but Pietro snapped him out of it.
"Hey, John, you're drooling on the carpet."
John shook it off and greeted Wanda properly.
*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*
Finally, like the flame of a candle, the near worldwide riots finally burned themselves out.
John was thankful.
Though he liked staying with Magneto, the twins and Mystique, he knew that he should go before he wore out his welcome. It was time to go back to Xavier's, though he felt a little reluctant.
In the week he had been staying with them, he'd made friends with Pietro and Wanda, and didn't want to just leave them behind. He knew that everyone at Xavier's would consider it sort of like sleeping with the enemy if he were to continue hanging out with them.
Not that he minded the idea of sleeping with Wanda...
"John, are you ready?"
He turned to see Mystique in the doorway of his adopted bedroom. He'd miss this room, and having a naked woman walking all over the place.
"Yeah, I'll be down in a second." He replied. Mystique went downstairs and John followed after her, outside and into a car.
For whatever reason, maybe just to show off, Mystique shape shifted into a chauffer, complete with the uniform and hat. "Right this way sir." She said as she opened the door for him. Eric, Wanda and Pietro were in the back seat waiting.
"Thank you ma'am." He said as he climbed in.
The ride seemed to go fast, almost too fast. Maybe it only seemed that way because John didn't really want to leave his new friends, but at the same time he wanted to make sure his other friends at Xavier's were alright.
"Well, here we are." Magneto said as the car stopped.
"Already?" John asked.
"I'm afraid so. Do give my love to Charles, won't you?"
"Uh, sure." John said as he moved to get out. "Eric? Thank you."
"You're welcome, John. Take care."
"I will." John got out of the car, the twins followed him.
"Hey, John, we'll see you around man, alright?" Pietro asked.
"No doubt." John and Pietro shook hands and patted each other a couple times on the back.
Pietro went back into the car, Wanda stayed behind. "John, here's our number, in case you ever need some help, ok?" she slipped the scrap of paper into his hand and pecked him on the cheek.
"Thanks Wanda."
Then, John was alone outside, nothing between him and the gates of Xavier's school.
"Hey, John," he turned around to see Mystique in the driver's seat of the car. She didn't say anything, only smiled and winked a chrome yellow eye at him. She pushed a button and the car's tinted window went up before he could say anything back to her.
The car went back down the road, out of sight.
John stood outside the gates to Xavier's, and sighed heavily, not so sure anymore if this was the right choice.