Thanks for the feedback: Steven P. P, Eboni, Pandora, raniatlw, Firefly25, Rushikayu13, Goofn1, T. Riddle, Courtney, The Son of Logan and Ororo, Dusty, SkyDancerHawk, Silindro, UnknownSource, Leah
Bardic Feline, thanks for beta reading.
Xavier stopped his chair just inside the med-lab. For a long moment he simply considered Lance. Lance waited.
"I don't know what to do with you." Xavier said. "Are you aware that there is a good chance you maimed that boy?"
"Things got a little out of hand." Lance said. "I had no idea he was going to pull a knife on me."
"Things were out of hand well before that. How long has this war between the two of you been going on?" Xavier demanded.
"Since the first time I met him." Lance said. "He's been beating up Todd since Todd started going to school. I know Todd's a thief and a pick-pocket. That's no excuse for the crap Duncan and his friends have pulled on him over the years. Todd always needed the money, they didn't. You think he got in the habit of eating bugs because he was curious about how they tasted or something?"
"No." Xavier sighed. "We had guessed he'd been neglected from fairly early on."
"Well Matthews and his friends didn't notice or they just didn't care. Todd infringed on their perfect little lives so they hurt him. It's not like Todd's parents went screaming to the school board when he came home bruised up. His dad barely acknowledges he's alive, even on the one or two days a month that he's in town. His mom's gone, dead or run off, Todd isn't sure. It doesn't matter to anyone when someone like Todd gets hurt. Most of the time he doesn't even fight back."
"So you fought for him?" Xavier asked.
"Why not? I'm good at it." Lance said. "To be honest I like it. I don't pick on people who can't fight back. I just never back down."
"Yes, I noticed that." Xavier said. "Let me ask you something. Beating up Duncan was supposed to deter his attacks on Todd correct? Did it ever work?"
"Between Fred and I we all but put a stop to Todd getting hurt." Lance said.
"Lance, was it fear of reprisal that stopped them or was it your presence? Your willingness to protect Todd?" Xavier asked. "Would they have still attacked him if they had caught him alone?"
"You know they kept on harassing him whenever they got the chance." Lance said.
"Then you know your tactics don't work." Xavier replied. "You and Scott worked out a plan to eliminate the opportunities for violence. While it is unspeakably wrong that you have to worry about such things, you have created the chance for interaction with minimal risk. There is the possibility for relation to improve between our species. What has your vendetta with Duncan Matthews resulted in? You managed to convince him he needed a knife to confront you and now you're both seriously injured."
"I know! Damn it, I know." Lance sighed. "It's just, what makes you think it'll ever get better? They're more scared of what we could do than of anything we've actually done."
"It takes time to prove good intensions Lance. The more hatred built between us the harder it will be to overcome."
"And in the meantime we just suffer."
"I never said it would be easy." Xavier replied. "For the next month I'm grounding you from the jeep, working on it as well as driving. And as soon as your arm is sound I want you to start taking martial arts classes with Wolverine. That way you can learn to disarm an opponent without doing excessive damage. Lessons will begin at five in the morning, tardiness won't be tolerated."
"Sure, okay," Lance sighed.
****** ****** ******
Wanda rested her cheek against the back of Remy's shoulder. She let the vibrations from the motorcycle and the rhythm of his heart lull her into a semi-daze.
Remy felt the arms twined around his waist loosen. He yelled. "Cherie, if y're fallin' asleep 'm pulling over right now."
"You fuss too much Remy." Wanda complained but she straightened a little. She caught a glimpse of a sign along side the road and jerked her fists sharply back into Gambit's stomach.
"What dat be for?" he demanded.
"We haven't been this close to Bayville for a week!" Wanda accused.
"I took de scenic route." Remy replied.
"You… I don't like you." Wanda exclaimed.
"Tell me another one cherie." Remy laughed. "We're almost dere."
****** ****** ******
Jean and Amanda sat in the front of the SUV talking quietly about the day's events.
Pietro sat in one corner of the back. His arms were crossed over his chest and he glared out the window. He was muttering angrily to himself. The girls caught occasional comments about Lance or Evan. They decided the best thing to do was to ignore him.
Jean dropped Amanda off at her house. "Pietro do you want to get in front?" Jean asked. "Pietro!" she yelled a moment later.
"Huh?"
"Get in the front. I'm not your chauffer."
The two doors slammed with a single bang and Pietro was buckling his seat belt in the passenger seat. "Can you believe Lance?" He asked. "Letting Daniels take my place. Daniels!"
"I can't believe Duncan." Jean said. "I mean what happened at the Ice Cream Parlor could have been an accident. Okay, I don't think he meant for it to end with Todd needing stitches anyway and Rahne getting a broken arm, things could have just gotten carried away. He probably didn't realize Kitty would get hurt as bad as she did either. But a knife? Bruises and stuff were bad enough, but a knife?"
There was an unfamiliar car parked in front of the Institute when they arrived. Curious and cautious they headed inside. In the lobby Xavier was speaking with a tall slender woman who somehow reminded Jean of Wanda. A man with gray hair at his temples stood near the door. He was scowling. Ororo was trying to placate him. Lance leaned against the opposite wall. He watched the strangers suspiciously.
"Mom-Papa?" Pietro squeaked. He turned to flee.
"Pey?" Magda asked. Her voice froze Pietro in his tracks. She wrapped her son in a fierce hug then held him at arm's length and shook him lightly. "What were you thinking? Over eight months without a word! And you Charles! You've known where both my children were and never thought to tell me until now? Pey it was obvious your father was involved in your disappearance. I was afraid to even look for you. But to find he left you on your own and you never even called! I was worried sick."
"I-thought-you'd-be-ashamed-of-me." Pietro said quietly. "And-Dad-said-you'd-send-me-back-to-jail."
"Damn it Pey, you were arrested for vandalism and petty theft." Django exclaimed. "We were in the middle of bailing you out when your father got involved. The police weren't even interested in looking for you after you broke out. As far as they were concerned the bars were an unexplained phenomenon and you were just a run away."
"I-thought-you'd-be-mad."
"Of course we were angry." Django said. "You know better than to act like a hooligan. Parents generally get a little upset when their children decide to break into their school, steal from their classmates and destroy things. It was no reason for you to run away."
"But-Dad-said-they'd-never-let-me-go."
"Pietro, your father preformed experiments on your sister then abandoned her in an insane asylum when he couldn't control her. He ignored your existence for nine years, until he thought he could use you for his cause." Xavier said. "Do you really expect honesty from him?"
Pietro glanced at his mother. She pulled him close again and hung on as if she expected him to disappear. "It was just…. It-felt-like-forever. Trapped-with-nothing-to-do. Then-Dad-came-and-he-said-he-needed-me-and-that-you'd-send-me-back-to-jail-forever-if-I-went-home. Sorry."
"We'll talk about it later." Magda said. "I haven't seen you in so long."
"You want to know what I've been doing?" Pietro said. He sounded horrified at the thought and his fair skin took on a firey hue.
Django grimaced. "Charles updated us. He also said you'd made some close friends and that you were dating one of his students." He offered. He hoped that was a more neutral topic than the Brotherhood's misdeeds.
"Why don't you talk in the study?" Xavier suggested. "This area tends to be a fairly busy crossroad."
"Sure." Lance said. His expression made it apparent that he didn't trust the Maximoffs alone with Pietro.
"Go away. I'm mad at you." Pietro informed Lance. "You asked Evan Daniels to watch your back? I'm not surprised you ended up needing a doctor."
"He and Evan are still at it?" Django quietly asked Ororo.
"Worse than ever." She confirmed with a sigh.
****** ****** ******
Gambit set aside his binoculars with a surprised look on his face. "Well, what'd y' know? Someone's home. Y' pere is more arrogant dan I t'ought… Can y' really fight him?"
"Of course I can beat Magneto." Wanda said. "Let's go."
Gambit nodded grimly. "Then we do it. Tonight Magneto dies."
Wanda paused at the featureless outer wall. She raised one hand to hex it. Gambit caught her wrist. "Let's go in quiet-like." He suggested. "I don' want to fight de other two if I don' have to. Pyro's not a bad sort, if y' like crazy. Colossus is just another of your father's victims."
"I guess." Wanda said
Gambit checked his landmarks then pulled a magnet out of his trenchcoat. "Your pere has a t'ing 'bout magnets. He t'inks he be de only one who can use dem." Five triangular panels appeared then withdrew revealing a circular opening. Gambit and Wanda went inside.
Despite their efforts it wasn't long before Pyro and Colossus confronted them.
Gambit stepped forward. "I kilt Sabretooth. I don' want to hurt either of y'. Get out of our way."
Pyro laughed. Flames shot from the tank on his back. A griffon made of fire leapt at Gambit. The Cajun dove through the flames. He knew he had to get to the fire-tamer. Colossus blocked him. He punched Gambit. The force of the blow threw him back into the paws of the fire-creature.
Wanda gasped and shot a hex bolt into the fray. Everything went mad. All three combatants, as well as Wanda herself, scrambled to protect themselves from the suddenly hostile terrain. Plates of steel tore free of the floors and wall and ricocheted about the confined hall like knife edged discuses. Colossus found himself helplessly reverting back and forth between forms with every heartbeat. Pyro's flame beast gained a will of it's own and savagely turned on it's creator. A glowing nimbus of power formed around Gambit. Slowly it seeped away from his body to infect the surroundings.
The fire-griffon left Pyro curled on the ground. He couldn't quit screaming from the pain of his burns. The creature turned on Gambit. The Cajun pulled his trenchcoat over his head and huddled under its shelter as the flame beast descended on him.
Fear crystallized Wanda's emotions. Her focus gained a diamond-like clarity. Another hex bolt leapt from her hand. The fire-beast dispersed into the air along with the out of control glow of Gambit's powers. Colossus shifted to flesh one last time then collapsed in exhaustion.
Gambit sighed in relief. He stood and straightened his singed coat. "What de hell happened femme?" He demanded.
"It's your fault!" Wanda yelled. "Agatha taught me to control my powers by focusing my rage. You confuse me! You take that away!"
"I asked y' outside if y' could take your father. Dat would have been a good time to mention dis petite detail." Gambit snapped. His eyes widened as he looked past her.
Magneto floated down the hallway toward the pair. His cloak rippled majestically around him. A cringing figure in brown trailed along in Magneto's wake.
Gambit pulled Wanda behind him. "Dis be de man who locked y' 'way." He muttered as he filled his hand with a dozen cards. They were charged in an instant and thrown just as quickly. "I hope y're good and mad else we're both goin' die here."
Magneto summoned one of the metal plates Wanda had ripped freed to serve him as a shield.
Wanda prepared a hex bolt. Magneto caused the metal to run like water and wrap around her and Gambit to form straight jackets.
"Mastermind, deal with them." Magneto commanded.
"As my lord wishes."
****** ****** ******
Lance walked into the kitchen and very casually scooped up the cordless phone then headed for a more private are of the Institute.
"Rich Alvers"
"Hi, it's Lance."
"Lance, you called… I'm so glad you called back."
"Why do your in-laws hate you?" Lance asked bluntly.
"I can't believe they brought that up this quickly." Rich said, he sounded angry and disgusted. "You're my son as much as Sophie's."
"I'm not yours, you gave me up." Lance snapped.
"We wanted to do what was best for you." Rich insisted.
Lance snorted.
Rich sighed. "You wanted to know why Dora and Andrew hated me. There wasn't a reason not a real one, we just never got along. Sophie's parents had her life all laid out. They knew what they thought was best for her and I wasn't it. Sophie and I met in college. Her parents hated me before they met me. I had the wrong religious beliefs, the wrong political leanings and they didn't really care for the length of my hair either. I was supposed to be rebellious phase Sophie would quickly out grow instead she married me.
I don't think I've ever been in a room with Andrew for more than five minutes without us ending up in a… heated… debate. I suppose I should have kept trying. Sophie had been very close to her family, but it just seemed pointless. We cut off contact with them about a year before Missy was born. I doubt that time, or the divorce, did anything to sweeten their opinion of me. In their opinion I wasn't good enough for their daughter, they never gave me a chance."
"Oh okay," Lance said preparing to hang up.
"Wait," Rich said. "Please tell me something about yourself. Where do you live? Are you happy?"
"I… I don't want to tell you where find me," Lance said. "And sometimes. I've got some really good friends and my girlfriend is the coolest, but there's some other stuff going on that's not so good."
"Is there anything I can do to help?"
"Not anymore." Lance said harshly and hung up.
****** ****** ******
Pietro stood outside Rogue's closed door and yelled. "I know you're mad at me, but the not-insane part of my family is here and I thought it would be really cool to introduce them to you."
Rogue poked her head out of the door. "Is Mr. Logan around?" She asked.
"He's been in the danger room for hours. He's working off aggression or something. Was it something you did?" Pietro asked curiously.
"None of your business." Rogue said. "Who's here?"
"My mom and Papa, that's Django, not Magneto. Mom married him when I was a kid." Pietro clarified. "They're sort of mad at me. Not near as mad as I thought they'd be. Still if you're there I won't get lectured, cool huh? Also I thought you should see I do have some family members who aren't trying to concur the world or out to kill each other."
"Personally, Ah think Ah'd like to hear yah getting balled out right now." Rogue said. She came out into the hall. "Ah'll tell 'em not to mind me."
"It won't do any good." Pietro replied as he took her arm.
"We'll see." Rogue said.
****** ****** ******
Duncan tried to scratch under the cast on his arm as he looked around the school's mostly empty parking lot. He'd called most of his teammates and friends. So far only four had shown up and they were starting to look nervous. A few of the teachers had already arrived to take advantage of the early morning quiet it wouldn't be too much longer until other students started arriving. Duncan realized no one else was coming.
"Look, none of us want to be going to school with freaks." He began. The other four looked bored, it wasn't anything new. "The whole school, from the lowliest freshman-geek all the way up to Principal Kelly would thank us for getting rid of them."
"We've been trying." One of the four, Jeff, said. "They know no one wants 'em here. They keep coming anyway."
"And they travel in packs." Duncan replied. "And when push comes to shove they use their powers. I found that out, same as Greg." Duncan gestured to the teen who'd gotten his ribs broken in the fight with Todd and Rahne. "Let's face it, they're armed we're not. We're never going to win unless we level the playing field."
Duncan popped the trunk on his car. The lid swung open to reveal that he'd emptied his father's riffle cabinet the night before.
"I'm out." Jeff said.
"Are you thinking about running to the teachers?" Duncan asked. "Cause they don't care."
Jeff glanced at the pile of weapons in the trunk and licked his lips nervously. "I'm not going to tell anyone. I just don't want to be involved, okay?" He forced a laugh. "Hey you've all seen me at the arcade. I can't hit the broadside of a barn; you all know that. You guys don't really want a real gun in my hands. The only people who'd be safe would be the ones I'm aiming at. You all know that."
"Get out of here," Duncan said. "And I mean I don't want to see your face at school today."
"Right, I'm gone."
Duncan turned back to the other three "Greg, Dom, Neal, you're all in right?"