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"So what did we find out?" Foggy asked.
Matt grinned. "SHEILD wants Lance Alvers and any other dangerous mutants at the Institute where Xavier and their former operative, Weapon X, can monitor them. They consider the Institute the best option for managing the situation. They don't want an incident over Lance's powers. The fugitive problem stands though. Those charges are completely separate from his mutant abilities, so SHEILD isn't as concerned with a possible backlash."
"I may be able to help with that." Foggy said. "Lance Alvers was put in a real disaster of a juvenile detention center when he was nine."
"What'd he do?" Matt asked.
"Arson, burned down a school, nearly killed himself in the process."
"That's not going to help." Matt said.
"Because of his age and his reaction to the fire there was some question about whether it was arson or just an accident. Still his foster parents refused to take him back and there really wasn't anyplace to put him because of how money had been apportioned with in the system. Illinois' social services department was suffering from massive funding problems, their director decided to take an unorthodox approach. She decided that given the department's limitations there was no possible way to reach all the kids they needed to. Furthermore, she felt by expending resources on the worst cases they would be losing kids they might otherwise have the resources to help. Lance was one of the kids who fell off of the scale. His behavior in the foster homes previous to the fire was beginning to make him difficult to place and with the suspicious surrounding the fire… They didn't have any other place to put him where they felt he could be sufficiently monitored. The detention center was severely understaffed and over populated. All the problems that you would expect were present. Also the system was set up encouraged people to think of those kids as being beyond help." Foggy reported.
"Beyond help given the available resources translates pretty easily into thinking of them as worthless." Matt said quietly.
Foggy made a sound of agreement. "The staff was over-worked and frustrated. They felt their only responsibility was to keep the kids alive. The kids were all troubled to some extent, putting that many emotionally disturbed teens and pre-teens in close quarters guaranteed problems with violence. The situation degraded, eventually ending in a riot. Seven kids between the ages of twelve and sixteen died. In the aftermath the whole system was restructured, Lance ended up back in foster care. The entire situation was a huge black mark against the social services and juvenile corrections system in Illinois. They'd rather we didn't dredge the incident up again. If the primary charges against Lance are dropped, they'll pressure their colleges here to let the fugitive matter drop."
****** ****** ******
Tentatively Kitty knocked on the door to Lance's room. It had been several hours since his precipitous exit.
The instructors at the Institute had half way expected Lance's change of heart about meeting his grandparents on his own so she'd come prepared. Well, when it came to things like clothes and a toothbrush she'd been prepared. She was running a little low on small talk and the truth was both she and Lance's grandparents were getting a little worried about him. They'd all agreed dinner made a good premise for checking on him.
Kitty knocked a little louder. "Lance?" She asked. When he didn't respond she phased through the door.
The photo album lay on the floor looking like it had been throw there. Lance stood in front of the window with his back to her. The set of his shoulders looked painfully rigid.
"Lance, are you alright?" Kitty asked tentatively.
"I don't want to be here." Lance said. "I wish I'd never called or anything. It was stupid. I hate this!"
Kitty stood beside him. She slid her hand into his. "Why?" She asked.
Lance shuddered. "It's all falling down." There was a long pause. "I don't care about them! I don't. Every bad thing that ever happened to me was Mom… Sophie and Rich's fault! I hated them. I've hated them for so long."
After an uncertain silence Kitty said. "That doesn't have anything to do with Dora and Andrew does it? I think they really want to get to know you."
"I don't want to remember." Lance said. Kitty glanced back at the photo album. Lance's voice dropped so low she almost missed his next words. "They don't deserve me missing them."
Kitty leaned her forehead against Lance's shoulder, silently offering support and when she just didn't know what to say.
Gradually Lance's stance relaxed. Having her there was like having a touchstone reminding him that he did have her and other people in his life who weren't going to disappear. It didn't change that his family was gone, that he'd fought to get them back until he was too angry to grieve, but it helped.
****** ****** ******
"I think I should test it." Pietro announced out of the blue as he grabbed a chair beside Todd.
"Test what?" Todd asked.
"That Rogue and I can't touch anymore." Pietro replied. "Xavier told her it might not be safe anymore. Because of what happened. He doesn't know for sure."
"Yeah but what if he's right?" Todd asked.
"Then we'll know for sure won't we?" Pietro said.
Todd glared at him. "What if you get permanently messed up?"
Pietro shrugged. "She's going to break up with me if we can't touch. I never take enough risks. I should have trusted that Mom and Papa would never hurt me. I should have risked telling you guys what was going on with Magneto, Mystique and Wanda. I should have done something when Dad messed up Wanda's powers."
"You were a little kid." Todd protested. "And what can any of us do against Magneto?"
"Gambit risked getting Magneto mad at him to protect me. I should have protected Wanda. Because I didn't take risks Wanda and Fred both hate me and Lance says he forgives me but it isn't the same. And it's my fault. I should have done something. I'm not losing Rogue."
****** ****** ******
Dinner was an awkward meal. Lance sat beside Kitty. They held hands beneath the table. Kitty smiled gamely. She chatted with Dora. She forced herself to not to phase no matter how tightly Lance squeezed her hand.
Lance stared at his plate. He played with his food. He refused to meet anyone's eyes. He answered direct questions with single word answers otherwise he ignored the conversation.
Dora kept a set smile on her face. She maintained a steady stream of small talk with Kitty. She asked Lance questions to try to draw him into the conversations. She did the same with Andrew.
At first Andrew watched Lance with concern. When he realized he was only making the teen more uncomfortable he turned his attention to his food and focused on it as if he expected it to grow legs and hop off the plate.
When the meal ended Lance stood quickly. He nearly pulled Kitty to her feet along with him in his hurry to get away.
"Lance." Dora called as she stood. Lance halted his retreat and waited nervously.
"I'm so happy you're here." Dora said and hugged him.
Lance tensed for a moment then awkwardly returned Dora's hug. "Thanks." He mumbled.
"Why don't we help with dishes?" Kitty suggested.
As the four of them cleared the table and hung around the kitchen the conversation slowly relaxed.
****** ****** ******
Rahne glanced up when she heard a knock at her door. Rogue came in. "Could Ah try something on yah?" She asked.
"What do you want?" Rahne asked curiously.
"To touch yah." Rogue said. "Ah swear Ah'll pull away as soon as mah powers kick in."
Rahne took a deep breath. "Okay."
Rogue took a deep breath. She pulled a stopwatch out of her pocket and took off her glove. She and Rahne touched fingertips. Rogue started the clock. Rahne swayed. Rogue stepped back as she clicked off the stopwatch. "Six seconds. That's almost twice as long as normal." She said with a grin as she glanced at the results.
"But how?" Rahne asked.
"Ah was right. Quickie's powers are always on, but he can dial 'em back a little. Mine work the same way. Once Ah started figurin' out how to control his powers… Remind me to write Logan a real nice Thank You card and maybe wax his bike."
"You're still hiding from him?" Rahne asked.
"Not hiding per say, just leaving the room so fast he can't see me. With the mess at school and with Lance everyone sort of forgot about me. Ah ain't going to remind them."
"Back to the subject." Rogue said. "Yah know why Pietro and I could touch at first right? Well that gave me the idea. Ah can't turn mah powers off, but Ah can make 'em slow down like Ah do Pietro's. It ain't much yet but Pietro and I don't need a much. If it's me controlling mah powers and not just a side effect of Pietro's then it should be okay for us to touch again."
****** ****** ******
Jean and Scott sat in the Professor's study. "Principal Kelly called. Due to the number of days the school has been shut down this year he's requiring you to take an equivalency test to determine whether or not you graduate."
"Does this mean we don't have to go back there?" Scott asked hopefully.
"Classes will not resume before graduation because of the shooting." Xavier said. "Instead the School Board decided to break early for summer. Classes will resume in early August to allow the younger students time to finish out their classes but they didn't wish to delay the senior class' graduation."
"Will they have a graduation ceremony?" Jean asked with concern.
"Yes, there will be something for your parents to attend when they arrive." Xavier assured her. "Now I hear you've been accepted into several college programs?"
"We should send Lance a copy of the equivalency test." Scott said. "If nothing else he'll get a kick out of screwing with Kelly's head."
****** ****** ******
"Rogue's really starting to control her powers?" Todd asked as he and Rahne waited for the elevator to take them down to the Danger Room.
"Yep." Rahne replied
"That's cool, yo." Todd said. "I've got to tell Quickie."
"I think she wants to surprise him." Rahne said.
"Well he's planning on being stupid." Todd said. "I called Lance. He suggested bashing him over the head. That's Lance-speak for he doesn't have a clue. I was thinking maybe I'd ask Scott or even Mr. McCoy. It's weird, we'd never go to Mystique with problems. Still this is better. I wasn't that happy about deciding to rat Quickie out you know. And this'll stop him easier than they could yo."
"Everyone on staff here is really nice. Even Mr. Logan is more bark than bite." Rahne said. "You shouldn't feel weird about telling them when something's wrong."
"Yeah, I know. It takes getting used to is all." Todd said with a shrug. "So do you think we should screw this test up so we can get out of Danger Room sessions for another week?"
"I'd just as soon get back to training." Rahne said. "Besides if we're not healed Moira'll want to know why. Then she'd watch us even more closely and she's already being totally unreasonable."
Todd made a face. "Yeah, she's obsessed with water, stalking us with that squirt gun of hers, next thing you know she'll be putting soap in it. And she's making me go to the dentist! I've heard stories about dentists, they're like tortures, only worse!"
Rahne giggled. "They aren't that bad. I'll go with you if you want?"
"You're the best Rahnie-sweetums." Todd said.
****** ****** ******
Remy stared up at the ceiling. Wanda slept curled beside him, one arm flung across his chest. She wasn't the little girl he remembered from eight years ago Remy told himself. Maybe things had gotten a little carried away but there was no reason for this to feel so wrong.
He'd missed her all those years and now she was back. She was so different from his memories of her. Every day they seemed to grow closer. Maybe it was just the invisible wall that seemed to exist between them and Magneto's other followers, isolating them from anyone else, but Remy thought it was more than that.
Wanda was dangerous and vulnerable all at the same time. She was beautiful and he wanted to know what she looked like when she smiled. And maybe that was the whole reason why this bothered him so much. He was falling in love with her. On the surface she seemed like his type but the kind of girls Remy pursued never let him touch their hearts and they never endangered his. He liked it that way.
He liked relationships where both parties could walk away in the morning with no regrets. He liked girls as emotionally unavailable as he was because that way no one got hurt. He never got involved with someone who couldn't protect themselves because he had enemies.
An image of coal black hair clumped together with congealing blood and brain matter flashed across his mind's eye. Confused Remy tried to place the fragment of memory.
Notre Dame was looming over him on a clear, cold night. Yellow light from a street lamp illuminating the broken bodies of his beloved cousin and his lover. Waist length raven hair fanned out beneath the bodies like a photographer's backdrop. Short golden hair like a bloodstained halo.
No. Remy flinched as the image jumped. Silver-blond hair, free of blood but lit like flames in by the dawn. Only a few mornings later the boy lay on a rooftop, safe but so frighteningly still. He'd saved them, hadn't he? Silver-blond boy who had become almost a little brother, the girl, her hair brunette, streaked with white, barely known to him but precious to the boy, both safe. He thought he'd saved them.
No. Remy bit the inside of his cheek. They were all children. Silver-blond boy pulled to safety. Raven-haired girl lost… The sickening thud as the bodies… body hit the pavement. A squirming boy pinned under his arm, tears running down his face. Safe… Dead… Taken… His arm tightened around Wanda needing the warmth of her body pressed against his to convince himself she was alive.
Waist length raven hair stained with scarlet blood. Cropped raven hair stained with scarlet dye. Her body going cold in his arms. "Remy why?" Et… Silver, dead on impact… No, Silver was alive, well. He'd betrayed them, but he was alive.
Wanda woke with a sound of protest. Remy was holding her painfully tight. His unique eyes glowed in the darkened room. Wanda watched in alarm as they tracked randomly.
"Remy?"
Remy's breath came in ragged gasps. The images flickered back and forth. He didn't know what was real. It was pivotal. His whole life hinged on that moment. He didn't know what was real. He didn't know what had happened.
"Remy!"
Blood spreading in a pool. The red-hot pain as Sabretooth's claws sliced into his gut. His hand locked over Pietro's mouth as the nine year old struggled to run after the men taking his sister. Her body still and cold in his arms. The blast flinging both boy and girl back to safety. Watching helplessly as she was drug away.
"Remy!" Wanda yelled as she shook him. She broke his desperate hold on her and pulled on some clothes. "Someone help!" she screamed as she threw open the door.
****** ****** ******
Lance sat in the corner of the room crowded room. It was the third evening since he and Kitty had arrived at the Petroses' and his Grandparents had invited the rest of the family over to meet him. When people kept showing up Lance had thought he was going to go into shock. He'd tried to leave, Kitty made him mingle. Speaking of Kitty, he was going to something bad to her as soon as he found her again. She'd disappeared while he was talking to his great uncle.
He thought he must have been introduced to a hundred people and they were all supposed to be related to him somehow. There was no way he was ever going to keep them all straight. At least they'd finally quit talking to him. People talked about crops and the weather. Someone in college had called home. Most of the kids were a lot younger than he was. Some of them played sports; others played instruments. Someone's neighbor had done something to a field and that had some significance Lance didn't understand. Someone had a new job. Someone had a new baby.
Lance was pretty sure he was going to get along with his great uncle. Maybe that was why Kitty had abandoned him. The old guy had been telling him about emptying the powder out of a grenade then going into the mess hall and asking if anyone had seen the pin back during World War II. Lance could imagine him approving of or at least being amused by most of the Brotherhood's stunts.
Lance wondered a little about how no one had said anything about him being a mutant. He figured Andrew and Dora must have decided not to tell anyone else about that minor detail.
A very small boy determinedly climbed over the arm of Lance's chair then fell into his lap. Lance winced as the boy collided with his injured shoulder but reflexively caught him. After that Lance wasn't quite sure what to do with the child.
The little boy confidently made himself at home. "I'm Nicky." He informed Lance. "That's my mom. That's my dad. That's my sister and the girls. They have cooties." Bemused Lance watched as the boy pointed out people in the crowd. "My mom said you're my cousin. Do you want to see my tree house?"
Lance decided he liked the kid. Any excuse to get out of the crowd was a good one. Nicky started squirming so Lance set him on the ground. The child immediately grabbed his hand and tugged him toward the door. Lance happily complied.
Nicky's tree house turned out to be a pallet set about four feet off the ground there was an up-ended bucket set beside it for a step. "Nice place." Lance said.
Nicky grinned. "Come up." He ordered.
Lance obediently hopped up to sit on one edge of the platform. Nicky held up a jar for him to see. "I found a cattypillar. It's going to turn into a butterfly. Only it isn't moving anymore. Candy says it's dead."
"I think Candy's right." Lance said. Nicky shrugged and stuck the jar back in its nitch.
"Nicholas Andrew Petros how many times have I told you not to wander off?"
"Mom!" Nicky protested as the woman walked from the house then lifted him to the ground. "I was just showing Lance my tree house."
"I'm sorry if he was bothering you." Nicky's mom said.
"I didn't mind. It was getting a little crowded in there." Lance said glancing back toward the house with a sigh.
"I'm Rebecca in case you forgot, Jeremy's wife. Jeremy's the uncle without facial hair."
"Thanks." Lance said dryly. "Now if you could describe the other million people in there… Oh, and explain the difference between a second cousin and a cousin once removed?"
Rebecca laughed. "It is a little overwhelming isn't it? I'm an only child, I remember the first time I came to a family get together. The Petroses have been farming here for five generations, it never occurs to them that some people aren't used to this kind of extended family."
"I'm used to insanity." Lance said. "You should try dinner at the Institute. It's just everyone here is someone's mother's brother's wife's dad's niece and geez it took my housemate five months to let on that we were working for his dad."
"You'll get used to it." Rebecca promised. "No one minds if you have to ask their names a dozen times and anyone who has to list more than two names to explain how they're related is a cousin of some sort. If you try to get more specific your head will explode."
"I'll remember that." Lance said.
Nicky started to squirm. "We'd best head back in." Rebecca said. "I think I saw your girlfriend in the kitchen."
"Thanks." Lance said with a smile.
****** ****** ******
Pietro was jerked awake by the sound of jingling of bells. Since finding himself back at the Institute he'd quickly learned that he couldn't sleep unless he did something to set an alarm on his door. He was sure he hadn't done that back while he lived at the Boarding House and he couldn't remember what had made him start. For whatever the reason it was the only way he could stand to close his eyes at night now.
The sound of the bells had him half way across the room before his brain caught up with his body. Pietro paused when he realized there was no door in the direction in which he'd fled. He turned to face the intruder and relaxed as he recognized Rogue. "Hiya gorgeous." He said as nervousness gave way to curiosity. Pietro frowned when Rogue didn't reply. He took a step toward her. "Rogue? Is something wrong?"
Rogue silently offered him an ungloved hand. Pietro smiled brilliantly. "Let's test this right." He said and slipped past her out stretched hand to kiss her.
For a long moment they remained locked together. Then Pietro broke the kiss with a triumphant laugh. "Nothing happened." He picked Rogue up and twirled her around. "Baldy was wrong. I'm immune to your power. Rogue this is so great! We can do whatever we feel like."
Rogue frowned slightly, still silent.
Pietro's back stiffened as the borrowed telepathic might of Jean and Xavier slammed into his mind. His eyes rolled back in his head and he passed out. Rogue gestured and Pietro's unconscious form floated out into the hall. Rogue closed his door behind her then gestured, Scott, Fred and Todd's bodies levitated from the floor where she'd left them when she went to get Pietro and followed her and Pietro as she left the Mansion.
Mystique met Rogue at the mansion's gate in a black van. Rouge loaded the four boys into the back then she and Mystique climbed in front. Mystique turned the van toward the airport.