JANUARY 22, 2005
MID AFTERNOON
"Angel,
Your aunt and I don't agree with what you're doing. I didn't believe Jax when he told us about this but the reports from Icon showed it's true. This is the stupidest stunt you've pulled yet even worse is that you've involved Tara; we both thought you had more respect for your friend then to do something this rash. The day after you recieve this Kristal will be there to pick you up and you'll return home with her...I don't expect an arguement. Velicion."
Tara Toynbee stared at the letter in her hand. "Harsh much?"she questioned, looking over at Angel who stood outside the window on the balcony edge, staring down. "Didn't he even give you a choice? Maybe we want to do this."
"Yeah, sure. Like Vel would give me the time to explain...I'm not going." She shifted her footing a bit to dangle one foot over.
"Uh-huh. How do you plan to stay? Zey have vays of making you talk,"Tara said, putting on a perfect imitation of a German accent. She dropped the letter onto the table, making her way outside with her friend. "Have you told Rogue or Logan?"
"What do I tell them? Oh, Rogue, remember my uncle? I was right...he'll be sending my aunt here in the morning to force me into leaving. Sorry to kill Xavier's dream again,"she muttered, bitterly, struggling to keep her balance.
"That's a good start."
"Smart ass. What would you propse I do, Tadpole?"
She shrugged, looking up toward the roof rather than down at the ground. "Tell them and see what happens?"she suggested with a smirk and another shrug. Her hands restlessly played with the railing behind her. "Technically, Vel can't force you to leave. You're seventeen...that counts as an adult."
"Adult, a dolt, it doesn't matter. Vel could force me easily...maybe I'll go tell Rogue and them. Maybe. Will that get you off my case?"
"I'm not on your case, Angel, but it'll be worse if they don't know someone's coming to get you." Tara jumped up, catching hold of the roof's overhanging ledge. She simply held it for a moment then pulled herself up, studying her scratch marred hands. "Just go talk to them."
"Fine but it won't do any good...see ya, Tara."
"Bye, Angel."
Tara listened to her friend's footsteps fade and the slam of her door before relaxing. She stared at the sky, thinking.
She hated to admit it but she wouldn't stay without Angel. Her foster parents would be better than staying here without a friend that she'd known more than a few months. Fact was there was always this feeling of missing something when she was stuck at home. She knew her birth parents hadn't wanted her...why else would they have given her up at such a young age?
"Face it, Tara. No one's ever wanted you nor will they ever,"she told herself with a scowl at the sky. She closed her eyes. "Stop mocking me. Just stop."
DOWNSTAIRS LATER INTO THE DAY
"Has anyone seen Angel?" Julius stopped just short of being inside the rec room where his so-called-teammates were reclining. He swept the room with his gaze, looking for her. She wasn't present.
"I don't know, you don't really care,"Russ answered, looking up from the deck of cards before him. He smiled briefly then returned to the table. "Order goes counter clockwise."
Kellie nodded and took the cards, handing them out. Her moves were practiced like those of a black jack dealer. She played the cards out then drew her own hand up, studying them.
"Where's Angel?"
"Medlab. She needed to talk to Rogue and Logan about something...if you know what's good for you leave her alone, Julius." Tara laid down a card then nodded to Corey. "Your turn."
Corey laid down a card.
These people are insufferable, he thought, turning and walking out of the room. He made his way down the hall, following the path that he thought would lead him to the medlab. One minute they're playing cards like good little puppets and the next they're all jumping down my throat. What did I ever do to deserve all this?
Voices drew his attention.
"This isn't working, Rogue. We've got one who's on the verge of leaving, three who would rather kill one another than agree, one who's lost in her own fears, and one who doesn't trust those who want to help her." Logan's voice rang clear as day through the door. "Maybe we made a mistake."
"Continuing Charles' dream was a mistake? How could you think that, Wolvie?"she questioned, sounding almost like a lost child rather than the adult she was. Her voice was edged with just the right amount of anger. "There's five kids in this mansion who are picking up where we left off. Do you even have faith anymore, Logan?"
"No, Rogue. That died the day the others did...the day we all should have. The fact that we're still living only shows that somehow we screwed up in staying alive." Somewhere inside a door the room a door slammed.
There was a quiet sigh. "Hank, are we doin' right by these kids? Do we really want to carry on Xavier's dream or fix the mistakes of our past?"
"Rogue, it's beyond our control to fix the past but this is a way to secure a future for other mutants. You're not, you can't, fix your mistakes through them." Hank's answer.
Son of a bitch.
He walked away without finding the person he'd been searching for. He had a feeling Angel wasn't around if they were all talking so freely. He'd have to look somewhere else to find the object of his current dilema.
Logan's voice came from outside even though he was the only one out there.
Crazy, that one, very crazy. Julius walked through the mansion, making his way upstairs and to the bedroom wing that the girls slept on. He knocked on the first door with no response then continued to knock until he got an answer.
"Go away, Tara. I've already talked to them...it didn't do much good except cause a fight. I have to finish packing,"came the robotic reply through the door. It didn't open nor did it's occupant appear.
"It's not Tara, princess."
"Leave me alone, Kanteon."
He ignored her words and opened the door, going in. A suitcase lay open on the bed, beginning to fill with clothes; a backpack lay on the floor, spilling books and cases onto the floor. Angel's voice came from the closet.
"I said to leave me alone."
"Since when do I listen to you?"he taunted, rifling through the contents of her suitcase and earning a shoe thrown in his direction for the effort. "Never, last time I looked. What's this about packing?"
"I'm leaving. Enjoy your freedom, give everyone the good news,"Angel scowled, coming out of the closet and dropping more things into the suitcase. "Now get out of my bedroom."
His mocking faded at the news she was leaving. He'd never tormented someone to the point of making them leave; new accomplishment. He knew he wasn't easy to get along with but dammnit she deserved everything he threw her way.
"Why?"he demanded, catching hold of her arm when she tried to move away. "Why are you leaving?"
"Don't worry you haven't scared me off, Kanteon, nor will you ever. My uncle's decided I'm too young and far too reckless to be part of the new X-Men...are you going to leave or do I have to make you?" She pulled her arm away and sat on the floor, begining to sort through the items there.
"I'd love to see it, princess. Your can't stand up to your uncle?"
What was it with this uncle? If Angel had the guts to stand up against him what made this uncle diffrent? This was a diffrent side to his so-called teammate.
She looked up at him, closing her eyes after a moment. "I'm not discussing my family with you but my uncle doesn't take no for an answer...especially from me so get out." She stood again and walked to the door.
Juilus followed her, stopping directly in the doorway. Now was as good a time as any to ask the question he'd finally thought about a few hours earlier. "If you're leaving then I really need an answer. What are the odds of your getting pregnant?"
Angel's fist slammed into his nose, forcing him to stumble back a few steps. There was the sound of bone breaking and blood met his hand when it cupped around his nose. The door slammed without an answer; the lock clicked inside.
"Shit..ANGEL!" He banged his fist against her door. In response, music kicked on at a volume so loud it rattled several windows and the light fixtures. "This isn't over." He stalked off, clutching his bleeding nose and trying to ignore the blood pouring down the front of his shirt.
JANUARY 22, 2005 7:45
"Can you touch the end of your nose with your tongue?"Kellie questioned, staring at the paper with a look that plainly said it was ridiculous. "What kind of questions are these, Remy?"
"Good ones. Can anyone touch dere nose with their tongue?"
All eye went to Tara who raised her hand. "That's a given, Rems. My tongue's like twenty feet...might be less but it's still huge,"she scowled, sticking out just enough of her tongue to touch her nose. She shrugged. "There. Happy?"
"Insanely. Next: stand on one hand,"she said, looking quite confused.
There was silence for a moment then Russ scratched his head. "Is that possible?" He got up from the chair, trying to balance on one hand. It had no result except to knock a vase off, shattering it.
The others tried except Angel who stared blankly at the table. She'd been oddly quiet the last few hours without joining in their fun.
"De angel not goin' to give it a try?"Remy asked, taking the list from Kellie to watch them. So far no one had succeeded in the current task.
"Nope."
Kellie looked up all of a sudden then snapped. "Hey, watch this." She placed one hand on the ground then placed her foot over top of it. "I'm standing on one hand."
The strangeness of the moment broke their confusion and turned it into laughter.
"Now that's good right there,"Corey said, returning to his seat. "Let's see what else this thing has."
Russ and Tara settled back into their chairs until Hank appeared. Remy hid the game they'd been playing at his entrance, smiling.
"Somet'ing wrong, mon ami?"
"Which of you are responsible for Julius' broken nose?"Hank demanded, looking hard at each of the children. His gaze stopped the longest on Russ, obviously remembering their previous scraps. "Russ..?"
"Wasn't me." He held up his hands, shaking his head.
"I am." The reply was almost lost with it's quietness.
Kellie turned to look, amazed at this quiet side and admittance from Angel.
"What?! You?"
She nodded. "Yeah, he alright?"
"For the moment. I gave him a cell growth pill so it would heal sooner...may I inquire why?"Hank asked without looking at the cajun.
She gave no answer. Even odder.
"Angel, answer de doctor."
"I had my reasons, alright?"she muttered, rising from the table. She started to leave. "He should have left me alone when I asked. Have Rogue and Logan heard anything from either my aunt or uncle?"
He nodded. "Yeah. Velicion said he'll give you seven months with the group but the first sign of trouble you leave. Anyone dies, you leave. And his last request was that he send someone to stay with you for awhile...just to make sure things are okay there."
"Ah, hell nah, Hank. I ain't keepin' one of his people within this house with me."
"It's a condition."
Angel cursed then glanced at her watching teammates. "Fine. Did he say who?"
"Just a friend. He said to expect them either tomorrow or the day after..." His voice trailed off like he wasn't sure what else to say. He seemed at a real loss for words. "Logan said to come by and get sheets and things to set up another bedroom..."
"Great...a baby-sitter. I hate him right now...so I packed for nothing?"
"Looks like it."
She cursed again before walking out of the room.
MID AFTERNOON
"Angel,
Your aunt and I don't agree with what you're doing. I didn't believe Jax when he told us about this but the reports from Icon showed it's true. This is the stupidest stunt you've pulled yet even worse is that you've involved Tara; we both thought you had more respect for your friend then to do something this rash. The day after you recieve this Kristal will be there to pick you up and you'll return home with her...I don't expect an arguement. Velicion."
Tara Toynbee stared at the letter in her hand. "Harsh much?"she questioned, looking over at Angel who stood outside the window on the balcony edge, staring down. "Didn't he even give you a choice? Maybe we want to do this."
"Yeah, sure. Like Vel would give me the time to explain...I'm not going." She shifted her footing a bit to dangle one foot over.
"Uh-huh. How do you plan to stay? Zey have vays of making you talk,"Tara said, putting on a perfect imitation of a German accent. She dropped the letter onto the table, making her way outside with her friend. "Have you told Rogue or Logan?"
"What do I tell them? Oh, Rogue, remember my uncle? I was right...he'll be sending my aunt here in the morning to force me into leaving. Sorry to kill Xavier's dream again,"she muttered, bitterly, struggling to keep her balance.
"That's a good start."
"Smart ass. What would you propse I do, Tadpole?"
She shrugged, looking up toward the roof rather than down at the ground. "Tell them and see what happens?"she suggested with a smirk and another shrug. Her hands restlessly played with the railing behind her. "Technically, Vel can't force you to leave. You're seventeen...that counts as an adult."
"Adult, a dolt, it doesn't matter. Vel could force me easily...maybe I'll go tell Rogue and them. Maybe. Will that get you off my case?"
"I'm not on your case, Angel, but it'll be worse if they don't know someone's coming to get you." Tara jumped up, catching hold of the roof's overhanging ledge. She simply held it for a moment then pulled herself up, studying her scratch marred hands. "Just go talk to them."
"Fine but it won't do any good...see ya, Tara."
"Bye, Angel."
Tara listened to her friend's footsteps fade and the slam of her door before relaxing. She stared at the sky, thinking.
She hated to admit it but she wouldn't stay without Angel. Her foster parents would be better than staying here without a friend that she'd known more than a few months. Fact was there was always this feeling of missing something when she was stuck at home. She knew her birth parents hadn't wanted her...why else would they have given her up at such a young age?
"Face it, Tara. No one's ever wanted you nor will they ever,"she told herself with a scowl at the sky. She closed her eyes. "Stop mocking me. Just stop."
DOWNSTAIRS LATER INTO THE DAY
"Has anyone seen Angel?" Julius stopped just short of being inside the rec room where his so-called-teammates were reclining. He swept the room with his gaze, looking for her. She wasn't present.
"I don't know, you don't really care,"Russ answered, looking up from the deck of cards before him. He smiled briefly then returned to the table. "Order goes counter clockwise."
Kellie nodded and took the cards, handing them out. Her moves were practiced like those of a black jack dealer. She played the cards out then drew her own hand up, studying them.
"Where's Angel?"
"Medlab. She needed to talk to Rogue and Logan about something...if you know what's good for you leave her alone, Julius." Tara laid down a card then nodded to Corey. "Your turn."
Corey laid down a card.
These people are insufferable, he thought, turning and walking out of the room. He made his way down the hall, following the path that he thought would lead him to the medlab. One minute they're playing cards like good little puppets and the next they're all jumping down my throat. What did I ever do to deserve all this?
Voices drew his attention.
"This isn't working, Rogue. We've got one who's on the verge of leaving, three who would rather kill one another than agree, one who's lost in her own fears, and one who doesn't trust those who want to help her." Logan's voice rang clear as day through the door. "Maybe we made a mistake."
"Continuing Charles' dream was a mistake? How could you think that, Wolvie?"she questioned, sounding almost like a lost child rather than the adult she was. Her voice was edged with just the right amount of anger. "There's five kids in this mansion who are picking up where we left off. Do you even have faith anymore, Logan?"
"No, Rogue. That died the day the others did...the day we all should have. The fact that we're still living only shows that somehow we screwed up in staying alive." Somewhere inside a door the room a door slammed.
There was a quiet sigh. "Hank, are we doin' right by these kids? Do we really want to carry on Xavier's dream or fix the mistakes of our past?"
"Rogue, it's beyond our control to fix the past but this is a way to secure a future for other mutants. You're not, you can't, fix your mistakes through them." Hank's answer.
Son of a bitch.
He walked away without finding the person he'd been searching for. He had a feeling Angel wasn't around if they were all talking so freely. He'd have to look somewhere else to find the object of his current dilema.
Logan's voice came from outside even though he was the only one out there.
Crazy, that one, very crazy. Julius walked through the mansion, making his way upstairs and to the bedroom wing that the girls slept on. He knocked on the first door with no response then continued to knock until he got an answer.
"Go away, Tara. I've already talked to them...it didn't do much good except cause a fight. I have to finish packing,"came the robotic reply through the door. It didn't open nor did it's occupant appear.
"It's not Tara, princess."
"Leave me alone, Kanteon."
He ignored her words and opened the door, going in. A suitcase lay open on the bed, beginning to fill with clothes; a backpack lay on the floor, spilling books and cases onto the floor. Angel's voice came from the closet.
"I said to leave me alone."
"Since when do I listen to you?"he taunted, rifling through the contents of her suitcase and earning a shoe thrown in his direction for the effort. "Never, last time I looked. What's this about packing?"
"I'm leaving. Enjoy your freedom, give everyone the good news,"Angel scowled, coming out of the closet and dropping more things into the suitcase. "Now get out of my bedroom."
His mocking faded at the news she was leaving. He'd never tormented someone to the point of making them leave; new accomplishment. He knew he wasn't easy to get along with but dammnit she deserved everything he threw her way.
"Why?"he demanded, catching hold of her arm when she tried to move away. "Why are you leaving?"
"Don't worry you haven't scared me off, Kanteon, nor will you ever. My uncle's decided I'm too young and far too reckless to be part of the new X-Men...are you going to leave or do I have to make you?" She pulled her arm away and sat on the floor, begining to sort through the items there.
"I'd love to see it, princess. Your can't stand up to your uncle?"
What was it with this uncle? If Angel had the guts to stand up against him what made this uncle diffrent? This was a diffrent side to his so-called teammate.
She looked up at him, closing her eyes after a moment. "I'm not discussing my family with you but my uncle doesn't take no for an answer...especially from me so get out." She stood again and walked to the door.
Juilus followed her, stopping directly in the doorway. Now was as good a time as any to ask the question he'd finally thought about a few hours earlier. "If you're leaving then I really need an answer. What are the odds of your getting pregnant?"
Angel's fist slammed into his nose, forcing him to stumble back a few steps. There was the sound of bone breaking and blood met his hand when it cupped around his nose. The door slammed without an answer; the lock clicked inside.
"Shit..ANGEL!" He banged his fist against her door. In response, music kicked on at a volume so loud it rattled several windows and the light fixtures. "This isn't over." He stalked off, clutching his bleeding nose and trying to ignore the blood pouring down the front of his shirt.
JANUARY 22, 2005 7:45
"Can you touch the end of your nose with your tongue?"Kellie questioned, staring at the paper with a look that plainly said it was ridiculous. "What kind of questions are these, Remy?"
"Good ones. Can anyone touch dere nose with their tongue?"
All eye went to Tara who raised her hand. "That's a given, Rems. My tongue's like twenty feet...might be less but it's still huge,"she scowled, sticking out just enough of her tongue to touch her nose. She shrugged. "There. Happy?"
"Insanely. Next: stand on one hand,"she said, looking quite confused.
There was silence for a moment then Russ scratched his head. "Is that possible?" He got up from the chair, trying to balance on one hand. It had no result except to knock a vase off, shattering it.
The others tried except Angel who stared blankly at the table. She'd been oddly quiet the last few hours without joining in their fun.
"De angel not goin' to give it a try?"Remy asked, taking the list from Kellie to watch them. So far no one had succeeded in the current task.
"Nope."
Kellie looked up all of a sudden then snapped. "Hey, watch this." She placed one hand on the ground then placed her foot over top of it. "I'm standing on one hand."
The strangeness of the moment broke their confusion and turned it into laughter.
"Now that's good right there,"Corey said, returning to his seat. "Let's see what else this thing has."
Russ and Tara settled back into their chairs until Hank appeared. Remy hid the game they'd been playing at his entrance, smiling.
"Somet'ing wrong, mon ami?"
"Which of you are responsible for Julius' broken nose?"Hank demanded, looking hard at each of the children. His gaze stopped the longest on Russ, obviously remembering their previous scraps. "Russ..?"
"Wasn't me." He held up his hands, shaking his head.
"I am." The reply was almost lost with it's quietness.
Kellie turned to look, amazed at this quiet side and admittance from Angel.
"What?! You?"
She nodded. "Yeah, he alright?"
"For the moment. I gave him a cell growth pill so it would heal sooner...may I inquire why?"Hank asked without looking at the cajun.
She gave no answer. Even odder.
"Angel, answer de doctor."
"I had my reasons, alright?"she muttered, rising from the table. She started to leave. "He should have left me alone when I asked. Have Rogue and Logan heard anything from either my aunt or uncle?"
He nodded. "Yeah. Velicion said he'll give you seven months with the group but the first sign of trouble you leave. Anyone dies, you leave. And his last request was that he send someone to stay with you for awhile...just to make sure things are okay there."
"Ah, hell nah, Hank. I ain't keepin' one of his people within this house with me."
"It's a condition."
Angel cursed then glanced at her watching teammates. "Fine. Did he say who?"
"Just a friend. He said to expect them either tomorrow or the day after..." His voice trailed off like he wasn't sure what else to say. He seemed at a real loss for words. "Logan said to come by and get sheets and things to set up another bedroom..."
"Great...a baby-sitter. I hate him right now...so I packed for nothing?"
"Looks like it."
She cursed again before walking out of the room.