A/N ~ Many thanks to Tyriel1, UnknownSource, Krazy Xanadu and Makura Koneko for reviewing. Glad that the appearance of Spidey went down well, although I should warn you that this incarnation leans more towards the movie version than the original comic one. Great as it would be to have all that inbuilt angst, he just had *too much* background to be a workable addition to the cast. As to the identity guy on the cross, you can make up your own minds on that one...
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Sixteenth Fragment ~ Brother Elf, Brother Man
*******************
_Columbus, 125 miles_
For the first time since Philadelphia, the travelling mutants began to see signs of human life.
"Elf, take the kids and get upstairs," Logan ordered. "The rest of you now have the virus. I'm taking you to a commune so you can die without infecting anyone else."
"Sounds like fun," Pietro said without enthusiasm.
"Come on then," Kurt sighed, getting up again. "We'll play a little hide-and-go-seek, ja?"
Robyn hopped off the bench to follow, but Daisy reached over Mystique and caught her sister's arm.
"He can't go upstairs!" she hissed. "He'll find the... y'know!"
Robyn shrugged helplessly. "Maybe Clive is a good hider."
Mystique pretended not to notice the not-quite-secret conversation, but couldn't help wondering two things. Who was Clive? And why was he on the bus?
"Liebes?" Kurti called from some distance up the stairs.
"Coming!" Robyn scampered towards the back of the bus. Daisy clambered over Mommy and followed her.
When they reached the second level, they found Kurti already holding the cinnamon-coloured puppy, which wriggled and twisted, trying to lick his face. "Care to explain?" he invited.
"I-don't-know-how-he-got-here, I've-never-seen-him-before-in-my-life," Daisy deadpanned, hands behind her back.
"Well, first," Kurti said, as the furry bundle squirmed in his arms, "she's a girl. And second, I strongly doubt she flew in the window. Want to try again?"
"We found her under the bus," Robyn admitted. "We couldn't leave her! She's so... small... and all alone..."
A sigh. "It's okay," Kurti beckoned for her to sit by him, and stroked her hair. "She can stay."
"Her name's Clive," Daisy said, exhaling loudly now that she knew they weren't going to be thrown off the bus for keeping secrets.
"But you've never seen her before," Kurti winked.
"Um..." Daisy looked around. "No. Never."
"Better."
*******************
Logan was expecting the roadblock. Whoever it was run by, he couldn't care. He just hoped they were a bunch of suckers.
"Any muties on there?"
"Nope," he lied. "Just folks off to a commune. Got th' sickness.
The guard backed away a pace. "Don't you go bringin' no mutie sickness into *our* town."
"Well, I'd go around, but we don't got enough food or gas. We can trade for it if you want. The whole back's full of trade stuff."
The guard conferred with his compatriots. They were a gaunt, ragged bunch, bodies too thin and eyes too haggard. They reached a decision quickly. "A'right, you can go through, but you don't stop until you're clear of this town, got it?" And he pasted a biohazard sign to the front of the bus.
"Check," said Logan, warming up the bus again.
*******************
It used to be Des Moines, a town famed in the National Enquirer for weird happenings involving monsters, UFOs and Elvis. Now it was Mutie Town, a place where the outcasts went. A place so heavily fortified by its citizens that it resembled Fort Knox.
It was there, on her baked, dry porch that Scry was staring into the clouds.
"Raiders?"
"No... I see a yellow chariot... bearing hope..."
"Hope of what?"
Scry shrugged. "Just hope. It's a long way away, yet. The signs will become clearer as they get closer."
"You're supposed to be reading for Raiders," Grasshopper said irritably, "not giving us plant-cart gibberish."
The plant-cart men, since they bore no malice against them, were allowed to trade - but not much else. Mutie Town had no use for Goddesses or her zealots' nursery rhymes. Pretty words never did anybody here any good.
"I just read what I see," Scry said apologetically to his leader.
Grasshopper rattled his wings in annoyance, making a sound like a cicada. "Are. There. Any. Raiders?"
"I can't see any."
"Right. Yellow alert."
Scry nodded. Mutie Town was always on its guard.
*******************
Rogue didn't look so good. She wasn't feeling too hot, either. Mystique sent her a curious look as she rubbed tentatively at her temples, which had begun to throb not long after they passed the roadblock. The girl was looking even paler than usual, if that was possible, and there was a dull pounding in her ears that matched her pulse rate.
"You okay?" asked the shapeshifter, who had adopted the guise of a nondescript human female, replete with nasty purple rash to support their story to the guards and anyone else who might look in the window of the bus as they passed.
Rogue unsqueezed her eyes and gave a wan smile. "Yeah, just a headache is all. I'll be fine."
"You sure?"
"I'm sure I'm sure."
Alvin, who had been listening, reached into yet another secret compartment on his cart and extracted a small fabric pouch, drawn tight with string. He loosened it and shook out a few small dried leaves. "Here." He offered one across. "Eat this. It relieves pain."
Rogue gave the once-plant a critical look, but caught her mother's eye and accepted anyway. "Thanks," she said, popping it into her mouth and chewing. At once her expression switched to that of someone who'd sucked on a lemon. "Groo, what *is* this stuff? Tastes like cigarette ash." She swallowed, and stuck out her tongue. "Yeuch!"
"Stopped you thinking about the pain in your head, though, didn't it?" quipped Mystique.
Behind them, Pietro looked on with a reserved expression etching his features. Kitty was feeding Baby Hope, so it didn't feel right to look in the direction of either her or Lance, which left the other cluster of mutants-plus-zealot, and Logan.
The speedster reclined back on his seat, having claimed the very back of the bus as per usual. It put enough distance between him and Mystique without having to move into the jeep, which was still trailing behind them like a dog on a leash.
He closed his eyes, deciding to get a little shut-eye while the opportunity presented itself. His nerves were shot to pieces, travelling through a place renowned for its mutant haters, and he figured that the only outlet open right now was that of sleep.
{Hmmmmrrrrrreeee}
He rubbed at his ear, thinking he had tinatus, and settled down again.
{Hmmmmrrrrrreeee}
There it was again. A high-pitched whining sound, not unlike the creak of rending metal or knives being sharpened. Pietro opened his eyes and glanced around, wondering if there was something wrong with the bus. There was no discernible damage that he could see, but still...
"Hey, Lance," he hissed, choosing the person he deemed least likely to tear him to shreds, bore him to death with religious babble, or make him feel sick for talking to at all.
The elder boy looked up and twisted his head around. His eyes were still a little bleary with sleep, and he frowned. "What?"
"You hear that?"
"Hear what?"
"That whining sound."
Lance's forehead puckered. "No, I don't hear anything. Why d'ya ask?"
Pietro waved a careless hand. "No reason. I must've imagined it. Sleep deprivation, y'know?"
Lance grunted and turned forwards again, leaving Pietro to ponder his thoughts and wonder after the strange noise.
Had his ghosts returned? They hadn't really talked to him much since he hooked up with Kurt and Robyn and got *real* conversations for a change, but it wasn't beyond the realms of possibility that they were back to taunt him. Hell, they'd been doing it for four years; why leave him alone now?
Yet there was something about the noise that didn't quite fit with that theory. It was too real. When he'd talked to his ghosts, their replies had always been firmly inside his head. He'd known it. That was how he'd recognised and accepted his own insanity. This strange whining was almost palpable.
He listened closely, but it didn't come again, and after a few minutes his eyelids began to droop. Yawning, the silver-haired boy relinquished his vigil, since the noise didn't appear to be happening again anytime soon, and lay sideways on the seat. In a few short moments, he was asleep, the rocking of the bus doing a better job than any mother's arms ever could.
*******************
Upstairs, Robyn was currently feeding Clive a small package of foodstuff Kurti had snaffled from their stores to keep the dog quiet. Her whining was exceptionally loud for such a small puppy, and Kurt was so on edge that it ground on his nerves until he finally sacrificed part of their supplies to keep her quiet. Or at least a little muffled.
Mouth rimmed with some unidentifiable brown gloop, Clive wagged her tail and advanced on the little cat and lizard girls. Robyn laughed as her face was dutifully licked, until Kurti shushed her with a finger to his lips.
"Nein, Liebling, we must be quiet if we're to stay safe," he warned.
Daisy put her hands around Clive's jaws in an effort to keep them closed, but the pup wriggled free and started to play-chew on her hand. "Aah, she's eating me!" Daisy squealed in delight. She was silenced by Robyn's hand when it was pressed across her mouth.
"Kurti said to be quiet," she advised, darting a glance up at her brother.
The atmosphere was strained, to say the least. Both girls felt either their neck fur or spines raise, pre-empting anything bad that was to happen. The tension was so thick you could've cut it with a knife, and soon even Clive felt it, huddling into Daisy's lap with a small, insignificant whine.
*******************
She felt angry. She had taken what Alvin had given her and the pain was gone... but Rogue felt angry. It seemed to flow in and out, coursing through her body...
The townspeople were loud. They surrounded the bus, shouting. Rogue kept her eyes turned away and listened for a while, morbid curiosity making her want to hear their words, though she didn't want to see them...
_Dammit! Why can't they just die and leave us in peace..._
_Shattered world...they shattered..._
_I can't believe he would think that about me..._
_I hate this! This hovel, this place..._
_So hungry..._
_I wonder if he even sees me..._
_Please..._
_He's so cute..._
_Nein...shhhh, Liebe..._
Rogue blinked. "Kurt?" she murmured.
Mystique cast her eyes at her, and Rogue shook her head, brushing it aside. Kurt must've needed to impress the need for quiet on the kids rather loudly.
She turned back to the voices. The people were getting louder with every moment. Some of what they said... it just didn't make sense! And the feelings... her imagination was going wild, feeding her pictures and emotions...
_I must be daydreamin',_ she thought. She was rather tired, after all, and...
_Fuckin' muties..._
_Lousy sick bastards..._
_Get off the table, how many times do I have to tell you?_
_You sick fuck... shut up!_
_Are you sure YOU WANT THAT?_
"Dammit! Why do they have to be so loud?!" Rogue cried, pressing her hands to her ears. Mystique rounded on her, looking bewildered.
"Who's being loud?"
"The people... don't y'all hear 'em?! Why can't they leave us be?"
"Rogue... there's no-one there..."
Rogue slowly took her hands from her ears and turned her gaze to the window.
The streets were empty. They were alone.
*******************
He'd drawn quite a crowd - and he hadn't even had breakfast, yet.
"Please, please, *please*, I beg your patience, ladies and gentlemen. *Please*. I need to eat. Have any of you brought anything? I'll trade water for it."
"Water first, mutie!"
"I have money to *buy* food if necessary. I'm *hungry*. I need food. Please... please just something to eat?"
"Give us our water!"
Maybe a little. To quell the crowd. "I don't have clean containers, yet. Therefore I'll trade for clean containers and food, first."
A fight broke out amongst the buyers.
"*Please*! There's no need for *fighting*," Ariel begged. "I can - oh..." His knees went out from under him.
"The mutie's *sick*!" The crowd backed away.
"Not sick. *Hungry*. I haven't eaten since early yesterday. Please, I just need a little food... I can buy..." To prove his point, his stomach rumbled loudly. "I need to eat or my power won't work. No water for anyone."
Someone threw him a packet of Ramen. It hit him on his tattoo.
Well, at least he had a kettle someone had traded with yesterday. Someone led him to a house that had a working plug, and then shovelled him back outside when he was done, like he was infectious and not to be welcomed
The packet said it was 'pork', but it tasted more like Misu. Ariel didn't care. He needed the salt, and he needed nourishment. One packet of Ramen was all he was going to get for free.
The assembled crowd watched him eat, like he was a show.
Since he had no fork or spoon, he used a fraction of his power to help the noodles into his mouth. They did lend him some strength.
"Today," he announced when he was done, "I'm buying *and* selling. I'll trade water for food *or* money, today. Whatever you wish to trade. I'm open to all options."
"Damn mutie, takin' our food."
"Food for water is a fair trade. I know how to grow plants and farm. I can teach you. I'll even help water the plants. We can work together and - " Someone hucked a pebble at him.
"Can the plant-talk! We want water!"
Ariel sighed. They'd listen in time. Maybe. They'd certainly listen to green plants and fresh fruit.
It took patience to convert the determined.
*******************
"I can feel 'em," said Rogue. "I can feel 'em starin'. They're hidin' an' scared, but they're starin'..."
_My poor daughter._ "It's all right, Marie. We'll be out of here, soon. Maybe the next town will trade food and gas. We'll be OK, honey."
Rogue's voice dropped to a low whisper inaudible from beyond a few feet, like she was scared of what she was saying. "We got another mouth to feed, Momma. Daisy an' Robyn found a puppy. Don't ask me how I know, I just *do*. We *gotta* get trade. We *gotta* find food. Momma, they're tryin' to save th' poor li'l critter from bein' et."
Momma held her close. "Ssshhhh... We'll be okay, honey. I promise. And this time, I'll keep my promises. I'm not going to break them any more. I'd rather die."
At the back of the bus, Pie-Pie made a noise and went upstairs.
*******************
"Bullshit! It's all bullshit."
"What is?" said Kurt, under a seat. The kids and the dog were both napping under another one, out of sight.
"Mystique! That's what. She's pure bullshit!"
"Remember, you're talking about my mother, here."
"How can you *forgive* her? After what she did?"
"Pie-Pie, I forgive her so I have a chance at forgiving myself."
Pietro slumped. Then he swore. "You have a *real* way with words, you know that? A real *gift*. How the *fuck* do you do it?"
"Shhh... die Kinder..." Kurt watched them for a moment. "We've been through war, Pie-Pie. We've survived where we shouldn't. Now's the time to rebuild, and you can't rebuild just by looking at the wreckage."
Pietro sighed. "Maybe. But I can't forgive her. Not now. Not yet. I keep waiting for the angle. I keep waiting for her to ditch us again."
"Why do you find it so hard to accept that Mystique has changed? We've all betrayed someone, Pietro. I my teammates by running away, and you by running away from Todd, ja?"
Pietro winced. Kurt was metaphysically rubbing salt into his open wounds.
"Mystique has made her mistakes. I can't deny that. But, like us she's learned from them, and the best thing we can do, if we want her to stay, is to forgive her, and give her the encouragement she needs to continue."
"Butthisisdifferent," said Pietro, voice speeding up in agitation. He took a deep breath, calming down a little so that he might be understood. "Think about it. You say we all made mistakes. That's true, but we've all learned from them. I mean, I'll never abandon you or any of the others, and I know you'll never abandon us. But Mystique... every time she's had responsibility over someone, every time someone depended on her, she's run away. She did it with you, she did it with Rogue, she did it with me and Todd - fuck, she even did it to Magneto, her own boss! You never met him, but when he was alive, that was one dude you *really* didn't wanna cross. She's a better runner than I am, and I don't know about you, but I'm sort of noticing a pattern here. And I think... I think that as soon as we run out of food, or we get attacked, or things get difficult in any way, she'll be the first rat to leave the boat. That's if she doesn't actively sell us out."
"Have you finished?" Kurt asked softly, his usually warm voice oddly cold.
Pietro sighed. "Yeah. I guess so. If there's nothing I can do to persuade you. Just... keep an eye on her, OK? Remember what she is... what she's done. Do that and I'll try not to hate her too much. And what *is* that noise?"
{Hmmmmrrrrrreeee}
Clive, hidden in Robyn's arms, whimpered quietly at the vociferating young man who had definitely not been there when she fell asleep.
"What noise?" After that little outburst, Kurt felt marginally annoyed. Enough not to let Pietro into the canine secret, anyway. Let him wonder about it for a bit. It would give him something else to focus on, rather than his hatred for Mystique.
"Er, never mind" mumbled Pietro, wondering if he was going even more insane than usual.
*******************
The bus slowed, and Logan swore under his breath.
"What is it?" Mystique asked sharply. "Why are we slowing down?"
"N'other roadblock," he growled, a dangerous edge to his voice. "And this one don't look official, neither."
She started to get up, but he waved her back down again. "Raiders?"
"Could be."
"The anti-mutant brigade we heard tell of?"
"I ain't rulin' out the possibility."
Kitty gripped hold of Hope a little tighter, and Lance encircled an arm around her back in a protective manner. "Can't we just plough on through?" he asked, but Logan shook his head.
"Too many of 'em. Must be close to twenty, and they ain't lookin' too friendly, neither. Think we may've run across one of those gangs you told us about, God Boy. Leastways, I ain't never seen friendly folk carryin' that many guns n' knives before."
Alvin said nothing, but he clasped his hands together and began to pray in quick, hushed sentences.
Rogue clutched at her head, squeezing her eyes shut and grunting. "I can feel 'em," she whispered breathlessly. "All of 'em. I... I..."
Mystique glanced between her daughter and the front windshield, and then finally decided upon the latter. Rising from her seat, she clung to the back of Logan's chair and peered out into the world ahead.
"Oh, *shit*."
"Aaaahh!" The air around Rogue crackled with unseen energy, and she clawed at her ears.
Logan, desperate, leaned out the window. "Get outta the way! Plague! Do you idiots *want* to get sick?"
One of the raggedy men clustered outside smashed a window.
Kitty had instinctively covered Hope the second Mystique had vented her epithet, and now she was scared to move, lest glass hurt either of them.
Another climbed in through the hole they'd made.
"We don't want much," the man announced. "Just the freaks. And any women as available."
His compatriot, coming up behind him, laughed.
Logan stepped on the gas and made to plough through the roadblock.
Three more men latched onto the bus. They were like limpets, and refused to come loose.
Pietro appeared on the stairs and froze, eyes wide and staring. His mind fell backwards, regressing to that day he'd found Todd's body, and the mob that had taken him away.
"Not again," he whispered to nobody in particular. "Not *again*." He almost started forward, but the sight of Mystique standing bold as brass in the aisle stopped him. "She wouldn't..."
_She would,_ said his mind. _Isn't that what you've been trying to tell them? Now she's going to prove your words._
Rogue screamed again, and one of the men fell as he grabbed for her arm and touched bare skin.
"Freak!" said one of their number, unsheathing a knife and advancing on her. "Mutant!"
The bus juddered and lurched as it conquered the debris barricade, but it didn't shake any of the brigands off.
"You want a freak, boys?" said Mystique, planting herself in their way.
Pietro closed his eyes. "Here we go," he murmured, and tensed himself to snatch away anybody she was willing to throw to the humans - even Logan. Now they'd see he was right. They would!
Mystique snarled, and changed into the demon-monster she'd often used to scare Pietro and Todd into obeying orders. Purple armour ridged her back, neck and front, and row upon row of dazzling, snapping teeth spurted into her mouth. A long, whip-like tail burst from the base of her spine and lashed menacingly.
"Here's your freak!" she snarled, voice contorting into something far more savage than any person should ever be able to make.
She moved forwards. The men fell back.
"You want anyone on this bus, you have to go through *me*."
Like so many bullies of this world, the men trying to ravage them were cowards at heart. They took one look at this new adversary, broke, and ran, leaping off the bus. Mystique picked up their fallen comrade and threw him out the door. If he lived or not, she didn't care.
Something crunched under the wheel. She didn't even acknowledge it.
She resumed to her human guise and returned to her daughter. "Shhh... it's okay. It's okay. Try to relax, honey. Let the bad man go."
Rogue shuddered and shivered in her arms.
Pietro had frozen, staring at her as if she were a basilisk.
Mystique didn't care. Not about anything. She just wanted her daughter to get better. She hadn't fought so hard, looked for so long, just to lose her now.
After a while, in the aftermath, those around her began to get worried, and she sensed that worry. Yet it was divided. Rogue still claimed some of their attention, but Pietro hadn't moved a muscle - highly unusual for the jerky, action-addicted speedster.
In fact, when Kurt came down to check everything was all right, he was quite alarmed at the change. Robyn, who had followed her brother down, was also concerned.
"Pie-Pie?" she said softly. "What's wrong? Why are you standing so still?"
To everyone's shock he answered, "I'm thinking."
For a moment everyone was silent, unsure of what to say. Only Mystique and Rogue seemed oblivious to the scene. Rogue was sobbing into her mother's lap, and the shapeshifter was tending to her as only a mother can.
Eventually, Pietro moved. He went slowly and purposefully towards them. "Why?" he asked.
"Why what?" Mystique's voice was filled with sorrow, bitterness and terrible, terrible weariness; almost as if she held the entire world on her shoulders, yet was beyond caring anymore.
"Why did you save us? Why didn't you run? That's what you've always done before. Why not now?" He leaned forward, face urgent. "I need to know."
She turned, evaluating him. His eyes practically glowed with intensity, and glittered with an edge of madness. So much had been messed up in Pietro's already messed up life, the idea that she would betray him had seemed a rock; a steady point in what seemed a torrent of change, pain, and confusion.
He deserved a reason for further upheaval, at least.
"Because..." she replied in as steady a tone as she could manage, "because... as far as I could run away from you, and Kurt, and Rogue, I could never run away from myself. In the old days... I always had someone else. A new persona. When I... left Kurt, and Marie, and even you and Todd, I took on a new form, a new life, a new face. I acted the part of someone else in order to leave myself behind.
"But when you're alone, when there's no-one left to act for, to pretend to be, then the only person you have to answer to is yourself. When Todd died I... was alone in the city. You know what that's like, don't you Pietro? All I had was myself, and I had myself to answer to, and I turned out to be my own worst enemy. I looked into a mirror and, for the first time, I saw my own face. And I hated it. I still do. I want to make things better, make them right, so that I can look at myself, my... for want of a better word, my soul, and not be repulsed by what I see. I want to at least try to make up for some of the things I've done. And I can't do that alone. Does that satisfy your question?"
Pietro didn't answer. He just stared at her. Then, quick as lightening, he turned and rushed up the stairs, shouldering past both Kurt and Robyn without a backward glance.
Mystique sighed soulfully, and went back to tending her daughter.
Kurt watched him go, moving aside slightly so as not to be sent flying when he whooshed past. Robyn started to chase after him, but the elf caught her hand and shook his head.
"Nein, Liebe."
"But..." She pointed helplessly, and Kurt sighed. Pietro's sudden action had surprised them all, and there was no telling what he might do or say if Kurt let one of the little ones go up to him. Pietro had never been the most steadfast of people, after all. He might do something irrational, and Robyn could be hurt if she was caught in the crossfire. Daisy too, since she was still upstairs with Clive.
Kurt's free hand tightened into a fist. Pietro might be his friend, but Robyn was his responsibility, and there was no way he was going to let her get hurt.
"Kurti?"
"I'll go and speak to him, Liebling. You go and sit with - " he cast about, wondering who could best shield the little mutant while she was on show down here. Kitty was preoccupied with Hope, and Lance with Kitty. Logan was driving, and Mystique was concerned with the gently juddering Rogue to the exclusion of all else. That left... "Alvin. Go sit with Alvin, poppet. He'll look after you while I go talk to Pie-Pie." _And hide you from prying eyes._
Robyn looked at the zealot, and sniffed pathetically. "What about Daisy? And," she pulled him close and added in a whisper, "what about *Clive*?"
Kurt patted her hand. "They'll be all right, Liebling. I promise. Now go sit with Alvin and be a good girl."
Robyn seemed profoundly dubious, but did as she was bid. From somewhere in his cart Alvin produced a length of cloth that might once have been a bedspread or picnic blanket, and wrapped it around her so that her ears and other visible mutations were protected from prying eyes on the other side of the window.
_Perhaps that guy is more useful to have around than I thought,_ Kurt mused, as he mounted the stairs.
When he reached the second level, Pietro was nowhere to be seen. Neither was Daisy, for that matter; and Kurt, to his great chagrin, immediately thought the worst.
"Daisy?" he murmured, pattering along the rows. "Daisy?"
"Down here," whispered a voice, and Kurt looked down to see a small, scaly face poking out from beneath one of the seats. Daisy's eyes were wide, and next to her Clive quivered, a portion of fear having transferred itself to her. "Kurti, what happened?"
"Nothing to worry about now, Blume[1]," he replied, eyes roving the other seats for telltale silver hair and failing to spot any.
Daisy rubbed at her nose, which was running. "Lotta crashin' an' bashin' for nuthin'."
"Ja, well, it's over now. Are you the only ones up here?"
She shook her head. "Nu-uh. Pie-Pie ran to the back a coupla minutes ago, but we were hidin', so he didn't see us."
As if adding her own words, Clive gave a small yip, and snuggled closer to Daisy's side.
_The back of the bus._ "Blume," Kurt said softly, using the nickname he'd created for her at the last stop. "Stay under there, and whatever happens, whatever you hear - or think you hear - stay hidden. Do *not* come out, okay?"
Suspicious, Daisy asked, "Why?"
"Just promise me you will."
She eyed him for a moment, and then slowly bobbed her head.
Kurt nodded, and moved along to the furthest seating. He made no sound, bare feet smoothing along the ancient floor better than the mouse of 'The Night Before Christmas' fame.
Pietro lay face down, arms folded beneath his head and turned away from the aisle. If Kurt hadn't known better he would've assumed the other boy was asleep. As it was...
"Pietro?"
No response.
Kurt nudged one foot, which dangled unceremoniously off the end of the seat. It seemed the speed-demon had thrown himself down in the manner of a moody teenage girl and not moved since.
"Pietro, I know you can hear me."
"I know that you know," came the muffled reply. "Don't mean I gotta answer."
Kurt sighed. "Look, we already have three little kids to look after on this trip, we don't need a fourth. Now sit up and start acting your age."
That elicited a slit of blue to hove into sight. "My age? Jeez, I don't even *know* how old I am now, Fuzzy. Kinda lost track of the date when I was on my own, and all birthdays since then."
Not exactly what he'd been expecting to hear, considering the words from Mystique downstairs, but Kurt folded his arms and tried to keep the makeshift conversation up long enough to figure out if Pietro was going to try anything stupid.
There was no point in beating around the bush. Kurt was suspicious. Pietro, by his own admission, was insane, and insane people did crazy things. Kurt was *not* about to let anyone jeopardise this exodus. Not when so much counted on them getting to Ororo in time.
"Pietro, judging by how you're acting, I'd guess you should still be in Kindergarten. I understand your feelings of Mystique, but this... this endless hostility is stupid. She's risked her life back there. One bullet and it could've all been over. And yet, you're still convinced she's - "
"Nothing stays the same," Pietro interrupted, talking as if Kurt wasn't even there. "I mean, I try to change with the times, try to move fast, gotta keep busy. But everything - my family, Todd, Mystique, you - it all keeps changing too quickly. Too fast for me. And I run too fast for others. Like Todd. And they get left behind. Can't stay still, though, can't let you all run ahead. Gotta keep moving. Even if I'm the only one in the race."
"You're lonely," Kurt translated. He could relate, somewhat. "You feel like you've left all the people and things you knew behind, and now you have a load of new stuff, but can't deal with it. You still feel like an outsider, ja? You can't get used to this idea of your old enemies becoming your friends, right?"
Pietro shrugged. "I prefer the corpses," he confessed. "I knew what they did. They just rotted in the sun. I knew where I stood with them. The dead are much more predictable than the living, y'know."
Kurt considered what to do. This was a bit out of his depth. Pietro claimed he was partly insane, but what he said made a lot of sense. How could he make him feel better? How could he make him feel more... stable, at least?
Suddenly, an idea came to him. It was a little crazy in itself, but what the heck. Fight fire with fire, after all.
"Ach, Pietro, this is just an adjustment. Give it a few days and you'll find your place. But you must give it a chance, meinen Bruder."
Pietro did a double take. Bruder? Now there was a word he understood.
"Whaddya mean, brother?" he snapped.
"Well, you're Robyn's big brother Pie-Pie, aren't you?"
"Er... yeah. According to her, anyway."
"And Robyn is my little sister, right?"
"Uh..."
"So I'm your brother." Then, he added tentatively, "And that makes Mystique your mother... after a fashion."
Pietro's brow crumpled with thought.
"It makes her seem different now, ja? But in a way, she could be your mother. We have no-one else, Pietro, we have to stick together. We're a family now - all of us on this bus. In a way, we always have been, it's just that we let our petty differences draw us apart. We can't do that now. It's your choice, Pietro. Be with us, part of the family, or not. Your decision."
"Mystique... my new mother," murmured Pietro softly. _Great! As if my family wasn't screwed up enough already._
"Well... what's your choice?"
"I can't suddenly start loving her, Kurt. But I can tolerate her. Maybe one day, I might be able to care for her, to trust her. But not yet. Right now, I can only offer a truce. Is that enough for you?"
Kurt nodded, feeling relieved, and stretched out a hand to help the other boy up. "Not just for me, for all of us. For her. For you."
One respective pothole in their road to paradise seemed to have been smoothed over, but there were probably still plenty left.
"Oooooow, oooowoooo."
Daisy clamped a hand over Clive's mouth. This, of course, did nothing to inhibit the sounds coming from the back of her little throat.
"What *is* that?" Pietro demanded, sitting up on his own.
"What?" Kurt asked innocently.
"That noise." Pietro tilted his head this way and that, trying to triangulate the source. "Don't tell me you don't hear it."
"Uh..."
"Weren't you just lecturing me on trusting people?" The speedster stood and paced slowly up the aisle. "Now is *not* a good time to lie."
Kurt sighed. "Don't tell anyone?"
"What is it?" Pietro asked suspiciously. "Another kid?"
"It's a puppy."
"Kurti!" Daisy poked her head out from under the bench. "You promised you wouldn't tell!"
Kurt raised his hands in the universal gesture for surrender. "I couldn't let Pie-Pie go crazier than he already is, Blume."
"Yeah, he - hey!"
"And that's my cue to exit!" Kurt made a break for the stairs, with Pietro in hot pursuit.
*******************
To Be Continued...
*******************
[1] Flower
*******************
Sixteenth Fragment ~ Brother Elf, Brother Man
*******************
_Columbus, 125 miles_
For the first time since Philadelphia, the travelling mutants began to see signs of human life.
"Elf, take the kids and get upstairs," Logan ordered. "The rest of you now have the virus. I'm taking you to a commune so you can die without infecting anyone else."
"Sounds like fun," Pietro said without enthusiasm.
"Come on then," Kurt sighed, getting up again. "We'll play a little hide-and-go-seek, ja?"
Robyn hopped off the bench to follow, but Daisy reached over Mystique and caught her sister's arm.
"He can't go upstairs!" she hissed. "He'll find the... y'know!"
Robyn shrugged helplessly. "Maybe Clive is a good hider."
Mystique pretended not to notice the not-quite-secret conversation, but couldn't help wondering two things. Who was Clive? And why was he on the bus?
"Liebes?" Kurti called from some distance up the stairs.
"Coming!" Robyn scampered towards the back of the bus. Daisy clambered over Mommy and followed her.
When they reached the second level, they found Kurti already holding the cinnamon-coloured puppy, which wriggled and twisted, trying to lick his face. "Care to explain?" he invited.
"I-don't-know-how-he-got-here, I've-never-seen-him-before-in-my-life," Daisy deadpanned, hands behind her back.
"Well, first," Kurti said, as the furry bundle squirmed in his arms, "she's a girl. And second, I strongly doubt she flew in the window. Want to try again?"
"We found her under the bus," Robyn admitted. "We couldn't leave her! She's so... small... and all alone..."
A sigh. "It's okay," Kurti beckoned for her to sit by him, and stroked her hair. "She can stay."
"Her name's Clive," Daisy said, exhaling loudly now that she knew they weren't going to be thrown off the bus for keeping secrets.
"But you've never seen her before," Kurti winked.
"Um..." Daisy looked around. "No. Never."
"Better."
*******************
Logan was expecting the roadblock. Whoever it was run by, he couldn't care. He just hoped they were a bunch of suckers.
"Any muties on there?"
"Nope," he lied. "Just folks off to a commune. Got th' sickness.
The guard backed away a pace. "Don't you go bringin' no mutie sickness into *our* town."
"Well, I'd go around, but we don't got enough food or gas. We can trade for it if you want. The whole back's full of trade stuff."
The guard conferred with his compatriots. They were a gaunt, ragged bunch, bodies too thin and eyes too haggard. They reached a decision quickly. "A'right, you can go through, but you don't stop until you're clear of this town, got it?" And he pasted a biohazard sign to the front of the bus.
"Check," said Logan, warming up the bus again.
*******************
It used to be Des Moines, a town famed in the National Enquirer for weird happenings involving monsters, UFOs and Elvis. Now it was Mutie Town, a place where the outcasts went. A place so heavily fortified by its citizens that it resembled Fort Knox.
It was there, on her baked, dry porch that Scry was staring into the clouds.
"Raiders?"
"No... I see a yellow chariot... bearing hope..."
"Hope of what?"
Scry shrugged. "Just hope. It's a long way away, yet. The signs will become clearer as they get closer."
"You're supposed to be reading for Raiders," Grasshopper said irritably, "not giving us plant-cart gibberish."
The plant-cart men, since they bore no malice against them, were allowed to trade - but not much else. Mutie Town had no use for Goddesses or her zealots' nursery rhymes. Pretty words never did anybody here any good.
"I just read what I see," Scry said apologetically to his leader.
Grasshopper rattled his wings in annoyance, making a sound like a cicada. "Are. There. Any. Raiders?"
"I can't see any."
"Right. Yellow alert."
Scry nodded. Mutie Town was always on its guard.
*******************
Rogue didn't look so good. She wasn't feeling too hot, either. Mystique sent her a curious look as she rubbed tentatively at her temples, which had begun to throb not long after they passed the roadblock. The girl was looking even paler than usual, if that was possible, and there was a dull pounding in her ears that matched her pulse rate.
"You okay?" asked the shapeshifter, who had adopted the guise of a nondescript human female, replete with nasty purple rash to support their story to the guards and anyone else who might look in the window of the bus as they passed.
Rogue unsqueezed her eyes and gave a wan smile. "Yeah, just a headache is all. I'll be fine."
"You sure?"
"I'm sure I'm sure."
Alvin, who had been listening, reached into yet another secret compartment on his cart and extracted a small fabric pouch, drawn tight with string. He loosened it and shook out a few small dried leaves. "Here." He offered one across. "Eat this. It relieves pain."
Rogue gave the once-plant a critical look, but caught her mother's eye and accepted anyway. "Thanks," she said, popping it into her mouth and chewing. At once her expression switched to that of someone who'd sucked on a lemon. "Groo, what *is* this stuff? Tastes like cigarette ash." She swallowed, and stuck out her tongue. "Yeuch!"
"Stopped you thinking about the pain in your head, though, didn't it?" quipped Mystique.
Behind them, Pietro looked on with a reserved expression etching his features. Kitty was feeding Baby Hope, so it didn't feel right to look in the direction of either her or Lance, which left the other cluster of mutants-plus-zealot, and Logan.
The speedster reclined back on his seat, having claimed the very back of the bus as per usual. It put enough distance between him and Mystique without having to move into the jeep, which was still trailing behind them like a dog on a leash.
He closed his eyes, deciding to get a little shut-eye while the opportunity presented itself. His nerves were shot to pieces, travelling through a place renowned for its mutant haters, and he figured that the only outlet open right now was that of sleep.
{Hmmmmrrrrrreeee}
He rubbed at his ear, thinking he had tinatus, and settled down again.
{Hmmmmrrrrrreeee}
There it was again. A high-pitched whining sound, not unlike the creak of rending metal or knives being sharpened. Pietro opened his eyes and glanced around, wondering if there was something wrong with the bus. There was no discernible damage that he could see, but still...
"Hey, Lance," he hissed, choosing the person he deemed least likely to tear him to shreds, bore him to death with religious babble, or make him feel sick for talking to at all.
The elder boy looked up and twisted his head around. His eyes were still a little bleary with sleep, and he frowned. "What?"
"You hear that?"
"Hear what?"
"That whining sound."
Lance's forehead puckered. "No, I don't hear anything. Why d'ya ask?"
Pietro waved a careless hand. "No reason. I must've imagined it. Sleep deprivation, y'know?"
Lance grunted and turned forwards again, leaving Pietro to ponder his thoughts and wonder after the strange noise.
Had his ghosts returned? They hadn't really talked to him much since he hooked up with Kurt and Robyn and got *real* conversations for a change, but it wasn't beyond the realms of possibility that they were back to taunt him. Hell, they'd been doing it for four years; why leave him alone now?
Yet there was something about the noise that didn't quite fit with that theory. It was too real. When he'd talked to his ghosts, their replies had always been firmly inside his head. He'd known it. That was how he'd recognised and accepted his own insanity. This strange whining was almost palpable.
He listened closely, but it didn't come again, and after a few minutes his eyelids began to droop. Yawning, the silver-haired boy relinquished his vigil, since the noise didn't appear to be happening again anytime soon, and lay sideways on the seat. In a few short moments, he was asleep, the rocking of the bus doing a better job than any mother's arms ever could.
*******************
Upstairs, Robyn was currently feeding Clive a small package of foodstuff Kurti had snaffled from their stores to keep the dog quiet. Her whining was exceptionally loud for such a small puppy, and Kurt was so on edge that it ground on his nerves until he finally sacrificed part of their supplies to keep her quiet. Or at least a little muffled.
Mouth rimmed with some unidentifiable brown gloop, Clive wagged her tail and advanced on the little cat and lizard girls. Robyn laughed as her face was dutifully licked, until Kurti shushed her with a finger to his lips.
"Nein, Liebling, we must be quiet if we're to stay safe," he warned.
Daisy put her hands around Clive's jaws in an effort to keep them closed, but the pup wriggled free and started to play-chew on her hand. "Aah, she's eating me!" Daisy squealed in delight. She was silenced by Robyn's hand when it was pressed across her mouth.
"Kurti said to be quiet," she advised, darting a glance up at her brother.
The atmosphere was strained, to say the least. Both girls felt either their neck fur or spines raise, pre-empting anything bad that was to happen. The tension was so thick you could've cut it with a knife, and soon even Clive felt it, huddling into Daisy's lap with a small, insignificant whine.
*******************
She felt angry. She had taken what Alvin had given her and the pain was gone... but Rogue felt angry. It seemed to flow in and out, coursing through her body...
The townspeople were loud. They surrounded the bus, shouting. Rogue kept her eyes turned away and listened for a while, morbid curiosity making her want to hear their words, though she didn't want to see them...
_Dammit! Why can't they just die and leave us in peace..._
_Shattered world...they shattered..._
_I can't believe he would think that about me..._
_I hate this! This hovel, this place..._
_So hungry..._
_I wonder if he even sees me..._
_Please..._
_He's so cute..._
_Nein...shhhh, Liebe..._
Rogue blinked. "Kurt?" she murmured.
Mystique cast her eyes at her, and Rogue shook her head, brushing it aside. Kurt must've needed to impress the need for quiet on the kids rather loudly.
She turned back to the voices. The people were getting louder with every moment. Some of what they said... it just didn't make sense! And the feelings... her imagination was going wild, feeding her pictures and emotions...
_I must be daydreamin',_ she thought. She was rather tired, after all, and...
_Fuckin' muties..._
_Lousy sick bastards..._
_Get off the table, how many times do I have to tell you?_
_You sick fuck... shut up!_
_Are you sure YOU WANT THAT?_
"Dammit! Why do they have to be so loud?!" Rogue cried, pressing her hands to her ears. Mystique rounded on her, looking bewildered.
"Who's being loud?"
"The people... don't y'all hear 'em?! Why can't they leave us be?"
"Rogue... there's no-one there..."
Rogue slowly took her hands from her ears and turned her gaze to the window.
The streets were empty. They were alone.
*******************
He'd drawn quite a crowd - and he hadn't even had breakfast, yet.
"Please, please, *please*, I beg your patience, ladies and gentlemen. *Please*. I need to eat. Have any of you brought anything? I'll trade water for it."
"Water first, mutie!"
"I have money to *buy* food if necessary. I'm *hungry*. I need food. Please... please just something to eat?"
"Give us our water!"
Maybe a little. To quell the crowd. "I don't have clean containers, yet. Therefore I'll trade for clean containers and food, first."
A fight broke out amongst the buyers.
"*Please*! There's no need for *fighting*," Ariel begged. "I can - oh..." His knees went out from under him.
"The mutie's *sick*!" The crowd backed away.
"Not sick. *Hungry*. I haven't eaten since early yesterday. Please, I just need a little food... I can buy..." To prove his point, his stomach rumbled loudly. "I need to eat or my power won't work. No water for anyone."
Someone threw him a packet of Ramen. It hit him on his tattoo.
Well, at least he had a kettle someone had traded with yesterday. Someone led him to a house that had a working plug, and then shovelled him back outside when he was done, like he was infectious and not to be welcomed
The packet said it was 'pork', but it tasted more like Misu. Ariel didn't care. He needed the salt, and he needed nourishment. One packet of Ramen was all he was going to get for free.
The assembled crowd watched him eat, like he was a show.
Since he had no fork or spoon, he used a fraction of his power to help the noodles into his mouth. They did lend him some strength.
"Today," he announced when he was done, "I'm buying *and* selling. I'll trade water for food *or* money, today. Whatever you wish to trade. I'm open to all options."
"Damn mutie, takin' our food."
"Food for water is a fair trade. I know how to grow plants and farm. I can teach you. I'll even help water the plants. We can work together and - " Someone hucked a pebble at him.
"Can the plant-talk! We want water!"
Ariel sighed. They'd listen in time. Maybe. They'd certainly listen to green plants and fresh fruit.
It took patience to convert the determined.
*******************
"I can feel 'em," said Rogue. "I can feel 'em starin'. They're hidin' an' scared, but they're starin'..."
_My poor daughter._ "It's all right, Marie. We'll be out of here, soon. Maybe the next town will trade food and gas. We'll be OK, honey."
Rogue's voice dropped to a low whisper inaudible from beyond a few feet, like she was scared of what she was saying. "We got another mouth to feed, Momma. Daisy an' Robyn found a puppy. Don't ask me how I know, I just *do*. We *gotta* get trade. We *gotta* find food. Momma, they're tryin' to save th' poor li'l critter from bein' et."
Momma held her close. "Ssshhhh... We'll be okay, honey. I promise. And this time, I'll keep my promises. I'm not going to break them any more. I'd rather die."
At the back of the bus, Pie-Pie made a noise and went upstairs.
*******************
"Bullshit! It's all bullshit."
"What is?" said Kurt, under a seat. The kids and the dog were both napping under another one, out of sight.
"Mystique! That's what. She's pure bullshit!"
"Remember, you're talking about my mother, here."
"How can you *forgive* her? After what she did?"
"Pie-Pie, I forgive her so I have a chance at forgiving myself."
Pietro slumped. Then he swore. "You have a *real* way with words, you know that? A real *gift*. How the *fuck* do you do it?"
"Shhh... die Kinder..." Kurt watched them for a moment. "We've been through war, Pie-Pie. We've survived where we shouldn't. Now's the time to rebuild, and you can't rebuild just by looking at the wreckage."
Pietro sighed. "Maybe. But I can't forgive her. Not now. Not yet. I keep waiting for the angle. I keep waiting for her to ditch us again."
"Why do you find it so hard to accept that Mystique has changed? We've all betrayed someone, Pietro. I my teammates by running away, and you by running away from Todd, ja?"
Pietro winced. Kurt was metaphysically rubbing salt into his open wounds.
"Mystique has made her mistakes. I can't deny that. But, like us she's learned from them, and the best thing we can do, if we want her to stay, is to forgive her, and give her the encouragement she needs to continue."
"Butthisisdifferent," said Pietro, voice speeding up in agitation. He took a deep breath, calming down a little so that he might be understood. "Think about it. You say we all made mistakes. That's true, but we've all learned from them. I mean, I'll never abandon you or any of the others, and I know you'll never abandon us. But Mystique... every time she's had responsibility over someone, every time someone depended on her, she's run away. She did it with you, she did it with Rogue, she did it with me and Todd - fuck, she even did it to Magneto, her own boss! You never met him, but when he was alive, that was one dude you *really* didn't wanna cross. She's a better runner than I am, and I don't know about you, but I'm sort of noticing a pattern here. And I think... I think that as soon as we run out of food, or we get attacked, or things get difficult in any way, she'll be the first rat to leave the boat. That's if she doesn't actively sell us out."
"Have you finished?" Kurt asked softly, his usually warm voice oddly cold.
Pietro sighed. "Yeah. I guess so. If there's nothing I can do to persuade you. Just... keep an eye on her, OK? Remember what she is... what she's done. Do that and I'll try not to hate her too much. And what *is* that noise?"
{Hmmmmrrrrrreeee}
Clive, hidden in Robyn's arms, whimpered quietly at the vociferating young man who had definitely not been there when she fell asleep.
"What noise?" After that little outburst, Kurt felt marginally annoyed. Enough not to let Pietro into the canine secret, anyway. Let him wonder about it for a bit. It would give him something else to focus on, rather than his hatred for Mystique.
"Er, never mind" mumbled Pietro, wondering if he was going even more insane than usual.
*******************
The bus slowed, and Logan swore under his breath.
"What is it?" Mystique asked sharply. "Why are we slowing down?"
"N'other roadblock," he growled, a dangerous edge to his voice. "And this one don't look official, neither."
She started to get up, but he waved her back down again. "Raiders?"
"Could be."
"The anti-mutant brigade we heard tell of?"
"I ain't rulin' out the possibility."
Kitty gripped hold of Hope a little tighter, and Lance encircled an arm around her back in a protective manner. "Can't we just plough on through?" he asked, but Logan shook his head.
"Too many of 'em. Must be close to twenty, and they ain't lookin' too friendly, neither. Think we may've run across one of those gangs you told us about, God Boy. Leastways, I ain't never seen friendly folk carryin' that many guns n' knives before."
Alvin said nothing, but he clasped his hands together and began to pray in quick, hushed sentences.
Rogue clutched at her head, squeezing her eyes shut and grunting. "I can feel 'em," she whispered breathlessly. "All of 'em. I... I..."
Mystique glanced between her daughter and the front windshield, and then finally decided upon the latter. Rising from her seat, she clung to the back of Logan's chair and peered out into the world ahead.
"Oh, *shit*."
"Aaaahh!" The air around Rogue crackled with unseen energy, and she clawed at her ears.
Logan, desperate, leaned out the window. "Get outta the way! Plague! Do you idiots *want* to get sick?"
One of the raggedy men clustered outside smashed a window.
Kitty had instinctively covered Hope the second Mystique had vented her epithet, and now she was scared to move, lest glass hurt either of them.
Another climbed in through the hole they'd made.
"We don't want much," the man announced. "Just the freaks. And any women as available."
His compatriot, coming up behind him, laughed.
Logan stepped on the gas and made to plough through the roadblock.
Three more men latched onto the bus. They were like limpets, and refused to come loose.
Pietro appeared on the stairs and froze, eyes wide and staring. His mind fell backwards, regressing to that day he'd found Todd's body, and the mob that had taken him away.
"Not again," he whispered to nobody in particular. "Not *again*." He almost started forward, but the sight of Mystique standing bold as brass in the aisle stopped him. "She wouldn't..."
_She would,_ said his mind. _Isn't that what you've been trying to tell them? Now she's going to prove your words._
Rogue screamed again, and one of the men fell as he grabbed for her arm and touched bare skin.
"Freak!" said one of their number, unsheathing a knife and advancing on her. "Mutant!"
The bus juddered and lurched as it conquered the debris barricade, but it didn't shake any of the brigands off.
"You want a freak, boys?" said Mystique, planting herself in their way.
Pietro closed his eyes. "Here we go," he murmured, and tensed himself to snatch away anybody she was willing to throw to the humans - even Logan. Now they'd see he was right. They would!
Mystique snarled, and changed into the demon-monster she'd often used to scare Pietro and Todd into obeying orders. Purple armour ridged her back, neck and front, and row upon row of dazzling, snapping teeth spurted into her mouth. A long, whip-like tail burst from the base of her spine and lashed menacingly.
"Here's your freak!" she snarled, voice contorting into something far more savage than any person should ever be able to make.
She moved forwards. The men fell back.
"You want anyone on this bus, you have to go through *me*."
Like so many bullies of this world, the men trying to ravage them were cowards at heart. They took one look at this new adversary, broke, and ran, leaping off the bus. Mystique picked up their fallen comrade and threw him out the door. If he lived or not, she didn't care.
Something crunched under the wheel. She didn't even acknowledge it.
She resumed to her human guise and returned to her daughter. "Shhh... it's okay. It's okay. Try to relax, honey. Let the bad man go."
Rogue shuddered and shivered in her arms.
Pietro had frozen, staring at her as if she were a basilisk.
Mystique didn't care. Not about anything. She just wanted her daughter to get better. She hadn't fought so hard, looked for so long, just to lose her now.
After a while, in the aftermath, those around her began to get worried, and she sensed that worry. Yet it was divided. Rogue still claimed some of their attention, but Pietro hadn't moved a muscle - highly unusual for the jerky, action-addicted speedster.
In fact, when Kurt came down to check everything was all right, he was quite alarmed at the change. Robyn, who had followed her brother down, was also concerned.
"Pie-Pie?" she said softly. "What's wrong? Why are you standing so still?"
To everyone's shock he answered, "I'm thinking."
For a moment everyone was silent, unsure of what to say. Only Mystique and Rogue seemed oblivious to the scene. Rogue was sobbing into her mother's lap, and the shapeshifter was tending to her as only a mother can.
Eventually, Pietro moved. He went slowly and purposefully towards them. "Why?" he asked.
"Why what?" Mystique's voice was filled with sorrow, bitterness and terrible, terrible weariness; almost as if she held the entire world on her shoulders, yet was beyond caring anymore.
"Why did you save us? Why didn't you run? That's what you've always done before. Why not now?" He leaned forward, face urgent. "I need to know."
She turned, evaluating him. His eyes practically glowed with intensity, and glittered with an edge of madness. So much had been messed up in Pietro's already messed up life, the idea that she would betray him had seemed a rock; a steady point in what seemed a torrent of change, pain, and confusion.
He deserved a reason for further upheaval, at least.
"Because..." she replied in as steady a tone as she could manage, "because... as far as I could run away from you, and Kurt, and Rogue, I could never run away from myself. In the old days... I always had someone else. A new persona. When I... left Kurt, and Marie, and even you and Todd, I took on a new form, a new life, a new face. I acted the part of someone else in order to leave myself behind.
"But when you're alone, when there's no-one left to act for, to pretend to be, then the only person you have to answer to is yourself. When Todd died I... was alone in the city. You know what that's like, don't you Pietro? All I had was myself, and I had myself to answer to, and I turned out to be my own worst enemy. I looked into a mirror and, for the first time, I saw my own face. And I hated it. I still do. I want to make things better, make them right, so that I can look at myself, my... for want of a better word, my soul, and not be repulsed by what I see. I want to at least try to make up for some of the things I've done. And I can't do that alone. Does that satisfy your question?"
Pietro didn't answer. He just stared at her. Then, quick as lightening, he turned and rushed up the stairs, shouldering past both Kurt and Robyn without a backward glance.
Mystique sighed soulfully, and went back to tending her daughter.
Kurt watched him go, moving aside slightly so as not to be sent flying when he whooshed past. Robyn started to chase after him, but the elf caught her hand and shook his head.
"Nein, Liebe."
"But..." She pointed helplessly, and Kurt sighed. Pietro's sudden action had surprised them all, and there was no telling what he might do or say if Kurt let one of the little ones go up to him. Pietro had never been the most steadfast of people, after all. He might do something irrational, and Robyn could be hurt if she was caught in the crossfire. Daisy too, since she was still upstairs with Clive.
Kurt's free hand tightened into a fist. Pietro might be his friend, but Robyn was his responsibility, and there was no way he was going to let her get hurt.
"Kurti?"
"I'll go and speak to him, Liebling. You go and sit with - " he cast about, wondering who could best shield the little mutant while she was on show down here. Kitty was preoccupied with Hope, and Lance with Kitty. Logan was driving, and Mystique was concerned with the gently juddering Rogue to the exclusion of all else. That left... "Alvin. Go sit with Alvin, poppet. He'll look after you while I go talk to Pie-Pie." _And hide you from prying eyes._
Robyn looked at the zealot, and sniffed pathetically. "What about Daisy? And," she pulled him close and added in a whisper, "what about *Clive*?"
Kurt patted her hand. "They'll be all right, Liebling. I promise. Now go sit with Alvin and be a good girl."
Robyn seemed profoundly dubious, but did as she was bid. From somewhere in his cart Alvin produced a length of cloth that might once have been a bedspread or picnic blanket, and wrapped it around her so that her ears and other visible mutations were protected from prying eyes on the other side of the window.
_Perhaps that guy is more useful to have around than I thought,_ Kurt mused, as he mounted the stairs.
When he reached the second level, Pietro was nowhere to be seen. Neither was Daisy, for that matter; and Kurt, to his great chagrin, immediately thought the worst.
"Daisy?" he murmured, pattering along the rows. "Daisy?"
"Down here," whispered a voice, and Kurt looked down to see a small, scaly face poking out from beneath one of the seats. Daisy's eyes were wide, and next to her Clive quivered, a portion of fear having transferred itself to her. "Kurti, what happened?"
"Nothing to worry about now, Blume[1]," he replied, eyes roving the other seats for telltale silver hair and failing to spot any.
Daisy rubbed at her nose, which was running. "Lotta crashin' an' bashin' for nuthin'."
"Ja, well, it's over now. Are you the only ones up here?"
She shook her head. "Nu-uh. Pie-Pie ran to the back a coupla minutes ago, but we were hidin', so he didn't see us."
As if adding her own words, Clive gave a small yip, and snuggled closer to Daisy's side.
_The back of the bus._ "Blume," Kurt said softly, using the nickname he'd created for her at the last stop. "Stay under there, and whatever happens, whatever you hear - or think you hear - stay hidden. Do *not* come out, okay?"
Suspicious, Daisy asked, "Why?"
"Just promise me you will."
She eyed him for a moment, and then slowly bobbed her head.
Kurt nodded, and moved along to the furthest seating. He made no sound, bare feet smoothing along the ancient floor better than the mouse of 'The Night Before Christmas' fame.
Pietro lay face down, arms folded beneath his head and turned away from the aisle. If Kurt hadn't known better he would've assumed the other boy was asleep. As it was...
"Pietro?"
No response.
Kurt nudged one foot, which dangled unceremoniously off the end of the seat. It seemed the speed-demon had thrown himself down in the manner of a moody teenage girl and not moved since.
"Pietro, I know you can hear me."
"I know that you know," came the muffled reply. "Don't mean I gotta answer."
Kurt sighed. "Look, we already have three little kids to look after on this trip, we don't need a fourth. Now sit up and start acting your age."
That elicited a slit of blue to hove into sight. "My age? Jeez, I don't even *know* how old I am now, Fuzzy. Kinda lost track of the date when I was on my own, and all birthdays since then."
Not exactly what he'd been expecting to hear, considering the words from Mystique downstairs, but Kurt folded his arms and tried to keep the makeshift conversation up long enough to figure out if Pietro was going to try anything stupid.
There was no point in beating around the bush. Kurt was suspicious. Pietro, by his own admission, was insane, and insane people did crazy things. Kurt was *not* about to let anyone jeopardise this exodus. Not when so much counted on them getting to Ororo in time.
"Pietro, judging by how you're acting, I'd guess you should still be in Kindergarten. I understand your feelings of Mystique, but this... this endless hostility is stupid. She's risked her life back there. One bullet and it could've all been over. And yet, you're still convinced she's - "
"Nothing stays the same," Pietro interrupted, talking as if Kurt wasn't even there. "I mean, I try to change with the times, try to move fast, gotta keep busy. But everything - my family, Todd, Mystique, you - it all keeps changing too quickly. Too fast for me. And I run too fast for others. Like Todd. And they get left behind. Can't stay still, though, can't let you all run ahead. Gotta keep moving. Even if I'm the only one in the race."
"You're lonely," Kurt translated. He could relate, somewhat. "You feel like you've left all the people and things you knew behind, and now you have a load of new stuff, but can't deal with it. You still feel like an outsider, ja? You can't get used to this idea of your old enemies becoming your friends, right?"
Pietro shrugged. "I prefer the corpses," he confessed. "I knew what they did. They just rotted in the sun. I knew where I stood with them. The dead are much more predictable than the living, y'know."
Kurt considered what to do. This was a bit out of his depth. Pietro claimed he was partly insane, but what he said made a lot of sense. How could he make him feel better? How could he make him feel more... stable, at least?
Suddenly, an idea came to him. It was a little crazy in itself, but what the heck. Fight fire with fire, after all.
"Ach, Pietro, this is just an adjustment. Give it a few days and you'll find your place. But you must give it a chance, meinen Bruder."
Pietro did a double take. Bruder? Now there was a word he understood.
"Whaddya mean, brother?" he snapped.
"Well, you're Robyn's big brother Pie-Pie, aren't you?"
"Er... yeah. According to her, anyway."
"And Robyn is my little sister, right?"
"Uh..."
"So I'm your brother." Then, he added tentatively, "And that makes Mystique your mother... after a fashion."
Pietro's brow crumpled with thought.
"It makes her seem different now, ja? But in a way, she could be your mother. We have no-one else, Pietro, we have to stick together. We're a family now - all of us on this bus. In a way, we always have been, it's just that we let our petty differences draw us apart. We can't do that now. It's your choice, Pietro. Be with us, part of the family, or not. Your decision."
"Mystique... my new mother," murmured Pietro softly. _Great! As if my family wasn't screwed up enough already._
"Well... what's your choice?"
"I can't suddenly start loving her, Kurt. But I can tolerate her. Maybe one day, I might be able to care for her, to trust her. But not yet. Right now, I can only offer a truce. Is that enough for you?"
Kurt nodded, feeling relieved, and stretched out a hand to help the other boy up. "Not just for me, for all of us. For her. For you."
One respective pothole in their road to paradise seemed to have been smoothed over, but there were probably still plenty left.
"Oooooow, oooowoooo."
Daisy clamped a hand over Clive's mouth. This, of course, did nothing to inhibit the sounds coming from the back of her little throat.
"What *is* that?" Pietro demanded, sitting up on his own.
"What?" Kurt asked innocently.
"That noise." Pietro tilted his head this way and that, trying to triangulate the source. "Don't tell me you don't hear it."
"Uh..."
"Weren't you just lecturing me on trusting people?" The speedster stood and paced slowly up the aisle. "Now is *not* a good time to lie."
Kurt sighed. "Don't tell anyone?"
"What is it?" Pietro asked suspiciously. "Another kid?"
"It's a puppy."
"Kurti!" Daisy poked her head out from under the bench. "You promised you wouldn't tell!"
Kurt raised his hands in the universal gesture for surrender. "I couldn't let Pie-Pie go crazier than he already is, Blume."
"Yeah, he - hey!"
"And that's my cue to exit!" Kurt made a break for the stairs, with Pietro in hot pursuit.
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To Be Continued...
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[1] Flower