To Err is Human
By Todd Fan
Disclaimer: "Mom: 62,437. Kids: 0"
--
With this chapter, I bring in the good 'ol Guthrie clan. Now this poor family has had their continuity screwed up more than anything in Marvel. UncannyXmen.net has got the best guide to the Guthrie's I have ever seen, they try to make sense out of the confusion. As for the order the Guthrie's go in age, I think the only thing you can EVER be sure of is that Sam came first, as they all contradict each other. Because of this, I swapped a few around in order of age to make my story work, and so I could use the certain Guthries I wanted to. Don't worry, the only thing I've changed about them is their age. Powers and names are all the same as their cannon counterparts. The only exception is Nell, whom I named, as she hasn't been given one in the comics...poor lass.
--
Chapter 10 - Where the heart is
---
Cumberland, Kentucky. A small, peacefull farming town, once reliant on it's now closed coal mines. But it's peace was shattered by the arrival of the Inner Circle. When they drove though the town, carrying enough fire-power to take out a small army, the townsfolk had been fearfull....until, of course, the Circle started towards the Guthrie farm. It was apparent then that they were, indeed, going to take out a small army. Not a soul from the town raised the alarm, warned their neighbours of the danger heading towards them. It was well known the Guthrie's had many a mutant among them, and, as everywhere else in the world, this knowledge was treated with fear, anger and hatred, the respect the family had earned through hard work gone. If those folks with the guns wanted to try take out the Guthries, then fine, one less thing for the deziens of Cumberland to worry about, maybe it would bring some normalcy back to their town. Because of this, when the Circle moved in, the Guthries were taken unawares....cornered, trapped in their own home, fighting off an enemy they had no idea existed.
"Get AWAY from ma'h family".
Lucinda Guthrie, was many things. She was a widow. She was a mother of nine. But one thing she was not, was a coward. She had grabbed her shotgun and was on the porch in seconds, ready to protect her home, her family.
BAM
She let off another shot, getting one of the Circle's soldiers in the arm. He gave a pained yell, stepping back..into a girl made of rock.
"You heard the lady", growled Paige Guthrie, jabbing a punch into his face, knocking him to the ground.
"Who are they, Momma?", asked a small boy of five, peering from behind his mother.
"A'h don't know Lewis", said Lucinda, "get back in there, Melody, watch your brother!".
A brunette girl of ten leant outside, pulling Lewis back inside to safety, sitting him next to his twin sister, Nell.
"We should be fightin'", grumbled Jeb, a red haired boy of eight, pushing the glasses back up on his nose. [1]
"We can't do anythin', Jeb", said Melody, "Momma, Paige and Josh are dealin' with them, right, Joelle?"
Joelle almost jumped from her seat, giving a nervous nod.
"Err...yeah", she said.
Of course, she knew this would come. She'd instructed the Circle when would be the best time to attack the farm, when her family would be caught off guard...she didn't know guns were involved. When the soldiers had arrived, she realised she'd been lied to...and now her entire family were in danger...no, not her entire family, just the mutant ones.
Outside, Lucinda was still trying to fight off the Circle's soldiers. When she heard the thucka-thucka-thucka of a helicopter, she thought from a deadfull moment that reinforcments for the soldiers had come...and if that was the case, they were finished. As the heli-jet landed, however, she let out a sigh of relief, seeing the 'X' on the side. The door opened and Sam cannonballed out, making a smoldering hole in the middle of one of the Circle's vehicles. As he veered to the side, a flash of red caught his eye above him.
"Well, if it 'aint the big X-Man", said Josh, a pair of red feathered wings coming from the fourteen year olds back, keeping him in the air, "didn't think you cared, Sammy-boy".
"Can we save this for later, Josh?", said Sam, before squeaking in suprise as he dodged a net tossed at him, cannonballing into the barn, leaving a gaping hole in the side.
"Momma, there's a big round hole in the wall of the barn", said Paige, then paused, "....Sam must be home"
"Funny", called out Sam, poking his head out of the hole, glancing up as the Blackbird landed nearby, "uh-oh".
"The X-Men have shown up!", called out one of the masked soldiers.
"We haven't captured a single mutie yet!", said the other, "the Black King will have our heads"
"Best that 'Black King' of yours havin' yer heads than me", growled Logan, walking out of the jet, popping out his claws.
"Weapon X!", said one of the soldiers, before looking at the others, "fall back, NOW!"
There was a rumble of thunder as storm clouds moved overhead, Storm flying out of the jet. Logan gave a snarl, moving to grab one of them, as the soldiers retreated, jumping into their vehicles, speeding off.
"Leave them, Logan", said Hank, stepping out.
"But....", started Logan, "they're attackin' mutants, they need to be.."
"We're not even sure what they want yet", said Hank, "we need to know THEIR moves, before making our own"
"Fine", grumbled Logan, crossing his arms, then sniffed the air, "come outta the barn, Cannonball".
Sam sheepishly walked out of the barn, giving a nervous smile.
"A'hm in trouble...aren't a'h?"
""Ooooh yeah", said Logan, "considering you disobeyed a direct order AND hijacked the Velocity"
"You did WHAT?!", said Lucinda, blinking at her eldest.
"A'h...err....think Logan pretty much covered it...yeah", said Sam, clearing his throat.
"SAMUEL ZACHARY GUTHRIE!", shouted Lucinda, putting her hands on her hips, "you get in that kitchen right now, young man, we need to talk!"
Sam winced, it was NEVER good when his mother middle-named him. He sighed, doing as he was told.
"Feel free to wander around", Lucinda said to the team, "Ah'm going for a little chat with ma'h son"
"Wow", said Logan in awe, watching her walk into the house after Sam, "that woman works with military precision".
Storm landed between him and Hank as Rogue, Scott and Jean walked out of the jet.
"She's had nine kids, what do you expect"
"THAT'S why you wanted to come on this mission so much!", said Hank, pointing a finger at her, "you want pregnancy tips!"
"Hell yeah!", said Storm, "unless you want a repeat of this mornings flash flood incident"
"Err....no", said Logan, "that wouldn't be a good thing"
He arched a brow as the girl made of stone ran over to them, before pulling away the rocky texture, showing human skin underneath, when she was done, Paige was back to her usual apearance.
"WOW, you're the X-Men!", she said in awe, "this is SO cool!".
"Nice to see someone apreciates us", said Hank.
"Yeah, a thirteen year old girl", said Logan, rolling his eyes.
Paige grinned, hugging Logan's arm.
"But a'h can do all sorts of cool stuff", she said, "a'h really, really want to be an X-Man, but momma says a'hm too young and she doesn't want me off savin' the world yet".
Logan tried to pull his arm away, without much luck. He glanced at Storm and Hank for assistance who grinned at him as the teen dragged him off, nattering away.
----
Rogue hummed to herself as she walked along the farmyard, waiting for the team to sort it out. Jean and Scott had wandered off to 'look at the cows'...yeah, right. With them gone, she was enjoying just being in the South again. Sure, Kentucky wasn't her home, but it was closer to Missasipi than Bayville was. She paused in her humming as she heard a beautifull singing from the barn, like a choir of angels had decided to flutter in there and start singing....country?
"Huh?"
She slid through the gaping hole in the barn Sam had left behind, looking at the top level of the barn, where the singing was, indeed coming from. She could just about make some of the words.
"When a'h look at the sky, But can't see through the clouds, She shows me the brightest stars", sang the almost haunting voice, "If a'h think of coming back, 'Cause ah'm having my doubts, She tells me ah've come so far, Nothing in this world comes easily, But a'h can't lose with her right next to me" [2]
Rogue carefully climbed up the ladder, using the stealth training Logan had given her to be sure she wasn't heard. As she peered over the top of the ladder, she saw Josh leaning by the window, strumming at an old acoustic guitar, his red wings folded neatly behind him.
"'Cause she thinks a'h could rope the moon, In her eyes there is nothing a'h can't do"
Rogue's eyes widened and she gave a squeak of suprise, almost falling off her perch. As soon as he'd hit the chorus, Josh's voice became harmonious. The vocals sounded like there were many singers all in perfect harmony with each other...but it all came from his own voice. A voice that stopped singing as soon as Rogue almost fell off the ladder. Josh blinked at her, clearing his throat, slightly embarassed at being caught out.
"A'h was just...err..pactising", he said with a sheepish smile, then arched a brow, "a'h don't bite....that's Paige".
Rogue smiled, clambering up onto the loft area.
"That was.....wow", she said, "how did you..."
Josh shrugged.
"Ah've been able to do it since a'h got these", he shifted his wings slightly, chuckling "ma'h siblings like to call me an overgrown canary".
"It's nice to see a power that doesn't involve breaking things to bits", said Rogue.
"Yeah, enough of the Guthrie's can do that already", said Josh, eyeing the hole in the barn made by his older brother, "ah'm suprised he even bothered showin' up"
Rogue blinked, noting the slight tint of bitterness in Josh's voice.
"Are you kidin'?", she said, "Sam hijacked a heli-jet to get to you guys, defyin' a direct order in the process....man, Logan's gonna give him a heck of a work-out for that one when he gets home"
She paused, sighing.
"He cares about you guys alot, you know".
"Sure he does", said Josh, looking out the barn window, "that's why we only ever see him in the holidays"
"But he goes to school in Bayville", protested Rogue, "it's not exactly a few blocks away"
She frowned.
"He's with us to use his powers to help others", she gave a small smile, "us X-Men..we're all family"
"Family", scoffed Josh, "what does he know about family? He abandoned us to join your little group, his REAL family obviously doesn't matter that much anymore"
"That's not true", said Rogue, shaking her head, "he's nuts about you guys, if you get him started talkin' about you, he can go on for HOURS...and has...believe me"
"Ah'll believe it when a'h see it", said Josh, before spreading his wings, "excuse me, a'h have to go meet ma'h girlfriend"
With a swish of his red wings, he flew out of the barn window and off ito the sky, Rogue watched him go with a sigh, before heading off to meet the team.
----
Meanwhile, in the Guthrie kitchen, Sam was sitting at his table. After a few minutes of shouting, Lucinda had sat down.
"Sam, a'h thought this X-Man deal was important to you", she said, "why would you do something as stupid as that?"
"It is, Momma, honest", said Sam, "but....a'h had to help you, and they wanted to keep me from doin' that".
"They wanted to keep you safe, Sam", said Lucinda, sighing, "a'h swear, sometimes you can be as bullheaded as your Poppa was".
"A'h know", said Sam, hanging his head, "sorry, Momma".
Lucinda gave a defeated sigh, chuckling and ruffling her eldest's blonde hair. She never could stay mad at Sam for long. He was the spitting image of his father, in both looks and personality. After her husband had died, Sam had sacrificed everything, his schoolwork, his friends, his hobbies, everything important in his young life to keep the family comfortable. She had hated seeing him heading off into the mines that had eventually claimed her Tom, and dreaded that the same would happen to him. That sort of thing wasn't fair....not for someone who hadn't even had the chance to grow up yet. Besides, she couldn't resist that puppy-face he managed whenether he got in trouble. [3]
"Oh, allright, you're forgiven", she said, "just don't make it a habit, huh?".
"A'h won't, momma", he said, standing up to give her a hug, kissing her forehead, "am a'h free now?"
"Go on, get outta here", chuckled Lucinda, waving a hand, "before your brothers and sisters decide to dog-pile on you".
Sam smiled, heading out of the kitchen door, just as Logan, Hank and Storm walked inside. Lucinda gave them a smile.
"Thanks for coming to help", she said, "a'h dread to think what would have happened"
"That's what we're here for, Mrs Guthrie", said Hank.
"Please, a'hm Lucinda", said Lucinda with a smile, barely batting an eyelid at Hank's appearance.
"You got a good kid, there, Lucinda", said Logan, "a little...compulsive at times, but a good kid".
"A'h know", said Lucinda with a smile, "and a'hm proud of him. A'h reme..."
Suddenly, Melody ran in, wide-eyed.
"Momma, a'h can't find 'Lizbeth anywhere!", she said, "a'h checked her room, a'n the barn an' the field an'.."
"Okay, Melody, take a breath, Honey", said Lucinda carefully, "those thugs left empty-handed, so they can't have taken her...ah hope not, a'h really hope not..."
Just then, the kitchen door opened and a girl of fifteen stomped in. She wore big, leather boots with leather trousers, a ripped T-Shirt showing off her pierced navel, a biker jacket slung over her shoulder. Her blonde hair fell messily over her face, though didn't hide the fact her ears, nose, eyebrow and bottom lip were also piecered. If she hadn't just walked into the house, none of the X-Men present would have labeled her a 'Guthrie'. [4]
"Elizabeth!", said Lucinda, running over to hug her daughter tightly, "where WERE you?"
Lizzie pulled out of her mothers embrace with an annoyed grunt.
"Geez, relax, Momma", she said, "a'h was at an all-nighter"
"Why didn't you TELL me?", Lucinda frowned, "a'h was worried, a'h thought...a'h don't even want to SAY what a'h thought"
Lizzie rolled her eyes, before blinking at the X-Men.
"Isn't it a bit early for tick-or-treatin'?".
"I could say the same to you", Logan shot back, before Storm elbowed him in the side.
"They're the X-Men, Lizzie", said Lucinda, "the farm was just attacked"
"Oh no", said Lizzie dryly, "what did they steal? Oh...wait, we have nothing worth stealin'".
"Elizabeth", warned Lucinda, frowning as Lizzie stomped over to a high cupboard, out of her reach.
She narrowed her eyes and suddenly grew taller, reaching into the cupboard and pulling out a can of soda, powering back down and leaving the kitchen.
"A'h really don't know what a'h can do with that one", sighed Lucinda, "she gets worse an' worse by the day".
Hank blinked, before giving a smile.
"I think I have a suggestion"
-----
A little while later, Logan had gone off to search for Sam, telling him they were heading back to Bayville. It didn't take long to find him. The oldest Guthrie sibling was a little way away from the big barn, sitting on the ground, facing a small grave marker.
"There ya are, Farm-boy", he said, "been lookin' fer ya"
"A'h figured", said Sam, glancing up at him, "a'hm sorry about takin' the Velocity, Logan, really, but...they're ma'h family"
"In your place....I probably would have done the same thing", admitted Logan, "yer still grounded, mind you, with two weeks of extra Danger Room sessions"
"A'h guess that's fair enough", said Sam, resting his chin on his knees, "a'h was afraid you'd kick me out of the X-Men completely".
"You kindin'?", said Logan, "you're on'a the best we got. You follow orders...most of the time, and you've got a great sense of responsibility".
Sam blinked, a compliment from Logan came once in a blue moon.
"Thanks", he said with a small smile.
Logan cleared his throat, looking over at the stone marker Sam had been watching. Though the long grass covered the date, the name could still be read on the plain, simple marker 'Thomas Zebulon Guthrie'.
"Your pop?", more of a statement then a question.
"Uh-huh", said Sam with a sigh, "a'h always come an'...well..visit him when a'h come back home".
"You were only a kis when he died, weren't you?"
"Fourteen", replied Sam, not taking his eyes away from the marker.
"You miss him?"
"More'n anything. He asked me to look after the family".
Logan nodded, not one to deal with the emotional side of anything. He patted Sam's back and stood up.
"Come on, Farm-boy", he said, "lets get back to the Institute"
Sam nodded, tearing his eyes from the grave to stand up, following Logan
"By the way, yer sister's comin' wiht us", said Logan, "Elizabeth"
Sam stopped dead.
"WHAT?"
"Yeah, your mother decided it'd be a good idea", he said, "see if we can tame her any"
"Easier said than done", pointed out Sam, following Logan to the Blackbird, Storm manning the Velocity.
"Why do A'H have to join?", snapped Lizzie, from where she and Lucinda were outside of the jet, "why not Paige? She's been itchin' to become one of the 'great X-Men' since Sam joined!"
"Paige isn't the one a'hm worried about, Elizabeth", said Lucina, "ma'h mind has been set, there's no changin' it"
Lizzie narrowed her eyes, before scowling, storming onto the jet.
"Fine, whatever", she said, pointing a finger at her brother as she passed, "don't you talk to me".
Sam arched a brow as his sister moodily stomped inside, before squeaking as his mother pulled him into a hug.
"Keep your eye on her, Sam", she said, "you know how she is"
"A'h will Mamma", he said, hugging her back, "ah'll come visit real soon, 'kay?"
"Just don't steal any jets next time", chuckled Lucinda, watching her son head off inside, both jets taking to the air, flying off.
Inside, Sam glanced over at his sister, who gave him the kind of scowl one gives a person when they want them to disolve. He cleared his throat, looking out of the window instead as they flew off.
----
When they got back to the mansion, Lizzie was ushered off to see the Professor as Storm decided to root around in the bag of baby tricks Lucinda had given her.
"I got LOADS of great advice from Lucinda", said Storm, to no one in particular, another new and...interesting pregnancy trait she'd picked up, "that woman is a GENIUS"
She pulled out a ratty, old squeaky toy.
"Do you know that she trained her kids to go to sleep when she squeaked this?"
Storm gave the toy a squeak.
WHUMP
Sam hit the ground like a ton of bricks, snoring.
"Well", said Hank, arching a brow, "that enters a whole new realm of classical conditioning" [5] ---
[1] - Recently, Jeb has made a change from this look, but as seen as this is the look he's been given for everything else, it's the one I'm picking...stupid Chuck Austen, messing up one of the easy Guthries.
[2] - 'Rope the Moon', by John Michael Montgomery, a truely beautifull country song.
[3] - YOU know the one I mean, as seen after the race in 'Ghost of a Chance'. I just wanted to snuggle his wittle head!
[4] - Try to picture her as a more pierced version of Grace from 'Joan of Arcadia' and you got her nailed.
[5] - Thank you, Mr Pavlov.
Yup, I picked a different Guthrie sibling to join the Institute. Lizzie has no real mutant activity in the regular books, her mutancy was shown in AOA, which is what I'll use for her powers. Mmm, this story went on longer than I thought. I have a soft spot for the Guthrie family, can't you tell? Do review. Until next time...
By Todd Fan
Disclaimer: "Mom: 62,437. Kids: 0"
--
With this chapter, I bring in the good 'ol Guthrie clan. Now this poor family has had their continuity screwed up more than anything in Marvel. UncannyXmen.net has got the best guide to the Guthrie's I have ever seen, they try to make sense out of the confusion. As for the order the Guthrie's go in age, I think the only thing you can EVER be sure of is that Sam came first, as they all contradict each other. Because of this, I swapped a few around in order of age to make my story work, and so I could use the certain Guthries I wanted to. Don't worry, the only thing I've changed about them is their age. Powers and names are all the same as their cannon counterparts. The only exception is Nell, whom I named, as she hasn't been given one in the comics...poor lass.
--
Chapter 10 - Where the heart is
---
Cumberland, Kentucky. A small, peacefull farming town, once reliant on it's now closed coal mines. But it's peace was shattered by the arrival of the Inner Circle. When they drove though the town, carrying enough fire-power to take out a small army, the townsfolk had been fearfull....until, of course, the Circle started towards the Guthrie farm. It was apparent then that they were, indeed, going to take out a small army. Not a soul from the town raised the alarm, warned their neighbours of the danger heading towards them. It was well known the Guthrie's had many a mutant among them, and, as everywhere else in the world, this knowledge was treated with fear, anger and hatred, the respect the family had earned through hard work gone. If those folks with the guns wanted to try take out the Guthries, then fine, one less thing for the deziens of Cumberland to worry about, maybe it would bring some normalcy back to their town. Because of this, when the Circle moved in, the Guthries were taken unawares....cornered, trapped in their own home, fighting off an enemy they had no idea existed.
"Get AWAY from ma'h family".
Lucinda Guthrie, was many things. She was a widow. She was a mother of nine. But one thing she was not, was a coward. She had grabbed her shotgun and was on the porch in seconds, ready to protect her home, her family.
BAM
She let off another shot, getting one of the Circle's soldiers in the arm. He gave a pained yell, stepping back..into a girl made of rock.
"You heard the lady", growled Paige Guthrie, jabbing a punch into his face, knocking him to the ground.
"Who are they, Momma?", asked a small boy of five, peering from behind his mother.
"A'h don't know Lewis", said Lucinda, "get back in there, Melody, watch your brother!".
A brunette girl of ten leant outside, pulling Lewis back inside to safety, sitting him next to his twin sister, Nell.
"We should be fightin'", grumbled Jeb, a red haired boy of eight, pushing the glasses back up on his nose. [1]
"We can't do anythin', Jeb", said Melody, "Momma, Paige and Josh are dealin' with them, right, Joelle?"
Joelle almost jumped from her seat, giving a nervous nod.
"Err...yeah", she said.
Of course, she knew this would come. She'd instructed the Circle when would be the best time to attack the farm, when her family would be caught off guard...she didn't know guns were involved. When the soldiers had arrived, she realised she'd been lied to...and now her entire family were in danger...no, not her entire family, just the mutant ones.
Outside, Lucinda was still trying to fight off the Circle's soldiers. When she heard the thucka-thucka-thucka of a helicopter, she thought from a deadfull moment that reinforcments for the soldiers had come...and if that was the case, they were finished. As the heli-jet landed, however, she let out a sigh of relief, seeing the 'X' on the side. The door opened and Sam cannonballed out, making a smoldering hole in the middle of one of the Circle's vehicles. As he veered to the side, a flash of red caught his eye above him.
"Well, if it 'aint the big X-Man", said Josh, a pair of red feathered wings coming from the fourteen year olds back, keeping him in the air, "didn't think you cared, Sammy-boy".
"Can we save this for later, Josh?", said Sam, before squeaking in suprise as he dodged a net tossed at him, cannonballing into the barn, leaving a gaping hole in the side.
"Momma, there's a big round hole in the wall of the barn", said Paige, then paused, "....Sam must be home"
"Funny", called out Sam, poking his head out of the hole, glancing up as the Blackbird landed nearby, "uh-oh".
"The X-Men have shown up!", called out one of the masked soldiers.
"We haven't captured a single mutie yet!", said the other, "the Black King will have our heads"
"Best that 'Black King' of yours havin' yer heads than me", growled Logan, walking out of the jet, popping out his claws.
"Weapon X!", said one of the soldiers, before looking at the others, "fall back, NOW!"
There was a rumble of thunder as storm clouds moved overhead, Storm flying out of the jet. Logan gave a snarl, moving to grab one of them, as the soldiers retreated, jumping into their vehicles, speeding off.
"Leave them, Logan", said Hank, stepping out.
"But....", started Logan, "they're attackin' mutants, they need to be.."
"We're not even sure what they want yet", said Hank, "we need to know THEIR moves, before making our own"
"Fine", grumbled Logan, crossing his arms, then sniffed the air, "come outta the barn, Cannonball".
Sam sheepishly walked out of the barn, giving a nervous smile.
"A'hm in trouble...aren't a'h?"
""Ooooh yeah", said Logan, "considering you disobeyed a direct order AND hijacked the Velocity"
"You did WHAT?!", said Lucinda, blinking at her eldest.
"A'h...err....think Logan pretty much covered it...yeah", said Sam, clearing his throat.
"SAMUEL ZACHARY GUTHRIE!", shouted Lucinda, putting her hands on her hips, "you get in that kitchen right now, young man, we need to talk!"
Sam winced, it was NEVER good when his mother middle-named him. He sighed, doing as he was told.
"Feel free to wander around", Lucinda said to the team, "Ah'm going for a little chat with ma'h son"
"Wow", said Logan in awe, watching her walk into the house after Sam, "that woman works with military precision".
Storm landed between him and Hank as Rogue, Scott and Jean walked out of the jet.
"She's had nine kids, what do you expect"
"THAT'S why you wanted to come on this mission so much!", said Hank, pointing a finger at her, "you want pregnancy tips!"
"Hell yeah!", said Storm, "unless you want a repeat of this mornings flash flood incident"
"Err....no", said Logan, "that wouldn't be a good thing"
He arched a brow as the girl made of stone ran over to them, before pulling away the rocky texture, showing human skin underneath, when she was done, Paige was back to her usual apearance.
"WOW, you're the X-Men!", she said in awe, "this is SO cool!".
"Nice to see someone apreciates us", said Hank.
"Yeah, a thirteen year old girl", said Logan, rolling his eyes.
Paige grinned, hugging Logan's arm.
"But a'h can do all sorts of cool stuff", she said, "a'h really, really want to be an X-Man, but momma says a'hm too young and she doesn't want me off savin' the world yet".
Logan tried to pull his arm away, without much luck. He glanced at Storm and Hank for assistance who grinned at him as the teen dragged him off, nattering away.
----
Rogue hummed to herself as she walked along the farmyard, waiting for the team to sort it out. Jean and Scott had wandered off to 'look at the cows'...yeah, right. With them gone, she was enjoying just being in the South again. Sure, Kentucky wasn't her home, but it was closer to Missasipi than Bayville was. She paused in her humming as she heard a beautifull singing from the barn, like a choir of angels had decided to flutter in there and start singing....country?
"Huh?"
She slid through the gaping hole in the barn Sam had left behind, looking at the top level of the barn, where the singing was, indeed coming from. She could just about make some of the words.
"When a'h look at the sky, But can't see through the clouds, She shows me the brightest stars", sang the almost haunting voice, "If a'h think of coming back, 'Cause ah'm having my doubts, She tells me ah've come so far, Nothing in this world comes easily, But a'h can't lose with her right next to me" [2]
Rogue carefully climbed up the ladder, using the stealth training Logan had given her to be sure she wasn't heard. As she peered over the top of the ladder, she saw Josh leaning by the window, strumming at an old acoustic guitar, his red wings folded neatly behind him.
"'Cause she thinks a'h could rope the moon, In her eyes there is nothing a'h can't do"
Rogue's eyes widened and she gave a squeak of suprise, almost falling off her perch. As soon as he'd hit the chorus, Josh's voice became harmonious. The vocals sounded like there were many singers all in perfect harmony with each other...but it all came from his own voice. A voice that stopped singing as soon as Rogue almost fell off the ladder. Josh blinked at her, clearing his throat, slightly embarassed at being caught out.
"A'h was just...err..pactising", he said with a sheepish smile, then arched a brow, "a'h don't bite....that's Paige".
Rogue smiled, clambering up onto the loft area.
"That was.....wow", she said, "how did you..."
Josh shrugged.
"Ah've been able to do it since a'h got these", he shifted his wings slightly, chuckling "ma'h siblings like to call me an overgrown canary".
"It's nice to see a power that doesn't involve breaking things to bits", said Rogue.
"Yeah, enough of the Guthrie's can do that already", said Josh, eyeing the hole in the barn made by his older brother, "ah'm suprised he even bothered showin' up"
Rogue blinked, noting the slight tint of bitterness in Josh's voice.
"Are you kidin'?", she said, "Sam hijacked a heli-jet to get to you guys, defyin' a direct order in the process....man, Logan's gonna give him a heck of a work-out for that one when he gets home"
She paused, sighing.
"He cares about you guys alot, you know".
"Sure he does", said Josh, looking out the barn window, "that's why we only ever see him in the holidays"
"But he goes to school in Bayville", protested Rogue, "it's not exactly a few blocks away"
She frowned.
"He's with us to use his powers to help others", she gave a small smile, "us X-Men..we're all family"
"Family", scoffed Josh, "what does he know about family? He abandoned us to join your little group, his REAL family obviously doesn't matter that much anymore"
"That's not true", said Rogue, shaking her head, "he's nuts about you guys, if you get him started talkin' about you, he can go on for HOURS...and has...believe me"
"Ah'll believe it when a'h see it", said Josh, before spreading his wings, "excuse me, a'h have to go meet ma'h girlfriend"
With a swish of his red wings, he flew out of the barn window and off ito the sky, Rogue watched him go with a sigh, before heading off to meet the team.
----
Meanwhile, in the Guthrie kitchen, Sam was sitting at his table. After a few minutes of shouting, Lucinda had sat down.
"Sam, a'h thought this X-Man deal was important to you", she said, "why would you do something as stupid as that?"
"It is, Momma, honest", said Sam, "but....a'h had to help you, and they wanted to keep me from doin' that".
"They wanted to keep you safe, Sam", said Lucinda, sighing, "a'h swear, sometimes you can be as bullheaded as your Poppa was".
"A'h know", said Sam, hanging his head, "sorry, Momma".
Lucinda gave a defeated sigh, chuckling and ruffling her eldest's blonde hair. She never could stay mad at Sam for long. He was the spitting image of his father, in both looks and personality. After her husband had died, Sam had sacrificed everything, his schoolwork, his friends, his hobbies, everything important in his young life to keep the family comfortable. She had hated seeing him heading off into the mines that had eventually claimed her Tom, and dreaded that the same would happen to him. That sort of thing wasn't fair....not for someone who hadn't even had the chance to grow up yet. Besides, she couldn't resist that puppy-face he managed whenether he got in trouble. [3]
"Oh, allright, you're forgiven", she said, "just don't make it a habit, huh?".
"A'h won't, momma", he said, standing up to give her a hug, kissing her forehead, "am a'h free now?"
"Go on, get outta here", chuckled Lucinda, waving a hand, "before your brothers and sisters decide to dog-pile on you".
Sam smiled, heading out of the kitchen door, just as Logan, Hank and Storm walked inside. Lucinda gave them a smile.
"Thanks for coming to help", she said, "a'h dread to think what would have happened"
"That's what we're here for, Mrs Guthrie", said Hank.
"Please, a'hm Lucinda", said Lucinda with a smile, barely batting an eyelid at Hank's appearance.
"You got a good kid, there, Lucinda", said Logan, "a little...compulsive at times, but a good kid".
"A'h know", said Lucinda with a smile, "and a'hm proud of him. A'h reme..."
Suddenly, Melody ran in, wide-eyed.
"Momma, a'h can't find 'Lizbeth anywhere!", she said, "a'h checked her room, a'n the barn an' the field an'.."
"Okay, Melody, take a breath, Honey", said Lucinda carefully, "those thugs left empty-handed, so they can't have taken her...ah hope not, a'h really hope not..."
Just then, the kitchen door opened and a girl of fifteen stomped in. She wore big, leather boots with leather trousers, a ripped T-Shirt showing off her pierced navel, a biker jacket slung over her shoulder. Her blonde hair fell messily over her face, though didn't hide the fact her ears, nose, eyebrow and bottom lip were also piecered. If she hadn't just walked into the house, none of the X-Men present would have labeled her a 'Guthrie'. [4]
"Elizabeth!", said Lucinda, running over to hug her daughter tightly, "where WERE you?"
Lizzie pulled out of her mothers embrace with an annoyed grunt.
"Geez, relax, Momma", she said, "a'h was at an all-nighter"
"Why didn't you TELL me?", Lucinda frowned, "a'h was worried, a'h thought...a'h don't even want to SAY what a'h thought"
Lizzie rolled her eyes, before blinking at the X-Men.
"Isn't it a bit early for tick-or-treatin'?".
"I could say the same to you", Logan shot back, before Storm elbowed him in the side.
"They're the X-Men, Lizzie", said Lucinda, "the farm was just attacked"
"Oh no", said Lizzie dryly, "what did they steal? Oh...wait, we have nothing worth stealin'".
"Elizabeth", warned Lucinda, frowning as Lizzie stomped over to a high cupboard, out of her reach.
She narrowed her eyes and suddenly grew taller, reaching into the cupboard and pulling out a can of soda, powering back down and leaving the kitchen.
"A'h really don't know what a'h can do with that one", sighed Lucinda, "she gets worse an' worse by the day".
Hank blinked, before giving a smile.
"I think I have a suggestion"
-----
A little while later, Logan had gone off to search for Sam, telling him they were heading back to Bayville. It didn't take long to find him. The oldest Guthrie sibling was a little way away from the big barn, sitting on the ground, facing a small grave marker.
"There ya are, Farm-boy", he said, "been lookin' fer ya"
"A'h figured", said Sam, glancing up at him, "a'hm sorry about takin' the Velocity, Logan, really, but...they're ma'h family"
"In your place....I probably would have done the same thing", admitted Logan, "yer still grounded, mind you, with two weeks of extra Danger Room sessions"
"A'h guess that's fair enough", said Sam, resting his chin on his knees, "a'h was afraid you'd kick me out of the X-Men completely".
"You kindin'?", said Logan, "you're on'a the best we got. You follow orders...most of the time, and you've got a great sense of responsibility".
Sam blinked, a compliment from Logan came once in a blue moon.
"Thanks", he said with a small smile.
Logan cleared his throat, looking over at the stone marker Sam had been watching. Though the long grass covered the date, the name could still be read on the plain, simple marker 'Thomas Zebulon Guthrie'.
"Your pop?", more of a statement then a question.
"Uh-huh", said Sam with a sigh, "a'h always come an'...well..visit him when a'h come back home".
"You were only a kis when he died, weren't you?"
"Fourteen", replied Sam, not taking his eyes away from the marker.
"You miss him?"
"More'n anything. He asked me to look after the family".
Logan nodded, not one to deal with the emotional side of anything. He patted Sam's back and stood up.
"Come on, Farm-boy", he said, "lets get back to the Institute"
Sam nodded, tearing his eyes from the grave to stand up, following Logan
"By the way, yer sister's comin' wiht us", said Logan, "Elizabeth"
Sam stopped dead.
"WHAT?"
"Yeah, your mother decided it'd be a good idea", he said, "see if we can tame her any"
"Easier said than done", pointed out Sam, following Logan to the Blackbird, Storm manning the Velocity.
"Why do A'H have to join?", snapped Lizzie, from where she and Lucinda were outside of the jet, "why not Paige? She's been itchin' to become one of the 'great X-Men' since Sam joined!"
"Paige isn't the one a'hm worried about, Elizabeth", said Lucina, "ma'h mind has been set, there's no changin' it"
Lizzie narrowed her eyes, before scowling, storming onto the jet.
"Fine, whatever", she said, pointing a finger at her brother as she passed, "don't you talk to me".
Sam arched a brow as his sister moodily stomped inside, before squeaking as his mother pulled him into a hug.
"Keep your eye on her, Sam", she said, "you know how she is"
"A'h will Mamma", he said, hugging her back, "ah'll come visit real soon, 'kay?"
"Just don't steal any jets next time", chuckled Lucinda, watching her son head off inside, both jets taking to the air, flying off.
Inside, Sam glanced over at his sister, who gave him the kind of scowl one gives a person when they want them to disolve. He cleared his throat, looking out of the window instead as they flew off.
----
When they got back to the mansion, Lizzie was ushered off to see the Professor as Storm decided to root around in the bag of baby tricks Lucinda had given her.
"I got LOADS of great advice from Lucinda", said Storm, to no one in particular, another new and...interesting pregnancy trait she'd picked up, "that woman is a GENIUS"
She pulled out a ratty, old squeaky toy.
"Do you know that she trained her kids to go to sleep when she squeaked this?"
Storm gave the toy a squeak.
WHUMP
Sam hit the ground like a ton of bricks, snoring.
"Well", said Hank, arching a brow, "that enters a whole new realm of classical conditioning" [5] ---
[1] - Recently, Jeb has made a change from this look, but as seen as this is the look he's been given for everything else, it's the one I'm picking...stupid Chuck Austen, messing up one of the easy Guthries.
[2] - 'Rope the Moon', by John Michael Montgomery, a truely beautifull country song.
[3] - YOU know the one I mean, as seen after the race in 'Ghost of a Chance'. I just wanted to snuggle his wittle head!
[4] - Try to picture her as a more pierced version of Grace from 'Joan of Arcadia' and you got her nailed.
[5] - Thank you, Mr Pavlov.
Yup, I picked a different Guthrie sibling to join the Institute. Lizzie has no real mutant activity in the regular books, her mutancy was shown in AOA, which is what I'll use for her powers. Mmm, this story went on longer than I thought. I have a soft spot for the Guthrie family, can't you tell? Do review. Until next time...