It's a mutantfull life
By Todd Fan
Disclaimer: "The best way to spread Christmas cheer is singing loud for all to hear"
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Here it is, the final chapter. Well, I learned today that I need to hand in two assignments next week, on the same day, at the same time. In other words, I need to be in two seperate lines at the exact same moment....Times like this, I envy Jamie.
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Chapter 6 - Arms of the angels
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Todd took a few breaths, opening and closing his eyes a few times...just to be sure. But no, he'd arrived home. He grinned, hopping back into the boarding house, and into the living room, hopping in front of the TV
"Can you see me?", he asked Pietro, waving a hand in front of his face.
The speedster frowned, craning his neck to see past him.
"Yes", he said irritably, "and you're stopping me from seeing my stories!".
Pietro frowned, clearing his throat.
"I mean..err...", Pietro thought fast, "my sports".
Todd laughed, hopping happily out of the way.
"Awww, Pie, everyone knows ya never miss an episode of 'Days of Our Lives'", he grinned, ruffling Pietro's hair, "ya big sissy".
"Don't touch the hair!!!", whimpered Pietro, trying to straighten it out, "and I'm not a sissy!".
"It's great ta have the old you back again", said Todd happily, "you 'aint some physco workin' with punk Storm!"
Pietro blinked at him.
"Punk....Storm?".
"Do me a favour, Pie", said Todd, "never work fer the government, 'kay?".
Pietro shook his head, looking back at the TV.
"Why would I want to do that when I could be a model and sleep with hundreds of chicks?".
"THAT'S my Pie!", laughed Todd.
"Todd, are you feeling okay?", asked Pietro, "you've got weird christmasy-show glow about you....like that Scrooge guy" (1)
"I'm just fine, Pie", said Todd, hopping out of the living room, "I'm better than fine. I'm alive!".
"Good for you", said Pietro dryly, "I'll get out the streamers.....weirdo".
He turned to the TV, gasping.
"You made me miss Dr Ramoray's big scene!!!" (2)
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Freddy didn't know exactly what had hit him. There he was, making lunch in the kitchen when something had flown at him in mid-air, latching onto his side. It took a few more minutes to realise the thing was Todd.
"Todd....why are you hugging my head?", asked Fred, arching a brow.
"I missed ya, Buddy", grinned Todd, "it's so great ta see ya alive!".
Freddy blinked, trying to pry the amphibian-like mutant off his head.
"What are you talkin' about?", he asked, "since when was I not alive?".
"It don't matter", said Todd with a grin, "What does matter is ya my best buddy an' I value the friendship"
"Oh....kay", said Freddy, backing away slightly as Todd hopped off him, "you're not going to hug me again....are you?"
"Nah", said Todd with a grin, "hey, stay away from Cueball's kid, he'll mess ya up"
Freddy blinked.
"Xavier has a son?"
"If you're alive, and Pie isn't in the government", said Todd, pacing the floor, "than that means that Kurt and the Hippie are free, which means that Rogue 'aint a fugitive, which means...."
"Which means you're going off your rocker", commented Lance as he walked in.
"Lance! You're not an X-Man!!!", grinned Todd.
Lance scowled.
"You make one little mistake and you never hear the end of it", he muttered, "no, I'm not. Yes, I tried and yes, they kicked me out. Enough already!"
"Technically, you left on your own", pointed out Freddy.
"Shut up, Freddy", said Lance, then blinked at the grinning Todd, "has he been eating the butterflies from that book in the attic again?"
"I don't know", said Freddy with a shrug, "he seems...overly happy".
"Ya better here than ANY crummy old mansion!", grinned Todd, patting Lance on the back, before grinning, "wow, Wanda must be here too"
"Wanda's been here for a while, Toad", said Lance dryly, "you of all people should know that"
"I gotta go talk ta her", said Todd, hopping off.
"What do you want carved on your tombstone, Toad?", called Freddy after him with a laugh.
"Here lies Todd Tolensky", smirked Lance, "Bug eater. Slimeball. Never saw that hex-bolt coming" (3)
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Wanda sighed as she sat cross-legged in her room. Honing her abilities required full concentration, clearing her mind from outside interferences...
BANG.
....Like slamming doors.
"TOAD!", she snapped, sitting up, forming a hex bolt in her hands, "you have five seconds to get out of my room before I reduce you to a pile of dust on the carpet. Five. Four...."
"Wait!", said Todd, holding his hands up in surrender, "I just wanna talk, Wanda".
"Well, you can talk out....", she paused, blinking at him, "did you just call me Wanda?".
"It's your name, 'aint it?", said Todd with a shrug.
"What, no stupid pet names?", asked Wanda, arching a brow, "no 'Snugglebumps', no 'Honeypie', no 'Sweetums'?".
Todd shook his head.
"Ya hate them, so I won't call ya by them", he gave a sly smile, "today"
Wanda frowned softly, disipating the hex bolt.
"Okay, fine", she said, "what do you want? And if it's to ask for a date, forget it!"
"I'm not askin' ya for a date", sighed Todd.
Wanda cocked her head to the side.
"Are you sick or something?", she asked, "or have you finally come around to the fact I have no interest in you, whatsoever?".
Todd sighed, closing his eyes.
"Neither", he said, before opening his eyes, looking at her, "Wanda, there's somethin' I gotta tell ya. Somethin' I shoulda told ya a long time ago. I was too selfish ta tell ya, but now...I know ya need ta know".
"Need to know what?", asked Wanda, frowning.
Todd sighed.
"The truth about your father"
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Simon blinked at the letter in his hands. The fact that it was covered in dirt, the writing on the front was messy and smuged and it smelt a little bit.....odd was enough to know this wasn't a NORMAL letter. But still, he was not one to argue. Not until he got his raise, anyway. He sighed, carrying it along a few scattered hallways before stopping at a door, knocking on it.
"Yeah?", came the reply.
"A letter for you, Sir", Simon said, entering the room.
Warren Worthington blinked up from where he 'wasn't' playing video games and 'was' doing important work, he cleared his throat, attempting to hide the game controler under a wing.
"At this time of the day?", he asked, "did it get lost in the post?".
"No, someone just", Simon gimaced, "shoved it through the letter box, Sir".
Warren took the envelope off him, opening it up and reading it.
"Thank you, Percy", he read, "you have shown me how worthwhile life is"
Warren blinked, giving Simon a confused look.
"Who the heck is Percy?".
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(1) SHAMELESS PLUG. SHAMELESS PLUG!
(2) - I know Dr Ramoray isn't a real character in the REAL show. He's Joey's character in the Friends version. Never seen the real show...not sure I want to. Soap operas scare me.
(3) - I would want my own to read something along the lines of 'I KNOW your secrets', 'Just killing time' or 'Look behind you'. Of course, as most of you know, I'm afraid of being burried alive, so I'll have it written on my urn, and one day, I'll fall off the shelf and scare my relatives...and they say I don't have my future planned out.
And there it is, another holiday fic done and dusted. I might make another depressing one next year, we shall see if my muse will cooperate. Do review. Thanks for reading!