The Uncanny R-Man: Well to be fair she is just a kid, after her training she'll be one tough character. I think she might be a little shocked at first but well, you'll see in the next chapter.
Stoner: Since this is AU I'm taking a few liberties, plus it's kind of hard to tell the ages of characters that are cartoons with no clear passage of time. I think the entire show was only like 2 years I think so I'm just going with that. Plus I looked up the ages at Beyond X-Men: Evolution so I go with that.
Ruby631: Kurt will show up at the end of this chapter.
Ldypebsaby: Since she had a better childhood and with no anger issues, she's not going to be the angry goth girl in the series which is why I wanted to do this. To show what I think she would have been like if this had happened to her.
Slickboy444: Well she was kind of vulnerable at that moment, and I wanted a way for her to see him differently. Kurt will show up at the end and then things get different from there. As for Duncan, you'll see.
PureEvilOne: Jean and Scott are only one year older so they would be nineteen, but I changed it a little now. Lance is actually older then Kitty also.
Red Witch: Yeah, mine too I just had to use it in at least one of my stories.
Thanks to: NightZero, Karakin, TheLegendaryManHimself, Aaron, Jason, Rogue14, Mimato-4eva, jason
AN: Okay I'm only going to say this once. Since you can't really tell how old a cartoon character is unless they actually tell you(which they don't really do that well), I'm taking a few liberties with the ages. The characters will be as old as I say they are in this fic. Here are the ages during this time. Wanda/Kurt/Rogue-17 Kitty/Evan-16 Jean/Scott/-18 I'm not going to respond to any review that deals with the ages from now on also.
WANDA'S LIFE
CHAPTER 4: THE IN BETWEEN YEARS
4 YEARS LATER
The buzzing noise was what woke her up. From under the covers of her bed a hand and an arm reached out blindly for the off button on her clock. She found it and after a few slaps found the off button. She sighed and pulled off the covers from her head. She got up and rubbed her eyes and yawned while stretched in a large red T-shirt that when she stood up went halfway down her thighs, it was also one of her favorites.
She got out and sat down at the vanity mirror and looked at herself. Wanda Maximoff had changed a lot in the last four years. Her nightmares rarely came anymore and her look was different too. Where once was a shy little girl with long dark hair was now a punk rocker teen with shorter hair. She remembered the day she got it cut, Ororo had loved her long hair but Wanda had felt it was time for a change. It wasn't too short and it went down just to her chin level at the sides and back. She also dyed it red too.
In fact it was kind of like fitting in with Jean and Scott, Jean also had red hair (only natural which Wanda couldn't believe that was her natural color) and Scott's red glasses with her hair and usual way of wearing at least one article of red clothing all three looked like they were part of some red colored coated gang or something.
She was brushing out the tangles in her hair and decided to just take a shower then worry about it, she just hoped she beat Jean this time, so far the natural redhead had beaten her to the girl's bathroom for over a week, she figured Jean was setting her alarm early or something. So instead of setting her alarm to ring earlier she had snuck into Jean's room and just set for hers to go off later.
After she had showered after hearing a slightly miffed Jean bang on her door about how changing her clock wasn't funny (Which only sent Wanda laughing in the shower) she went back to her room to change. She now was wearing black slightly lose jean with a red top saying 'Girlz Rule' on it in black and got some breakfast.
She walked into the kitchen and smelled the food and already wishing she had a plate of it. "Morning Ororo." Wanda said cheerfully.
Ororo turned to smile at her. "Good morning Wanda, usual?"
"Please." She said sitting down and noticed Scott was already eating some toast and reading the paper. "Hey shades anything interesting?"
Scott shook his head. "No not really, you and Jean hanging out after school again?"
Wanda shrugged. "Maybe I don't know." She said kind of sadly. Ever since she got here she and Jean had been like sisters. She remembered how when she turned fifteen they stayed all night in her room doing everything you ever heard about in sleepovers, all the clichés and stuff like that, and that was when her hair had been still long enough to braid. Lately though Jean was getting kind of popular and this jerk Duncan was hanging all over Jean.
She didn't like him, and neither did Scott in fact Jean had started to see other people when she and Scott had experimented in dating each other for about a month. Sure he liked Scott and when she asked him out on a date he didn't have a problem with it, but there just wasn't anything there. They both knew it and she saw the Jean had kind of been a little distant from them during that time.
She also noticed that Scott kind of got a hurt look on his face sometime when he saw Jean and she got the impression there was something there between them. She had confronted Scott about it and it took some doing but she had managed to get him to open up and admit he had feelings for Jean. She didn't mind and was kind of surprised but then again she did care for Scott but it was more like a brother then anything else.
Okay so he was a good kisser but there was no spark or nothing. They both agreed they were better off as friends and when Jean heard about it she wasn't so distant, which was fine with Wanda. She hated to think she nearly had destroyed their friendship.
"Hey guys." Jean said walking in and sitting down next to Scott. Wanda had been watching them and she was sure there was something but she wasn't sure. Scott definitely felt something but Jean on the other hand either didn't realize she liked Scott more then a friend or was really hiding it.
"Hey Jean are we still hanging out after school? Cause there's this new music shop I've been meaning to show you." Wanda said over the little counter they were all sitting at.
"Oh...uh...I, I don't think so, sorry." Jean said to her, Wanda could see that Jean didn't like to cancel on her.
"Yeah whatever, that's fine." Wanda said not looking at her and didn't the entire time. Jean didn't feel like just dropping her best friend like that but Duncan wanted to hang out with her too. Wanda was pretty much quiet for the ride to school in Scott's car. She just didn't like how Jean was pushing both her and Scott out of their lives.
For the past four years the three of them had been the best of friends and she felt she was losing Jean, even though she was living with them. Plus it had been months since she had seen Logan too. She remembered how she had been so scared of him but after that night she had seen him in a different light. In fact she had learned to like having Logan around, she even called him Uncle Logan, which everyone found funny and she loved how he got the uncomfortable look on his face.
"Alright if you want a ride I'll be in the parking lot after school." Scott told them.
"Alright, I guess I'll be there." Wanda said to him.
"I think I might get a ride with Duncan." Jean said and Wanda definitely saw Scott's face get a little darker at that, and she knew there had to be something. The rest of the day was the same old thing and at lunch she was sitting with Scott at a table.
They were just talking when Wanda saw Jean walk by. "Hey Jean sit down with us."
Jean smiled and began walking over to them with a trey but then the tall blond football jerk Duncan Mathews just had to walk by and put his arm around Jean's waist. "Hey there you are, come on everyone is waiting."
"But Duncan-"Jean started to protest but he quickly turned her around and led her to the table. Both Wanda and Scott just glared at the back of that guy's head.
"I really don't like him." Scott said.
"Ditto." Wanda replied.
It was the end of classes and Wanda was getting to class when she heard some voices by the corner but ignored them, until she heard the name Jean then she leaned against the wall and listened in.
"Man dude you really think that Jean girl is going to go out with you?" She recognized it as one of the football jocks.
"Hey you've seen the way that girl is around me, plus wouldn't you want to go out with her? I mean is she built or what?" The voice was Duncan there was no mistaken it.
"How long do you think it will take to get her in the sack though?"
"Don't know but it should be worth it, you know what they said about red heads right?" Duncan joked and Wanda felt her anger rise from their laughing at that.
"Hey you think that other red headed girl she hangs out is like that too?" Wanda wasn't pleased to hear that at all.
"Who cares, besides I hear it's a dye job anyway and she isn't as good looking as Jean though." That had done it. Wanda felt her anger boiling even though with all the work Xavier had done with her, all the meditation, all the calming exercises went out the window. After about a month she had learned how to throw her Hex bolts as she called them and a few other things too and right now she could feel her power rising.
The area around her started to shake, plaster cracked, lockers shook loose as well as the lights flickering and one even exploded. "What the hell man!" Everyone in the hall started to run off and Wanda backed away and turned just to walk right into Miss. Darkholme. She was the new principal who had arrived just a month ago.
She always wore this business suit with a matching skirt that screamed out man-eater. She also had these glasses and short brown hair. Wanda didn't like it and always got a creepy feeling about the woman. "Is there anything wrong miss Maximoff?"
"Uh...no, well just something really freaky, I mean I'm not sure what's going on...do you?" Wanda cringed inward at that. 'Smart real smart Wanda.'
"On your way then, I'll look into this." She said coldly and Wanda nodded and walked off fast as she could.
Later in the day she was thinking about what she heard, she didn't want Jean to get hurt and she knew that would happen with Mathews, plus her dislike for him was also a major factor. But then there was the fact that lately Jean had been pushing both her and Scott from her life for the more 'popular' kids and that hurt Wanda. She knew she had abandonment issues thanks to her no good father so this had hurt a lot more then it might have with someone else.
It was just her luck that Jean had seen her in the walls. "Wanda! Hey wait up." Wanda grumbled something to herself but she didn't stop. "Hey." Jean said finally catching up to her. "Wanda what's going on didn't you hear me?"
"What do you want?" Wanda asked but it came out a little more harshly then she meant. Jean placed her hand on Wanda's arm and stopped her.
"What's wrong? Come on we're best friends."
"Since when?" Wanda shouted. "I mean lately you have been ditching me and Scott! You've ignored us in the halls when you're with 'them' and they always take you away from us because we're not 'popular' enough to be in their group and you're breaking the promise the three of us made."
"What are you talking about?"
"Don't you remember what happened a month after I came?" Wanda asked her. Jean thought back to those days and she remembered what Wanda said about the promise.
-4 Years Ago-
It had been a month and so far Wanda was starting to get used to her life here, in fact she was staring to love it. Ororo was like the mother she had never known and it was great, she helped her out in the kitchen and in her green house as well, the Professor was teaching her how to control her emotions, which were tied to her powers and she was started to get a little more control.
Plus the fact Jean and Scott were great friends. It was so nice to actually have friends too and they hung out together and everything. She was also not afraid of Mr. Logan too and was actually following him around a lot, mostly just asking him all kinds of things. Logan of course got annoyed but after the last time he scared her he tried to be patient with her.
It was also during that time that Jean and Scott where hanging out in the living room watching a movie with Wanda. It was kind of a sad point in the movie, apparently the main character, a little girl was left alone in the world. Jean was getting misty eyed at that point but then felt a giant burst of fear coming from Wanda.
When she looked Wanda had her knees to her chest and she was hugging herself tightly. "Wanda what's wrong?" Jean asked grabbing her friend's shoulders.
"I...I don't want to be alone again." She whispered, the movie was brining back much too painful memories that for the last month she had tried to bury. Then she looked at Jean with tears in her eyes.
"You're not going to be alone, we will always be there for you, you're our friend Wanda and neither one of us will leave you or abandon you like your dad."
"Promise?" Wanda asked her.
"I promise." Jean said.
"We both do." Scott said placing a hand on her shoulder. Scott being an orphan knew how much being alone in the world hurt, how the emptiness could gnaw at your insides.
-Present-
Jean looked at Wanda now starting to understand Wanda's feelings now and while touching Wanda she could feel the pain Wanda was feeling and the hurt. "Jean when's the last time you, me and Scott just hanged out?" Jean tried to remember and the fact that she had to try was a bit disturbing to her.
"Jean...you're leaving us, not physically but your distancing yourself from me and Scott, I feel like lately you're cutting us out of your life and for what? So you can be with the popular crowd? Jean those people aren't true friends. They just want you with them cause you fit the profile, they don't care about the real you like me and Scott...but if that's what you want then fine." Wanda tugged free her hand and walked off.
Jean was shocked by that and Wanda's words were like a slap in the face to her. Wanda was like a sister to her, even though she had a real sister, Wanda was just as close and the fact that Wanda was hurting because of what she was doing was something Jean didn't mean to happen and how felt guilty. She thought about what Wanda had said, had she been pushing her and Scott away?
She thought about the last time they went out together...it was over a month ago! Then she thought about it, all the parties she had asked if she could invite Scott and Wanda but the others had said that it was only for their friends but there were lots of people there she was sure they didn't know that well.
"Oh God what have I been doing." Jean whispered as she thought about her choices, yes she was popular and yes she liked it...but deep down...it had always felt kind of shallow, and she missed hanging out with her two best friends. "Wanda, wait up please!" Jean shouted and ran to her.
Wanda turned and saw Jean run up to her. "Wanda I'm sorry, it's just...I don't know...I just liked being accepted and...I messed up okay?"
Wanda smiled a little, if you had to get Jean to see something you always had to be brutal or she wouldn't see it. "There's more, I overheard Duncan and his friends talking about you...it wasn't pretty Jean." Jean listened as Wanda told her exactly what she heard and she saw Jean a little hurt, but mostly pissed. Mainly cause her jaw was working.
"Bastard." She said under her breath, she knew Wanda would never lie to her about something like that. "God...I messed up didn't I?"
"Oh yeah." Wanda said and put an arm over her shoulder. "But I'm used to it." She said playfully and Jean smiled and playfully hit her gently. "Come on, let's go meet up with Scott, we've got a lot to catch up on."
Jean smiled and nodded. "That...actually sounds really nice." Jean had to admit she had felt a little isolated lately and even though she was ditching the others, this just 'felt' right to her. They were in the parking lot and when Scott saw Jean was with Wanda he smiled. He had missed her this last month, she never had time for them.
"Jean where are you going?" All three turned to see Duncan and his friends. "Come on, my rides over here."
"I going with them Duncan." Jean said coldly to him.
Duncan sense her change in mood towards him and he didn't like it. "What's going on Jean? I mean I thought we were having fun, and why do you want to hang out with these losers anyway?" It was too late at that point when he realized that last remark had been a mistake.
"Losers?!" Jean said angrily. "These losers are my friends, my best friends Duncan...so you know what? If you think they're losers then I can't see any reason I want to be around you anymore!"
As Jean turned Duncan grabbed her arm in a hard grip and both Wanda and Scott took a step forward. "Back off Mathews!"
"Or what?" The football player shot back.
"Or you're going to get your ass kicked by a girl." Wanda said before kicking him in the crotch. Mathews went down to his knees. "Don't ever hurt my friends, got that you brain dead jock?"
Jean was rubbing her arm knowing there would most likely be some bruising and glared down at Duncan. "You should know that Wanda has a temper and if you ever touch me like that again I'll do worse to you then Wanda just did."
Scott was smirking at the sight of Duncan on the ground like that and when Jean walked to the car both ha and Wanda got in and drove off. When they got on the road Scott looked at Wanda in the back with the rearview mirror. "I think all that training you did with Logan, must have had some of his personality rub off on you."
"You know it bub." She said in her best impersonation of him and both Jean and Scott laughed at that. Wanda sat back and felt like things were right again with their tight circle of friendship. Then she saw how Scott was talking to Jean and how she was saying she was sorry and stuff and he as ever was forgiving...oh yeah she had to get those two together. She smiled at the thought, she just wish she had a little help, maybe the Professor would get a guy that Scott could talk to and she could convince him to help her?
But what were the odds of someone new coming? They hadn't had a new person come to the institute ever since she had joined up. She doubted that another boy would show up anytime soon.
NEXT UP CHAPTER 4: THE WITCH AND THE BLUE ELF
