Chapter 4
As Lance re entered the lower levels of the mansion he thought about what had happened that day. Storm had discovered what his new powers were, so that secret was out, but Pietro and Todd were still safe, they still had something up their sleeves because none of the X-men knew their new powers.
Though he trusted the older X-men somewhat it had been drummed into him both by his life and by Lord Magneto that you should always keep an advantage, to never fully disclose any potential weakness to an enemy...but the X-men weren't an enemy, right?
The confusing and circular thoughts swirled around in Lance's head as he headed towards Todd and Pietro's room, they had decided that they would room together, since they would usually end up in the same room anyway, and Lance had his own room. Sometimes if the two younger mutants had both had a bad night they could all end up in the same room.
His own nightmares had been getting worse and he suspected that bits and pieces had started leaking through his shields to the professor, he had looked more tired then Lance had really seen him before. His nightmares were never pleasant, always about his life, there was enough crap in his life to fuel nightmares for eternity.
Shaking his head he entered their room, his was connected by a doorway on one side. The two rooms were meant as clinic rooms but since McCoy had wanted to observe them to make sure that Todd and Lance were healing alright and the fact that they hadn't told the X-geeks that they were here yet, they had moved in.
When Lance walked in he smiled as he saw Todd asleep on the bed curled up with the stuffed frog that he had gotten him for his birthday. Pietro was sitting next to him with a language book open on his lap, he was really into different languages, already fluent in Spanish, English, Portuguese and French, he was currently trying to decipher Chinese.
Lance just shook his head as Pietro looked up, "So just how many languages are you going to learn? Or should I just not even ask?"
Pietro smirked as he closed the book, "Probably better just not to ask." His face grew more serious as he set the language book aside, "So, what did baldy want?"
Lance winced and scolded lightly, "Pietro, he has been nothing but polite to us so could you at least be slightly polite? I know you do have manners."
The other teen scowled lightly but acknowledged the barb, "So, what did Professor Xavier want?"
Lance sighed as he collapsed in a chair o one side of the room, "We're telling the rest of the X-men that we are here after dinner. Mr. Logan has already told me that he expects no fighting; and that means no baiting Daniels."
Pietro opened his mouth to protest when a sleepy voice came from his side, "Why don't you just try and make up with him anyway, you used to be best friends. You need someone outside us."
Some sadness flitted across his features before they hardened, "You don't know what your talking about, he hates me and I hate him."
"Yeah Pietro, you keep believing that and our stay here is going to be hell; look, I'm going to go start looking for a job tomorrow, I have the reference letter and they are pretty damn good."
Todd sat up and rubbed his eyes changing the subject as he woke up; "Lance do you still want to go tomorrow, or do you want to postpone?"
"Yeah, Lance I switched my schedule at work just so I would have Sundays off, do you still want us to come with you?"
"Damn, you're right I completely forgot! I can't believe that! No, we are definitely still going, I will put off the job hunt for another day, we'll talk about details tomorrow, for now let's just concentrate on this coming out thing. When I said no arguing I mean no arguing, if you absolutely have to come get me, and under no terms are either of you to show your new powers, got it?"
The two younger teens on the bed nodded and then turned back to what they were doing, Lance got up and went into his own room. He hadn't slept well the night before so he fell onto the bed for a quick nap, quickly falling into one of the memories that wouldn't leave him alone.
Dream/Memory
Lance felt his eyes slowly open as he tried to clear his head, suddenly he felt a hand on his chest and a voice next to his ear, "So pretty, and all mine, what are you Rocky?"
The answer came instinctually as he tried to lower his eyes, "Yours, Lord Magneto."
"Good boy." Suddenly he felt him checking the metal clasps holding his hands, "Look at me, Rocky."
Lance obeyed opening his eyes and seeing the taller mutant standing in front of his in all black again, classy and dark at the same time. "You didn't follow my instructions Rocky, and you need to learn."
He realized he wasn't in his own bedroom and recognized where he was in his memories and whimpered as he saw Magneto pull the box from behind his back, "Please Lord Magneto, please no."
Smiling cruelly Magneto moved toward the large fireplace at one end of the room, pulling the pictures from the box, some of the only pictures that Lance had of his family, of his little brother.
With a gesture the locks around his wrists released and Lance sat up and watched in horror as Magneto pitched the pictures into the large fire, "NOOOO!" Lance ran across the large room and was restrained by the stronger mutant against his chest as he slowly sank to the floor a river of silent tears flowing down his face as he watched the faces in the photos crumple and turn to ash.
End Dream/Memory
Lance shot up in bed looking at a worried Pietro who was standing next to him, obviously having shaken his awake he spoke softly as he looked at the older teen, "It's 7:00, the Professor just asked us to come to the living room."
Hastily wiping the dried tear tracks Lance stood and adjusted his clothes, quickly catching the concerned look flitting across Pietro's face, "I'm fine, just a dream. Don't worry everything will be fine, I want you to make sure that none of those X-gee...men give Todd crap okay? I'll b right there if it looks like he can't take it; no matter what the hell they say tell me if he starts to withdraw okay?"
The younger teen nodded quickly moving back into the other room to collect Todd. "and Pietro, se você realmente necessitar conversar a mim, ou se você realmente necessitar insultaá-los, pelo menos fa-lo em algo eles não entenderão." (if you really need to talk to me, or if you really need to insult them, at least do it in something they won't understand.)
Pietro left with a waved hand and a quick "Sim mãe" (yes mother) and missed the accompanying finger that Lance flipped him as he heard the reply.
Lance chuckled, living with Pietro had got both him and Todd fluent in Portuguese and Spanish, and he in elementary French, Todd refused to learn it. There were definite advantages to living in the same house as someone who picked up on languages so quickly.
When a knock on the door came Lance's face fell into a blank mask that he saw echoed as Pietro walked in, and a very nervous graspy Todd quickly moved between them, feeling more secure.
Lance opened the door and saw Storm standing on the other side, he felt both relief and disappointment that it wasn't Logan, but he nodded and the three proceeded to follow her to the sitting room where the younger X-men where waiting impatiently for whatever the hell was going to happen.
As they reached the closed doors the three were happy to see Pyro and Gambit standing outside them, obviously waiting for them to arrive. As Storm walked to open the large doors the two older mutants immediately flanked the brotherhood members, Lance threw them both a grateful smile as he saw some of the tension leave Pietro's and Todd's shoulders.
With two tight smiles they acknowledged the thanks, their minds obviously on the coming confrontation with the large group of young mutants. The five stood together as the large doors began to swing open...
As Lance re entered the lower levels of the mansion he thought about what had happened that day. Storm had discovered what his new powers were, so that secret was out, but Pietro and Todd were still safe, they still had something up their sleeves because none of the X-men knew their new powers.
Though he trusted the older X-men somewhat it had been drummed into him both by his life and by Lord Magneto that you should always keep an advantage, to never fully disclose any potential weakness to an enemy...but the X-men weren't an enemy, right?
The confusing and circular thoughts swirled around in Lance's head as he headed towards Todd and Pietro's room, they had decided that they would room together, since they would usually end up in the same room anyway, and Lance had his own room. Sometimes if the two younger mutants had both had a bad night they could all end up in the same room.
His own nightmares had been getting worse and he suspected that bits and pieces had started leaking through his shields to the professor, he had looked more tired then Lance had really seen him before. His nightmares were never pleasant, always about his life, there was enough crap in his life to fuel nightmares for eternity.
Shaking his head he entered their room, his was connected by a doorway on one side. The two rooms were meant as clinic rooms but since McCoy had wanted to observe them to make sure that Todd and Lance were healing alright and the fact that they hadn't told the X-geeks that they were here yet, they had moved in.
When Lance walked in he smiled as he saw Todd asleep on the bed curled up with the stuffed frog that he had gotten him for his birthday. Pietro was sitting next to him with a language book open on his lap, he was really into different languages, already fluent in Spanish, English, Portuguese and French, he was currently trying to decipher Chinese.
Lance just shook his head as Pietro looked up, "So just how many languages are you going to learn? Or should I just not even ask?"
Pietro smirked as he closed the book, "Probably better just not to ask." His face grew more serious as he set the language book aside, "So, what did baldy want?"
Lance winced and scolded lightly, "Pietro, he has been nothing but polite to us so could you at least be slightly polite? I know you do have manners."
The other teen scowled lightly but acknowledged the barb, "So, what did Professor Xavier want?"
Lance sighed as he collapsed in a chair o one side of the room, "We're telling the rest of the X-men that we are here after dinner. Mr. Logan has already told me that he expects no fighting; and that means no baiting Daniels."
Pietro opened his mouth to protest when a sleepy voice came from his side, "Why don't you just try and make up with him anyway, you used to be best friends. You need someone outside us."
Some sadness flitted across his features before they hardened, "You don't know what your talking about, he hates me and I hate him."
"Yeah Pietro, you keep believing that and our stay here is going to be hell; look, I'm going to go start looking for a job tomorrow, I have the reference letter and they are pretty damn good."
Todd sat up and rubbed his eyes changing the subject as he woke up; "Lance do you still want to go tomorrow, or do you want to postpone?"
"Yeah, Lance I switched my schedule at work just so I would have Sundays off, do you still want us to come with you?"
"Damn, you're right I completely forgot! I can't believe that! No, we are definitely still going, I will put off the job hunt for another day, we'll talk about details tomorrow, for now let's just concentrate on this coming out thing. When I said no arguing I mean no arguing, if you absolutely have to come get me, and under no terms are either of you to show your new powers, got it?"
The two younger teens on the bed nodded and then turned back to what they were doing, Lance got up and went into his own room. He hadn't slept well the night before so he fell onto the bed for a quick nap, quickly falling into one of the memories that wouldn't leave him alone.
Dream/Memory
Lance felt his eyes slowly open as he tried to clear his head, suddenly he felt a hand on his chest and a voice next to his ear, "So pretty, and all mine, what are you Rocky?"
The answer came instinctually as he tried to lower his eyes, "Yours, Lord Magneto."
"Good boy." Suddenly he felt him checking the metal clasps holding his hands, "Look at me, Rocky."
Lance obeyed opening his eyes and seeing the taller mutant standing in front of his in all black again, classy and dark at the same time. "You didn't follow my instructions Rocky, and you need to learn."
He realized he wasn't in his own bedroom and recognized where he was in his memories and whimpered as he saw Magneto pull the box from behind his back, "Please Lord Magneto, please no."
Smiling cruelly Magneto moved toward the large fireplace at one end of the room, pulling the pictures from the box, some of the only pictures that Lance had of his family, of his little brother.
With a gesture the locks around his wrists released and Lance sat up and watched in horror as Magneto pitched the pictures into the large fire, "NOOOO!" Lance ran across the large room and was restrained by the stronger mutant against his chest as he slowly sank to the floor a river of silent tears flowing down his face as he watched the faces in the photos crumple and turn to ash.
End Dream/Memory
Lance shot up in bed looking at a worried Pietro who was standing next to him, obviously having shaken his awake he spoke softly as he looked at the older teen, "It's 7:00, the Professor just asked us to come to the living room."
Hastily wiping the dried tear tracks Lance stood and adjusted his clothes, quickly catching the concerned look flitting across Pietro's face, "I'm fine, just a dream. Don't worry everything will be fine, I want you to make sure that none of those X-gee...men give Todd crap okay? I'll b right there if it looks like he can't take it; no matter what the hell they say tell me if he starts to withdraw okay?"
The younger teen nodded quickly moving back into the other room to collect Todd. "and Pietro, se você realmente necessitar conversar a mim, ou se você realmente necessitar insultaá-los, pelo menos fa-lo em algo eles não entenderão." (if you really need to talk to me, or if you really need to insult them, at least do it in something they won't understand.)
Pietro left with a waved hand and a quick "Sim mãe" (yes mother) and missed the accompanying finger that Lance flipped him as he heard the reply.
Lance chuckled, living with Pietro had got both him and Todd fluent in Portuguese and Spanish, and he in elementary French, Todd refused to learn it. There were definite advantages to living in the same house as someone who picked up on languages so quickly.
When a knock on the door came Lance's face fell into a blank mask that he saw echoed as Pietro walked in, and a very nervous graspy Todd quickly moved between them, feeling more secure.
Lance opened the door and saw Storm standing on the other side, he felt both relief and disappointment that it wasn't Logan, but he nodded and the three proceeded to follow her to the sitting room where the younger X-men where waiting impatiently for whatever the hell was going to happen.
As they reached the closed doors the three were happy to see Pyro and Gambit standing outside them, obviously waiting for them to arrive. As Storm walked to open the large doors the two older mutants immediately flanked the brotherhood members, Lance threw them both a grateful smile as he saw some of the tension leave Pietro's and Todd's shoulders.
With two tight smiles they acknowledged the thanks, their minds obviously on the coming confrontation with the large group of young mutants. The five stood together as the large doors began to swing open...