Gifts and Curses
By Todd Fan
Disclaimer: "Damn you, vile woman, you've impeded my work since the day I escaped your wretched womb"
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Chapter 27 – New year, new dangers
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New years day. A day where most people were recovering from a night of intense partying, the residents of the Freedom Force headquarters being no exception. Lila Cheney muttered darkly to herself as she rooted around in the freezer.
"I can't believe I have to make an ice pack for a man who can turn into ice", she grumbled, "you'd think that being able to turn into water would dilute the alcohol level a little bit, but nooooooo"
She closed the freezer door, another reflection joining her own in the chrome of the appliance, a face she knew only too well.
"Hello, Li".
Lila started, looking behind her at Gosamyr, who was sitting on the kitchen cabinet. Lila blinked a few times, hoping against hope this was just some hung-over illusion. No such luck.
"…What…what are you doing here?", frowned Lila, then glanced around, "how did you get past the security?"
"I have my ways", Gosamyr purred, jumping off the counter and stalking over to Lilia, "Been a while, Li. I see you've made yourself quite a career on your home planet. Pity, we girls missed you so"
"I doubt that", growled Lilia, narrowing her eyes, "what do you want, Gos?"
"Is that any way to greet an old friend?", smirked Gosamyr.
"Friend?", asked Lila, "some friend. You ratted me and the other slaves out to Spyder as we tried to escape. You're nothing but a low-life double agent"
"See, it's an attitude like that that's gonna get you in trouble", said Gosamyr, "besides, I was only doing my job. As I am now"
Lilia's eyes widened as she backed away slightly.
"I'm not going back", she said, "You can't make me"
"Oh, but I can", smirked Gosamyr, "You're not the main reason I'm here, though. Finding you was a pleasant…bonus. Of course, I'm going to have to keep you somewhere safe until I'm done. Can't have you spoiling my plans now, can I?"
Lilia backed up again, beginning to open a porthole, not caring where in space it would drop her. Before she could get through it, Gosamyr struck like a cobra, knocking her out.
"Geez, you let yourself go, girl", the alien grumbled, slinging the unconscious stellar-teleporter over her shoulder, heading for the exit, "now the real work begins"
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"It's my birthday. It's my birthday. It's my birthday toooodaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaay!"
Apparently oblivious to the fact it was only seven in the morning, and over half of the residents of the Institute were suffering hangovers was a very happy five year old…or to put it more accurately..
"I'm six today! Sixsixsixsixsixsixsix SIX!"
"I'm really beginning to understand why some animals kill their own young", muttered Forge as he and Storm plodded sleepily after their own daughter.
"So, where's my present, Daddy?", asked Imara, bouncing excitedly, "you said it's here, so where is it? Huhhuhuhuhuhuhuhuhuhuhuhuhuhuhuhuh!"
"I'll go get it now", sighed Forge, plodding off to the lower levels, "god, it's too early"
Imara giggled bouncing over to her mother.
"What is it, Mamma?" she asked, "come on, tell me!"
"It's a surprise", muttered Storm, collapsing onto the couch with a groan.
"If you tell me, I'll still act surprised!", tried Imara, "come on, I won't tell daddy you told me or nothing"
"Or anything", Storm corrected, albeit halfheartedly, "and no" (1)
"Awwww", said Imara, then danced across to the dollhouse in the corner of the room, proceeding to bang on the roof loudly, "UNKIE SHORTPACK! WAKE UP!"
"Unkie Shortpack isn't home", came a tired voice from inside, "please leave a message after the beep….Beep"
"Come on, Unkie Shortpack, I know you're in there", said Imara, banging on the roof again.
Bamf. Lucky for Shortpack, a much more interesting prospect had entered the room. Imara squealed, stopping her ceaseless banging on the miniature mutant's home, instead opting to run over to Kurt, clinging to his leg.
"Good morning, Unkie Kurt!", grinned Imara, stepping back, holding out a hand, "Gimmie presents"
Kurt blinked sleepily, then looked at Storm.
"Vhy did you have to give birth on this day, of all days?"
"You'd rather I stayed in labor for longer?", asked Storm.
Kurt blinked, thinking back to the day of Imara's birth.
"No…no I vould not", he said, then sighed, "hang on, Imara"
With a bamf he vanished, reappearing a few minutes later with a soft toy dog.
"He looks just like Sprocket!", grinned Imara, "snuggling him, "I'll call him…Rabies!"
"Lovely", grimaced Kurt.
"What do we say, Imara?", said Storm.
"Thank you, Unkie Kurt", grinned Imara, "when I succeed in taking over the world, you will be well rewarded"
"….Danke?", tried Kurt, before shaking his head, "that child vorries me"
"She worries everyone", mumbled Shortpack, walking out of his house sleepily.
"Present?", asked Imara, blinking at him.
Shortpack sighed, rolling a couple of reflectors out of his house, despite the fact the things were almost bigger than him.
"Stay off the roads and promise me you won't break your neck"
Imara blinked at them.
"What good are these for?", she asked.
"For your present", said Forge as he and Hank rolled in Imara's birthday gift, "I had to make it here to stop you from finding it"
The younger blinked at it in shock, before squealing, bouncing from foot to foot.
"You made me…I got a!", she waved her hands in delight, "I got a dirt bike!"
Sure enough, an Imara-sized dirt bike stood before her, complete with training wheels.. She grinned running over to look at it.
"Oh wow, it's gots everything I wanted too!", she said delighted, "thank you, Daddy!"
"You have only one parent?", asked Storm, crossing her arms.
"Thank you, Mamma", said Imara, smiling sweetly, sticking her reflectors on it, "you guys rule!"
She grinned, jumping on it and riding it around, albeit wobbly.
"HEY TOBY!", she shouted, riding out of the room, "check this out!"
"I still say you should have made her the dolls house", muttered Storm under her breath.
"After she flooded Shortpack's cellar with toothpaste, I didn't think that would have been the best plan", replied Forge.
"My house still smells minty-fresh", put in Shortpack.
There was a yelp from the other room as Warlock made a dive for the door.
"Sorry, Warlock!", shouted Imara, "I'll make it up to you by taking your present later"
"She ran over my foot", said Warlock, looking at his now flattened appendage, limping over to sit next to his 'mother', trying to fit it back into shape, "how, exactly, do you expect to get her calmed down enough to do your odd photo-graphic annual ritual, Ororo?"
"Oh, believe me, Warlock, I have my ways", smirked Storm
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Meanwhile, another member of the family was having much less of a good time. Evan glanced up at his parents house with a deep sense of dread balling up in the pit of his stomach. He felt Callisto squeeze his hand a little bit tighter as he glanced over to her. She looked worse than he was.
"Maybe we can leave this off a bit longer?", she tried.
"Callisto, it's been months", said Evan, "we have to come clean eventually. Besides, if we don't do it today, Auntie O said she do it herself"
Callisto sighed, nodding as she rang to doorbell. Within a few moments, Evan's father answered the door, blinking in surprise at his son.
"Evan!", he smiled, "it's been too long. You should have told us you were coming"
"I wanted it to be a surprise?", tried Evan, then gave a small smile, "…hi, Dad"
Evan blinked as his father gave him a hug, albeit a careful one.
"Been worried about you, Kid", he said, "you should contact home more often"
"I know", said Evan, then coughed, "umm, Dad? This is Callisto"
"Ahhh, so you're the infamous Callisto who 'dared' to steal my sons heart", he chuckled, holding out a hand, "It's nice to finally meet you"
"It's nice to meet you, too, Mr. Daniels", said Callisto, taking his hand and shaking it.
"You can call me Phillip". (2)
"Is Mom home?", asked Evan, almost dreading the answer.
"Yes", replied his father, then arched a brow, "I know that look, Evan. That's the 'She's Going To Kill Me And Burry Me In The Backyard' look"
"Yeah…..I think she might", sighed Evan as he followed his father inside, Callisto trailing behind.
Sitting in the living room was Vae, she looked up as they entered.
"Evan!", she smiled, her smile dropping as soon as she caught sight of Callisto, "…and you"
"Callisto", said Callisto, "hello, Mrs Daniels"
"So", said Vae, slightly testily, "what brings about this surprise visit? Have you finally decided to give up that nasty sewer phase?"
"No", said Evan, "I'm staying with the Morlocks, Mom, and that's that"
He sighed, giving Callisto's hand a squeeze, taking a deep breath. Right then. Here we go. Nice and quick.
"Mom, Dad", he said, "Callisto and I wanted to tell you..well, wegotmarried"
"WHAT!", snapped Vae, "oh, this has to be some sort of joke, Evan. You're too young!"
"I'm twenty two", said Evan, "and I love Callisto, very much"
"How do you know it's not some ploy to keep you in the sewers!", asked Vae.
"I wouldn't do that", protested Callisto, "I love Evan, I wanted to marry him, to be with him for him".
"This is ludicrous!", said Vae, "Phillip, back me up here"
"I think it's wonderful", said Phillip with a smile.
"Exac….", Vae blinked, before glaring at her husband, "what do you mean 'wonderful!"
"Our son has fallen in love and got married", said Phillip with a shrug, "I'm happy for him"
"But..but…", stammered Vae.
"Sure, it would have been nice to have been invited", said Phillip, giving his son a look, "but it's obvious that this young woman has changed him for the better. He's changed from the rebellious, risk-taking teenager who would only look out for himself. Even I can see that"
Vae looked at her husband moodily, before shaking her head, stalking out of the room.
"….That didn't go as well as planned", winced Evan.
"Don't worry, she'll come around", said Phillip, "she threw the same hissy fit when your Aunt got married to, and I quote 'That No Good Hippie Grave Robber'. But at least she'll acknowledges Forge's presence now….sort of"
He turned to smile at Callisto.
"Since her parents died, Vae has always been…..touchy about who joined the family, she's just over-protective", he said, "you just need to give her time at accept she's not getting rid of you"
"That's' the truth", chuckled Callisto, resting her head on Evan's shoulder, "I'm going nowhere"
"That's good to know", smiled Phillip, "welcome to the family, Callisto"
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Over at the Institute all hell had broken loose. Storm had accepted the fact her daughter was a tomboy, and allowed her daughter to continue living life as she liked. Once a year, on Imara's birthday, however, Storm insisted her daughter get in a dress to have her photo taken. It was a simple request, but to Imara, it was like being told to hack off a leg.
"But I don't want to be in this stupid, icky dress, Mamma", she whined.
Storm narrowed her eyes, smoothing out the pink, frilly dress she'd spent the better part of an hour forcing her daughter into.
"I don't care", she said simply, "we go though this every year, and it's one photo. It's not a lot to ask for now, is it?"
"But it's gross", said Imara, looking at the dress in sheer disgust.
"Imara Mesoke Munroe!", snapped Storm, thunder starting in the sky, "you will stand nicely in your pretty dress and have your picture taken, are we clear?"
Imara winced, it was never good when her mother middle-named her. She looked pleadingly to her father, who gave a helpless shrug.
"Sorry, Kid", he said, "this is your mothers thing"
"This sucks", said Imara gloomily as Storm set up the camera.
"Imara, please smile", sighed Storm.
"It'll cost ten bucks", said Imara moodily.
"No. It won't", said Storm determinedly, "you will smile for free, and you will smile nicely. Do you know why?"
"Because you're holding me at lighting-bolt point?", asked her daughter.
"No", said Storm, "because your mother is asking you to do this so she'll have something to remember of you as you grow up. You'll do it because you love you me as much as I love you, and you, despite you eccentricities, which we have your father to thank for, are a good daughter who would do something as simple as smile in a photo for your mother"
"…Awww…crud", said Imara, caught out, she took a deep breath and smiled, allowing Storm to take the picture.
"Thank you", said Storm, "now, you can go"
"FREEEDDDDOOOOM!", shouted Imara, racing off to get her normal clothes back on.
"She's getting worse, isn't she?", sighed Storm.
"Oh, I don't know", shrugged Forge, "she didn't bite anyone this time"
Elsewhere in the mansion, Roberto was in his room, packing his bags. Yup, soon it would be time to go back to college….fun for all. Yippie.
"Hello, Roberto"
He jumped in surprise, glancing over to his window where Gosamyr sat on the ledge. He walked over, opening the window, letting her in.
"Gosamyr?", he asked, "what are you doing here?"
"Oh, I finished looking around the Earth", said Gosamyr, then smirked, "ended up I'd already found what I was looking for"
"Which was?", asked Roberto.
"Oh, you'll see", smirked Gosamyr, "believe me, you'll see"
"…O….kay", blinked Roberto, "you know, you could have used the door, rather than climb the wall"
"No thank you", she grimaced, "the Technarch is down there. It doesn't like me"
Roberto chuckled.
"Warlock's just paranoid", he said, "I think he's been hiding from his father for too long"
"That won't be a problem for much longer, then", smirked Gosamyr.
"Pardon?", blinked Roberto, frowning, "what do you mean…"
He trailed off, an odd feeling coming over him.
"…What was I talking about again?", he blinked.
Gosamyr smirked, pushing him back on the bed.
"You weren't", she said, brushing her lips over his.
Roberto's eyes widened. This was wrong, he loved Danielle……didn't he? He frowned, his emotions going crazy. No…no he didn't love Dani. He loved Gosamyr. Yes, that was right. He smirked, returning the kiss, pulling her closer.
"That's better", said Gosamyr with a purr, deepening the kiss.
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(1) – Storm is, indeed, a grammar monster. You can see it in the Evolution comic.
(2) – I don't know Evan's dad's name, but I think he looks like a Phillip to me.
And another chapter done and dusted. Gosamyr finally shows her true colours, it only gets worse from here. Do review. Until next time…