Black Ice

To RogueFanKC: Hey there, Rogue Fan! Nice to hear from you again, my friend! Yeah, I thought it would be nice to reward Terrell with a date with the Dazzler. After all, he did play a big part in the defeat of Pickles. Bobby's still angry. He got to take out some of his rage on Pickles, but he's still mad. In his mind, his anger will never end, and he will never find any form of peace until he gets his vengeance. Poor guy's hurting and he won't talk about it. He's allowed his rage to grow, and it's darkened him in a huge way. Enjoy the new chapter!

To Raliena: Hey there Rae! I'm glad you liked the last chapter! Enjoy the new one!

To Aaron: Hey there, Aaron! Nice to hear from you again! I'm glad you liked the last chapter! Yeah, I wanted to include some of Freedom Force in the fight. Most of it was Bobby's fight anyway. Yeah, I thought Terrell deserved a date with Alison. Shan should worry. If Bobby doesn't get help soon…well, there may be nothing left of the old Bobby. Bobby's situation is…complex. He is crying out for help, but at the same time, he doesn't want to open up. He's had his heart broken before, and he feels very betrayed, so you can bet Bobby will feel very reluctant to open himself up to anyone. He doesn't really feel he can trust anybody right now. I have a reason for Lila's concern. Enjoy the new chapter!

To todd fan: Hey there todd fan! I read the new chapters of "Slugs and Snails" and "Little Shop of Mutants", and I loved them! Wombat boys and love songs. No better combination, tf. None better. Yeah, I can imagine that Pickles will have issues with hurricanes and lightning. Just because they can't hurt him doesn't mean he can't be afraid of them. Yeah, Bobby needs someone to talk to. All he wanted was just for Sam to hear him out. Enjoy the new chapter, and I can't wait for new chapters of "X-Men: Evolution, the Musical", "Little Shop of Mutants", "Slugs and Snails", and "Random Tales of the Magic Roundabout"!

To Red Witch: Hey there, Red Witch! Nice to hear from you again! Yeah, I do agree with you. Shan does appear to have some reason to worry. I'm glad you liked the last chapter! Enjoy the new chapter, and I can't wait for the new chapters of "Evolution XMJ" and "Cry Havok"!

Disclaimer: "The champ is here!" - John Cena

Chapter 14: Aftermath!

The StaplesCenter, Los Angeles

"Sick of what? Bobby!" Lila yelled as she ran down the hall. Bobby was walking fast, trying to get away from her. "Bobby! Come back here!"

"Leave me alone, Cheney!" Bobby yelled. "I am in no mood for this garbage!"

"What garbage?" Lila exclaimed.

"That!" Bobby pointed behind Lila. "Seeing Terrell make eyes at that cheap wench Blaire? Why can't he see it?"

"See what, Bobby?" Lila crossed her arms.

"She doesn't like him!" Bobby yelled in exasperation. "She only feels sorry for that pathetic windbag! She doesn't care! Why am I the only one who can see that? Why am I the only one with any sense around here?" Bobby huffed.

"I think it's rather nice. Terrell's a nice guy. Sure he's got a bit of a wandering eye, but he's got a good heart." Lila defended. Bobby huffed.

"A heart." Bobby's voice laced with venom when he said those words. "That explains it. He lets his heart do the thinking. He's a fool. It'll only lead to disaster. I should know."

"Having a heart is not a bad thing, Bobby." Lila told the ice-maker. "Don't you believe in romance or anything like that? I may be a rocker chick, but even I have a sense of it."

"Romance?" Bobby blinked. "That's an illusion, Lila. There's no such thing. I gave my heart once, and it got stomped on."

"Really."

"I learned that day that I had no need for my heart!" Bobby snapped. "I have my powers. That's all I need. I don't need friends. I don't need my heart. I have power." Bobby's eyes and fist glowed a light blue, as if they were making a point.

"Didn't you ever have friends, Bobby?" Lila asked. Bobby scowled.

"I thought I did. Once." Iceman replied, his voice not wavering. "But I was wrong. I was betrayed." Lila looked at Bobby's brown eyes.

"Your eyes…" Lila said. "There's no sparkle." She saw a gleam in those eyes. A gleam of a man who was full of rage. "Your eyes say that you're cold."

"I am an Iceman. I should be cold." Bobby smirked.

"Bobby…you don't need to be so angry." Lila reassured. "I can tell you're angry at Sidney. Why?"

"None of your business." Bobby snarled.

"Were you two together?" Lila asked. Bobby laughed.

"Me? With that fleabag Cagney? You're joking!" Bobby laughed. "She's into frog guys. She's just a stupid old cat." Bobby brushed past Lila. His laughter faded.

"I saw into your eyes, Bobby." Lila told him. "You've got a lot of rage. And you seem to focus on Sidney. If you weren't dating, then why be angry at her? What did she do to you?"

"You really want to know?" Bobby turned his head to her. "She's guilty. Guilty by association." Bobby stormed off.

Guilty? Guilty of what? Lila puzzled. She shook her head sadly. Man, I go out to that guy. It's not fair. She shook her head. What happened to him? Why is he so bitter? He must've been a good person at some point.

"Hey, chica! It's time to fiesta!" Rictor ran into the hall, whooping. He blinked at Bobby. "What's with King of Rage over there?" He called out to Bobby. "Yo Iceman! Come on, man! We're celebrating Pickles getting whooped! You did a lot of the work, man!" Bobby stopped and turned his head.

"There's nothing to celebrate. I was just doing a job." Bobby replied. "I'm not much of a partier." He turned his head back and walked off. He felt a piece of rolled up paper hit him in the back of the head. The ice-making mutant turned around sharply, his face indicating he was in a foul mood.

"Party time, amigo!" Rictor whooped, blowing into a noisemaker. Bobby growled.

"I'm gonna kill you, you little-!" Bobby ran toward Rictor, intent on throttling the Hispanic sonic generator. The Mexican-born mutant razzed the ice-maker, and then ran off laughing. "Come back here, you little rock-tumbling punk rock wannabe!" Bobby roared as he raced after a laughing Rictor. The young mutant ran into the room where the post-concert party was being held. Bobby ran into the room.

"Hey Bobby, you okay?" Shan asked when she noticed Bobby run into the room. "You seem on edge."

"I'm fine. I just gotta go pound a certain rock-tumbler to paste." Bobby grumbled.

"Bobby, I want to talk to you." Shan dragged the protesting ice-maker outside.

"What did I do?" Bobby snapped, pulling his arm away.

"I just want to talk to you about the battle with Pickles." Shan said evenly. "I want to talk to you about how you fought him."

"I beat him. That's all that matters." Bobby grumbled. "I put him through the wringer."

"That's fine and all, but it's just…I'm worried." Shan replied. "The way you acted when you fought him…it was like you were out for blood. You weren't fighting to stop Pickles. You wanted to torture him."

"Shan, I've fought Pickles." Bobby countered. "I fought him in the X-Men. He's a lunatic. He has no heart or soul. He wants to kill Sidney…as well as everyone else on the planet. He deserves to get his artificial butt in permafrost."

"Bobby…you fought like an animal." Shan told Iceman. "You fought like you were taking your rage out on him. You can't fight like that, Drake. Your rage will cloud your judgment and probably get you killed!"

"I'm not afraid of anything!" Bobby snapped.

"Bobby, I know you're angry. You have to let this anger go. If you don't…it'll eat you up." Shan advised.

"Thanks for the advice, Shan." Bobby said icily. "I'll keep it in mind."

"Bobby…let it go." Shan told the ice-maker. "Please. We just want to help. Just let it go. If you don't…you'll go nuts." Bobby shrugged.

"Yeah, yeah." He muttered under his breath.

Next: A Date with the Dazzler!