"Unbelievable." Monet groused as the Hellions stood in the foyer, Emma Frost leading Catseye down the main staircase accompanied by the adults, Rahne, and the rest of the Misfits and X-Men, save Bobby. "While we were looking high and low for that oversized tabby, she was fraternizing with our enemies!"
"Heh, lose your pants?" Beef catcalled. Sharon was still in the oversized t-shirt she had been wearing during the sleepover.
"Warpath," Evan sighed. "I think it's your turn."
"Allow me." Celandine offered as she used her telepathy to give Beef the mental equivalent of a kick to the crotch.
"Thank you." Miss Frost acknowledged as Beef crumpled.
"So…what's going on Miss Frost?" Celandine asked. "Was Sharon kidnapped or…"
"No Yvonne, the truth is considerably more…confusing." Frost said as she telepathically filled her in. Yvonne blinked.
"Wow."
"Yes. 'Wow.' " Frost said shortly. "I cannot believe you Sharon! Getting dragged all over the map was one thing, but not even thinking to inform us were you where once you arrived here and agreeing to stay the night…"
"How'd you even know she was here?" Logan demanded. "It wasn't like you tried asking us either."
"Yeah, we generally don't let women dressed like you into the Mansion at night." Cover Girl snipped. "It gives the neighbor's ideas."
Frost glowered at them both and looked like she was about to use them as her mental punching bags when Evan spoke up,
"Someone sent me an email from the Institute saying she was here against her will."
"What? That's ridiculous!" Rahne said hotly. Sharon nodded in agreement.
"Who would be that stupid to send…oh who am I kidding? It was Bobby." Scott deduced.
"Ice-cube must've been sore about the girls making him look stupid." Logan groaned.
"Stupider." Toad corrected. Emma Frost looked confused so she took a look into Sharon's mind to see what they were talking about. She soon wished she hadn't.
"There's an image I could've gone without seeing." Frost shuddered.
"Miss Frost?" Rahne spoke up. "Don't get mad at Sharon, I was the one who—"
"I am well aware of who is responsible for all this." Frost said, shooting the Scottish girl a fierce glance. "I never would have thought that chaos was a side-effect of the X-Gene until I met you lot."
"Not Rahne's fault." Sharon stuck up for her. "Catseye—"
"Emma, might I have a word with you?" Professor Xavier asked.
"Very well." Frost agreed as she followed him into his study. "What is it you want Charles?"
"Simply put, I would recommend that you not interfere with what has transpired and leave the friendship between Rahne and Catseye be."
"Oh you do? Let me tell you something Xavier." Frost hissed as she stared him in the face. "Finding out Empath as a spy was an irritant. Loosing Cypher was an annoyance. I can deal with those. I daresay that I could stand to lose a few more Hellions and not feel the loss. But I will not allow you to steal my daughter away from me!"
Xavier's face remained impassive. "My reason to respect their friendship is not to turn Catseye away from the Hellions, though I daresay it might be in her best interest to do so. Nevertheless, my recommendation was based solely as a word of advice from one parent to another."
"I have seen what happens when mutant children are deprived of the opportunities to form stable relationships with other children. Erik locked his daughter up in an institution, and she's in many respects the sane one. Moira's son went on a killing rampage that cost me one of my instructors. My own son's psyche is so damaged that he's been taken over by a host of other personalities. And then there's Mystique…"
"Point made, Charles. We don't need to open that file on the mutant world's 'mother of the year.' " Emma said scornfully.
"Nevertheless, I need to make myself clear. I know why Rahne reached out to your daughter, her own lack of close friends here. I daresay, your daughter reached out for the same reasons. Unless you want to tell me that a mutant with an obvious physical mutation and unprivileged background like Catseye has managed to make many close friends at your rather elitist Academy?" He raised a questioning brow.
Frost did not rise to the bait.
"I take it you see my point." Xavier continued. "If you wish to risk estranging your daughter—and I do not doubt that you see her that way—and possibly risking her psychological well being, you'd do well to leave her friendship with Rahne be."
Frost did not say anything for a long time. Finally she said, "Very well Charles, I will not attempt to break them apart. But," She said as she pointed her finger at him. "If you try to take Sharon away from me, then I will reduce your entire student body to the mental age of a three-year old and shut your Institute down. Am I clear?"
"Quite." Professor Xavier said, unruffled. "And should you do anything to hurt Rahne…" He telepathically sent his message to Frost, rocking her back on her heels. "Have I made myself clear?"
Frost looked at him in surprise and nodded once.
"Good. We might as well see what the students have been up to." Xavier said, as if nothing had happened. The two headmasters returned to the main foyer to see a rather confusing sight.
The Hellions were bickering with Scott, Sam, Jean, Remy, Wanda, Fred, Ray, Danielle, and Rogue and the rest of the X-Men and Misfits were beating up Bobby (still in a pink dress). Rahne, Sharon, Lina, Spyder, Kurt, Xi, and Toad were standing off to one side and singing.
Beasts of the World we shall unite!
Rise up and ready for the fight
soon or late the day will be
when man's defeated and we are free!
Though our lives be lives full of misery
Our limbs be tired and worn
Our dreams will not be broken
And our hearts will not be torn…
"What's going on?" Frost demanded of Yvonne.
"I'm not sure." Yvonne admitted. "It all started when Iceman came walking in. Suddenly half the Misfits and X-Men were beating him up. Then Evan and Cyclops started making some snide remarks about being unable to keep track of their own teammates and got into a running argument that became a brawl. I think I heard someone say something about evil twins…"
"Should've seen this coming." Frost groaned.
"…Then Monet made some remark about all this fuss over a dumb animal and Rahne punched her in the face."
" 'Punched her in the face?' " Xavier repeated numbly.
"Yeah, she went down like a shot." Yvonne said, snapping her fingers. "Like that! You had to see it."
"That doesn't sound like Rahne." Xavier noted.
"Then she started complaining about how mutants-with animal like tendencies were always being put down by everybody else and started calling for the liberation of animals from mankind."
"That does." Xavier said.
"The next thing, I know she, Sharon and a couple of the others are singing 'Beasts of the World' from Animal Farm!"
"Is that the book or the TV special?" Tabitha asked as she walked over.
"I think the special. The lyrics in the book are different." Yvonne said.
"Yeah, we had to read it for English class." Tabitha said.
"Us too. It always struck me as a rather farfetched book. Talking animals? Come on!"
"It's supposed to be an allegory of the degeneration of the Soviet Union and the corruption of…" Xavier began.
"Why'd they change the song?" Tabitha said. "How'd it go in the book again?"
"I think it went, Bests of England, beats of Ireland," Yvonne started.
"Oh yeah! Beasts of every land and clime," Tabitha continued.
Hearken to my joyful tidings
Of the golden future time!
They sang together.
"Oh lord…" Frost groaned. "What is it about you X-Men?"
"That's what I usually ask about the Misfits." Xavier replied, groaning as well.
Soon or late the day is coming,
Tyrant Man shall be o'erthrown,
And the fruitful fields of England
Shall be trod by beats alone.
They continued.
"Do you want a drink?" Xavier offered Frost.
"Read my mind." She said as they headed for the kitchen.
888888888888888888888
A few drinks later…
"Has Catseye always been a smart girl?" Xavier slurred as he poured himself another brandy.
"Oh yes." Emma said as she waved her glass around. "When I found her she was a feral cat. She went from being completely illiterate and thinking she was a cat to upper-grade school in less than a year!" Frost boasted. "Sure her English isn't all too good, but her IM, I mean, her IQ is phenomenemenal." She paused. "What did I say?"
"I dunno." Xavier said. A loud crash from the living room cut off their conversation.
"Oh, now what?" Emma snapped as she and Xavier went in to look. Apparently another brawl with the Hellions had broken out. Bobby was tied upside down and blindfolded. Beaky and Claudius were beating him with their wiffle bats.
"Miss Frost!" Roulette gasped. "They—"
"Oh shut up!" Frost snapped.
"Miss Frost, since we have Catseye can't we just go home?" Evan asked.
"No!" She snapped. "I'm getting a headache and don't want to go ride in a helicopter back and make it worse! We'll leave in the morning…unless anyone has a problem with that?" She asked.
The Hellions shook their heads. No one wanted to get on the bad side of a hung-over Emma Frost.
"Good." She looked around. "Where's Sharon?"
"On the couch." Yvonne pointed. Somehow Sharon had managed to fall asleep despite the fighting and was curled up on the couch. Rahne was asleep on the other end.
"Someone get out the extra blankets." Xavier said.
"I've got them." Lina answered as she began draping them over Rahne and Sharon. "That ought to do it."
"Everyone get to bed." Logan said. "Now!"
"Hellions go sleep in the helicopter." Frost ordered. "I'm going to go lie down." She muttered to herself as she staggered off.
"Well this has been a fun day, hasn't it?" Althea asked Lina as the X-Men and Misfits trudged off to their rooms and the Hellions were shown the door.
"No question." Lina yawned as they headed up, leaving Rahne and Sharon asleep on the couch.