Hi everyone! Sorry for the long wait on this chapter. I have been so busy lately I'm amazed I've found time to sleep. I just finished my Girl Scout Gold Award project, and I'm the literary editor for our school literary arts magazine which needs to get finished ASAP, and not to mention this is my senior year so of course its packed with stuff. But now that I'm over most of the big lumps of stuff, I'll have more writing time in my schedule and I sincerely promise to try not to keep you guys waiting so long for the next update. Right now I wanna thank everyone who's been patiently waiting (and those who weren't quite so patient) for me to get my rear in gear and get this chapter up. Also tremendous thanks for everyone who's reviewed. You have no idea how inspiring it is to know that you guys genuinely want more.
Disclaimer- If I ran the zoo, I'd have a pet tiger. If I ran the mile, I'd be in shape. If I ran Marvel comics then I could say I own the X-men and everything would be my way. But as is the only running I do is in gym class, so I don't have a tiger, I'm not in shape, and I don't own the X-men.
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Lance blinked at the young woman who stood anxiously on the door-step. "Can I help you?" He asked cautiously.
The girl sighed. "This de Xavier Institute?"
"Uh yeah." Lance nodded in surprise. Her accent was familiar only not, like he'd heard it a long time ago in a slightly different way. "But Professor Xavier isn't in right now so you'd either have to call him or check back in-"
"Look, take no offense but Ah don' really give two rats' tails bout yo' professor, alright? It ain't him I'm here to see. Got me a phone call that said the man Ah love more'n anythin' else in dis world is in a bit of a sticky situation and needs help. Now y' gonna be a darlin' an' invite me in or are all de only gen'lemen back where Ah come from?" She crossed her arms over her body and narrowed her eyes.
"Oh yeah, sorry, c'mon in." Lance grinned sheepishly as he remembered that he had been told a young lady would be arriving today. The doctor's fiancée, hopefully she could help Rogue with the Carol situation. She sauntered into the foyer like she owned the place, looking around with an impressed look on her face.
"Nice place y' got here." She said appreciatively. He smiled warmly at her.
"Well, it's home."
She nodded and continued observing her surroundings. "Dat Xavier man must be loaded. But at least it ain't all gaudy like some rich guys' houses."
Lance shrugged. "I can take your coat if you'd like." He offered politely. She turned around, slightly surprised by the question. Hesitantly she shifted the weight of her backpack and played with a button on the front of her floor length black trench coat. For the first time he noticed her outfit and was slightly surprised.
She was wearing an iridescent and glittery dark blue halter top and stylish blue jeans that he could see Kitty or any of the other mall-crawling X-girls wearing. In addition to that she had a black leather belt with what looked suspiciously like a ninja throwing star as a buckle and black combat boots. Her coppery auburn hair was short and somewhat wild, or at least the bit he could see from under the blue beret. She was younger looking than he had expected, and much less uptight than the fiancée he'd pictured the strict doctor having.
"Well...it is a little warm." She said slowly. "But Ah'll survive."
With that she gave him a little half smile and then looked him straight in the eyes. "Ok, I'm sorry if I came at a bad time or something, but the call Ah got was urgent and-"
"Oh that, yeah I know. We've been waiting for you. Come on, he's in the infirmary, right this way."
"How bad is it?" She asked, a sudden spike of fear penetrating her voice. "When Ah got that call...Ah'm worried bout him."
"Huh?" Lance blinked.
"Do you think he'll be alright?"
"I beg your pardon?" Lance said in confusion. "He hasn't got a problem. It's a girl we're worried about..."
A look of horror splashed across her face, seeping into her startlingly vivid blue-green eyes. "A girl?" She paled. "Oh no...you gotta be kidding me...you can't be serious...he didn't..."
Lance didn't have a chance to reply. Remy was growing bored with being ignored so he pulled on Lance's pant leg.
"Why we standin' 'round like dis? Lets go back t' M'rie." He pleaded. "Mebe she be betterer now."
"I don't think so." Lance sighed. "But you're more than welcome to run ahead and see."
"Y' too!" The small boy demanded. He stomped his small sneakered foot in emphasis.
"Oh mah Gosh..." The girl blinked and knelt to the toddler's eye level.
"What?" Lance asked in alarm.
"His eyes..." She breathed, staring transfixed.
"Oh, sorry...they're just like that, if they bother you I could have him put on an image inducer or sunglasses or something..." Lance suggested lamely.
"Doncha dare!" She sounded deeply offended. "Ther beautiful eyes. The point is that the only other mutant Ah ever seen with em is my...brother..." Her eyes widened. "Petit, can y' tell me how old y' are?"
Remy nodded somewhat shyly and held up four fingers. "Dis m'ny." He mumbled and peered up at her curiously.
"An' just what is yo' name, cher?"
"Remy." He smiled somewhat.
She staggered back and stared at Lance. "Why didn' anybody call home and say anything about this!"
"Well, we kinda hoped the problem would go away on its own, and when it didn't we really didn't know what to say..." Lance stammered, thoroughly lost.
"How could y' think dis would go 'way?" She said tersely with her hands on her hips. "Dis ain't somethin' like a pimple ou somethin' dis is serious! Why de hell din' my own brot'er even call t' tell me Ah'm an aunt!"
"Woah! Wait hold on!" Lance narrowed his eyes. "Brother?"
"Yes. Mah brother. Ah was told he was here."
"You aren't Betsy are you?" Lance asked with a frown.
The girl laughed briefly. "Do Ah look like a Betsy t' y'?" She asked.
"Then who exactly are you?" Lance asked, feeling confused.
"M' name is Angélique. Angélique Lebeau." She said slowly in a mildly exasparated tone.
"Any relation to Remy Lebeau?" His eyebrows shot up
She gave him an irritated look. "Oui. De fou boy's m' frere."
"Remy's your brother?" Lance's eyebrows shot up all of a sudden he placed the accent and the whole thing made sense.
She crossed her arms insolently. "Look, All Ah know is Ah got a call sayin' he broke his arm. So Ah hop a train up Nort' t' find him, an' den dis lil boy is proof that the stupid lil...where de hell is he?"
"Um..." Lance gulped. "I really don't know how to tell you this...but he's um...kind of-"
"Scuze Remy ma'am, y' know my mere?" The four year old gently pulled on her pant leg. "Cuz y' look like her."
"What's yo' mere's name, sweetie." Angélique asked the little boy.
"Gabr'elle" Remy said in an affectionate tone.
Angélique stumbled back staring at Lance in shock. "What de livin' Hell happened t' my big brother!"
"Well uh there was this acci-WHAT?" Lance gaped.
"Gabrielle's my mother's name." The girl
said, crossing her arms and narrowing her eyes. "De name, eyes, and
him sayin' dat all add up t' one t'ing. An' Ah ain't
exactly likin' what it means." She glared. "At first Ah thought
mah brother went an' made 'imself a pére but when he say
all dat stuff, it makes me wonder. If'n Ah'm right, an' dat
really is m' Remy, den why is m' big brot'er fi'teen years
younger den he should be?"
Lance stammered for a moment,
grasping for any story that would make more sense than the truth.
"Answer me!" She demanded. "Ah want the truth."
He sighed, deciding that he at least owed her that for her brother's sake. "Okay, there was an accident. This guy named Forge, he built a time machine and your brother was in the test group." He hesitated, making sure the girl was still following and she was. "Well, the testers were assured it worked and were going to go back fifteen years. And well...they did." He looked helplessly at Remy who was itching the cast on his arm.
The girl blinked. She looked at the little boy and back at Lance. "Can dis Forge homme fix dis?"
Lance shrugged. "We think so. He's working on it now."
She looked back at her brother and sighed. "Well, Ah s'pose it could be worse. At least Ah ain't an aunt." She shrugged and knelt back down to get a glimpse of the boy her big brother had been years ago. "Hey dere petit, y' jus' as cute as a button y' know dat?" She tickled him under his chin and he giggled.
Lance blanched, having expected a different reaction entirely. "You're taking that better than I expected."
The girl shrugged one shoulder. "Ah've seen weirder." Lance gave her a strange look. "What?" She asked. "Y' try growin' up in a city of voodoo. After growin' up wit' tales of zombies, werewolves, ghosts, magic an' de like y' wouldn't be phased eit'er."
Remy stared at her curiously. "Y' didn' answer de kestion." He pointed out. "Why y' look like m' mére?"
She smiled. "Well Remy, Ah'm yo' soeur."
"Non." Remy shook his head. "Remy no gots a big soeur. Just a baby one."
She smiled again and tickled him under the chin. "Very right, petit." She paused. "Let's jus' say we be distantly related." He nodded in pretend understanding. "M' name is Angélique. Y' could call me Angie if it be easier."
"Dat Remy's petite soeur name!" He chirped.
"So it is." She laughed. She examined him and gently reached for his arm. "Oh Remy, what'd y' do t' y' arm?" She cooed. "Did y' get hurt?"
He nodded and displayed his cast. "Was cimbin' de wall fo' de pen an' Tabifa maked it shake an' Remy falled down and de arm go crack an' Lance taked Remy t' doctor. An' dey wrapped it up in de cast an' it got all hard an' itchy." He explained.
She nodded sympathetically. "Ah broke m' arm when Ah was ten. It wasn't fun but at least you get to keep the cast. Are y' gonna get y' friends to sign it?" Angélique asked.
"Dey kin do dat?" Remy's eyes widened.
"Sho' dey kin, cher." Her eyes sparkled with mirth.
Remy paused for a moment. "Don' fink dey know how t' write words." He frowned and she laughed and reached to ruffle his hair.
"Don'!" He whined and swatted her hand away, huffing in frustration.
Angélique raised an eyebrow and Lance chuckled. "He's pretty sensitive about that. He gets really irritated when anybody plays with his hair."
She laughed. "Dieu, already obsessed wit' his looks an' he ain' even hit kindergarten yet. Shouldn' come as a surprise, though. When we was growin' up he spent more time admirin' his reflection den me an' de ot'er filles in de manor spent on our hair and makeup in de mornin'."
Lance looked amused. "So he's always been self-absorbed, then."
"Oui." The girl said good humouredly. She smiled at the boy who scowled with affection in her gaze. "What'll we do wit' y' petit?"
The little boy shrugged nonchalantly. "Tantie Mattie say she gonna need to use her rolly pin on Remy sometimes." His eyes sparkled mischievously. "Cuz he don' behave all de time."
Angélique laughed. "Ah can believe it. Y' always been trouble."
Remy shrugged and nodded in agreement. A moment passed and Angélique bit her lip before gently reaching for her brother's arm. "Can Ah have a look at yo' cast petit?"
He nodded and apprehensively extended his broken arm. She ran a finger down the cast and pondered.
"How bad was the break?" She addressed Lance.
"It's broken in three places and a hairline fracture in the fourth." Lance sighed. "He landed pretty hard on it."
Angélique nodded and bit her lip again. She seemed to be having an internal struggle with herself before she nodded again. "Remy, does it hurt?"
He shook his head rapidly. "Non, Remy a big boy. Big boy's don't git hurted."
She smiled knowingly and experimentally nudged his arm backwards. Tears filled the boy's eyes but he refused to let them fall.
"Kay, mebe it hurt a lil teeny bit." He conceded. She nodded.
"If Ah told you Ah could make it better, would you let me?" She asked him softly.
He stared at her, the question unspoken in his trusting face. He nodded uncertainly and she smiled gently. She closed her eyes and held onto his arm. Lance watched cautiously, slightly alarmed as her arms began glowing faintly and a rippling wave of blue light passed down her arm, through her elegant hand, and from her long fingers, washing slowly over the little boy's arm. He looked both intrigued and terrified at once as he watched the dim light spill over his arm.
He cried out in alarm as the girl's eyes clenched shut tighter and she pulled away, breathing heavily.
Lance looked at her uneasily. "Are you okay?"
She massaged her temples and shrugged. "Ah'll be alright. It's a li'l drainin' t' use m' powers too much."
Remy was staring at his arm, amazed. "It don't hurt no mo'."
"You're a healer." Lance was impressed.
"Mhm." Angie nodded and sighed. "Not in the conventional sense but ya, Ah guess ya could call it that."
"Are you sure you're okay? I mean, you look really weak." Lance asked in concern.
"Ah'll be fine." She assured him. "Healing takes a lot outta a gal, dats all." She smiled shrewdly. "By de way, Ah don' think Ah caught yo' name." She said with a twinkle in her eye.
"Oh. I'm Lance. Lance Alvers." He extended a hand which she shook firmly.
Suddenly Wanda appeared in the entrance hall carrying a tray of breakfast food, likely for the doctor. She paused and gave the new girl a quick once-over.
"This is his fiancée?" She asked Lance in slight amazement. He shook his head.
"No, actually this is-"
"M' name's Angélique." The girl spoke up for herself. "Angélique Lebeau."
Wanda raised her eyebrows. "Lebeau as in-"
"Oui. Remy's m' big brot'er." She cut in. "Ou...at least...'e was m' big brot'er." She looked down at the little boy.
"Wanda!" He exclaimed. "Take Remy t' go see M'rie s'il vous plais?" He begged. "Lance an' miss Angie on'y standin' round an' talkin'. Wanna see if she be all be'r." He widened his eyes.
Wanda's amused smile slipped slightly. "Oh, Remy, I don't know if that's a good idea, sweetie."
"Why not?" He tilted his head to the side. "Remy bets it be scary in her head wit' dat mean lady takin' over. Mebe she want de comp'ny."
"Remy, I just don't want to see you sad if Carol yells at you again."
Remy looked at her with eyes full of tears. "But M'rie's m' bestest amie! An' she gotsa git yelled at by Car'l all by herself an' dat no right."
Angélique looked questioningly at Wanda and Lance.
"Marie's a little girl he gets along with really well here." Lance explained. "She was one of the test group for the experiment too. She had an accident with her powers and well, its a hard situation to explain but the personality she absorbed is fighting for control of her body. And the twenty-something-year-old doesn't much like him."
The girl blinked in mild shock. "Wait so if I understand what you are saying, there's a four-year-old girl suffering from MPD (1) here?"
"Basically." Wanda sighed. "She's already from a troubled childhood and a screwed up family situation and now she isn't even in control of her own body."
"Poor thing." Angélique brought a hand to her mouth in horror.
"Please kin we go?" Remy begged again. "She might be okay by now!"
"He's optimistic, I'll give him that." Lance smiled ruefully. "Less than half an hour ago Carol was practically murderous and he was pretty torn about it."
"Woudn' call dat optimistic." Angélique snickered. "Mo' like stubborn. Dis fille must be somethin' pretty darn special."
Remy crossed his arms and narrowed his eyes again.
"Ok Ok we're coming." Lance rolled his eyes.
Remy clapped his hands gleefully and turned toward the infirmary but stopped. He beckoned for Wanda to kneel down to his level and he whispered in her ear, looking a little embarrassed.
"Awwww, that's sweet. I'm sure she'd love that, Remy."
Lance and Angélique looked at her expectantly. "He wants to bring flowers to help Marie feel better and he wanted to know if we have any."
Remy grinned sheepishly and kicked his toe at the floor a little, decidedly not looking at Lance or his now older sister.
Lance smiled. "I think we could find something."
Wanda gently pushed the tray into Lance's hands. "Here, you bring this to Warren and I'll help him with that."
"Ah'll go with y' two." Angélique piped in. She grabbed her brother's hand and Wanda nodded before leading the way onto the grounds.
She figured Storm wouldn't mind Remy taking one flower for a sweet cause so she led the way to the greenhouse and told Remy he could pick any flower he liked. Angélique released his hand and he wandered the greenhouse staring at the many exotic flowers. He paused briefly at the base of Storm's prize winning rosebushes but it was only to wipe his nose, which had started running, on his sleeve.
"D' y' know what y' lookin' fo', petit?" Angélique asked him with a smile.
He bit his lip and nodded. "A perfec' fleur." He said seriously. "Don' wanna give M'rie a yucky one. She should get special one cuz she be special."
His sister cooed about how cute that was and reached a hand down but he threw his arms protectively over his head so she just rested it on his shoulder. "Don' y' like any o' dese pretty fleurs, Remy?"
He shook his head slowly. "Non really. Dey smell like Tantie's stinky cleany stuff an' pope-perty."
Angélique laughed at his comment. "Do dey now?"
The four-year-old nodded. "Ain't givin' M'rie a stinky fleur." He continued to look around. He was impressed by some large sunflowers but that was mostly because they were taller than he was. He sneezed and wiped his nose before rubbing at his eyes. He wandered the greenhouse aimlessly, obviously not finding what he wanted to. "M'be Remy shouldn't eben bot'er." He said sadly.
"I think Marie would be happy just to see you and not have Carol harassing her." Wanda smiled at him.
He sighed. "Guess so. But it'd be nice if Remy gived her s'methin' to make her feel better." He looked at the ground and went to the door.
"Aw petit, sounds like she really need a friend de most." Angélique took his hand, smiling warmly at the boy. His sullen tone was nearly heartbreaking.
Remy shrugged one shoulder and didn't look up. Wanda frowned slighty before heading back to the institute. Remy's idea had been a sweet one and she felt bad he hadn't
been successful.
All of a sudden he tore away from the two teenage girls and bolted across the yard. Wanda started running after him, calling his name. He dropped to his knees and stared in wonder at something on the lawn.
"What is it?" Wanda asked him apprehensively, half expecting the boy to be in such awe over something like a snake or a bug of some variety.
To her surprise (and apparently Angélique's as well) he was gazing appreciatively at a solitary dandelion peeking out of the grass. His eyes shone with wonder and he stared at it, daring it to vanish. With the utmost care he gently plucked it from the ground and held it gingerly, as one would hold a glass rose.
"Dis be M'rie's fleur." He stated with a nod. "It prefect."
Wanda glanced over to Angélique and then both girls laughed. Remy scowled.
"Y' no like it?" He asked in a tone somewhere between resent and regret.
"Non, petit, s'de mos' beautiful flower here." Angélique assured him. "Ah'm sure y' friend will love it."
Remy beamed with pride and held his prized flower like it was the holy grail as the trio headed back into the mansion.
Wanda led the way to the infirmary and Remy was practically skipping as he made his way to see his friend. At the door Wanda turned and knelt to Remy's level.
"Now you must not be upset if Carol says anything mean. It would break Marie's heart if she thought she upset you. Is that clear?" She asked him softly.
"Oui ma'am." He nodded. "But Marie won' say nothin' bad t' Remy. We be friends."
Wanda sighed. The four-year-old clearly did not fully understand the Carol situation. Mind, she was almost eighteen and she didn't really get it so that was understandable.
"What exactly is goin' on here anyway?" Angélique asked irritably. "Dis Carol sounds pretty dangerous and mean. Isn't dere some way to put Remy's friend right?"
"We have somebody coming over sometime today to tell us exactly that." Wanda said grimly. "That's why we thought you might be Betsy. All we knew was that she's the doctor's pretty young fiancée who might be able to fix Marie with her mental powers."
"Might?"
"We really, really hope she can." Wanda sighed. "But nobody's ever really understood how Marie's powers work, exactly. All we have are vague ideas to work with. This is the first time the personality has been so strong and hasn't faded."
Angélique nodded and bit her lip, hopeful for her brother's sake, as Wanda opened the door to the infirmary. Remy burst into the room, glowing with hope.
Lance was in there chatting idly with Dr. Worthington about the charts of both Rogue and Carol. He didn't understand much about the technical jargon but he could tell that the news wasn't sounding positive.
When Remy entered, Lance sighed. Marie/Carol was still under the influence of the sedative and hadn't woken up yet. "Hey there buddy, any luck?"
Remy beamed and nodded. He proudly displayed his flower for the older boy to see. "Lookit."
Lance struggled to contain a laugh.
"What do you have there?" Dr. Worthington smiled at the young boy who moved quickly to his friend's bedside.
"Fleur fo' M'rie." The boy shrugged. "She waked up yet?"
The doctor shook his head in regret. "I'm sorry but she hasn't."
Remy looked disappointed. He took the little girl's hand gently as Wanda and his formerly younger sister came into the infirmary. "Please git better M'rie." He pleaded. "Remy bringed y' a fleur an' ever'fin'."
He sighed and let go of her hand and turned to climb down. But just then the three-year-old sighed in her forced sleep and her eyelids fluttered open. Lance rushed close, in case Carol lunged or grew violent. To the shock of him and everyone else, the eyes were big and green as opposed to narrowed and blue. Marie looked dazed and disoriented as she looked around.
"Remy?" She asked in a small weak voice as her eyes focused on him. "What's goin' on?"
"M'rie!" He exclaimed, scurrying close. "Y' waked up!"
She nodded. "Why's the room all spinny?" She asked groggily.
Lance looked at Warren, alarmed. "Relax." the doctor said in a calm tone. "It's a side effect of the seditive, she'll be fine in a few mintues. Now if you will excuse me, nature calls." He left the room quickly.
"Hey sweetie, how are you?" Wanda asked the little girl in a coo.
"Ma head feels gooey." Rogue frowned, uncertain of how to explain how she felt.
Remy's eyes gleamed in joy at seeing her awake. "Remy bringed y' a fleur." He stated proudly as he showed her the little yellow flower shyly. "Y' like?"
She admired the flower and her eyes lit up. "It be real perty." She reached for it. "Fank ya Remy." She grinned, smelling the dandelion.
His cheeks colored pink and he looked mighty pleased with himself. "Yo' welcome M'rie." He smiled. "Y' feel better?"
She nodded. "Uh huh."
Angélique laughed at the sight. "Ain' dat de sweetes' thin' in de world?"
"Yeah." Wanda agreed. "Though he'd be nursing a broken jaw if he'd said that to her when she was all grown up." She chuckled.
"If he was lucky and she was in a good mood, you mean." Lance corrected. "He'd most likely have been comatose at best."
Remy's sister blinked. "Did he like her then, or is this a new development?"
Lance smiled. "Oh they've always liked each other. It's just she hides it better when she isn't a toddler."
Angélique's looked surprised "How long did this go on? Like a week?"
"Nope. Actually it was about a year." Wanda commented idly. "He practically worshipped her."
The other girl's jaw dropped. "We talkin' bout de same Remy?" The two others nodded. "Was it jus' t' sleep t'get'er or did 'e really like her?"
Lance's cheeks colored slightly at the bluntness of the girl's comment. Wanda rolled her eyes and spoke up. "Actually they never were together like that. Her powers wouldn't have allowed anything to happen." She continued after Angélique gave her a blank look. "Her skin is toxic. Any time she touches somebody with her bare skin she absorbs part of their personality, memories, and physical ability."
Angélique looked horrified. "Poor lil fille! She can' even control it when she be eighteen ou nineteen?"
Lance shook his head. "Nope."
The doctor reentered the room and was pleased to see that Marie was awake. He moved over to her and located her pulse and noted that her stats seemed almost normal again.
"Alright, Marie, you look much better. How do you feel?"
"A'right." She mumbled with a small smile. "Remy bringed me a flow'r."
"Wasn't that sweet of him?" The doctor smiled.
Marie beamed at her best friend and nodded. "'S a perty flower. 'M hungry, can Ah git brefess?" She asked politely.
"Oh!" Remy remembered the tray he'd saved for her. "Remy got some for you."
The doctor smiled and retrieved the tray from the counter he'd set it on. "Here you go, sweetheart."
Marie's large green eyes widened in appreciation of the scambled eggs and half a pancake. "It looks yummy." She gingerly took it and started eating.
Lance chuckled before turning to Dr. Worthington. "I thought you said Carol wouldn't release her hold until she wanted to."
Warren nodded thoughtfully, stroking his chin. "It would appear that I was wrong. Maybe the sedative weakened Ms. Danver's hold on the child, or maybe Marie forced her way forward. This is a strange situation, in every aspect though." He paused. "I have never heard of this in grown up mutants, let alone a three year old. On that matter, I don't suppose I have ever witnessed a fully active mutant toddler." He frowned. "Usually the X gene becomes active during puberty, though I suppose there are exceptions."
Lance gulped and nodded mutely. Dr. Worthington frowned at Angélique. "I don't believe we've been introduced." He said politely.
"M' name's Angélique." She took his proffered hand and shook it firmly. "Angie's fine if its easier. 'M related t' dat un." She nodded at Remy who was babbling happily with Marie.
"Pleased to meet you." Warren nodded. He looked at the toddlers. "That boy is so sweet with little Marie. It is adorable to see how much he cares for her."
Angie nodded, tucking a strand of hair behind her ear. "He's always been a sweetheart, but she bring out de best in him."
Warren smiled. "Hopefully when my fiancée gets here she can help sort poor Marie and Carol out."
Lance spoke up. "Do you know when she'll get here?"
The doctor shook his head. "She'll get here as soon as she can, but there's no telling when that will be. It could be anytime between now and an a couple hours from now."
Wanda nodded anxiously. "Do you think Carol could take control again?"
The doctor frowned. "I really don't know. As long as Marie is conscious and aware I doubt it but nothing is certain at this point."
Wanda bit her lip. "I guess not. Well, thank you for your help so far." She looked quickly at the monitor attached to Carol. "How's she doing?" She asked quietly.
The doctor sighed. "It's not looking good. There haven't been any changes in her state at all. She's still comatose and by all signs just barely existing. She has a consistent pulse and she's breathing, but aside from that, nothing."
Wanda sighed and glanced at Marie. The little girl was telling Remy about the little place in her mind Carol had shut her up into. It was so sad to see her suffering from this problem she couldn't even control. Wanda knew that even the grown up Rogue would not have had an easy time with this problem but it was amplified to be so much worse by the fact that Marie didn't understand what was going on at all.
Angie studied the toddlers with a soft smile. The situation was most definitely sad but Remy continued holding his friend's hand and talking with her as if she had only been down to take a short nap.
"Have you lot had breakfast yet?" Warren asked suddenly.
Lance and Wanda shook their heads.
"Why not?"
"I came straight in here after giving the boys a bathroom break and I was told that Marie had an episode." Lance explained.
Wanda shrugged. "I was up with Marie-Carol- all night and I eventually just passed out at the breakfast table." She looked away, her cheeks crimson with embarrassment.
"Gimme a break." Angie shrugged. "Ah had ta take the train here from N'Awlins when they called ta tell me bout Remy's arm. Only thing Ah ate since then was a lil packet of skittles Ah had in m' purse."
The doctor looked concerned. "Breakfast is a very important meal, and I daresay with this bunch of children keeping your energy up is a high priority."
"Yeah...well..." Wanda looked around at Lance helplessly.
"I recommend that all three of you head down to the kitchen and eat something. Also, I want all of you to try to get some rest. You especially Wanda." He spoke sternly. "You had a rough night with Carol and she wore you down pretty badly. As for you, Angie," He frowned, "You've been traveling non-stop for a long time and could probably use a decent meal and a long nap."
Angélique was about to protest but she was silenced by an insistent rumble from her own stomach. She shrugged in embarrassment. "Ah guess Ah could."
The doctor nodded. "Good girl. Now then, Lance, Wanda, if the two of you would be so kind as to join her in the kitchen for breakfast?"
Wanda scowled but Lance sighed and put a hand on her shoulder. "Okay, c'mon Angie, Wanda, Remy. Let's go."
"Non." Remy shook his head. "Remy stay."
Lance groaned. "C'mon Remy, let's just leave the doctor be."
The little boy held his ground. "Non. M'rie no go, Remy no go."
The doctor smiled at the four-year-old. "She'll be fine, I promise, Remy."
Remy gave Warren a dirty look and stuck his tongue out.
Angélique laughed and moved over to her brother. "C'mon petit, y' don' wanna be trouble fo' the nice doctor do y'?"
"Oui." Remy said cheekily.
"Y' li'l imp." She chuckled and lifted him off the bed. "Let's go git y' fed."
"A'ready eated." He shook his head.
"Please come wit' us?" Angie tried smiling at him, widening her eyes and pouting irresistably for her brother.
He hesitated and looked trapped. His exotic eyes darted wildly about and he bit his lip. Angélique, knowing her brother's weakness and knowing she had nearly won this battle, threw out one more lure.
"I'll give you a piggy back ride downstairs." Angélique had heard many stories about how she and Remy behaved as toddlers growing up, and Remy had always, always loved piggyback rides. They had made the little boy feel big and tall and he loved it.
Remy's eyes lit up, all sentiment of the argument forgotten. He stood up to his tallest height, with his arms outstretched.
His sister laughed and scooped him up after setting her backpack and purse on the floor. She held him close and kissed his forehead while he made a disgusted expression. Then she swung him up onto her back. He cried out with childish joy and laughed, hanging onto her shoulders tightly. He kept laughing until he peeked his head over Angélique's shoulder and caught a glimpse of his bestest friend in the world, looking sadly at her knees and fiddling absently with the hem of her blanket.
His smile fell and he turned his head to Lance sadly. "She gotsa stay?"
Lance sighed. "Yeah. She needs to be near the doctor incase anything happens."
Remy frowned. "Not fair."
The little girl smiled brightly. "S'ok Remy. Ah'll be fine."
Doctor Worthington smiled and shook his head. "Remy, would you like for Marie to go with you?" Remy nodded his head, mutely. "And Marie, do you want to go with your friend?" The little girl nodded her head shyly. "Then by all means you should go."
Lance and Wanda stared at him, mildly shocked. "But...I thought..." Lance started, looking confused.
"It appears that in her fully wakened state, Marie is able to force Ms. Danvers to the back of her mind." Warren explained. "And I cannot do much without the aid of Betsy so I see no real reason why the poor girl should be kept cooped up in here with nobody her own age to have fun with. You may as well take her with you, but bring her back if you have any indication of trouble."
Marie beamed and stood up. She raised her arms expectantly and Lance laughed before picking her up and settling her on his shoulders.
"Take care not to drop them." Warren said sternly and Angie and Lance nodded. Angélique reached to grab her backpack but Wanda beat her to it.
"Ah can get that y' know." Angie smiled.
"I know." Wanda nodded. "But you've got the kid. I don't mind carrying your stuff downstairs."
"Y' sure?" Angie asked. "Ah could grab it without a problem."
Wanda shook her head. "I've got it. It makes me feel less guilty about not having one of the monkeys on my back."
Angie laughed and nodded. "Alright. Thanks."
The group headed down the kitchen, Marie and Remy having the time of their lives.
"So you're Remy's sister, huh?" Wanda asked conversationally.
"Oui." Angie nodded. "He was m' bes' friend growin' up."
"Oh." She frowned. "He never mentioned he had a sister."
She bit her lip hesitantly.
"Come to think of it, he's always been closed mouthed about his whole family." Lance commented idly.
Angie sighed. "He prolly thought talkin' bout de family would lead t' a few awkward questions."
"Like why you guys banished him?" Wanda asked curiously.
Angélique's eyes widened before hardening. "Yea, dat'd be part of it." She could see the question on Wanda's lips and shook her head violently. "No Ah won't tell ya why that was or anything else fo' dat matter. Dat's m' brot'er's business." She said firmly. "An' he can tell ya when he's ready."
Wanda and Lance blinked and nodded. A tense beat of silence passed before Lance broke it.
"So are you and your brother the only mutants in your family?" He asked conversationally.
"Actually, m' brother's adopted." She commented evenly. "Ah'm the first of m' famille."
"You're a mutant?" Wanda asked, interested. "What do you do?"
Angie shrugged one shoulder. "Ah guess Ah'm kinda a healer, and Ah got this calmin' thing."
"Calming thing?" Lance asked.
"Well, it's like a lullabye or somethin'. Ah can't really explain it but Ah can relax people an' calm down emotion. Works on dogs too."
"Oh." Lance nodded, struggling to understand.
"What do you mean by kind of a healer?" Wanda raised an eyebrow.
Angie frowned. "Well, Ah don't just automatically make things better." She said slowly. She paused, thinking of how to word what she wanted to say. "Ah transfer some of m' own energy int' whoever Ah'm healin'. It doesn' heal 'em straight out, but it speeds up de nat'ral healin' process. Faster Ah wan' whoever t' heal, the more energy it takes.""I bet that would take a lot out of you." Wanda said sympathetically.
"Y' got no idea." Angie assured her. "But Ah ain't complainin'. Ah got me a hand tailored excuse to eat tons of junk food. Ah'll just use the energy up anyway. So there are perks."
Wanda laughed. "I'd bet. Me, I'd use any excuse I can get to eat whatever."
"What's your power?" Angie asked Wanda as casually as if she had asked her the weather.
Wanda frowned. "I'm chaos magic."
"What's that?" Angie was intrigued.
"I can control probabilities. When I get worked up I can make things happen that by all laws of nature and physics should not happen. Like people flying through windows or somebody's hair randomly lighting on fire."
"Woah, wicked!" Angélique looked thouroughly impressed. "But I bet that would be pretty draining."
Wanda nodded. "Yeah. It's tough physically, but emotionally exhausting. Little hard to control too."
Angie nodded sympathetically. "Mutant powers usually are."
"And then you get to deal with the bigotry." Lance added bitterly.
"Ah hear y'." Angie sighed. "M' brot'er's eyes al'ays gave him dead away. He never caught a break from anyone in our town. Dey t'ought m' parents were messin' round wit' some pretty pow'rful voodoo, dat Remy was de devil's son. He grew up wit' de nickname Diable Blanc."
"What's that mean?" Lance asked, recognizing it for French.
"Means white devil in French." Angie sighed. "Don' quiite understand why people be so hateful. Ain' like we asked to be born mutants."
Wanda nodded sympathetically. "My father's always said that people fear what they don't understand."
"Sounds like he's a pretty smart guy." Angie smiled.
"Sometimes." Lance grumbled. "Other times he can be an egotistical sonuva-"
"Shhhh!" Wanda snapped. "Not in front of those two!" She hissed, her crystalline blue eyes darting to Marie and Remy before settling furiously on Lance's.
Both Marie and Remy halted their conversation, interest peaked.
"Fine." Lance rolled his eyes. "He can be a jerk, better?"
"Much." Wanda nodded.
"So what do you guys want for breakfast?" Lance asked, changing the topic.
"Well, Ah ain't fussy. Ah'd be fine with whatever." Angie smiled wistfully. "Ah feel kinda bad stormin' in an' eatin' y'all outta house an' home."
Lance shrugged it off. "Hey it's no problem. We have enough food to feed several armies."
"Yeah, isn't there anything you'd like?"
Angie thought for a moment. "Y' know, it seems like s'been fo'ever since I had pancakes and syrup. If that's not too much trouble that is."
"Well, if you like McDonald's, you're in luck. We have a bunch of 'em already made downstairs."
A strange expression flittered across her face and he quickly continued. "But if not I could whip up some homemade ones real fast. It wouldn't be a problem."
Her bright eyes widened. "Oh no! There's definitely no need for that. I love McDonald's!" She said earnestly. "Ah loved eatin' their breakfasts when Ah was a pup. Its just been years since anyone even suggested it."
"You're not just saying that are you?" Lance frowned.
Angie closed her eyes. "Mmmm no." She sighed happily. "Fast food- it's a gift from Heaven."
Wanda nodded and Lance grinned. "Well we have plenty. Here's the kitchen." He paused to lift Rogue off his shoulders. Angie swung Remy from her back to the floor and snatched up his hand in one fluid movement.
They entered and Angélique's jaw dropped. "Dieu! Dis Xavier guy loaded ou what?"
"Yeah." Lance nodded. "But he doesn't really flaunt it much, other than the mansion. It's really only this big to accommodate all of the kids in the school."
Angie nodded. "How many is that?"
"Well, a few days ago it was twenty-four teenaged mutants and 4 teachers." Lance sighed. "As of right now, we've got twelve toddlers, and four of the original team."
"Five if you count Pietro." Wanda added. "But God only knows where my idiot brother took off to." She grumbled under her breath.
"Woah, dat's it? An' y'all are tryin' t' take care of twelve li'l ones?" Angie was thunderstruck.
"Well Dr. Worthington is here, and Lorna too, but basically that's it."
"Lorna?" Angie raised an eyebrow.
"That'd be me." Lorna greeted them with a smile. "Lorna Dane, nurse in training." She extended a hand.
"Angélique Lebeau. Nice t' meet y'." Angie nodded and shook the proffered hand.
"And you." Lorna nodded sincerely. "Anything I can help you lot with?"
"Is there any breakfast left?" Lance asked sheepishly.
Lorna chuckled. "Plenty." She gestured to the counter. "Help yourselves. I'll get Marie and Remy set and I'll join you soon." She took the two youngsters by the hand and helped them into highchairs. She gave each of them a tray with some pancakes and sausage and a sipi-cup of orange juice before grabbing her own breakfast and sliding into the chair next to Wanda.
"So where'd everyone take off to?" Wanda asked curiously.
"Well, all the little ones finished eating and Piotr and Evan decided to put on a movie or something for them in the Danger Room." Lorna answered. "So what's the status on the Carol/Marie situation? I notice the latter is well enough to join us again."
"Carol's still unconscious: no changes with her. And Marie is in control of her body again so that looks good. Other than that we have no idea about anything." Wanda said in mock cheer.
Lorna frowned. "I hope Miss Braddock can help with that when she gets here."
"That would be nice." Lance sighed.
"Wow, y'all really got yo' hands full doncha?" Angie asked sympathetically.
"Yeah. It's been a pretty tough few days." Lance admitted. "It wasn't so bad when we had all the others, but with just the four of us and the help of a few outside sources like the doctor, Lorna and the girlfriend of one of the kids who is now a toddler...we're all run a little ragged." He sighed and shrugged before turning to Wanda. "Speaking of Amanda, where is she anyway?"
Wanda clapped her hand to her forehead. "Oh man, I'm sorry Lance. I forgot to tell you-she went home after the pool incident. She figured there wasn't much she could do to help and her parents wanted her home so she left after she helped us round up all the kids and get them back here."
"Oh." Lance nodded.
"Well Ah could stay fo' a while, if it'd help." Angélique offered. "Ah only came up ta be sure that Remy was alright but nobody'll miss me back home."
Lance looked at her inquisitively. "Why not? Isn't Louisana a long way away?"
She fidgeted nervously. "Actually...they don' know Ah came ta see m' brot'er. They'd be furious if they knew dat. Ah kinda took off under the pretense dat Ah'm doin' an errand fo' m' pére an' spendin' a bit of time in NYC shoppin' and stuff like that. But what they don' know, won' hurt me."
Everyone looked at her uneasily. "Hey, it ain' a lie. Ah'll pick up what m' fat'er wants, and do a little shoppin' before Ah head home. It'll be wort' it t' spend time wit' m' brot'er an' evade work fo' a little while." She smirked. "Ah bin meanin' t' take a vacation fo' a long time."
"Well, if you're sure..." Lance started uneasily. "We'd love to have your help."
Angie nodded. "Okay den. Problem solved, non? Ah'll stay an' help ya with the li'l bits, which help y'all, an' spend time wit' m' brot'er, helpin' moi."
"Who's your brother?" Lorna asked curiously.
Angie blinked. "Dat li'l scamp." She grinned and pointed to Remy who was happily dunking a scrap of pancake into the little container of syrup. "Been a while since Ah seen the boy."
"Aw, I don't think I'd let him out of my sight very long if he was my brother." Lorna cooed. "He's just too adorable. Especially with how close he and little Marie are."
Angie glanced at the two toddlers and smiled as Rogue transferred one of her pancakes to Remy's plate and he thanked her. "Yeah, Ah dunno how Ah lived without the li'l guy so long. Almos' forgot how precious he is. And he certainly has taken a pretty pow'rful likin' t' de fille."
"Yeah." Lorna nodded. "Oh by the way, Lance, you're going to get an earful from the little redhead when you see the kids again." She added thoughtfully.
"Jean?" Lance raised his eyebrow.
Lorna shook her head. "No, not the girl, the little boy."
"Oh, John." Wanda supplied. "Why? What happened?"
Lorna shrugged. "He worked himself into quite a state about a hat or something."
Wanda and Angie looked at Lance curiously. He grinned sheepishly.
"I promised him a cool hat if he helped me last night. I guess I forgot about it in all the chaos with the Marie/Carol situation."
"Well, Pete, is that how you say the big guy's name, had to practically drag him down to the danger room to watch the movie. The kid was kicking and screaming and crying that he had to find you because you said you'd give him the hat."
Lance felt guilty instantly. "It's Piotr, and I did say I would get him the hat today. I should probably go take care of that as soon as we're done with breakfast."
"Do you even have a hat for the kid to wear?" Wanda asked skeptically.
"Er...no." Lance admitted. "But there's gotta be something around here that the little guy would like to wear as a hat. I mean, he's not exactly particular or anything."
Wanda bit her lip and thought for a moment before snapping her fingers. "I got it, do you think Jamie still has that fireman hat from when his class went on a trip to the firestation on career day?"
"That red plastic thing they gave him?" Lance thought hard. "I can't really see him throwing that away. But it would be locked in his room upstairs, wouldn't it?"
Wanda sighed. "Oh well, it was worth a shot, I guess."
"We could probably grab him a baseball cap. I don't think he'd mind." Lance said hesitantly. "But I'd feel bad because I said it would be a special hat."
"Yeah, then it probably should be."
"I could run to Burger King and grab a crown if you want." Lorna suggested.
Lance smiled. "I'd feel really bad making you go and get something like that. The nearest Burger King is about fifteen minutes away. We probably have something lying around here, but thanks for the offer."
"Ah kinda think the idea of the fireman hat is cute." Angie spoke up.
"Yeah, and he'd probably like that a lot, but unfortunately, Jamie, the kid who owns one, isn't home. He went to summer camp. And his bedroom is locked."
Angie smirked. "Y' gonna let a li'l ol' lock stop ya?"
"Uh...yeah?" Wanda was confused.
Remy's sister stared at them, stupefied. "Y' tellin' me dat this is a house chock full of teenage mutants an' y'all actually respect each ot'er's privacy enough to let somethin' silly like a lock keep ya out?"
Lance and Wanda nodded, confused.
Angie sighed. "Dieu, wish it was like that back at m' house. Woulda made growin' up de on'y fille in a house of boys un helluva lot easier." She smirked. "Woulda at least meant m' diary was private."
"Locks didn't even keep everyone out?" Wanda asked, surprised. "Didn't your parents have a problem with that?"
"Well..."Angie fidgeted. "M' father's de one who taught all de kids how t' pick de locks. He was proud of anybody who did it."
"And I thought your father was warped, Wanda." Lance blinked in shock.
Wanda gave him a disgusted look and Angie shrugged.
"The point is, if you wanted me to, I could get into this kid's room and get the hat. Nobody'd ever need know how."
Wanda smirked impishly but Lance had a few reservations. "It won't break his lock will it?"
"Course not." Angie waved it off. "Ah bin in an' outta m' brothers and cousins' rooms since Ah was barely six. Ah'm an old pro at it. Takes someone real clumsy to break the lock."
Lance nodded. "Okay I guess. But we can't mess the room up."
"Lance, he's a thirteen-year-old boy. His room is probably nuclear disaster area." Wanda pointed out. "I doubt he'd notice if we did anything save clean the pigstye."
Lance nodded again. "Okay, let's go take care of that now then. Marie, Remy, are you two done with breakfast?"
The toddlers looked up, surprised at being addressed. Remy drained the last of his orange juice and then nodded for the both of them. "Yeah." Marie said slowly.
"Where're all de ot'ers?" Remy asked curiously as he struggled to get the tray of his highchair off.
"Everyone else is downstairs watching a movie." Lorna smiled as she moved to the little boy's aid.
"Oh..." The boy thought for a moment. "Is that all anyone does round here? Seems like we bin watchin' TV an' movies since we all got here."
"Yeah, Ah wanna do somethin' fun." Marie commented.
"Like what?" Lance laughed as he liberated the three-year-old from her highchair.
"Ah dunno." Rogue shrugged as he lifted her onto his shoulders. "Somethin' that ain' the TV or the hopsital."
Wanda smiled at the toddler. "Did you have anything in mind?"
Marie shook her head. But Remy darted in with a reply as his sister hoisted him onto her back. "Y' gots a payground round here?"
Wanda glanced at Lance as the group started walking toward the stairs. She'd never paid any mind to stuff like that but maybe Lance, who she figured had already mentally constructed a nice house in the suburbs with a white picket fence and a dog for himself and Kitty, had noticed things like children's play areas.
"The park we were at yesterday had a playground." Lance sighed. "But I don't want any more anti-mutant hysteria..."
Remy's eyes grew wide and round. "S'il vous plais?"
Marie joined in. "Pease? Pease Lance?"
Lance sighed. He had lost this battle and he knew it. "Oh fine. But Dr. Worthington's fiancée is coming over so we have to wait until she gets here and looks over you, Marie."
"We go later? Pomice?" She asked from atop his shoulders.
"I promise." Lance smiled.
"Li'l fille got y' wrapped tight aroun' her finger, ain't she?" Angie laughed. Wanda mimed cracking a whip, to which Lance rolled his eyes and didn't find himself able to retort. Suddenly Rogue was tapping his head gently.
"Ah gots a question." Marie sounded puzzled.
"What's wrong Marie?" Lance asked.
"Whats a fee...a fea...a feedansay?"
Wanda laughed. "Fiancée, Marie." She corrected gently. "It's what you call somebody your going to marry."
"Oh." The girl nodded. "What's marry mean?" She wrinkled her nose.
Lance and Wanda looked at each other helplessly. Remy replied to the question. "Fink it's like a really really long game of house a boy an' a girl play cuz they like each ot'er lots and do lotsa stuff toget'er all de time." He said sagely.
Angélique laughed. "Oui, dat's a good explanation petit. But it's a li'l more than that." She thought for a moment and realized she had no idea how to simplify it for toddlers. "It's two people who are the best of friends, and who would never try to hurt each other." Her eyes darkened slightly and she muttered under her breath. "At least, that's how it's supposed to be."
"Oh." Marie nodded, contemplating. "Remy an' me would never hurt eachother an' we do lotsa stuff toget'er. Are we feedancays?"
Lance, Wanda, and Angie all choked at that one. They were torn between the horror and the adorability of her asking that question. Lorna chose to reply. "Well, it doesn't work like that, sweetheart."
"Then how's it work?" Marie asked innocently.
"Well one of you has to ask for starters, and for another you're both way young to take on such a big commitment yet." She smiled. "And you should date for a long time first." She added hastily. "So you're not ready now, but who knows about later.
The little girl nodded like she understood. "Okay."
The group had stopped in front of a door. "This is it." Lance gestured to the door. "Do your stuff."
Angélique eased her brother down and inspected the lock. "Oh puh-lease, dat ain' even a tricky one." She removed a Bobby pin from her hair and set to work on the lock. Within the minute it clicked and she opened the door. "Nothin' to it."
Lance nodded, impressed. "Woah, thanks." He entered the room. "I'll get the hat."
The group waited for him and Rogue turned to Remy, not a pinch of shyness in her. "Remy, we're friends, right?" He nodded vigorously and smiled.
"Yo' Remy's bestest friend." He said shamelessly.
"Da ya wanna be m' feedancay?" She asked.
"Remy fink he'd like dat." Remy nodded, a little shyly. "Maybe when it be later we can git married."
"Yeah." She agreed. "An' b'sides, we aready knows each other an' we wouldn't hafta date a lot."
"Dat be a good fing." Remy assured her. "Remy no know what datin' means. An' we can't do that if we dunno what it is, can we?"
"Nuh uh." Rogue shook her head.
Just then Lance came out of Jamie's bedroom holding a red plastic fireman hat. "Got it." He grinned, locking the door behind him.
"Ok then. Let's go get it to John." Wanda spoke up.
"Good idea." Lorna agreed.
Angie nodded and hoisted Remy back onto her back and Lance set the hat on Marie's head for the time being and brought her up to his shoulders again.
The group headed back downstairs and as they passed the front door, they heard a loud, impatient knock.
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And so ends chapter 20 of Back In Diapers. Hm...who could be at the mansion door? This seems like a nice stopping point for this chapter. I happen to like it very much and think it cute. Let me know what you think in your review.
In other news, I've been rereading this story and I have noticed a lot of rookie errors in it. How would you like me to revamp the story and do a second edition when this one is finished. It would be the same essential story with changes that would only improve the flow and mechanics of the fic. Of course I would leave this story up and not touch it (I rather like seeing my growth as an author) but I was wondering the general consensus. Would y'all read and review again this story with improvements? Or should I not waste my time? I would still work on my other things and it would just add into the cycle of my updates.
In any case, the next update is one of the three final chapters of 24 Hours and I do not expect it to take nearly so long as this particular chapter did. Thank you for reading this far, please review!
chapter 20 bid completed April 21, 2006
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