I don't own the X men.
The Power of Touch
Chapter Four – Triangles
She could hear Victor ranting in the living room. At least nothing was being smashed – this time. He had been like this for a week, ever since the X-Men had caught him on one of his jobs, and he'd had to fight Storm. He wouldn't talk to anyone – but anything and everything set him off.
Marcy came out of her room. Myst was at work, Toad had slipped out, not saying a word as usual, and Pyro was working late so it was just her and Vic in the apartment.
"Is it safe or should I stay in my room?" She asked as she tried to cross the living room to the kitchen.
"You're safe – kid. Just – ahh never mind." He threw himself down on the couch. She went to the fridge and grabbed the pie tin off the top shelf. She cut a huge slice of apple pie and put it in the microwave.
"Cut me some too – kid." He said.
"Here – want me to warm it too?" She tossed him what was left of the pie.
"Fuck you."
"No thanks." She had figured out pretty quickly that his growl was worse than his bite.
"So – you want to talk about it, or just have a temper tantrum every time something pisses you off – and what set you off this time?"
"Nothin – it's nothin." He grumbled around a huge bite of pie.
"No it isn't. We had to replace the TV this week because the news pissed you off. No offense – but you aren't setting a good example for JR here." She patted her stomach as she pulled the pie out of the microwave and dropped a huge scoop of ice cream on top.
"It ain't like JR there can hear me. Tell me you aren't getting a pickle to go with that?" He asked as she dug around in the fridge again.
"No – a glass of milk – God I'm pregnant not crazy." Of course he was the one who had found a Taco Bell open at two in the morning when she wanted a pile of tacos.
She sat in the chair next to the couch and glared at him.
"Fine – my girl and I had a fight – ok."
"Your girl?"
"Yeah – my girl – well I thought she was my girl. Seems she thinks it's less than that."
"What?"
"We go out – she usually has a motel room already cuz she lives out of town – I try ta take her to dinner, you know real dates but – she insists on going back to the motel and then after sex – she gets up and showers and leaves. FUCK! That's what a guy's supposed ta do."
"Sounds like she's just using you for sex – take it from someone who knows."
"I would be okay with that – really – it's that good – but, damn I LIKE her. She's funny and smart and I enjoy being with her OUTSIDE of bed – fuck did I just say that – fuckin frail shit. I sound like a god damned frail. This is why I DON'T want ta talk about it."
She just laughed. "Victor – guys have emotions too."
"I don't."
"Sure – who bought the teddy bear for the baby?" She gave him her big doe eyed expression batting her eyelashes.
"Shut the fuck up and leave me alone." She finished her pie and carried the plate to the sink.
"You have dishes." She said. "If it were me – I'd tell her how you feel."
"I can't. - I tried."
"Well try harder."
"Shut the fuck up – I don't need relationship advice from a knocked up teenager." She whirled around, her anger coming out of her mouth.
"No you need relationship advice from Dr. Phil with a fucking board – but he ain't here – so you got me instead. You don't want my advice – fine! STOP tearing shit up that I have to clean up." She slammed the door to her room.
"Kid – I didn't mean it." He shouted.
"Yes you did – you know what – you are the one who needs to shut the fuck up." She turned on her cd player and put on her earphones so she wouldn't have to hear him. She heard the front door slam over the music in her ears. She slipped the phones down – just to make sure he'd left. He wouldn't go far; the others would kill him if he did. He was her protection until Pyro got home.
Pyro was in a mood too. The door slammed when he walked in.
"What the hell did you do to Victor? He's sitting on the front steps. He bit my head off when I came in."
"Nothing he didn't deserve."
"Shit – I don't need this shit today."
"What's your problem?" He was leaning on the bedroom door.
"I saw Rogue today."
"Rogue – from Xavier's?"
"Yeah – she was with that new kid - Gambit they call him – all lovey dovey."
"You have a thing for Rogue?" She looked at him – wondering if the world had gone insane.
"Hey – we were friends – once. This Gambit guy – God he's worse than Ice Prick – at least she saw sense and got rid of him. She could do a hell of a lot worse. Am I that bad – I mean we were friends, I think?"
"Who am I – Dear Abby?" She shouted.
"What?"
"Victor's having relationship issues and you are mooning over a girl that can't usually touch anyone and the way the cure is going – won't be able to again – really soon." Myst was able to shift to her 'true' form for most of the evening now after work – and her regular shape shifting was getting more reliable.
"What's YOUR problem?" He glared at her.
"Let's see I am a 'knocked up teenager' – I feel like SHIT! I have had to listen to Mr. Temper Tantrum all fucking day long, my mother thinks I am a freak and I can't take the damned GED test until I take some stupid course that I don't want to have to pay for – you tell me Einstein. What's my problem?"
"Hormones."
"Fuck you."
He just laughed and closed the door. She pulled the phones back up over her ears and closed her eyes to listen to the music in peace. She didn't even look up when the door opened.
"Hey!" She jerked when one of the earphones was pulled away.
"WHAT!" She snapped.
"I was just wondering if there was any pie left." Toad said. "I'm kinda hungry. Don't bite my head off."
"Victor ate the last of it."
"Shit – I'll just go find something then."
"Wait – I can cook something – if you don't mind waiting."
"Naa – don't bother - Pyro said you were in a snit."
"I don't mind – as long as you aren't tied up in some emotional triangle and want romance advice."
"Yeah – right – me – who'd want to be around a Toad?" He gave her a big grin, but she could see something else in his eyes.. She suddenly realized this was the first time she had actually seen him.
"Well – they're idiots." She got up off of the bed, laughing at him sitting there with his jaw hanging open.
"Hey – thanks." He said softly.
She grinned and walked into the kitchen. Pyro must be in his room. The kitchen was a disaster. She was going to have to yell at Victor about getting the damned dishes done. She dug around in the freezer looking for something she could thaw quickly.
"You know what – never mind." He said from behind her. "I can get something – out – you want anything?"
"No – I don't mind cooking."
"Well I mind askin. Have you had dinner yet?"
"No – just pie and ice cream with Vic earlier."
"Shit – you couldn't save me any."
"Hey – I baked TWO damned pies. How was I supposed to know apple was Victor's favorite? You might get to SHARE what I cook if you came out of your hole and joined us every now and then." She spun around, yelling at him.
"Alright – shit – Pyro was right – you are in a snit." He headed for the front door.
"Wait – I'm sorry. I have some chicken here I could thaw and cook."
"Naa – I'll get something, I'll be late if I don't hurry. You read comics?"
"Sometimes – I like the old ones – Tomb of Dracula was my favorite at home. I used to have most of them."
"Good strip that – I'll see what we have. I can pick what I want from the stock – as long as it isn't a rare one."
"I don't want to go back to collecting them – they get heavy."
"Yeah – but I miss them when we are out away from – well you know." He glanced at his watch. "I got ta go, Treasure. Thanks – about dinner." He slipped out the door.
XXXXXXXXXX
The next morning Victor and Pyro got into a huge fight – and left a huge mess for her to clean up – something about consorting with the enemy and keeping things in their pants. She wasn't sure who said what but it made her wonder exactly what the hell was going on.
"…you and the damned poison girl. Moonin over what you can't have – least I got me a piece." Victor shouted.
"SHUT THE FUCK UP! LEAVE ROGUE OUT OF THIS!" Pyro shouted as he slammed the door.
Marcy walked into the living room – checking to see if the coast was clear. Victor was putting the last of his stuff in his bag. He looked up and grinned at her a little sheepishly.
"I'll be gone a couple days – got a job down south. Erik may be callin' if he does, move without me, I will catch up. The keys to the truck are on to the fridge." He picked up his bag and headed for the front door.
"Victor if this is about Pyro."
"Naa – got a call this mornin' I'll be back. Firebug ain't scarin me off. 'sides – Mags needs me."
She watched him from the window as he walked to the subway steps. He looked back and waved once before descending out of sight.
Mystique came out of the bedroom, her eyes yellow, but in her human skin and dressed to go out.
"Let's go get some stuff for the baby – get your mind off things."
She was off work for the day so the two of them went shopping. Marcy had picked up an old fashioned ruk sack from an Army surplus store, and it held a lot. She had managed to pack all her clothes, the money Wolverine gave her, and a small thermal Army sleeping bag inside. Mystique recommended getting a good baby carrier as well as plenty of lightweight thermal blankets for the baby. She also insisted on cloth diapers – they could wash them out and not leave any real trash behind.
They bought a small insulated tent that would go with the general packing, but it was for Marcy to use – and the baby. Mystique also picked out toys that were light weight and easy to carry.
"I don't know when we will have a regular place to pick this stuff up again – that's why I want to buy it now. Anything else we need – well we will have to make due." She said to Marcy when they got back to the apartment. Mort had slipped her a giant sized Tomb of Dracula comic under the door of their room – Mystique tripped over it as they carried the bags in. Marcy grinned.
"Dumb Toad – leaving his shit around."
"I think that's for me."
"Oh – why the hell is he giving you presents?"
"I don't know – I told him it was my favorite comic."
"Dumb frog." Mystique gave her a strange look.
"Any idea what the fight was about this morning?"
"Yeah – I have an idea. It's part of why we have to move sooner than expected. Victor – bless his black heart – can't keep his dick in his pants. I saw him go into a motel with Storm last night."
"STORM! Ms. Monroe! HOLY SHIT!" She couldn't believe it. "Wait – how did you see them, you were at work?"
"I was on dinner break – I forgot to pack anything so I ran to a little Chinese place I know – across from this motel. I couldn't believe it either – but there he was – and well you know me I HAD to find out exactly what was going on – and boy did I get an eye full."
"Oh my GOD – Vic and Storm! No wonder Pyro was pissed – after the hell Victor has given him about his crush on Rogue."
"Anyway I called Erik and told him – so he is looking for a place for us to go. Victor is pissed – but loyal. He'll stay with the Brotherhood – especially after what I saw, she is just using him – and I told him so."
"I did too – I didn't know it was Ms. Monroe – but I told him the woman he was dating was just using him for sex and wasn't interested in anything else – and I was one who would know."
"Wow – when did you say that?"
"Yesterday."
"I guess that's why he wasn't surprised when I said it. Anyway after they were done she just got out of bed, took a shower like he was something dirty or something and left him laying there – and I'll be damned if he didn't look hurt. I blew off work after that, I wanted to know where she was going in such a rush. So I followed her. I didn't tell Victor any of this – he doesn't need any MORE reason to be angry."
"What?"
"She went back to the school – I didn't think anything of it – but was curious about the rush – she went to her room – and LOGAN showed up – and I got ANOTHER eye full – and ear full. Seems he thinks it's only fair he's fucking Victor's woman behind his back after all the things Vic has done to him over the years – and I thought Wolverine had lost his memory."
"Wow!
"Don't say a word to Victor – the less he knows the better at this point. Let him think she is just using him, if he found out about this – he'd go after Logan and we don't need that kind of issue right now. When we get moved and settled he can have his personal vendetta, but not now."
"Poor Vic."
"What do you mean?"
"I mean he really LIKES her – as in for more than sex likes."
"WHAT!"
"Yes – he told me yesterday. DAMN!"
"What?"
"That fucking hypocritical bitch! She wanted me to abort the baby – but she can screw around with two guys without worrying about it, jerking Victor around like that."
"Well from the looks of things she's jerking Logan around pretty bad too. Evidently he figured out that Victor was the one she's been sneaking out to see, WHILE she was sneaking around the mansion sleeping with him. He was pretty pissed last night, he didn't hit her or anything but things got rough – she liked it – but they got rough."
"Wow!"
"He was pretty ugly, verbally – calling her a whore and a few other things. I left when things started getting physical but she was all over him."
"Ok WAY too much information there Myst."
"I don't know how long things have been going on with them at the school, but I know Victor has been slipping out of here for his 'dates' for the last two months or so."
"Well, Logan came back to the school after being away for a while, during the week I was there. He'd been gone like six months or so. I know Ms. Monroe wasn't happy to see him back."
"Hrm – well we will just have to see how things play out. Erik is very curious which way this cookie crumbles – why I am not sure."
"Well, Victor said he would be gone a few days – something about a job down south."
"That's good – I think. I hope he isn't going to spy on her."
"If he does – will that put us in danger?"
"Only if he does something REALLY stupid."
Marcy felt a pang of fear.
"Hey – are you two packed?" Toad said as he came out of his room.
"Almost, why?"
"Mags called while you were out – I'm getting the truck loaded. Bare essentials for everyone but Treasure – she can take the stuff for the baby and anything she thinks she will need."
"Why?"
"He said we are used to roughing it."
"Jerk."
"That's okay – I don't have much anyway." She said, grabbing her pack to take to the truck, Toad grabbed it from her.
"I got it, Marc' you get the baby's stuff." He said softly. She smiled as he took the bag toward the living room.
"Marc'?"
"What?"
"Nothing – I just have never seen TOAD that solicitous before."
Marcy just packed the diaper bag; several outfits, blankets, the package of cloth diapers and covers, Mystique recommended breastfeeding so she hadn't bought bottles or anything along those lines. Myst was packing the toys in her own bags so Marcy wouldn't have to carry them.
"You know – I think Toad likes you."
"MYST!"
"Just saying – he's actually NICE!"
"Maybe it's because I can cook." She stuck her tongue out at the now blue and scaled redhead.
"Well – it's certainly time life got back to normal. All this human crap can go." That was when Marcy noticed that she hadn't packed any clothes or shoes, just the extra stuff for the baby.
"Don't you need anything?"
"Honey – I am MYSTIQUE – I take care of myself and I am BACK!" Her white teeth gleamed in her blue face.
They carried the bags down to the truck, and Toad threw them into the back. They waited until Pyro got home and the four of them climbed into the cab and drove off. Evidently Victor knew where they were going and would catch up. Marcy leaned on Mystique's shoulder and drifted off to sleep. She didn't know where this road was leading, but somehow it felt right to be traveling it.