Alright, here we are with another chapter of this going I-don't-know-where story. Have fun, please.

Disclaimer: Refer to chapter 1, ya'll.

…

When he woke up again, he was in the school's infirmary, laid back in a bed with his left shoulder and arm bandaged up. He glanced around him, and took a moment to realize that an X-Man was in the room with him.

"Uh… Daniels, right? Mind filling me in?" He motioned with his good arm to his now bad one. Spyke turned towards him with a jolt, and then took on an uncomfortable look. "Uh, yeah, about that…" He was beating around the bush and Lance was getting impatient. "C'mon, man. Spit it out! It's not as if I'm gonna die."

Daniels looked at him and then sighed, slumping while standing next to the bed. "I'm trying to say that I'm sorry." He finally got out, grudgingly. Lance glanced up at him confusedly, and Daniels elaborated with a wave of his hand over the bandaging. "This is my fault. I was aiming for Pietro, but dodged it, and you were… well, next in line." He pointed out the window, and Lance turned to look and was silently shocked to see half of the building that was the gym crumbled to the ground, "I'm getting the blame for that, too."

Lance turned to him, questions coming out slowly just as comprehension was. "I did that?" Daniels nodded soberly. "Yeah, but only because my spike hit you and you cracked your skull on the floor. Professor Xavier said it was some sort of… defense mechanism. You got hurt pretty bad and you couldn't control your powers, so they went haywire, trying to protect you from whatever hurt you." He got that ashamed look again, and Lance went on with another question to distract him from it. He didn't like people feeling guilty around him.

"Anyone see us?"

Spyke shook his head. "I think the principle's got his suspicions, but everyone's blaming it on a freak earthquake and 'unsound structure'. School's gonna be shut down for a few days while every single room on campus is inspected for structural stability." Both Lance and Daniels grinned at that, before another question came to mind that darkened his spirits.

"Did… everyone get out alright?"

Daniels nodded, and Lance breathed a sigh of relief. "Yeah, after Toad yelled, everyone made for the door. There was one girl, though…" Evans paused and Lance listened intently. "She fell, and, man…" Daniels shook his head at the memory, still feeling the shock of it. "Pietro went back and got her. I didn't think…"

There was a knock at the door, and Spyke seemed to come back to himself. He stood up and made for the door, "I gotta go get what's comin' to me from every adult in my life. Man," he laughed, "do I wish I was you." He opened the door and left, and when he did two others came in.

"Where's the White Wonder?" He asked comfortably when his fellow Brotherhood members stood next to his bed, and Todd answered with a smile at his humor. "Milkin' the story of the 'terrifying quake' and how he braved through to save everyone for all it's worth." They all rolled their eyes.

"Saves one girl and he blows it up like that? And here I was starting to not regret him so much." He sighed and Toad and Blob chuckled. There was a silence for a moment for Lance to think about what to ask next. He came to, "So, Spyke looks pretty whipped. What happened while I was out?"

Todd and Freddie settled down to fill him in. All about the police and fire department and the entire student body being rushed off the school grounds because of the fear that it was a bombing, and Principle Kelly's speech to the news crews (which laid even more suspicion on something 'not natural'). Toad couldn't stop laughing as he recounted Spyke getting told off by everyone, especially his aunt (who had seen the story on the news and come to see her nephew) when the truth of the cause of the quake came out.

"You cannot let your rivalry with this other boy control you so," Todd did a hysterical impression of the woman. "People were hurt, and many more could have been. What you put that young man through was horrible. No one should have to lose control of their powers like that…"

Todd trailed off and both he and Fred stared down at him. "Hey, man, are you…" the Blob spoke, and Lance looked up at him, then back over to Toad, taking in their faces before waving it off. "Yeah, a' course. It wasn't anythin'. Now, is there anything to eat around here? I'm starvin'."

Fred stood up, the room shaking a bit as he got up one leg at a time, "Same here." He started for the door, saying as he opened it to go out, "I'll go find something."

Which left him and the Toad. Yesterday night and that morning came back to him; he was trying to gain trust. Well, laying injured in a hospital bed made him seem pretty trustworthy, he thought, so now was a good a time as any.

"Exactly how long have I been out?" He asked offhandedly, glancing at the boy next to him before looking in the other direction at the large potted plants that were in the corner next to the door. The sun shined directly on them, and he guessed that they were real.

He heard Todd shuffle around for a moment before he felt a dip in the bed. He looked back, and Todd shrugged from his position sitting by his side, "Not so comfy on the floor." He seemed to be waiting for Lance to tell him to get off or give the okay, so Lance nodded his agreement.

Todd smiled and then answered his question, "It's around half past 4:00, and you shook the gym down at- I forgot to thank ya fer that, didn't I? Yeah, thanks, man. I mean it. And- oh, right. Gym down at noon, so, ya've been out long enough ta worry us."

Lance chuckled at Todd's run-on trains of thought - he knew Todd had barely caught himself from going off on a tangent, and found it funny. Todd sat there, setting his hands on his knees and Lance saw him move both legs upwards as if to set his feet on the bed before he set them back down. This was a habit of Toad's that was very distinctive of him. He was thinking twice about doing it, though, and Lance was about to say something when another question came to him.

"If it's half past 4:00, why are we all still here? Shouldn't you guys be at home and me in a hospital or somethin'? I mean, conked out for five hours seems a bit too serious to leave alone in a school's sickbay. And, yeah, why are we alone in here - hello, nurse or whatever?"

Okay, a few questions. Todd turned to look at him, eyes looking playful and a bit sarcastic. "In all the hubbub of your little fit, no one remembered to tell ev'ryone to go home. That prof. of the X-Geeks convinced everyone that you was alright, so no one went ta send you anywhere and no one really worried. 'Cept that Spyke guy. He felt bad over you. And as fer nurses, I don't know myself. I'm missin' 'em just as much as you."

Todd grinned at him, his teeth showing bright yellow against his skin, and Lance laughed at his cheesiness. "Oh, come on, no one in their right mind would miss Nurse-"

There was a knock at the door, and Lance jumped. He wasn't expecting Fred back so soon. A surreal feeling came over him for a moment, telling him that the woman they were talking about was going to, against all odds and logic (she wouldn't be here, right?) walk through that door.

Todd perked up noticeably, and Lance had another feeling that the kid already knew who was knocking before he called for them to come in.

"Yo, Fuzzy. What'chu doin' here?"

Indeed, it was Blue Boy in all his image-induced glory, and Lance's first feeling was proved to be just as surreal as it had felt, and his other right on the money.

Kurt looked at Lance for a moment with sympathy in his eyes, before he looked back to Todd. "Ja, Toad, the Professor has asked for you. He vants to talk."

Kurt had a look on his face that suggested nervousness that Lance couldn't quite understand. He looked awkward waiting for Toad to accept or decline and Lance noticed him shuffle and his arm move forward, as if he were about to offer it to Todd, before he thought twice.

Todd looked to Lance, and to Kurt, and back and forth again. Lance laid back and motioned forward with his hand, and Toad smiled at the boy at the door and, after a quick look at Lance, stole away to him.

Lance sighed after the door clicked shut. The pain in his arm that was so unnoticeable when he woke up was starting to blossom into something that demanded his attention, and the pain in his head didn't help much either. He turned his head to look back out at the gym, and let his mind wander in lieu of a painkiller.

He couldn't remember letting his powers go and tearing down that building, and he had the feeling that he never would. It was one of those things that your mind almost seemed to protect you from. That you protected yourself from. Having that much power, so uncontrollable… Sometimes, it's better not to know about something like that.

He thought of Toad for a good while, from last night with Pietro to him just now leaving with the blue X-Man. He was going to stick to trying to find out more about the little guy. He felt more interested than ever, now that he had time to think in depth about all that had transpired in the past hour or so.

Something struck him as odd about Todd's leaving, he realized. The German had told him that the guy in the chair wanted to talk to him, and Todd hadn't asked what about. Thinking back, he just seemed to accept it, like he had expected it, or it had happened before.

Lance wondered a bit more, before he groaned when he realized how much he was over-thinking this. Of course the professor had probably spoken to him before - while he, himself, was knocked out. He probably just wanted to get an update out of Todd and - wait, that made no sense either. He could get an update out of one of his X-Men or something… Whatever.

Lance steered away from that train of thought, and his mind went to what Spyke had said about Quicksilver. Going back into a collapsing building to save someone… He wished that self-righteous jerk Cyclops could have seen that. It would have shaken that 'You're the Bad Guys, and That's That' mentality right to its' foundation.

But no, he would probably rationalize it to Pietro only doing it for the praise and adulation. Which was understandable, with one glance at the boy up on a table with a couple dozen girls around him listening to him recount the experience like the drama queen he was. But no, that wasn't it. No matter what he illustrated himself as, Pietro could value another human life, no strings attached.

In his painful, steadily sleepy haze, a thought came to him that felt like a revelation for the moment it stayed in his mind before it slipped away as he turned his head away from the wreckage outside the window.

Pietro wasn't going to stay that way.

Who could? Being the son of a man who wanted to bring about a full-blown war, and probably would. Having a sister who wanted nothing more than to kill you and your father. Blaming yourself for it all.

He was going to stop giving a damn for anyone but himself and become that archetype villain Shades thought of them all as.

The pain had leaked into his chest before he fell back asleep.

…

He woke back up to the same room, but with all of the members of the Brotherhood standing around him.

Alright, not all around him; Toad and Blob were close to the window, staring out and talking with grins at each other, Mystique (he gulped a little in fear) under her guise as Principle Darkholme was standing straight-backed by the door, and Pietro was hovering… right… over him.

"Damn it, Pietro!" He snapped, startled. "Get the hell away from me!" Pietro grinned and moved back, a blur until he was standing straight by his side. "I'm hurt, Avalanche," he certainly didn't look it, needless to say, "I was just wondering if you were alright." He sighed in a very wounded manner, somehow keeping the grin on his face.

Lance couldn't open his mouth before Pietro was talking again, making various energetic hand gestures to punctuate himself. "But, now that I see that you're fine, I can stop worrying. Now, how about that number you did on the gym? I didn't think you'd have it in you. I'm shocked, really." His hands went to his chest and his voice went sinister as he leant closer. "Everybody else is, too."

He slyly glanced back to Mystique, and Lance knew with a sick feeling in his gut just who he meant by 'everybody'. Quicksilver smiled mockingly, "Oh yeah, she's not very happy."

Lance felt a little (lot) bit like curling up on his side and feigning sleep until everyone was gone again, but unfortunately he was pretty hungry and wanted the hell out of this room. And he felt like sticking it to Pietro. He looked the other in the eyes and forced himself to seem unaffected, saying, "Yeah, that's nice. Thanks for telling me."

Pietro, predictably, huffed a little and sobered a little more. "Yeah, whatever." He reminded Lance of a little boy who had been denied a lollipop, and he wanted to laugh, but the pain in his shoulder kind of put a damper on his cheer. But it still made him feel better.

Pietro shook it off quickly, though, and then caught his eyes. "We're about to all go back to that dump we call home, sweet home - it's been a long day of damage control, thanks to you - and you need to get up." He snorted sarcastically, "Unless you need to be carried."

Lance narrowed his eyes, ruffled at his manliness being disrespected. He moved to sit and stand, ignoring the pain in the shoulder beyond giving just a small grunt of acknowledgement. Pietro was smiling at him, amused and Lance was about ready to start a very unpleasant verbal exchange once he stood, but was distracted by his name being called.

"Lance? Are you alright?" He looked over to Todd, who was looking at him worriedly. The boy stepped over to his bed, where he was still in an awkward half-sitting position, completely ignoring Pietro. "You're bleeding, yo." He said, somehow sounding very serious even with his personal lingo, gesturing to Lance's shoulder with his head.

He looked down, and realized that Todd was right. The white bandages were blotched with red spots and he groaned, already knowing that he was going to hate dressing wounds with a passion.

His groan got Mystique's attention, and the woman walked over to them very purposefully. She assessed Lance's shoulder silently, as well as the looks on both Todd's and Pietro's faces, before she snapped out, "Pietro, you shouldn't have provoked him." She glared down the boy who looked affronted, but who couldn't get a word out before Mystique went on, "I expect you to redress his wound."

"What? No!"

Mystique glanced between both Lance and Pietro, who glanced at each other when they realized they had said the same thing. There was a tense silence before Todd broke it hesitantly, "Hey, yo, I'm good at taking care of wounds. I'll do it, no prob." He looked at Lance unsurely, "That is, if you don't mind."

Lance looked at the smaller boy gratefully, and nodded at him quickly. Mystique readjusted her glasses and looked back at Pietro, "I'll find something else for you to do. For now, don't you dare aggravate him."

As Pietro huffed and stepped away from the bed and over to the window, Lance felt a bit of appreciation for their boss that he had never felt before. She turned her eyes on him and he thought he saw them soften somewhat (pity?) before clipped words came out. "Don't you dare aggravate yourself, either. I don't need you impeding your own healing process and leaking blood everywhere."

He quickly shook off the queasy feeling that came with that mental image and nodded his assent to her. She smiled, only somewhat disturbingly, and then started for the door. "Come along, boys," she said, holding the door open. She looked to Freddie and nodded to Lance, and Lance didn't really feel like protesting in the face of their boss. He let the Blob support him out the door and to his car without complaint.

Toad hovered around him in a way that reminded him funnily of something decidedly not amphibious, worrying quite obviously as he asked him whether or not he really felt up to driving the couple miles to their house. Lance shrugged him off good-naturedly, saying, "Did you see the look on Pietro's face? I feel like a million bucks."

Todd and Freddie laughed with him, and once they had calmed Todd looked around curiously. "Yo ya'll, where is our resident whirlwind, anyway?" Fred glanced around as well before shrugging indifferently. "Don't matter - he can make it home on his own."

Todd frowned for only a fraction of a second before shrugging as well and starting to move towards the passenger door. He paused, though, and then turned to the driver's door to open it, before scrambling up and over the jeep effortlessly, his feet barely touching the roof at all. He dropped down and vaulted himself in through the open window on the passenger side, landing in the seat quite perfectly.

Lance had to gape at the smaller mutant's agility, but he had to smile at the boy's show of consideration more. Actually, he found it quite funny. He laughed a little as he clambered into his seat, smiling as he nodded his thanks to the other.

He turned the key in the car's ignition, listened to the engine turn reliably over and sighed. Toad and his notebook came back to him, and he thought it mildly disconcerting that despite everything that had happened in the past half-day, his mind when back to something, comparatively, so trivial.

He disregarded that, and instead decided that it didn't matter. He wouldn't have much else to do while he was healing and school was out besides try to do what Pietro had wanted him to do. Which, if he was just a little honest with himself, he didn't really mind.

…

He was hungry like nobody's business when he got back to their dilapidated mansion, and he realized that he had never gotten anything from Fred because he had fallen asleep. Did Fred come back to find Toad gone and him passed out? He found that mental image very funny for some reason, and nearly laughed.

Besides all that, he was ready to try and scrounge up something for himself as soon as he got in that house. His stomach growled and he shifted, ready to ignore it until Toad was straightening up next to him to look over concerned. "You hungry, man?"

Lance shifted and looked at him confusedly, "Um… yes?" Todd nodded to himself and said, "You just let Freddie here help you to your room - I'll get'chu somethin'." Lance didn't have anytime to question this plan before Fred was consenting with a 'yeah' in his direction and Todd was asking him if there was anything specifically he wanted.

He also didn't have any room to refuse their help; he was tough and all, but getting around and taking care of yourself was a bit of a challenge with a hole through your shoulder. A hole that hurt. Like, a lot. On top of that, he felt drained. Drained in a way that an afternoon of bed rest couldn't help very much. He wanted to lay down and not move for a long time.

He supposed that had something to do with using so much of his power.

He said no; anything will do, and let himself be supported to him room. Sure enough, though, things just couldn't go smoothly in the Brotherhood house.

No sooner than they were through the door was their headache-inducer personified in their faces, grinning and running his (obviously insulting) words together. Good grief.

Pietro finally noticed everybody's blank looks, and snorted as if everyone was expected to be fluent in fast-nese. He sighed and slowed down, like he didn't have this kind of time but was humoring them anyway. See now, this is why he didn't have a girlfriend. This is why he didn't even have prospects for girlfriends.

"Huh, and here I was thinking they were all put off by his fabulousness." Lance barely registered that he had said that last part out loud before he was stifling laughter at Toad's comment. They all were - except Pietro, of course.

Quicksilver huffed indignantly, not very happy that they hadn't heard a word he'd said. It only caused the others to laugh harder, though. Silently brooding for all he was worth, he got ready to drop a bomb.

"Hey, Toddikins, that German boy called."

Alright, so it was admittedly a tiny bomb, but whatever. It got their attention and stopped their laughing. Todd looked up at him, and Pietro noted the little glimmer of happiness in his eyes. "You mean Kurt, man?"

Score. Goal. Strike. Jackpot. Some other euphemism to express a feeling of utter win.

Lance picked up on the happiness then, too. He looked away from Pietro to Todd, and noticed the perked posture, the alert eyes, the smile. He suddenly felt like he was missing something big and obvious, like he had all the necessary tools to figure something out but couldn't find the answer in all the pieces. Looking back to Pietro, he saw that that wasn't the case with him, judging from his smirk and bright, pleased eyes.

Uh-oh.

Pietro nodded at Todd, saying, "Yeah, that's his name, right? He was asking for you. I think he was wondering if you got home alright." Todd's smile eased down into something no less happy, but more fond. He seemed content to just know that and was about to go to the kitchen for Lance's food before Pietro stopped him with a question.

"Why?"

Todd stopped and stood still, and the tension came off of him and into the room immediately. Pietro looked unaffected, as though it was just a simple question, but it was easy to see it wasn't. He stepped forward.

"Why was an X-Man so concerned for you?" Todd didn't look like he knew how to answer that question, and when Lance saw the fear in his eyes, he decided to stop this. "Quicksilver, we're all hungry. Ya mind letting us to the kitchen?"

Pietro looked at him with a bit of a glare, but seeing his bandaging and weak posture, leaning against Freddie for support, he seemed to think better of starting a fight and risking Mystique's wrath. He nodded reluctantly, and moved out of the way. Back to the living room from whence he came.

Lance sighed, looking at Todd's stiff back and Pietro's retreating one.

This was going to be a long recovery.

…

Okay, there we go. Let me reiterate that I'm making this up as I go along, and don't really have plan for a lot of stuff. If you could, telling me where you think I'm going with some of this would be a big help. If I use anyone's ideas, you can be sure I'd give credit where it's due.

Other than that, this was pretty fun.

And much scarily ardent love to the few, the proud, the reviewers. I can't thank you guys enough. You're awesome beyond words.

I'm listening to Steve Jablonsky's score 'Arrival To Earth' from Transformers, and you have no idea how epic it makes everything sound. Listen to it, I so command. It's downright beautiful.