Author's Note:
Okay, this chapter is just you getting to know the characters more.
***
Chapter 2
The doorbell rang at ten in the morning. Mai groaned as she got off the floor to answer the front door. Mai answered and saw Bruce standing outside.
"There's no one here who wants to talk to you." Mai said before shutting the door.
Bruce was stunned, but rang the doorbell again. Mai passed Willoughby on her way back to the home theater room.
"Carman!" Mai called as she entered the home theater room.
Carman groaned. "What?"
"Bruce is here." Mai replied.
"Tell him I'm not here." Carman responded as Bruce walked in.
"I can see that you're home." Bruce said.
Both Mai and Carman groan. Briar walked in with a smile on.
"Hi everyone." Briar said.
"Hi Briar." Bruce replied.
"Briar, Bruce, lower your guys voices." Mai groaned as she sat down on the couch.
"I agree with Mai." Carman said.
"Well it's your guys fault for getting drunk this morning. The cure is to eat breakfast and drink coffee. I'm off to have breakfast. I'll talk with you guys later today. Stop getting drunk today." Briar said before she left.
"Bye Briar." Bruce said.
Carman and Mai moaned. Bruce laughed. Mai threw a pillow at him.
"I'm taking Briar's advice. Try not to kill Bruce. If you want that, give me a call." Mai said as she got up and headed for the door.
"I'll keep that in mind." Carman replied.
Bruce was now a little scared.
"My answer is no." Carman said before Bruce spoke.
"But I really want you to come back to work. I promise to stop harassing you. Just come back to work." Bruce pleaded.
"No Bruce." Carman said getting up and walking to the door.
"I'll give you anything." Bruce pleaded as he followed Carman into the dinning room.
"Willoughby, could I have the some pancakes and coffee?" Carman asked sitting down across the table from Mai.
Willoughby nodded and left to get Carman breakfast.
"Good choice. You should tell Bruce that you want his child." Mai said.
Bruce laughed. "You know that I'm right here."
"I'm completely serious Bruce. Apparently I've been away from you too long." Mai replied.
Carman laughed, while Willoughby walked in with Carman's food and set it down in front of her.
"Can I get you anything Bruce?" Willoughby asked.
"No, I'm good." Bruce answered sitting down next to Carman.
"If you're good, then why are you here?" Mai asked.
"I need Carman to come back to work." Bruce answered.
"She doesn't want to work for you. And it's only been a few hours since she stopped working for you. You can find a replacement. She did give you two months." Mai replied.
"Thank you." Carman responded.
"I'll seriously give you anything you want, as long as you come back to work." Bruce said staring at Carman.
Carman started eating her food. Bruce continued to stare.
"You do know that it's rude to stare, right?' Mai asked finishing up her breakfast.
"Could you please go away or be quiet?" Bruce asked getting irritated.
"Do you really think you can take me on?" Mai replied.
"Calm down Mai." Carman said putting food into her mouth.
Mai tried to calm down, but had a feeling that things were just going to get worse today.
"I want to be paid double and a third of the company." Carman said finishing her breakfast.
Bruce was stunned. "What? Are you serious?"
"It's the only way you're getting me back." Carman answered putting her plate on Mai's.
Bruce thought about it.
"I believe Bruce is going to need some time to think about your offer. Let's go shopping." Mai said getting up from the table.
"Works for me." Carman said. "Have a good day Bruce. Oh, and please leave my house and never come back."
Carman and Mai then left. Willoughby cleaned up and Bruce went to work.
*********
"Is something bothering you?" Wally asked.
"It's nothing. My younger sister just came home early this morning." Briar answered staring at her food.
"You've got another sister?" Wally asked.
"Yes, she's just hasn't been around the last two and half years." Briar answered.
"What's her name?" Wally asked curious.
"Mai. You're not meeting her any time soon." Briar answered.
"Why?" Wally asked finishing up his food.
"Because she's not stable right now. I guess something happened to her. She is home six months early." Briar answered before putting food into her mouth.
Wally and Briar were silence as Briar finished up her food.
"Do you have work today?" Wally asked.
"No." Briar answered smiling.
Wally smiled back. Briar's cell phone then went off.
"Hello." Briar answered.
"Hey Briar. Carman and I are going shopping. Would you like to come with us?" Mai asked.
"Sure. I'll meet you guys at the mall." Briar answered.
Wally's smiled fade.
"All right. See you soon." Mai said.
"Bye Mai." Briar said then she hung up.
"I've got to go. I'm sorry, but could we talk more at dinner?" Briar asked.
"No need to be sorry. I understand. I'll pick you up at six o'clock." Wally answered smiling.
"Make it 6:30." Briar replied.
Briar returned his smile with one of her own. They kissed and went their separate ways.
*********
Four hours later…
"Let's get some food." Briar said pointing to the food court.
"I agree." Mai replied.
They all then walked over to the food court.
"What do we all want?" Carman asked.
"Anything works for me. Just not Asian food. I've had too much of that." Mai answered.
"I guess its Italian then." Briar replied.
They all ordered their food and sat down at an empty table to eat.
"Mai, what's that sting doing on your left ring finger?" Carman asked putting food into her mouth.
Mai swallowed. "It's nothing."
"Did you pull a Monte Cristo or something?" Briar asked.
"Yes." Mai answered quietly.
"With who?" Carman asked.
"You've got to understand I was really really drunk at the time." Mai answered.
"That doesn't surprise me." Briar replied. "Continue."
"Wade." Mai replied stuffing food in her mouth.
"WHAT?" Carman and Briar yelled.
"I told you I was really really drunk." Mai responded shrugging.
"That's why you came home early." Briar said.
"Not exactly." Mai replied.
"What do you mean not exactly?" Carman asked.
"He won't give me a divorce, so I left." Mai answered finishing up her lunch.
"You didn't finish your job because Wade wouldn't give you a divorce?" Carman asked a little stunned.
"Yes, and I haven't slept at all in the last two and half years. Plus he was chatting on me with every girl he saw." Mai answered.
"Wow. You really should stop taking trips like that for a while." Briar stated as she ate the last bite of her food.
"If you're planning on taking another trip like that, then you defiantly need to have your older sisters with you." Carman chimed.
"Can we please talk about something else?" Mai begged.
"What country were you in when it happened?" Briar asked.
"Morocco." Mai answered.
"It's not marriage. It's mating ritual." Briar stated.
"Yes!" Mai exclaimed.
"Okay, Mai. Calm down." Carman said.
"So what did Bruce want this morning?" Briar asked Carman.
Carman swallowed. "He wants me to come back to work."
"Did you tell him that you want to have his child?" Briar laughed.
"No, Mai did that for me." Carman answered.
They all laughed.
"You haven't even been gone a full day yet. So what did you say to him?" Briar asked interested.
"I told him that I wanted a third of the company and to be paid double." Carman answered eating her food.
Mai and Briar bust into laughter.
"You should've seen Bruce's face. It was great." Mai laughed.
"It's so true. You should of see it." Carman laughed.
*********
The Calhoun ladies arrived at Home at five. Charles Xavier was waiting for them in the front room.
"Who the hell is that?" Mai asked pointing at Charles.
"That's Professor Charles Xavier. He runs the Xavier School for Gifted Youngsters." Briar answered.
"I've got a request for you Briar." Charles stated moving into the hallway.
"What is it?" Briar asked.
"I would like you to go get Alex Summers." Charles answered.
"Why can't Ororo do it?" Briar asked.
"I don't want Scott to know." Charles answered.
"I'm confused." Mai chimed in.
"I'll fill you later. Let's give them some privacy." Carman said pulling Mai down the hall.
"Why don't you want Scott to know?" Briar asked.
"Because Alex is Scott's younger brother." Charles answered. "Are you wiling to go get him?"
"Sure." Briar responded.
"Good. Alex is arriving at the airport tomorrow at noon." Charles stated before he headed for the door. "By the way, your younger sister is very unstable. She may be a danger to us all."
"I'm fine you bossy windbag." Mai said walking back in.
Charles tried to enter Mai's mind.
"Suck when you can't get into someone's mind doesn't it?" Mai asked.
Charles didn't say anything. Mai glared. Briar noticed that Mai was in the mood to hurt someone.
"Thanks for stopping by. I'll bring to Alex to you tomorrow afternoon." Briar said.
Charles nodded and left. Mai was now glaring at Briar.
"Stop Mai. You need to calm down. You can burn that piece around your finger. Plus the gym is in good shape. Go do a work." Briar suggested.
Mai calm down a little and nodded. Briar went to go get ready for her date with Wally, when Carman walked down the hall.
"Mai, you need to learn control. We can only do so much for you." Carman said placing a hand on Mai's shoulder.
"I know, I know. Burn this for me." Mai replied handling the sting ring to Carman. "I'm going to go do a work out, then sleep for the next two days."
"All right." Carman said as Mai walked down the hall to the gym.
Carman then went to the fireplace and threw the string ring into the fire.
Willoughby walked in. "Carman, Bruce is on the phone for you."
"Do I have to talk to him?" Carman asked.
"Yes." Willoughby answered.
Carman groaned, but picked up the phone. "What do you want Bruce?"
"I want to take you out to dinner to discuss you coming back to work." Bruce answered.
"Two conditions: You pay for it, and at the end of the night you don't try to make a move on me, or I castrate you. Got it? Good." Carman said.
"I can do that." Bruce said. "Pick you up at six o'clock."
"All right. Bye Bruce." Carman replied hanging up the phone.
*********
"You're both leaving me alone tonight." Mai complained.
"Why don't you go hang out with some of your old buddies?" Briar asked doing her hair.
"None of them are in town and the one that is doesn't want to talk to me." Mai answered sadly.
"Which one doesn't want to talk to you?" Carman asked as she walked into Briar's room.
"Logan." Mai sighed.
"Oh, I forgot that you two had a falling out." Briar replied.
"Could I borrow your vanilla lip gloss?" Carman asked.
"Sure. It's in the bathroom next to my toothbrush holder." Briar answered. "Why do you need lip gloss?"
"I'm going out to a business dinner." Carman answered.
"You're not working." Briar replied.
"She soon will be, since the dinner is with Bruce." Mai said.
"That's not a business dinner. It's a date." Briar said with a laugh.
"It is not. It better not be if he wants to keep sleeping with women." Carman replied. "You're not going to be alone tonight Mai. Willoughby is here."
"Willoughby has the night off." Mai replied. "So I am going to be alone tonight unless I want to go face Logan."
"Just go face Logan. I think he's still at the school. You may make some friends." Briar responded heading over to her closet.
The doorbell rang. Carman and Briar froze. Mai laughed.
"You're very beautiful Carman. Bruce will most likely attempt to flirt with you now, since you're wearing that perfect little red dress." Mai said heading out of the room.
Carman and Briar laughed. Mai answered the door and stopped short.
"Mai! Who is it?" Carman called as she walked the hall with her coat and purse.
Mai didn't speak.
"Logan! It's so good to see you." Carman said giving Logan a hug.
"It's good to see you too Carman." Logan replied pulling away from Carman.
Bruce walked up behind Logan.
"Well, Bruce is here. Try to not kill him. That's my job." Mai said.
"I shall try. Bye Logan." Carman said as she put her coat on.
"Bye Carman." Logan said as Carman and Bruce got into Bruce's car.
"She doesn't like him." Mia said watching Logan. "You're welcome to come in."
Logan nodded and came in. Mai closed the door.
"Where's Willoughby?" Logan asked.
"He has the night off. I got back this morning and he's has tonight off. Briar is going on a date in a half an hour. So what do you want?" Mai asked walking into the living room and taking a seat.
"I'm here to take you to see Charles." Logan answered.
"I've no desire to talk to Charles." Mai replied.
A 15 minutes later, Briar walked in wearing a lavender strapless corset bodice dress with black ribbons laced through it.
"Go talk with Charles. Better yet, talk to Logan. Good to see you Logan." Briar said. "You're not staying here by yourself getting drunk."
"I can't, even if I wanted to. Willoughby hid all the alcohol." Mai replied.
"Good. Now go spend time with Logan and Charles." Briar said pointing towards the door.
"You just don't want me to meet Wally." Mai said getting up.
"Not yet. You're still unstable." Briar replied.
"Come on Logan. I'm being getting out of my own home." Mai said heading for the door.
Logan got up and followed.
"Bye Briar." Logan and Mai said at the same time.
"Bye Logan, Mai." Briar said as they headed to Scott's motorcycle.
As Logan and Mai were getting onto Scott's motorcycle, Wally showed up in a red mustang.
"I see that you're still stealing Scott's motorcycle." Mai laughed as she got on behind Logan.
Logan smiled and Wally walked up to the front door. Briar answered and walked out.
"Be good!" Mai called as she and Logan left.
Briar laughed while she and Wally got into his car.
