Chapter 36
At the Institute...
"Ooh look there they are!" Jamie says excitedly as he points at the tv. The remaining students were watching the arrivals at Stark Tower on the tv.
"And here are the surprise guests, at the invite of Tony Stark, the mutant heroes known as the X-Men," the female tv reporter says.
"And the human family that resides with them," her male colleague adds.
"You've just got to wonder what it is like to live in a house full of teenagers with superpowers," the female reporter says.
Her make colleague laughs. "Well I think we all know what normal teenagers are like. I guess you have to multiple that by a thousand."
The female reporter laughs as well.
"More like a million," Logan mutters.
Ororo smiles a little at his usual grumpiness. It was kind of endearing in its strange way.
"At least they're not saying anything nasty about us," Sam raises up as a positive. They get way too much negative press.
"They probably are on one of the other channels," Ray mutters.
Sadly no-one can argue that with him because it's probably true.
Stark Tower...
When they enter the hall the X-Men just have to stop and stare at the opulence. It seems, for Tony Stark, nothing is too expensive. There are people milling around, servants attending them, a huge fountain centre piece made out of what is possibly gold. Even if it was formal dress the decorations all had a Halloween theme. This was the pre-speech bit of the evening. There was a string band playing music.
The X-Men took in the sights of people whose very clothes they are wearing tonight probably cost more than their entire closets.
They were others in clothes not so fine. The reporters who had been able to get in. One was instantly recognisable and brought a large smile to Beast's face as she drew up to the group. "Patricia." Hank says in warm tones.
Trish Tilby smiles in return. "Hello Henry. I heard you got an invite."
"Ms Tilby," the Professor greets her too, with a sly look at his old friend Hank. He could sense the attraction without having to try. He extends his hand to her.
Trish takes it. "Professor Xavier. Nice to see you again."
"Henry told me of your work in Kentucky. I wish to say how grateful I am for your exposé on Mr Cunningham."
Trish grins at the praise. "Oh he had that coming. You know his workers look like being able to buy him out for half what the mine is really worth," she says with glee. She likes taking down scumbags like that.
"I'm sure Samuel will be happy about that," Charles says in relation to Sam's family connection.
"So care to tell me why Stark invited you?" Trish asks, seeking an angle.
"You'd have to ask him," Charles politely deflects her.
"I wish. I've been trying to get an interview with him since his return from his abduction. His assistant keeps fobbing me off," Trish says, genuinely peeved at that.
While Trish talks with the Professor and Beast, Kitty manages to spot Peter, dressed in a slightly ill-fighting blue suit, with a camera around his neck. She takes her leave of her friends and makes her way over. She taps him on the shoulder. "Hi Peter," she says shyly, brushing a lock of her hair back.
Peter turns his head and then looks twice. His eyes takes in Kitty all dressed up and he had to say he liked what he saw. "Hi Kitty. You look...wow and I look...ugh, you're so going to be wanting to find someone more fashionable to date now aren't you."
Kitty smiles. She loves his little jokes. She kisses him on the cheek. "I'm dating like the most handsome guy here," she assures him.
Peter manages a smile at that.
"So you seen anyone famous?" Kitty wonders.
"Just you," he replies.
Kitty rolls her eyes. "I'm not famous," she dismisses that idea.
"Sure you are. You're one of the famous X-Men...even if you're a girl. Should that be X-Person?"
"Oh I like tried to get the name changed. I was voted down. Democracy sucks," she complains.
Peter rubs her on the back in support.
Not too far away a girl with red hair and green eyes, dressed in a short little black number, quietly moves off to meet up with her friends. Mary Jane Watson had managed to get here thanks to Harry, who was filling in for his dad, who was working or something, and he invited her, Gwen and Liz along. She meets up with Harry, Liz and Gwen who are at the buffet table. "I was right," she says to them.
"About what?" Gwen asks.
"That girl we saw Peter with. I was right that we'd seen her somewhere before. She's one of those mutants on the news."
"How do you know that?" Harry asks.
"Because she's here and I heard Peter call her an X-Man."
Harry, Liz and Gwen search for Peter and find him sharing a laugh with the girl in the pink dress.
"They let those people here?" Liz asks incredulously with downright venom, her voice shrill.
All 3 of her friends look at Liz due to the hostility in her tone. It was quite...scary.
"You don't like mutants?" Gwen asks.
"I like them fine as long as they are nowhere near me!" Liz snaps, her face twisted in hate. She then stomps away.
"Uh...what just happened?" Harry asks, utterly blown away by that.
"I don't know," MJ says in total confusion. Liz had never mentioned being that strongly against mutants and she is Liz's best friend. "I'll talk to her later...when she's calmed down."
"So what are we doing about Peter?" Gwen asks.
"We have to do something?" Harry questions that. He means seriously. What is it that makes Gwen have to constantly butt her nose into Peter's business.
"We'll wait until he's alone and then talk to him," MJ suggests.
"Good plan," Gwen agrees.
"Ok I'll just speak and no-one will listen to me," Harry mutters. "Wow you're just carbon copies of my father," he says a little bitter at how little time his father makes for him.
"What?" Gwen asks her boyfriend, having not been paying attention and missing what he just said.
"I rest my case."
"What?"
The other X-Men slowly start to disperse through the throngs. Rogue walks next to Clark, noticing she is getting a few looks and people suddenly go silent or reduce their volume to a whisper. It wasn't that much of a surprise and really Rogue was use to it being a Goth. Her and Clark reach the buffet table and she can't even recognise half the food on it. She gets a feeling that some of it costs more than the dress she is wearing.
Clark was planning to go and be a psuedo-reporter but for the start of the evening he decided to stick close to Rogue until the initial reaction died down a bit...and the fact it was hard to keep his eyes off of her because she looked that good.
Clark has a look at the buffet table for something that tickled his fancy. As he does so he feels an enormous presence next to him. He turns his head to the left as someone, who made Clark seem small in comparison, saddles up next to him.
"Geez," the man rumbles in complaint. "What I wouldn't give for one of my Aunt Petunia's pies rather than all this fancy schmancy stuff."
Clark looks up to see a head made seemingly of orange rock. The head turns and blue eyes fixate upon Clark.
"Something I can do fer ya kid?"
"You're Ben Grimm!" Clark exclaims, in total fanboy mode. "It is so great to meet you! I've read everything about you and the Fantastic Four! "
Benjamin 'The Thing' Grimm arches a rocky eyebrow. Usually people aren't gushing all over him due to the fact he was transformed in a huge golem-like creature of orange rock after being exposed to Cosmic Rays on a space trip he was making with his best friend Reed Richards. He had adjusted to being stuck like this but many people looked at him like a monster and deep down it hurt so it is rare the look he is getting, from this tall kid in glasses, of admiration.
"I didn't know you were attending this," Clark says and he had checked. It's a reporter thing.
Ben sighs almost painfully. "Kinda last minute decision," he says gruffly because he was never sold on coming here. Reed and Sue were the ones who really wanted to come. The Matchstick wanted to come so he could hit on girls and Ben...well it was this or staying home alone. He decided to come. Someone, after all, has to keep Johnny out of trouble.
"Are the others here too? Dr Richards? Susan Storm? Her brother Johnny?"
"Yeah they're around somewhere," Ben says. "You want to meet them?"
"If I can but meeting you is just...awesome...if you don't mind me saying so."
Ben laughs heartedly and claps the kid on the shoulder with his large rocky hand. If Clark was anyone else the clap would have probably knocked them flat on the floor "Kid yer alright? What's your name?"
Clark pushes his glasses up his name and grins his dorkiest smile. "Kent. Clark Kent."
"So ya got a recommendation about what to eat?" Ben asks.
"Not really. It's not my usual diet. Honestly I would prefer one of my mom's apple pies."
"Oh I'm sure they're good but they ain't got anything on me Aunt Petunia's."
"I'm afraid that I would have to raise an objection there. My mom's pies are the best ever made by anyone."
Ben could hear the challenge in the tone. He admired the kid for standing up for his mother. "Now I'm just going to have to argue with ya there kid. Let me tell all about me Aunt Petunia's pies..."
Rogue rolls her eyes. Of all nights for Clark to go into fangirl squee mode and now he is debating with the freakin' Thing about who makes a better apple pie. She turns back to the table and picks up...something. Honestly Rogue has no idea what it is. She nibble on it a little and decides she doesn't hate it.
"Now how is someone as lovely as you all alone?" a flirtatious voice asks.
Rogue turns to her right to see a boy in his late teens, with short, dirty-blond hair, blue eyes, and an athletic frame. He was dressed in an expensive looking suit. Rogue recognised him. He wasn't shy about showing off on tv.
The boy extends his hand with a wide smile. "Johnny Storm...which you probably already knew."
Oh the arrogance. Rogue feels like punching him...or she could do something else. She has to repress an evil smile. She takes his hand. "People just call meh Rogue."
"And what do people have to do to get to know your real name?" Johnny wonders.
"Well ah always lahke ta make that a challenge. Up for it?" Rogue challenges him, coming close to flirting but it's all for a purpose. Trust her.
Johnny's eyes roam over the girl. Yeah she was overly covered up and the make-up was a little goth-lite but he could tell she was a looker. In a few more years she would probably be even more so. Johnny loved all of this. The fame, the celebrity and everything that goes with it ever since he had gained the ability to turn himself into a being of living fire thanks to those Cosmic Rays thingies he and the others were exposed to...and as for being up for the challenge this girl proposed...well there isn't one yet he's failed at.
Scott was not good at socialising is his primary thought right now. It isn't helped by the fact Jean had managed to slip into a conversation with a small group of prominent geneticists and since Jean planned to study that at college next year it was easy for her to find a common subject to talk to them about. It left him a bit of a goose standing by himself.
"I always knew you'd grow up into a handsome young man...once you moved passed the acne."
Scott's brow furrows. That voice. It sounds like the girl who gave him his very first kiss. It sounds like... "Emma?" he queries as he turns round and that is when his jaw almost drops to the floor at seeing the voluptuous blond woman in an incredibly expensive looking, elegant, strapless white gown. Scott knows he shouldn't but he can't stop his eyes roaming all the way over her from head to toe and back up to her head. She was...gorgeous.
It was also something else. A quality Emma possessed, standing there, that Scott can't remember whether she possessed before or something she has gained in the years, that have passed, since he last saw her. Yes there was the beauty that most people only dreamed of. She also seemed to stand tall, almost as if she stood above the world. There was a strange sensual calling to her, but one of a siren, a dangerous allure. It was typical sin and sensuality that she seemed to give off to the world. Promising pleasures but at a price you might not want to pay. Eyes were drawn to her, not just Scott's. Many a male eye couldn't help but stare at her.
A pleasant smile comes to Emma's face at Scott's reaction. She wasn't originally going to come to this. She can't stand Tony Stark. He's an uncouth child in a man's body but when she heard the X-Men were attending she just had to come...and cause as much mischief as possible. The day was coming when her Hellions would meet the X-Men and she thought she might as well get a head start on undermining them.
"Is that...is that really you?" Scott has to ask because this was not the Emma he remembered. Oh she was pretty and the accented British voice was the same but her hair was actually brown back then and she just didn't look...he cannot get his head around how beautiful she is.
Emma lightly chuckles at the question and the thoughts she can hear Scott having. "Come now Scott, don't tell me I am that forgettable?" she asks, with mock hurt.
"Forgettable? No. It is just...you...look..."
"Yes, I've had some work done. That's what you want to ask but are too polite to."
"Uh...it's not really any of my business."
"I'm not ashamed of admitting it Scott. A woman has the right to look her absolute best even if she has to pay for it and believe you me I paid a lot. Doctor in Brazil. Does fabulous work don't you think?" she asks him as she strikes a pose.
'Oh he most certainly does,' Scott muses.
Emma smiles as she picks up the thought. Almost too easy.
"What are you doing here?" Scott asks, as he gets his brain to start working again.
"Frost Industries. My family's company. Remember it?"
"Yes."
"Well my father's passed on and now I run it so like every other important person I received an invitation."
"I'm sorry about your father," Scott expresses his sympathies.
Emma suppresses a sneer. She's not sorry at all the old bastard is dead. However appearances are all. "Thank you Scott. I don't think I need to ask why you are here with mutants being on the news. Congratulations for exposing us all," she says with her usual cold sarcasm.
"That's wasn't our fault. It was Magneto," Scott puts up a defence.
"Of course."
"Besides it was inevitable one day mutants would be revealed. You know that."
"Well there were certainly better ways to go about it," Emma critiques.
"Look Emma I don't wish to fight with you. I know you left the Institute under a bit of a dark cloud but that was a long time ago. Can't we move past that?"
A bit of a dark cloud? There's the understatement of the century but if Emma is going to start driving some wedges into the X-Men she needs to be able to get close so she can put her personal feelings aside. "Of course Scott. I'm all for new beginnings," she says with a warm smile.
"Scott?" Jean's voice breaks into the proceedings after wondering where he had gone to and her eyes fall upon the woman he is talking to. "Who is this?"
"Well..." Scott starts to say as he thinks of some way to break it to Jean that it is one person whom she never ever got along with.
Emma beats him to the punch in her own unique fashion. "Jean dear. Tell me, did you get that dress off the rack or are you still rooting around charity bargain bins?"
That voice. That look of arrogant superiority. The attitude. The familiar psychic presence Jean is now picking up on. "Emma," she almost spits the word out.
"Oh look it only took the telepath a whole minute to work that out but then again as soon as I left, Charles was stuck with the 2nd choice inferior one wasn't he Jean."
Scott can feel Jean's ire rising. It is making the hairs on the back of his neck stand on end. Emma only smirks slightly as she sips on her flute of champagne.
Emma Frost. Emma Frakkin Frost! Oh to say Jean dislikes the woman is the largest understatement since saying Logan is a reasonable, calm, deep thinking man...and oh my God! Just look at her! How much surgery has she had? Jean doesn't think there is anything original left. "Not that it is any of your business," Jean tells Emma bluntly, "but I got this dress from Rossi's." And Rossi's is a very high end fashion chain.
Emma chuckles. "Jean dear if you buy something with a price tag on it you're buying from the wrong place. My dress was hand made and cost more than your father would earn in a year."
Scott quickly places a hand on Jean's arm before she goes postal and thinks to her to not lose it. Not here.
Jean looks at him and her anger lessens.
Emma observes the interaction with interest. "Now don't tell me. Jean finally managed to find 5 minutes to notice what a handsome man you are Scott. Well I guess all those years she ignored the way you followed her around like a love sick puppy are just forgotten then."
Jean's anger explodes at that and she glares at Emma with the death glare to beat all death glares. Her eyes flash with golden psychic fire for one brief moment and Emma physically recoils.
Emma rubs her head. Jean packed more of a psychic wallop than she remembered but she'll be damned if she will just take that. She returns the psychic blast and Jean physically recoils a little. They then glare at each other and it is clear to anyone from their expressions just how much they don't like the other.
Scott looks from one woman to the other and wonders how he stops them killing each other.
Evan ended up paired up with Domino, basically because there was no-one else. He came here mainly because it was what his Auntie O would have wanted. For him to be out here setting an example for the X-Men. Evan was not doing this for himself. Personally he would rather be out skateboarding.
Domino was on the lookout for celebs. She wondered if any were mutants. It was a little game they played at the mansion. Watching the entertainment channel and joking about which celebs were mutants and who were not. She had noticed she got more than her fair share of stares. She liked to think the ones from the men were because she looked that good. Forgive her for being a little bit vain. In reality she knows why they stare but she doesn't let it bother her.
"Ooh is that Robert Downey Jr?" she suddenly squeals as she rushes over to introduce herself.
Martha and Jonathan were too starting to mingle...well Martha more than Jonathan. Martha had to say it was all like riding a bike. It just seemed to all come back to her how to work a function like this.
It wasn't necessarily about who you were. It was what, who and what you knew. For Martha an easy jump off point was to use her father. He was a stock broker and she bets 95% of the people here own stock. Sure it had been awhile since she really paid attention to that world but nothing changes that much. Stocks go up. Stocks go down. People make money. People lose money. The only thing that had changed were the amounts were much larger now.
Fake smile, laugh at their poor jokes, listen to them talk about their 3rd wife or 4th husband or the new yacht they just bought. They were shallow, uninteresting people for the most part and Martha is glad she left this world behind. She was only here to help the children.
"Martha Clark. My, I don't think you've aged a day."
Martha turns round, her eyes widen in complete surprise at the sight of the man with dark hair and green eyes. The man she almost married. "Sebastian!"
Back with the Professor, Hank had left him to talk to Ms Tilby a bit more. Charles, meanwhile, had spotted someone he hadn't talked to in quite some time and wished to. He rolls up behind the unsuspecting person. "Reed Richards...or is that Mr Fantastic these days?"
The tall lean man in his early 30s with short, dark hair with streaks of grey at the sides turns round and his face lights up into a smile. "Charles Xavier!" he proclaims with much enthusiasm. He then extends his arm out...literally to offer his hand which Charles takes and they shake hands vigorously.
There is a light cough from behind Reed. It comes from a woman in her mid 20s with blond hair, dressed in a light blue gown that showed off a body supermodels would envy. Unlike most of them she also possessed a mind that wasn't far short of Reed's own brilliant intellect. Susan 'Invisible Woman' Storm smiles pleasantly as she waits for her boyfriend to introduce her.
"Oh this is Sue," Reed says. "Sue this is Charles Xavier. He was once a teacher of mine."
Susan extends her hand which Charles takes. "Susan Storm. A pleasure to meet you."
"And yourself," Charles returns.
"So what was it exactly you taught?" Sue asks.
Charles smiles slyly. He had spent a few years teaching shortly after he ended up in his wheelchair and met this brilliant teenager who had reached university by the age of 15 named Reed Richards. "The effect of mutation upon the evolution of life," he gives Sue his answer to her question.
Susan smiles brilliantly. "Interesting choice of topic. I'm betting few knew how precisely you were an expert upon the subject," she jokes.
Charles shrugs letting it brush off. "Well I do believe it was Reed who raised in my class the prospect of how Cosmic Ray bombardment may have been the trigger for the first mutations of life upon Earth that prompted the leap from single cell to multicellular organisms," he mentions.
"The irony huh?" Susan says with a wry look at Reed. After all it was thanks to Cosmic Rays that Reed was mutated into a virtual living piece of Taffy while Susan could now generate forcefields that could bend the light around her body rendering her invisible or use those forcefields to pick up and move objects.
"I suppose in hindsight one might concede it as irony," Reed was willing to admit. Although at the time that thought hardly crossed his mind with his original intent and all his focus upon reversing the mutation and curing them all...especially Ben. Reed wasn't going to stop until he returned Ben to normal. As for the rest of them...they had all grown to accept their powers these last few months and the good they could do with them. Although he wasn't fond of how they had been turned into celebrities. Of course Johnny just saw their powers and that celebrity as a way to show off although under it was he was a good kid who was there if you were in a tight jam.
"I suspect Professor that you have a more detailed knowledge of mutation than you were ever willing to admit in class," Reed ventures.
"Indeed," Charles admits and he, Reed and Susan begin to have an amiable chat all about it.
"I don't know why I agreed to let you drag me along to this. I don't even like Tony very much," a man with short blond hair is complaining to a woman with auburn hair in a stylish yellow and black dress.
Janet Van Dyne rolls her eyes. "I have to earn a living Hank. You know the living that pays for all your experiments," she reminds him. "Is it asking so much that you help by at least keeping me company and there's another more important reason. What is it again? Oh that's right. You're suppose to be my boyfriend!"
"I am," Hank Pym confirms.
"Really? Cause some days your ants get more of your time than I do," Janet complains. "I bet Spider-Man would pay me attention. I wonder if he's single?"
"W-what!" Hank splutters.
"You know Spider-Man. It could work. You know Insects United!"
"Spiders are arachnids, not insects," Hank points out, wondering what is going through Janet's head. "And you don't even know what he looks like Jan."
"I'm shocked at how shallow you are Henry Pym. Shocked I tells you. You don't judge someone by their appearance," she tells him off.
"I don't judge people in that way. Tony Stark is proof of that and...are you pulling my leg?" he suddenly asks, his brain cottoning onto something Janet does from time to time
Janet snorts with laughter. "Wow the great Henry Pym only took a whole 5 minutes to figure that one out," she says with an impish grin as she admits that, yes, that is exactly what she is doing. Although saying that they had teamed up with the wallcrawler once recently and Janet had found him quite funny and she couldn't help but wonder what he looked like under the mask and whether he was cute.
"It wasn't that long," Hank protests.
Janet laughs some more and stands on her toes to give him a kiss on the cheek. From the day she met him he was so easy to wind up. It was fun and frankly he needed it. If it wasn't for her he would never leave his lab...or remember to change his clothes, wash, eat etc etc.
Janet turns to go mingle when she bumps into someone large.
"Oh please excuse me my dear," the figure apologises.
Janet looks up into a blue furred face but with very kind eyes. "Oh...uh...no problem Mr..."
"McCoy. Henry McCoy," Hanks fills in. Patricia had to go do her job so he was on his own for the moment.
"Dr Henry McCoy?" Hank Pym queries.
"Yes."
Hank Pym's face bursts into an enormous grin and he offers his hand. "I'm Henry Pym and I am a big fan of your work," he says with much enthusiastic praise.
Beast takes the hand and shakes it. "Of course. Dr Pym," he says, feeling he should have recognised him earlier. "I've read all your papers. Genius if I can say so," he heaps praise back.
"You may and thank you."
"Whoa. Just whoa," Janet says stopping them. "You're name's Henry too?" she asks Beast.
"That is what my mother called me. I always found it a very fine name."
"As do I," Henry Pym says in agreement about the name Henry...his name as well.
Beast looks down at the petite woman. "And you are Ms Van Dyne. Delighted to meet you."
"You know me?" Janet asks with a little surprise.
"Several of the female students are big fans of your work," Hank explains how he knows her.
Janet's face brightens. "Really? I'm an icon for mutant fashions?"
"Well I wouldn't phrase it quite like that," Beast cautions.
"But no wait. There's this whole new branch of humanity and no-one to clothe them. Ooh, ooh, I can see my new line!" Janet says as she starts to imagine it. She could be the world leader in clothes specifically aimed at mutants. Her eyes drift off as she daydreams it.
"Oh she's gone," Hank Pym mutters knowing Janet's mind won't be back for awhile. "So Dr McCoy anything new you're working on?" he asks since there is nothing to be done until Janet decides to rejoin the real world.
"Oh many things. All to aid the students with their powers mostly. You won't believe how many times I have to keep rewriting the established laws of physics," Beast complains slightly.
Hank Pym nods in understanding. "Had to rewrite one or two myself," he points out.
The two Henrys begin to discuss their mutual discoveries.
Peter raises his camera and gets a good shot of Professor Xavier and Mr Fantastic speaking. He was here to work. Kitty had gone to get them both a drink and he still can't believe how cute she is in that pink dress.
Actually she's more than cute. She's really beautiful as matter of fact and despite they don't get to see each other every day Peter thinks it is going well between them. Kitty was so smart and funny and kind and courageous...and boy does he have it bad.
"Peter can we have a word?"
Peter turns to see MJ, Gwen and Harry. "Sure. Where's Liz?"
"Uh...bathroom," MJ thinks up because really she didn't know where Liz stormed off to. "So anyway about that girl we saw you with?"
Peter's brow drops. There was just something about the way MJ said that that irks him. "What about her?"
"Do you know who she is?" Gwen asks him sounding a little irate. "What she is?"
Peter's expression turns more serious as he can guess what they mean. "If you mean do I know is she a mutant then yes." He looks at all 3 of them. "What is this about?"
"Well its just...what do you know about her Peter?" MJ asks. "About mutants? I mean no-one knows a lot about them."
Peter can't believe he is hearing this. "Excuse me? Are you judging her on what she is? Have you even bothered to talk to her?"
"We're just looking out for ya man," Harry says.
Gwen nods in agreement with her boyfriend. "Yes. Exactly."
"Funny. I was certain I asked a question there," Peter says with an exaggerated confused expression that points out how they didn't answer it.
"Peter?"
Peter looks to see Kitty has returned. His 3 friends fidget nervously. Seriously what is their problem? MJ and Gwen barely talk to him yet feel they can stick their noses in his business. "Kitty come meet some...friends of mine," he says after a deliberate pause. "This is Mary Jane Watson, Gwen Stacy and Harry Osborn. Guys this is Katherine Pryde."
Kitty smiles warmly, biting down that same insecurity about how she looks in comparison. Especially to the redhead. "Please call me Kitty. It's very nice to meet you. Peter has told me like all about you," she says pleasantly...and he has during their many hours of phone conversations. "And oh my gosh. I so like your dresses. You have to tell me where you got them," Kitty gushes praise.
Gwen and MJ are a little surprised at how...normal she sounds. "Uh...yeah. Hi," MJ manages to say back.
Gwen manages a little wave.
Peter injects some of his humour here. "Harry's in a dress? How did I not notice that?"
"Oh ha ha," Harry retorts.
"People who say 'oh ha ha' are ones who can't think of witty comebacks," Peter quips.
"Oh...ha ha," Harry dead-pans.
Kitty giggles almost spilling the drinks she is still holding. Peter grabs them before she does. "Easy there Kitty."
"So...uh...what is it you can do?" Gwen asks.
"Well I like major in all computing languages and can hack my way into the FBI when I'm bored," Kitty jokes...only not really. She hacked her way into the FBI mainframe when she was 12. After that the challenge was over.
Peter sniggers.
"I also do all the websites for the Xavier Institute," she says more seriously. Hey she has a gift. She might as well use it.
"You do? Really?" Gwen asks sceptically.
Kitty nods. "Yep. Someone has to counter that douche Magneto's message and I'm your girl for that job...you know as well as stopping his evil plots, fighting giant robots and saving the world on a semi-regular basis."
"But she's not boasting," Peter points out.
"Oh so totally not. I leave the giant ego quota to Iceman and Sunspot. After them there really isn't any left to spare."
"So what is it you do?" MJ repeats Gwen's question.
"Hmm?" Kitty queries.
"They mean your powers," Peter clarifies, since he figures that is what they are on about.
"Oh right. I can displace my molecules, lowering my density to the point I can phase through solid matter."
"Say what?" Harry asks, having no idea what Kitty just said.
"She can walk through walls," Gwen clarifies.
"Bet Peter wishes he could do that. Make it easier to get out your locker every time Flash stuffs you in there," Harry mentions.
"Thank you for bringing up such lovely memories Harry," Peter says sarcastically with a roll of his eyes. Of course Peter could easily get out or not get put in there at all. He just can't do that without giving away his powers.
Kitty frowns and places a sympathetic hand on Peter's arm. She hates to hear what her boyfriend has to put up with. She also knows what he goes through. She can't go through a day at school without some kind of insult thrown at her.
"So how did you two meet precisely?" MJ asks, because she can't figure it out.
"Uh, h-how did we meet?" Kitty asks back with a nervous stammer not sure what to say without blowing Peter's secret identity. Boy this is actually hard work keeping it all straight Kitty is beginning to realise. "Well that's...uh...a story. Peter?" she asks, turning to him to think of something.
Actually Peter has a prepared response. What he told his friends that day he went to Bayville chasing after the Black Cat. "It was that time I went to Bayville for JJ. Remember?"
"Yeah," Harry says, but only barely.
"I, uh, bumped into Clark Kent, the human boy at the Institute, and we talked and he introduced me to his friends including Kitty."
"And we, uh, stayed in touch ever since," Kitty adds in. That sounds plausible.
"So does that mean you knew about mutants before we did?" Gwen wants to know.
Peter thinks what to say. He could give an answer either way actually.
"No," Kitty says for him, making sure he doesn't have to take any sort of blame. "We had to keep it like a total secret back then. After we came out Peter was very understanding about why we did that."
"Aw shucks. Well you know me. Mr Understanding," Peter jests.
"Just another secret huh Pete," Gwen says, with anger lacing her tone. How many bloody secrets does he have? She knows there is stuff he doesn't tell her, never told her even when they were dating. His odd disappearances, his lame excuses, his complete personality transplant to a jerk and then just as suddenly he is back to normal. Is it any wonder they didn't work out?
"What?" Peter asks, not understanding what Gwen is on about.
"Friends in Bayville that you never mentioned," Gwen clarifies.
Peter shrugs. "It wasn't important."
"Wasn't important?" Gwen almost shrieks. ""Dear God whatever happened to my best friend who told me everything?"
"He grew up," Peter says solemnly. "And learned that sometimes secrets have to be kept."
"Some days Peter I wonder if I ever knew you at all," Gwen accuses before walking off.
Peter grimaces. He hates having to lie to her but it is for the best. He completely believes that.
"I'll get her," Harry says as he chases after her.
"I'll...go find Liz," MJ decides, getting out of this awkward moment as fast as possible.
Peter lets out a painful sounding sigh.
"I'm sorry," Kitty says in a small voice.
"Sorry? For what?" Peter inquires as he looks at her guilt ridden expression.
"For messing it up with your friend."
"What? No. Just...that...has nothing to do with you at all," Peter assures her. "That...was all me. That comes from stuff from months ago." Peter puts the drinks down he was still holding and gently places his hands on Kitty's face and tilts her head to look at him. "I promise you Kitty that nothing of that was your fault and I don't regret us going out. If Gwen or my friends have a problem they will just have to get over it." Peter drops his head and kisses Kitty gently on the lips. "I enjoy your company Kitty and I like going out with you...although Clark did warn me that you'd use me as a pack mule whenever you take me with you to go shopping."
Kitty gasps. "I am so killing him," she swears as she stamps her foot a little.
Peter chuckles. Kitty is so adorable when she's mad.
Rogue glances out the corner of her eye. Clark was still debating with the Thing only they were off pies and on to more general food topics. Seriously how can anyone talk so much about food is beyond her. She had been playing with the Human Torch, feigning flirty interest in him...and he was so full of himself he couldn't even see she was pretending which is only going to make this all the sweeter when she executes her plan.
For the last 10 minutes at least he had been droning on and on about how wonderful he was, how he took down Dr Doom, how many times he personally, not the Fantastic Four, how he personally saved the world. Rogue has had to stop herself from rolling her eyes in what would be, no doubt, a world record number of eye-rolls.
Rogue is smiling flirtatiously at whatever he is saying. Honestly her Kitty-mode had turned on and she had been tuning this pompous ass out in the same way as she does whenever Kitty's on one of her non-stop babbles. Rogue's hand goes up to her neck and she fingers at the scarf she is wearing. "It's a little warm ain't it...but then again that could just beh from being in your presence," she says, going as far as to batting her eyelids slightly. "Is this an effect ya have often on women?"
'Hell yeah,' is what Johnny Storm thinks. He doesn't say it because women need to know they're special. "Only on the special ones," he says with a charming grin.
Rogue fakes a small laugh and fingers at her scarf a little more. "Think ya could help a lady cool off?"
"Well my speciality is warming things up but for you I can try," Johnny says as his hand goes up to the scarf to gently pull it away.
Rogue 'accidentally' nudges his arm. "Oops," she fakes as his bare hand touched the bare skin on her neck.
Johnny lets out a cry of shock as he feels all his strength leave him. Rogue had been careful not to overdo it but this should still be good. Johnny sways on his feet, struggling to remain conscious. Rogue gently pokes him with her finger in his chest and down he goes, backward, right through the buffet table whose contents fall atop of him covering him in all sorts.
Rogue turns to look at the Thing. She raises her hand. "Uh Mr Grimm. Ah think your friend just fainted," she feigns complete innocence. She sees Clark raise an eyebrow showing he isn't buying it. He points at his ears. Dang superhearing.
Ben walks his heavy steps over to where Johnny lies...and bursts into a fit of laughter at Johnny's appearance with a trifle bowl on his head. "That's a good look for ya Matchstick."
"Hnn," is Johnny not so eloquent reply.
By now people are gathering and taking pictures on their phones. Ben sighs and picks Johnny up. He has to hold the kid steady on wobbly feet. "What's the matter with ya kid?" Ben asks Johnny. "Ya sick?"
"Pft. I'm no sick," Johnny slurs his words. "Hey Ben did I ever tell ya how much I love ya."
"Oh boy. What have ya been drinking?" Ben asks because no way would Johnny ever say that to him.
"Johnny!" an irate sounding voice cries. The commotion has caught the attention of Johnny's sister who storms over.
Johnny waves in a manner that resembles a drunken one. "Hey sis, sister of mine, sis," he slurs.
"Oh my God!" Susan proclaims horrified at his appearance. They hadn't been here an hour and look at him already. "I just can't take you anywhere!" she says, mortified at being embarrassed by Johnny's antics...again!
"Suzie I've been tellin' ya that one for months," Ben says.
"Ben...can you take him to the restroom and see what you can do to clean him up?" Susan asks.
"Sure Suzie," Ben agrees because he would do anything for her if she asked. "Come on Flame-brain," he says to Johnny as he virtually carries him. Johnny meanwhile starts singing and Ben wishes he was somewhere else.
Rogue's chest is heaving with suppressed laughter. Someone coughs next to her. "Oh hey Clark. Have a nice chat with the Thing?"
"Oh yes. Lovely. Now care to tell me what that was about?"
Rogue shrugs. "A gal can't have a little fun. Why? Ya jealous of his flirting with meh?"
"No...not really."
Rogue arches an eyebrow at his need to say it twice.
Clark cracks. "Maybe a little. I mean look at him. Big famous hero and I'm..."
"Tha man ah love," Rogue says, giving him a kiss to prove it. "Trust meh Clark ya have nothing ta beh jealous about. Ah'm almost regretting absorbing his mind though. Tha ego would put your alter ego Kal ta shame."
"That big?" Clark asks with some surprise.
"Tha words God's gift ta women are quite prominent in his head," Rogue reports.
"Do...do you have his powers?"
"Yeah but ah would rather not demonstrate. They tend to destroy whatever clothes he wears."
"And this would be a problem in your case how?" Clark asks, with a cheeky grin and a suggestive waggle of his eyebrows.
Rogue slaps him playfully and rolls her eyes but with that secret smile that shows how much she loves him.
Scott continues to look between Jean and Emma as they glare at each other. He wonders if they're having some kind of psychic slanging match or something. This is so not good. They never got on when Emma was at the Institute. They spent more time trading insults and put downs than Scott thinks they ever had having a civil conversation...although civil would be stretching the definition.
He gets a break when the commotion caused by Johnny Storm collapsing through the buffet table draws the attention of all 3 of them.
Emma rolls her eyes and makes a sound of displeasure. "The riff-raff they allow in these days," she says disparagingly.
Jean is almost certain that one was actually aimed at her by the fact Emma is looking at her with a cold smirk. Her hands clench into fists. God what she would give to wipe that smug look off Emma's surgically altered face.
"So," Scott starts to say looking for a way out. "What have you been up to Emma?" he asks.
Emma turns her head graciously to look at him and a small smile plays on her lips. "Well perhaps you and I could discuss that over dinner sometime?" she proposes.
"Ha! That'll be the day," Jean scoffs.
"I believe I was asking Scott, Jean darling, not you...unless of course that is how your relationship works. Hmm? Does Scott need to run by you every decision he makes?"
"Of course he doesn't," Jean fires back.
"Can't he meet an old friend for dinner and some catching up?"
"You don't count as an old friend."
"You're right," Emma says in surprise agreement. "We were closer than that weren't we Scott?" she drops that in slyly.
Scott scratches the back of his head nervously. "Uh...well...it was only a couple of dates Emma," he clumsily trips over his words.
"Dates!" Jean yells in complete shock. "You dated her?" she asks Scott, pointing at Emma, a look of complete disbelief on her face.
"Scott, you never told her? My, my, you must have decided that it would be our special little secret. I'm touched," Emma says, taking pure delight in implying something that will rattle Jean. Sure she's twisting it but that's half the fun.
'How did I not know this?' Jean asks herself. She was there but she never...how did Scott and Emma do it without her noticing? 'What other secrets is Scott hiding from me?' she can't help but wonder. "Excuse me. I need to use the ladies room," she says, needing to get away and gather her thoughts.
"Jean," Scott says and starts to go after her only for Emma to grip his arm and stop him.
"Sometimes we ladies need some privacy Scott, darling. Now how about I answer your question about what I've been up to hmm?"
"Well...alright," Scott supposes. Maybe he should let Jean go cool off. He could sense how aggravated she was through their link.
Emma smiles inwardly at herself. And so the undermining of trust begins. She clears her throat and starts telling Scott only what she wants him to hear.
Evan bites into...uh who knows what. Luckily there are lots of tables with food and not just the one that was trashed. Although that was funny. Domino was still chasing after celebs...and as a supermodel walks by Evan can see why.
He wonders if he can get her phone number...
Martha blinks...three times. She hadn't laid eyes on Sebastian Shaw since she called off their engagement. That was close to 2 decades ago.
Sebastian takes Martha's hand and kisses the back of it in a polite gesture. "I'm glad you remember me," he says in silky tones.
Martha finds her voice. "You're a little hard to forget Sebastian."
"I hope in a good way."
Maybe Martha shouldn't answer that. She left because, Sebastian, along with most of the people in her father's world were shallow, greedy, selfish twits...in her opinion. She remembered him, yes, because they were engaged, but more because she eventually came to see him as an emblem of everything she had come to dislike about her father and herself. That's why she left. She had to get away before she ended up just like all those people.
Loud coughing intervenes. Jonathan.
"Sebastian, this is Jonathan Kent, my husband," Martha introduces him. "Jonathan this is Sebastian Shaw."
Jonathan offer his hand out of politeness. "Mr Shaw. Martha told me all about you."
"All good I hope," Sebastian says back as he takes the offered hand, out of expected politeness. Not because he thought much of the man. As he had found out by checking up on Martha she had married far beneath herself in the form of a farmer. He never really understood why she called off their wedding and left. Oh she wrote him a letter detailing her reasons but he never understood what she meant and to go on and marry so far below her station makes no sense to Sebastian. Perhaps one day he'll get an answer from her but this is not the correct forum for that. Although rest assured, now he is back in her life, that day and that forum is coming.
"Martha never has a bad word to say about anyone. It's one of her best qualities," Jonathan heaps praise on his wife and it's mostly true. She has talked about Sebastian to him and while he may not be the best man Martha never really criticised him that strongly. More he is simply a product of a society elite that Jonathan never cared for.
Martha is impressed at Jonathan self-restraint so far...although they have been shaking hand an awful long time. Oh good grief. They are trying to squeeze each other's hand in some stupid contest. Martha subtly elbows Jonathan and he breaks it.
"How's Shinobi?" Martha asks after Sebastian's son. A son he fathered with a woman before she met him. He had only been little more than a baby last time she saw Shinobi.
Shaw hides the disappointment he has in his son and gives the rather bland answer of, "Fine."
"He must be what, 21, 22 by now?"
"22," Sebastian confirms his son's age.
"Following in your footsteps?" she asks, because Sebastian owned Shaw International and surely Shinobi would be following Sebastian into running that.
"Trying," Shaw says through a thin smile. Trying and failing. Shinobi would rather party than do real work. "And yourself Martha? I hear you have a son," he says, turning the topic around and off his failure of a son.
"Yes. Clark," Martha says with total pride in her son. "He's 17. Wants to be a reporter. You know exposing the truth, seeing justice is done."
Shaw laughs politely to humour her. "Noble ideals indeed."
"Right," Jonathan mutters. He had been silent for the most part but from what he knows of this man he doubts Shaw is a big believer in noble ideals.
Then there is the commotion caused by Johnny Storm going through the table.
"Tsk. Tsk," Shaw says disapprovingly at the scene. "Stark really must screen his guests more thoroughly."
"On that I agree," Jonathan says, only he is aiming that comment at Shaw.
Shaw leaves that irrelevance and turns back to Martha. "So I saw you on the news Martha at Congress. Most courageous of you to stand up for mutant rights."
"It was simply doing the right thing," Martha insists.
"I'm curious how you ended up at Xavier's school. I mean I saw what you said to Congress but it's not the same as hearing it from the source."
Martha eyes Sebastian carefully. She may be rusty at these sort of gatherings but it feels like he is fishing for something. Martha simply gives the same answer she has given before about meeting the Professor, losing the farm and being invited to the Institute. She's said it so often now she can do it in her sleep.
It does not escape Sebastian how well practised the reply is. There is more than what she is saying. He'll have to remember to find out what it is. "It was most generous of you to dedicate yourself to the children," he compliments her, choosing that to be his response for the minute.
"Helping those children has been it's own reward," Martha says.
"Of cour..."
"Now what are all these people doing here?" a very loud voice breaks into every conversation.
All heads turn to see a well dressed man with short black hair and a well trimmed beard. The man of the moment, Tony Stark, has arrived.
Pepper, next to him, rubs the throbbing vein on her forehead. "It's your annual Halloween dinner Tony. You know where people come and speak. It happens every year...oh that's right. Normally you don't turn up!" she snaps.
"Well I turned up this year didn't I," Tony says, with that easy smile of his...that makes Pepper want to kill him.
"Rhodey," Pepper addresses the african-american man standing next to Tony. James Rupert 'Rhodey' Rhodes, formerly of the air-force and now head of Stark Industries security, including Tony's personal security.
"Yes Pepper," Rhodey says.
"In about 10 seconds you'll be needing to protect Tony from a grievous threat."
"And what threat would that be?"
"Me!"
Rhodey chuckles.
Tony pouts. "Aw Pepper. You love me really."
"The only person who loves you is your ego," Pepper fires off.
Tony grins, unabashed by the comment as he makes his way into the crowd, whose attention is now riveted to him...as normal for whenever Tony enters a room. Now that he was here the party could really get started.
Author's Note: In the Ultimate verse Liz was mutant-phobic and I'd thought I would make her the same here. So Fantastic Four cameo; check. Ant-Man and Wasp; check. Tony Stark; check. Thanks to everyone who wrote reviews. Next up; Amanda's parents meet the real Kurt and Tony Stark gets a surprise guest show up at his party.