Disclaimer: I don't own X-Men: Evolution. Lucinda "Lucie" Cartwright belongs to me.

Chapter Thirty Five – Forging Friendships

December 1998

How did I end up in this situation?

It was a few days after Jubilee's discovery and Bobby's proposal, and Wanda Maximoff was traipsing along a lonely beach, wondering what she'd done to deserve this torture.

To be fair, it wasn't the beach that was the problem, though to most people it wouldn't have been the most appealing destination that morning; the sky was grey and stormy and that was reflected in the waves that broke at the edge of the sand.

No, her problem was with her company. In an attempt to avoid hexing Todd any more than she already had, she was tuning him out as he jogged along beside her, chattering faster than Pietro, which she'd previously deemed impossible.

"Wanda, are you listening to me at all?"

"Hmm?" Wanda shook herself out of her thoughts, slightly surprised. It wasn't like Todd to check that she was paying attention; usually, he just talked at her until she told him to shut up or threw him into a wall. "No, sorry. What were you saying?"

Todd slowed down to a walk and she automatically slowed her pace as well, turning to look at him. "I don't blame you." He told her quietly. "I've been a bit of a pain. I was just apologising for how I've acted since you got here and I'm going to stop."

"Really?" Wanda asked sceptically. "No more cheesy chat-up lines? No more asking me out every second of every day? No more pet-names?"

"No more." Todd agreed. "I promise."

"Thank God." Wanda sighed. "I was getting tired of hexing you all the time. It's not that I don't like you," she added hastily. "I just don't like you in that way. You're like my little brother."

"So we're good?" Todd checked.

Wanda nodded with a smile. "We're good."

"Good." Todd pointed over her shoulder. "Now what's that?"

"What?" Wanda followed his gaze to see something lying near the water's edge about twenty feet away. "I don't know."

They approached the bundle cautiously, but, when they were a few steps away, Wanda stopped. "It's just an old canvas blanket. Probably fell off a ship somewhere."

Todd hopped the remaining distance and poked it softly. "It's not just a blanket; there's something inside it."

Curiosity peaked, Wanda knelt down on the other side and carefully peeled the blanket back, only to find a young woman about her age, with black hair and very pale skin.

"Holy smoke, is she alright?" Todd asked, sounding worried.

"I don't know." Wanda seized the girl's wrist. "Pulse is stable, breathing's steady … She's just unconscious, I think. Here." She pulled her cell-phone out and tossed it to him. "Call Lance; we need a ride."

"Surely an ambulance is the first port of call." Todd suggested.

"She's mutant." Wanda told him. "I'm sure of it. She's fully dressed, which means she didn't decide to go swimming, but there's no water in the lungs; no human could manage that. Make the call."

With a sudden groan, the girl's eyes fluttered open, revealing a deep blue colour. She coughed a few times, trying to sit up. "Where am I?"

"Bayville, New York." Wanda put a hand on her shoulder. "Don't try to sit up yet. I'm Wanda; this is Todd. Are you okay? What's your name?"

"Lucie. Lucie Cartwright." She answered, running a hand through her hair. "Great; that's gonna be hell to wash out." She stopped suddenly, bringing her hand down in front of her face. "What happened to my skin?"

"You weren't this colour before?" Wanda guessed tentatively.

"Not this pale." Lucie shook her head, looking a little frightened. "What's happening to me?"

Out of the corner of her eye, Wanda saw the ocean's surface shudder. "Don't panic, Lucie, but I think you might be mutant. It's okay." She added reassuringly. "We are too. Why don't you tell us what happened?"

"My dad …" Lucie murmured absently. "My dad's a lieutenant in the US Navy. It was my parents' wedding anniversary and he'd pulled some strings to let us visit the ship … he's been at sea for the last six months … The weather got really bad out there and this one huge wave came up; looked like it was gonna swamp the ship … then I screamed and it stopped and went back into the ocean. And then … I think I fell overboard."

"Er, I hate to break it to you, but I think they'd have managed to pull you back up if you just fell." Wanda pointed out, holding up the blanket. "And there's this thing."

Lucie sighed. "Yeah, I guess you're right. Dammit."

"Don't worry." Wanda assured her. "My father freaked out when my powers appeared and he is mutant."

Lucie's expression lightened slightly, though the worry remained in her eyes. "I guess I'm just worried about what I'll do now." She held up a hand. "Is this going to change?"

"It might not be a permanent change." Wanda told her. "Toad goes green in water."

"I have got to get a new code-name." Todd commented, hanging up the phone. "Lance is on his way; Kitty's with him."

"Oh, great." Wanda groaned.

"What's wrong with Kitty?" Todd frowned. "I thought you liked her."

"I do." Wanda sighed. "But the second the X-Men get involved, this'll turn into a turf war and that's not what she needs right now. Sorry." She gave Lucie a weary smile. "I didn't mean to talk about you like you weren't here."

"It's okay." Lucie shrugged, shivering in the December air. "Who are the X-Men? And why will it turn into a turf war?"

Belatedly, Wanda realised that the girl was still soaked to the skin and wrapped the blanket around her shoulders, explaining the rivalry between the two teams as best she could, with Todd adding bits in some places and correcting her in others.

The sound of a car horn caused all three to look up to see Lance's jeep pull up in the parking lot.

Kitty phased out of the front seat, not bothering with the door, and flew them both down to where they were sitting.

"Not exactly beach weather." The brunette called with a grin when they were in earshot.

"Funny." Wanda shot back. "You still having power trouble?"

Kitty pulled a face. "I just don't get it." She caught sight of Lucie. "Oh God, you must be freezing. Here." She rubbed her hands together and combined Storm and Amara's powers to produce a jet of hot air.

"I see what you mean." Wanda commented. "Shouldn't you have lost them by now?"

"I should." Kitty agreed. "But I haven't. Hey, I don't get it either." She shrugged. "I just go with it."

Slowly, as she dried out, Lucie's skin colour faded back into a light tan. "Thanks."

"You're welcome." Kitty shut off the power. "I'm Kitty, by the way; Kitty Pryde. You know about the X-Men now, right?"

"Lucie Cartwright." Lucie shook her hand. "Yeah, I do. No offence, but I've had enough formality to last me a lifetime. So I'll stick with these guys if it's alright with them."

"Perfectly fine." Wanda assured her.

"Hey, don't I get a say in this?" Lance asked. "I'm the leader; apparently, that's kinda important."

"It is. To you." Wanda smirked. "Why, do you have a problem with her staying?"

"No." Lance admitted. "But I would still like to be consulted."

Wanda rolled her eyes. "Lucie, this, by the way, is Lance Alvers, our fearless leader."

Kitty started suddenly, pulling her phone out of her pocket. "I keep forgetting I've got this thing on vibrate."

"I hate it when that happens." Wanda sympathised.

Kitty grinned at her and flipped it open. "Hello? Hi, Scott. Hang on." She covered the mouthpiece. "Hey, is Lucie short for Lucinda?"

Lucie nodded. "Yeah, why?"

"Long story." Kitty turned back to the phone. "Yeah, I just met her. No. Because. Because. Look, isn't that her choice? They haven't done anything!" She rolled her eyes. "Newsflash, Cyclops: No one in the Brotherhood is telepathic. Oh, my God, Scott, if you say that one more time, I swear on all that is good in this world that I will find your spare visor, steal it and shove it so far down your throat you'll need a proctologist to pull it out the other end. And while they're in there, maybe they can have a look for that steel rod you've obviously got stuck up there."

Lance applauded as she hung up. "She shoots; she scores!"

Kitty closed her eyes and took a few calming breaths, before opening them again and giving Lucie a strained smile. "At this rate, I might be joining you."

Anna Marie Darkholme, also known as Rogue, was in a bit of a quandary and she was beginning to regret talking Remy out of coming to Louisiana with her.

Despite her assertions in Egypt, she had to admit she was still a little nervous about facing Mystique and had still only been discussing it with Remy when Storm informed her that she and Wolverine were flying down South if she wanted to join them.

Anna knew Bobby was running a training session that morning and, since she'd already had hers, she had managed to convince Remy stay in Bayville, wanting to keep this meeting as argument-free as possible.

If that was even possible to start with.

Logan and Ororo had stayed in town to do whatever it was they'd come down for (she hadn't really been paying attention) and Anna was now standing outside her foster-mother's front door, Lorelai sleeping soundly in her carrier, debating whether or not to knock.

Of course, it didn't matter in the long run whether she knocked or not, because Irene Adler was psychic and answered the door regardless.

"Anna. It's been a long time."

"Yes, it has." Anna agreed, transferring Lorelai's carrier to her other hand to hug her guardian, before taking her hand and guiding it to her daughter.

Destiny's fingers travelled lightly over Lorelai's face and her own lit into a smile. "She's going to look just like you, dear."

It had been a long time since Anna had questioned how Irene knew things like that and she wasn't about to start again. "Is she here?"

Irene nodded. "She doesn't know you're here yet. There's time."

"No." Anna took a shaky breath. "I have to do this. Can I leave Lorie in the hallway?" Without waiting for a response, she set the baby-carrier down outside the kitchen and walked in, refusing to second-guess herself a moment longer.

Mystique was sitting at the table when she entered. "Rogue. You came."

"Anna." She corrected, accepting the mug of coffee she was handed. "I'm not in uniform. And I keep my promises. Before we start, there's a question Kurt asked me to ask."

"Go on." Mystique prompted.

"Was he always blue?" Anna asked. "Or was it just the tail Magneto gave him?"

"He was always blue." Mystique told her. "To this day, I don't know what Eric was planning."

"Yes, well, maybe it's best if we stay away from Magneto's motives." Anna muttered. "I've had him in my head and he's twisted in every sense of the word. Now it's my turn. Did you know I was mutant when you adopted me?"

"I … I had my suspicions." Mystique admitted. "The moment I met you, I knew you were different. But I wasn't looking for a mutant child when I set out to adopt."

Anna glanced over at Destiny, who was nodding, confirming her words. "And why go to such lengths to keep me from the X-Men? Was it that Magneto wanted my powers or something else?"

"I just didn't want to lose another child." Mystique sighed.

"And Risty?" Anna pressed; this, after all, was what had hurt her more than anything. "Was that to be close to me or the X-Men?"

Mystique hesitated. "A bit of both. Primarily the first."

Anna fell silent for a few minutes, sipping at her coffee. Presently, she added, "I remember how you treated the boys when I was in the Brotherhood. One minute, you were scarily maternal; the next, you were ready to kill them."

"If I disciplined them, Sabretooth wouldn't." Mystique shrugged. "And those four can wear on your last nerve."

"Tell me about it." Anna frowned. "There is one more thing that's bugging me. Why Lance?"

It was clear Mystique hadn't expected her to ask that. "What?"

"Well, Wanda's Magneto's daughter, hates him; I get that." Anna counted them off on her fingers. "Pietro's his son, ditto. Todd and Freddie don't have anywhere else to go. But Lance grew up with a loving family; he only stayed to protect the others. He was doing fine in school and the earthquake in Northbrook was natural. Why recruit him?"

Mystique stared into her mug. "Magneto wanted him. I asked why but he never told me."

Anna sighed, needing to make a decision and quickly. "Well, I can't say I agree with what you did … I don't think I ever will, but …" She grimaced inwardly, knowing that she'd have to take the first step. "But I understand where your reasons now. And I can forgive you. Pull crap like this again and we're done."

"I don't blame you." Mystique reached across the table and squeezed her hand. "Thank you."

Anna didn't respond, taking another gulp of coffee to steel herself. "I had a baby."

Mystique choked on her coffee momentarily. "I'm sorry; what?"

"I had a baby." Anna repeated. "A girl. October 27th. When we had that talk outside the Sphinx, I was pregnant. In labour, actually; I just hadn't realised it yet."

"Who's the father?" Mystique demanded.

"Gambit." Anna held up her left hand so her mother could see the ring there. "We're getting married; haven't set a date yet though."

Remy had proposed to her a few days after Kitty's exit from the Infirmary, down by the lake while they were talking about Lorelai's christening; though neither of them was particularly religious, they wanted some sort of ceremony. Jamie had eventually solved their dilemma by suggesting they start a tradition by having a 'Welcome to the World' party.

"What's her name?" Mystique asked.

"Lorelai Katherine." Anna hesitated, seeing the expression in her companion's eyes. "Would you like to meet her?"

Mystique nodded. "Of course! When?"

"Right now seems like a good time." Anna suggested, standing up before she could talk herself out of it. She ducked into the hallway to find that Lorelai had woken up, for once without crying, and quickly unbuckled the safety belt so she could scoop her daughter up, before rejoining the two in the kitchen. "She's already giving her father a run for his money; she's blown up about five teddy-bears already." Praying that she was doing the right thing, she gently placed her daughter into her mother's arms.

Lorelai squirmed slightly to look up at the person holding her with blue eyes that were slowly turning red-on-black, just like her father's. As her grandmother touched her face gently, she caught hold of her finger with a surprisingly strong hand and, with another wiggle, she'd grabbed her mother's finger in the other hand.

Neither woman pulled away, gazing down at the child between them in silence.

Was it possible that Lorelai Katherine LeBeau could do what years of lies and manipulation had failed to, and unite a torn family?

AN: If you want the story of Remy's proposal, go read 'Winter Joy'. Review please!