p class="MsoNormal""Wow,
Ardor! Somebody's ready for a public appearance!" Voltage grins when she sees me. "You look great."br / "Thanks."
I blush at the compliment. I hope she's not just being nice, because I just spent a good forty minutes in a public restroom working on my hair and makeup. It better be worth all the gasps and horrified looks I got from the stream of angry women queued up outside when I left in full / "Where's Pyro?" She asks,
searching the area. "Shouldn't he be here by now?"br /
"I don't know." I reply bluntly. br / "Ask him?" She suggests, as if it should be obvious. br /
"Oh, yeah. Sorry." I close my eyes to strengthen our connection. "emJohn. Where are you?/em"br / "emI'm on my way/em." Is his stern / "He's coming now." I tell her / "What's up with you two?" She eyes me suspiciously. "Did something happen last night?"br /
"No." I snap back, a little too /
"Okay," She elongates the word, showing her doubt at my answer. "Oh crap!"br / "What? What is it?"
What's wrong? Has something happened with the plan?br /
"Umm... A certain mutant supergroup may be standing about fifty feet to your right." She fiddles with the bottom of her mask nervously. br / "What?! The X-Men are here?" Anger and pain emerge in my chest at the sight of the blue and yellow uniforms of my old / "Ardor, we're here for a valid reason that does not involve them." Voltage steps closer to me in an almost protective manner. "Just ignore them."br / "Okay." I agree, but I don't think it's that simple.
This is the first time I'm seeing my friends since I ruined everything with them. It's difficult to simply ignore /
"You wait here for John; I'm going to set up." She smiles reassuringly. It's strange to think how much I used to dislike this girl, and how much our relationship has changed in the last twenty four / "Sure." She leaves. I am now alone.
In a public place. In an outfit that would publicly out my as a mutant even if I wasn't already a wanted criminal. I didn't really think this / Beginning to panic, I slip into the thick crowd, hoping that I won't stick out so much /
"Hey! It's her, the mutant!" Someone /
"Everyone, run!" A woman squeals. emCrap. This was a bad idea!/em I walk faster through the crowd, turning back to check that I'm not being followed. I'm not. They're all running / Suddenly, I crash into someone. Two strong, yet familiar hands grasp my shoulders as I try to get away. I squeal as I am pulled around a large tree, away from the commotion. I push the hands from my / "What the hell do you think you're-" My words are cut off when I see the face above me.
"Scott..."br / "Why are you wearing your X-Men uniform?" He asks bluntly. "And what have you done to your hair?"br / "It's not my X-Men uniform." I shrug, before turning my attention to my hair, brushing my fingers through it, suddenly self-conscious. "I dyed it. Don't you like it?"br / "What are these?" He takes hold of my wrist, spotting the burns. I yank my arm from his /
"Burns." I say dismissively. "What's wrong with my hair?"br / "You can't be burnt." He states.
"And no, I don't like your hair. It's not you."br /
"How do you know what's em'me'/em? I'm not the same girl you fell in love with, Scott Summers!" I snap back. I don't mean it. But building up my walls is easier than admitting to him how much I'm falling apart / "You're right, you're not the girl I fell in love with." His words are like a knife in my heart. "Why are you here, Ardor?"br / "I could ask you the same the same thing, Cyclops!"
Using our code names seems to help keep the distance between / "You're not an X-Man anymore, Ardor. So, that doesn't concern you." His reply is curt, almost rude. "Anyway, I don't know what you're doing, but you shouldn't be here."br / "You don't own me." I / "No,
but I still love you. Even though that makes me a total idiot, I do."
He confession takes me by surprise. He's so open. "And that's why you need to leave. You're not safe in public. Especially today."br / "I can't go." I am conscious that my emotions are starting to show through in my voice. "I'm here with someone."br / "Who?" His defensiveness is obvious. As if on cue, Voltage stumbles through the tree / "Finally! I've been looking for you every-" She stops when she sees Scott. "Where..."br / "Her?"
He raises his eyebrows. "The girl who pushed you out of an eighth story window?"br / "I wanted a team. She was there." My voice is smooth, / "So,
that's why you're wearing that outfit?"br / "Yes."
Is my simple reply. I can't keep this up much longer. emBeing around him is tearing me apart./embr / "Is there a problem here?" John's voice beside me makes me jump. He wraps his arm around my shoulders. I turn my face away from his,
embarrassed at the / "You've got to be kidding me?" I notice Scott's body tense. br / "Scott,
you don't understand. He was just-"br / "Did he do that to you?" He asks, taking my wrist /
"That's none of your business!" I snap, pulling my hand to my / "Come on, Summers." John sounds smug.
He squeezes my shoulders slightly. "You dated a pyrokinetic, you know what happens when we get... emPassionate/em."br / "Get away from her." Scott / "Why should I? You left her." John places a light kiss on my check. I look up at the sky and take a deep breath - this is not going to end well. br / "emJohn, stop it/em." I order / "That doesn't mean she should be with you!"br / "Can you stop talking about me like I'm an object? Jeez! I don't belong to either of you!" I yell, more than irritated by their bickering. br / "True."
John's satisfied smile grows. "By he wasn't the one in your bed last night, was he?"br / "Shut up!" Scott's entire body is tense now. It amazes me that he hasn't already punched John in the face... Or worse. I have to admit, even I have the / "Pyro, I think we should go."
Voltage speaks up. "I think these two have some stuff to discuss."br / "Don't bother." Scott cuts in.
"I'm leaving."br / "Scott! Wait!" I beg,
the desperation clear in my / "Goodbye,
Ardor."/p
Ardor! Somebody's ready for a public appearance!" Voltage grins when she sees me. "You look great."br / "Thanks."
I blush at the compliment. I hope she's not just being nice, because I just spent a good forty minutes in a public restroom working on my hair and makeup. It better be worth all the gasps and horrified looks I got from the stream of angry women queued up outside when I left in full / "Where's Pyro?" She asks,
searching the area. "Shouldn't he be here by now?"br /
"I don't know." I reply bluntly. br / "Ask him?" She suggests, as if it should be obvious. br /
"Oh, yeah. Sorry." I close my eyes to strengthen our connection. "emJohn. Where are you?/em"br / "emI'm on my way/em." Is his stern / "He's coming now." I tell her / "What's up with you two?" She eyes me suspiciously. "Did something happen last night?"br /
"No." I snap back, a little too /
"Okay," She elongates the word, showing her doubt at my answer. "Oh crap!"br / "What? What is it?"
What's wrong? Has something happened with the plan?br /
"Umm... A certain mutant supergroup may be standing about fifty feet to your right." She fiddles with the bottom of her mask nervously. br / "What?! The X-Men are here?" Anger and pain emerge in my chest at the sight of the blue and yellow uniforms of my old / "Ardor, we're here for a valid reason that does not involve them." Voltage steps closer to me in an almost protective manner. "Just ignore them."br / "Okay." I agree, but I don't think it's that simple.
This is the first time I'm seeing my friends since I ruined everything with them. It's difficult to simply ignore /
"You wait here for John; I'm going to set up." She smiles reassuringly. It's strange to think how much I used to dislike this girl, and how much our relationship has changed in the last twenty four / "Sure." She leaves. I am now alone.
In a public place. In an outfit that would publicly out my as a mutant even if I wasn't already a wanted criminal. I didn't really think this / Beginning to panic, I slip into the thick crowd, hoping that I won't stick out so much /
"Hey! It's her, the mutant!" Someone /
"Everyone, run!" A woman squeals. emCrap. This was a bad idea!/em I walk faster through the crowd, turning back to check that I'm not being followed. I'm not. They're all running / Suddenly, I crash into someone. Two strong, yet familiar hands grasp my shoulders as I try to get away. I squeal as I am pulled around a large tree, away from the commotion. I push the hands from my / "What the hell do you think you're-" My words are cut off when I see the face above me.
"Scott..."br / "Why are you wearing your X-Men uniform?" He asks bluntly. "And what have you done to your hair?"br / "It's not my X-Men uniform." I shrug, before turning my attention to my hair, brushing my fingers through it, suddenly self-conscious. "I dyed it. Don't you like it?"br / "What are these?" He takes hold of my wrist, spotting the burns. I yank my arm from his /
"Burns." I say dismissively. "What's wrong with my hair?"br / "You can't be burnt." He states.
"And no, I don't like your hair. It's not you."br /
"How do you know what's em'me'/em? I'm not the same girl you fell in love with, Scott Summers!" I snap back. I don't mean it. But building up my walls is easier than admitting to him how much I'm falling apart / "You're right, you're not the girl I fell in love with." His words are like a knife in my heart. "Why are you here, Ardor?"br / "I could ask you the same the same thing, Cyclops!"
Using our code names seems to help keep the distance between / "You're not an X-Man anymore, Ardor. So, that doesn't concern you." His reply is curt, almost rude. "Anyway, I don't know what you're doing, but you shouldn't be here."br / "You don't own me." I / "No,
but I still love you. Even though that makes me a total idiot, I do."
He confession takes me by surprise. He's so open. "And that's why you need to leave. You're not safe in public. Especially today."br / "I can't go." I am conscious that my emotions are starting to show through in my voice. "I'm here with someone."br / "Who?" His defensiveness is obvious. As if on cue, Voltage stumbles through the tree / "Finally! I've been looking for you every-" She stops when she sees Scott. "Where..."br / "Her?"
He raises his eyebrows. "The girl who pushed you out of an eighth story window?"br / "I wanted a team. She was there." My voice is smooth, / "So,
that's why you're wearing that outfit?"br / "Yes."
Is my simple reply. I can't keep this up much longer. emBeing around him is tearing me apart./embr / "Is there a problem here?" John's voice beside me makes me jump. He wraps his arm around my shoulders. I turn my face away from his,
embarrassed at the / "You've got to be kidding me?" I notice Scott's body tense. br / "Scott,
you don't understand. He was just-"br / "Did he do that to you?" He asks, taking my wrist /
"That's none of your business!" I snap, pulling my hand to my / "Come on, Summers." John sounds smug.
He squeezes my shoulders slightly. "You dated a pyrokinetic, you know what happens when we get... emPassionate/em."br / "Get away from her." Scott / "Why should I? You left her." John places a light kiss on my check. I look up at the sky and take a deep breath - this is not going to end well. br / "emJohn, stop it/em." I order / "That doesn't mean she should be with you!"br / "Can you stop talking about me like I'm an object? Jeez! I don't belong to either of you!" I yell, more than irritated by their bickering. br / "True."
John's satisfied smile grows. "By he wasn't the one in your bed last night, was he?"br / "Shut up!" Scott's entire body is tense now. It amazes me that he hasn't already punched John in the face... Or worse. I have to admit, even I have the / "Pyro, I think we should go."
Voltage speaks up. "I think these two have some stuff to discuss."br / "Don't bother." Scott cuts in.
"I'm leaving."br / "Scott! Wait!" I beg,
the desperation clear in my / "Goodbye,
Ardor."/p