"And that's how a Beauchene makes a family~" Gabrielle cooed before she grinned happily, wiping sweat off her forehead with the back of her palm.
She wore dark blue overalls with a white t-shirt underneath them and black Converse high-tops. She had her auburn hair tied in a high ponytail with a loose strand hanging over the left side of her face. The curls on the tips of her hair seemed more prominent now with the hairstyle and she seemed younger as well. She seemed like a very cheerful little girl, full of smiles and radiating happiness as well as kindness. Her overalls were splattered with white paint after she'd spent most of her day painting the kitchen in the Brotherhood house. It had certainly been an eventful day for the young foreign mutant as she went about creating a nurturing environment.
Money could certainly get someone anything they desired in life. Money also played a role in the happiness of a family. It was a lesson Gabrielle had learned before she could learn to speak. It was that same lesson that had guided much of her lifestyle and the very one that had aided in the tedious task she'd set out for herself. The moment she'd returned home after chasing down the boys, she'd picked up the phone and called a group of handymen. It had taken quite a bit of persuasion to get them to even agree to come to house, let alone want to do any work. Gabrielle had to hassle with them for a good ten minutes before they agreed to work for her, though not before haggling over a promising "donation". Money was no trouble at all for Gabrielle so she'd agreed to pay each of them nearly two thousand dollars in cash and nearly thirty thousand for the kitchen project.
Gabrielle had given the men her vision of the kitchen with specific instructions and had promptly left to give them space. She'd gone off to purchase a trailer or a mobile living quarter as the salesman had called it. She'd made arrangements to have it transported to the boardinghouse before running off to purchase a few more clothes and shoes, feeling that she would need something that would help her blend in for her upcoming role as a high school student. It was around three in the afternoon when she returned home and the results that had awaited her were exemplary.
The entire kitchen had been remodeled. Every piece within it was new. The cabinets were redone and no longer hung off the hinges or creaked before falling apart. The sink had flowing hot and cold water. The drainage for it was no longer clogged. The microwave and refrigerator were better than brand new. The stove no longer threatened to blow up when turned on. The tiles were no longer broken or stained. The dining table had been replaced with a newer replica. The windows replaced with new ones and the back door no longer had scratches or slime. It was absolutely beautiful and spotless, even though it wasn't painted yet.
Gabrielle paid the men and quickly ushered them out of the house before running to change in her trailer. She came back out sporting her brand new dark blue overalls that she'd purchased earlier today. She'd thrown them on over a white t-shirt to contrast the dark color. Given the task she had to accomplish, she'd swapped her would be signature steel toed boots for a pair of black Converse high-tops. She'd tied her waist length auburn hair in a ponytail then plucked out a single strand so it would frame her face. She glanced at herself in the mirror of her bathroom and puckered her lips as she twirled the loose strand around her finger.
"Hmmm... Now that I think about it, purchasing this for my living quarter was a great investment but... was fixing the kitchen in the house an investment as well...? They're probably going to wreck the place when they come back..." She grumbled to her reflection before she straightened up and shook her head. "No no no! You can't think like that! This WILL be an investment. You don't have Klara's visions anymore so you have to rely on your gut instincts! Come on! Your efforts will make this place feel like home. A home where you now have a family!"
She threw a few little mock punches at her reflection to pump herself up before bursting out of the bathroom. She leapt across her trailer until she swung herself out the door and into the would've been driveway. She then marched into the home and readied the equipment she needed. She set up the paint and brushes in the living room before she started to work. She dutifully painted each cabinet before she began painting the walls, all the while humming along with songs that played on the little radio she'd bought. It wasn't as being as she'd imagined but that was probably because she danced around while painting the walls. She hummed and sang along terribly to this country's pop music. She hadn't even felt the way time flew by her while she found herself surrounded by white's vibrancy.
Gabrielle was grinning at her finished work now, dropping the paint brush on to the plastic beneath her feet. It had taken all day but the kitchen was now fully restored. Now she wouldn't live in fear that the room would mutate out of garbage and filth because she was going to guard this place like a guard dog. She stretched her arms above her head before she began to gather what she'd used, wrapping it all up in plastic then carrying it off to the garage. She stored everything in a corner, too tired to organize them.
"Ugh... I need a shower..." She mumbled to herself before she found herself walking into the Brotherhood's bathroom, seeing as how her trailer lacked a shower.
It took all her strength of will to not run out of there screaming. She'd closed her eyes and made it her mission to refuse to open them. She didn't want to know what the various stains were. She didn't want to know why there was dirt, mud and sand all over the floor. She didn't want to know why it reeked of urine and bodily odors. She pinched the bridge of her nose and held her breath at fifteen second intervals. She shampooed and conditioned her hair then scrubbed herself down as fast as she could manage without using her sight. She rinsed herself off and wrapped herself in her towel before bolting out of bathroom, kicking the door shut behind her. She panted for breath then trudged down the stairs.
"Come on... Breath, Gabrielle, breathe." She coached herself as she made her way into her trailed and closed the door.
She changed into a long sleeved burgundy shirt and black skinny jeans. She then rummaged around the various bags she had until she found a pair of black socks in them. She struggled to slip on her socks but easily stepped into her signature steel toed leather boots. She searched for her purse and cellphone, taking both precious items with her and running out the little door of her trailer. It took her a while before she figured out how to call for a taxi to drive her to grocery store, where she filled a shopping cart with food. She was sure it wouldn't last much if she didn't keep an eye on her teammates, especially Fred but maybe if she agreed to cook for them, there would be no problem.
After an hour of grocery shopping, Gabrielle was back at the Brotherhood home, cooking up a feast. She figured her teammates would be coming home the next day and a feast for their return was sure to get their spirits revamped. More than anything, she hoped her cooking would keep them satisfied enough to keep the kitchen unharmed and the food available. The clock struck midnight just as she turned off the stove, delighted that she had finished when the front door swung open and a familiar voice was heard.
"You fools! Had I not commanded you to leave, you would've stayed with the X-Men! Did you really think they'd be happy to have you there?!" Mystique shouted as she clenched her hands into fists. She sure seemed pissed about whatever it was that had happened but who was she yelling at?
"It's not like we don't know that!" Lance shouted, clearly defending himself and his teammates.
"Yo, Mystique, we ain't that stupid, ya know?" Todd grumbled softly, afraid to speak up in her presence.
Pietro didn't seem to care of her presence because he spoke as if she wasn't around but the rate of his speech probably played a role. "Mystique won't get off our backs! Geez! What's with that woman?"
"But we protected you." Fred stated and Gabrielle could already picture him nervously twiddling his fingers and rubbing his almost entirely bald head.
It was strange that they were back so soon. She wasn't expecting them until later today. Not to mention they were wearing different clothes. They resembled battle armor that was clearly designed to suit their individual powers but she wasn't sure. All she caught was a peek before she moved from the doorway. Gabrielle dried her hands off with the dish towel before she started serving their plates, listening to their arguments about some fight and the X-Men. It was hard to ignore them but she went about setting the table without making any sounds loud enough to give herself away. Once she was done, she silently tiptoed into the living room and stood by the doorway, arms folded over her chest and smiling at the group before addressing them in the sudden silence.
"Welcome home, guys. How was the trip?"
"Wha— Gabrielle? Where did you come from?" Lance asked as he glanced at the stairs, front door then at her. He was clearly puzzled how she'd wound up practically in their faces without being noticed.
Mystique lunged for Gabrielle in that instance, catching her by surprise. She gripped her by her throat and slammed her back against the door frame more. She leaned in close to her face and her words were like venom dripping from fangs. "Where. Were. You." It wasn't so much a question but a demand. Gabrielle wanted to gasp from how Mystique's grip tightened around her neck. "We had to fight Juggernaut and you where nowhere to be found!"
"G-gaaaa—!" Gabrielle choked out as she kicked her legs, trying to free herself.
"Let her go!" Pietro shouted as he clenched his hands into fists and prepared to rush in. He was held back by Lance's grip on his shoulder.
Brown eyes glared at the blue skinned female and his jaw tightened before he spoke. "Let her go, Mystique. It wasn't her fault. Let her go now. We're only going to warn you once."
Gabrielle weakly clawed at Mystique's wrists because it was all she could manage. She couldn't use her violet energy because that required her to concentrate unless she wanted to blow up her surroundings entirely. She couldn't formulate thoughts because all she could see was Mystique's life running through her mind. She was seeing so many memories, hearing voices that Mystique could recall, seeing this woman's life through her own eyes. It was moments like these that she hated the telepathic touch. A simple touch and someone's life became an open book to her. It was frightening to see what Mystique planned to do to her but all she could do was try to claw and kick herself free. It felt like an eternity had gone by before she was released.
"Tch, I'll see you all tomorrow. Do no disappoint me any further." Mystique stated before she walked out of the house, slamming the door shut behind her.
Gabrielle was wheezing, struggling to get air in her lungs while Todd cradled her head, smoothing out her hair from her face. Apparently he'd been close enough to slide right next to her when she collapsed. Her fingers desperately scratched at the carpet as she tried to breathe. Todd worriedly glanced up and Lance knelt down to squeeze one of her hands reassuringly. Pietro vanished from her line of sight then returned with a moist towel. He placed it gently on her forehead then quickly took his spot next to Fred. They both stared at the front door as if they were waiting for Mystique to march through it to take her down.
"Gabrielle, look at me." Lance murmured and squeezed her hand again. Her emerald eyes focused on him before he spoke again. "Yeah, that's it. Just breathe, okay? Take it slow. You're fine. She just applied a little too much pressure on your throat so it feels like you can't breathe but you can. Just try to calm down first, alright?"
"Yeah, jus' relax. We gotcha." Todd added as he carefully tilted her head a bit so she could breathe easier.
She managed to calm down enough to inhaled a deep breath. "Mys—"
Lance shook his head and she stopped herself. "We've never seen her do that before. She was beat pretty bad by Juggernaut before we teamed up with the X-Men to save her and Xavier. She probably thought that if we had you around, you'd have helped us take him down easier."
Gabrielle narrowed her eyes and squeezed his hand tighter, making him cry out in pain and Pietro shoot him a look. It was her way of letting him know that she didn't see any justification to almost being strangled.
"Lance ain't defendin' her. Just sayin' this was new. Never saw it coming." Todd stated and helped Gabrielle to sit up, keeping his hand on her back as she coughed.
"... lucky I don't rip her head off." Gabrielle wheezed out before coughing again. "I'm fine, I'm fine." She stated and waved her hand as she caught their worried glances in her direction.
"If she comes back, I'm taking her down. Nobody hurts the Blob's friends." Fred stated as he punched his left fist into his right palm.
"No." Gabrielle stated and the group looked at her incredulously. "We're going to pretend nothing happened. If it happens again, I'll handle it." She inhaled a deep breath and made an attempt to stand up.
"Whatever you say, Gabrielle, just know we're here for ya." Pietro remarked as he sped to her side, wrapping one arm around her waist and lifting her up. He hooked her arm around his neck and held her close, glancing around to see where he could lay her down.
"Pietro, wait. I'm fine. Besides, I have a surprise for you all." She stated and glanced at Pietro before pointing towards the kitchen. "Would you mind taking me there? There's something I want to show you all."
Fred immediately looked worried when she pointed at the kitchen. Maybe he thought she'd poisoned everything or had found a secret of his there. Todd picked at his earwax before he hopped behind them. Lance scrunched up his nose as he prepared himself for the stench. He begrudgingly walked behind them all. Pietro helped Gabrielle walk into the kitchen and almost dropped her as he caught the sight of the remodeled kitchen. He stepped into the center with Gabrielle to allow the others in but Gabrielle clung tightly on to the speedster, afraid he'd simply let her fall.
Lance was hesitant to touch anything but Todd hopped all over, touching everything and opening everything. They had a whole new set of cooking ware, pots, pans, dishes, cups, eating utensils and groceries. They actually had groceries! Everything was spotless and looked nothing like their former kitchen. Fred seemed like he was ready to cry at the sight of cabinets filled with canned food and the like as well as the fully stocked refrigerator. Pietro set Gabrielle down on the table, taking note of the five plates set out upon it. He arched an eyebrow in question and gestured to the room.
"I hope none of you are mad at me. I decided to take matters into my own hands. I paid to have this place remodeled and stocked it all up myself. I did the paint job for it but other than that, I had people do everything else. Of course, it wasn't cheap and it put quite a dent in my wallet as you say but I think it was worth it. What do you think?" Gabrielle asked sheepishly as she glanced at each of her teammates in turn.
"I don't remember this place bein' so nice when I moved in." Todd commended as he noticed there were no stains or bugs for him to play with.
"I don't think I've ever seen a room so white before." Lance stated as he scratched the back of his head, casually lounging by the fridge.
"Tch, no kidding." Pietro added and inspected his reflection in the fridge, liking the chrome finish of the appliance to double as a mirror for him.
"This is... everything I wanted in a kitchen and more." Fred declared with tears clouding his eyes.
Gabrielle smiled and gestured to the table. "Come on then, guys, join me in having our first home cooked meal. Curtesy of yours truly of course."
"Alright!" Fred practically charged to the table, leaving his teammates to jump out of his path.
"Chow time!" Todd shouted as he hopped into the seat across from Gabrielle, rubbing his hands together before Gabrielle smacked his hands with a wooden spoon. "AAAAAAAAOOOOOWWWW!" He then narrowed his eyes at her while he rubbed his injured hands. "Whatcha do that for?!"
"You are all to march to the bathroom and clean up or no supper for any of you. I want you to scrub your hands in warm water with a handful of soap. Then you're all to come back down here so we can eat. No cheating either. I'll know." She admonished and smacked the wooden spoon on the table when no one made an attempt to move.
The sound of the wooden spoon smacking the table caused Todd to be the first one of the kitchen and into the bathroom. He didn't need to feel another smack on his little hands. The only smack so far stung and caused the skin to turn a shade of red. Pietro actually walked out of the kitchen for once. He didn't use his speed because he figured if he used it while washing his hands that Gabrielle would count it as cheating and deny him his meal. Lance was a little scared of how they'd been threatened. No one had even seen her grab the spoon in the first place. It was suddenly in her hand when she smacked Toad with it. Fred was eager to comply because there was a meal in it for him if he behaved. He figured that maybe because she'd spent her money on the kitchen that she was assuming the role of a mother in the house. Fred kind of liked that idea.
Fifteen minutes later and the Brotherhood cleaned up, they were sitting with Gabrielle at the table. They fidgeted in their seats, eager to start digging in but Gabrielle wouldn't let them. That wooden spoon in her hand had become the deadliest weapon they'd encountered. She explained to them the meal, going over then in detail. She had prepared a spaghetti with green sauce, grated Parmesan cheese and weenie bits for the appetizer. The meal itself was grilled chicken breast smothered in a rosemary sauce and sprinkled with pepper. It was accompanied with mushrooms and crushed walnuts for toppings. There was mashed potatoes with gravy and steamed cauliflower and broccoli for the sides. Their glasses were filled with coca-cola with a few ice cubes floating about. Their mouths were watering as she spoke and she couldn't help but giggle. It was a certainty a sight to bear witness to. She never would've imagined that they'd be so well behaved for a meal. She set the wooden spoon down and smiled at them.
"Bon appétit, ma famille." Gabrielle stated and waved her hand over the table, giving her new family clearance to dine to their hearts' content.
Author's Note
This was another Brotherhood centric episode that takes place after the Survival of the Fittest episode. We don't get to see what happens when they come home so I took this as the opportunity to plug in Gabrielle and make a few changes to their home. ^_^ I wrote this with the idea to sort of give a glimpse into some of Gabrielle's values, which will play key roles in chapters to come. The days are progressing slowly for Gabrielle but worry not my readers! This upcoming episode will feature Gabrielle's encounter with the X-Men and we will get to see what she can really do~ ;3 Stay tuned!