"Wait, what? No. No, I don't believe you." Gabrielle stated as she tried to stifle her laughter with one hand and waving him off with the other hand.

"Hey, it's true!" Lance retorted as he tried to keep from chuckling himself at seeing her failed attempt to hide her laughter. "Stop laughing."

A giggle escaped her lips as she brought her hands to her abdomen, pressing down lightly to try and keep from laughing uncontrollably. "I am not laughing, Lance."

"Really, now? So what do you call what you're doing?" He asked with a smirk on his face as he arched a curious brow.

"It's called giggling, Lance, it's totally different." She stated as she picked up a tater-tot and popped it into her mouth, smiling cheekily at him as she chewed on it.

"Oh, so clever." He mocked her before chuckling.

The two were currently having breakfast at a local restaurant, something they'd taken to doing after they'd reconciled. Lance had been very cold towards Gabrielle, feeling she'd betrayed him by lying to them and failing to keep him from being drained by Rogue a few days ago. She understood and had kept her distance from him, avoiding eye contact with him yet she still set a plate for him at every meal and they weren't at each other's throats anymore. Lance slowly relented his actions towards her and they both shared apologies over breakfast at the current restaurant they were in. They'd enjoyed the experience and had been coming every two days, just the two of them to talk and have breakfast early in the morning before driving back to the boarding house to get ready for school.

In the beginning, Gabrielle had led all their conversations with Lance quietly uttering a phrase or two every now and then. Lately, he'd begun to lead the conversations, sharing stories of his life with her. He wasn't sure why but it was easy to talk to her. He'd never been so open with anyone and his interactions with females had been limited but he'd experienced enough to know that certain topics weren't allowed to be spoken about in front of a female. It was what he knew yet there wasn't a single thing he spoke about that Gabrielle didn't allow him to say. She simply listened to him with great interest and didn't judge him in any way. She was accepting of him and he felt that he could truly call her a friend. He was beginning to cherish having her around, especially since she was acting as their caretaker and ensuring their needs were met. He was still committing petty crimes to help pay for bills but Gabrielle was the one to buy the groceries now as well as buy them anything they needed. She had quickly become someone Lance relied on to help keep the Brotherhood together.

"Oh, Lance, we should start heading back." Gabrielle piped up, interrupting his thoughts as she popped her last tater-tot into her mouth. "We have to change out of these comfortable pajamas and get ready for school. Plus, we have to make sure we wake up the little duckies." Gabrielle stated as she pulled out twenty five dollars, leaving them on the table. She began to stand up as she gulped the last of her cranberry juice before she hurriedly shimmied out of the booth.

"What? Can't we stay longer? I'm not done yet!" Lance protested as he began to shove forkfuls of his pancakes into his mouth.

"No, we can't! We're already behind schedule by ten minutes! Come on!" She cried out as she began tugging his arm, puffing her cheeks out in an effort to drag the muscular boy out of the booth.

She succeeded after a few seconds of tugging, taking advantage of the fact he began to slowly move out of the booth. She began to run towards the exit, comically dragging Lance close behind her. He was trying to call out to her but his cheeks were puffed out due to how much pancake he'd stuffed into his mouth in a final attempt to salvage his breakfast. An elderly couple gave the pair a strange look as they saw a girl in a purple onesie and unicorn slippers dragging behind her a scared boy wearing a black muscle top and sweatpants. They practically stumbled out of the restaurant and both broke into a sprint to the car. They climbed in hastily as Gabrielle cheered Lance on to drive "really really fast but also carefully back home". The tires of the Jeep screeched as he burnt rubber and peeled out of the parking lot and on to the streets of Bayville.

"Rise and shine, boys! Up! Up! And away!"

Gabrielle shouted as she banged pots together loudly on the second floor hallway. Lance smirked as he sat at the kitchen table, drinking a cup of coffee to help settle the breakfast they'd had just a few minutes ago. Todd whined and rolled around his bed, pleading that the noise would stop. Fred groggily began to rub at his eyes as he emerged from his room, already used to Gabrielle waking them up every morning. She ran towards Pietro's room and kicked the door open, intruding upon the house's handsome prince, who was sleeping soundly on his bed. He had one hand draped over his forehead dramatically and the other hung off the edge of the bed. The blue comforter was halfway down his body, leaving his lightly toned upper body exposed since he'd slept without a shirt again.

He looked so peaceful that Gabrielle decided to be gentle in waking him. She tiptoed towards his bed, squatted down so her lips were within the same level as his ear. She raised the pots together at the same level and banged then together as loud as she could all while shouting his name at the top of her lungs. A startled shriek was heard followed by a loud crash as Pietro had been startled awake so abruptly that his reaction was to jump out of bed, try and speed away from the bed half asleep, only to trip over his belongings and crash into his dresser. The impact caused several of his colognes to fall on to the floor, shattering as they fell, which were the source of the crash she'd heard. She whistled softly at the reaction she'd received and slowly stood up, grinning from ear to ear as she stared at him.

"Wow, I would've thought your reaction would've been much smoother since your brain is able to process information at the same speed you can run. What a disappointment, Pietro." She stated as she shook her head to express her disappointment in him.

He cursed under his breath and began to fix his hair, shooting her a glare for a brief moment. She arched a curious brow as she waited to see how he'd respond but no response came. He began pulling his shirt over his head and trying to see what cologne had been salvaged. He spritzed a bit before he pulled out some clean boxers and jeans. He was about to change when he remembered she was in the room. In a flash, she was standing in the hallway, his door slamming shut behind her. She shrugged her shoulders and skipped over to Todd's room, swinging his door open unannounced.

"Todd, are you—" She stopped mid sentence as he girlishly squealed and scrambled to cover himself up with his sheets. Her cheeks turned crimson and she immediately stammered an apology and closed his door.

She stood in the hallway stunned for a moment before she quickly descended the stairs, marching straight into the kitchen. Lance looked up as she marched in, his brows arching in shock of seeing her look so pale. She set the pots on the kitchen table and looked over at his mug. Steam was still rising from it and it was about halfway finished. Lance followed her gaze but didn't say a word, waiting to see what she'd say first.

"Coffee?" She asked as her gaze remained locked on his mug.

"Huh?" He blinked then realized she was probably asking about his mug. He looked down at it as he picked it up. "Uh, yeah. I was helping myself to my second mug of coffee that you brewed."

Gabrielle quickly reached over and cupped his mug, taking it from him and bringing it to her lips. She began to gulp down the hot liquid, thankful it wasn't hot enough to scald her. Lance gazed at her then at his semi closed fist, eyeing the spot where he'd been holding the mug. His eyes slowly focused on her again and he wasn't sure what to ask first. He decided to just speak the first thing that popped into his head.

"You could've just asked me to pour you a mug." He stated as he picked up a sugar cube from the dish on the table. He flicked it across the table in her direction.

She carefully set his mug down and picked up the sugar cube he'd flicked. She popped it into her mouth and looked him dead in the eye. "I just walked in on Todd... nude."

His eyes widened and his mouth hung open, his mind trying to picture the event. "Wait... You walked in naked into his room?!"

It was Gabrielle's eyes to widen and her mouth to fall open in shock. She immediately began waving her arms around in front of herself. "No! No! No!" She began shaking her head as she waved her hands around.

"Then... Wait, what?" He asked puzzled as his expression reflected his bewilderment.

"I went to check in on him, see if he was awake and when I opened the door... There he was, completely nude. He scrambled to cover himself up before I closed the door but Lance... I saw him. I saw... it." She whispered in a mixture of horror and embarrassment.

Lance gave her a look of pity, knowing she'd probably have that image of him burned into her memory until the day she died. He slowly got up and wrapped his arms around her, patting the back of her head as he whispered. "I am so sorry you had to see that Gabrielle."

"I can't look him in the eye anymore... I... It... Lance... I think it's greener than his skin... I..." She buried her face into the crook between his neck and shoulder.

"There, there, don't think about it." He stated soothingly as he patted her head. "Why don't we go to the Jeep? We can wait for them there and you can get some fresh air. Sound good?"

She simply nodded her head and he released his hold on her, placing his hand on top of her head and ruffling her hair a bit. He then told her to go on ahead of him and that he'd be out shortly. She walked in to the living room and grabbed her purse, slinging it over one shoulder before she walked out of the house. She closed the door and walked up to the Jeep, tossing her purse in and leaning against it. She tilted her head up to gaze at the morning sky, listening to birds chirping in the distance. There was the faint sound of rumbling and a few thumps coming from somewhere. A high pitched squeal and groans of pain echoed from within and she realized the boys were probably fighting.

She wondered if maybe she should go inside and stop them but figured Lance had it under control. She then remembered they were mutants and the boys would be using their powers so she held her left palm out, facing the house and focused. She created the barrier to block out their powers and waited, keeping her palm extended to guide her mind's focus better. About three minutes later, Lance emerged from the house, straightening his vest and casting her a curious glance. He walked right up to her and stood beside her, swinging his backpack into the Jeep and looking at her extended palm.

"I take it you're the reason why Pietro fell from the ceiling and Todd ended up being more of a klutz than usual?" He asked casually as he stared at the house.

She smiled a little and turned her head to look at him. "Is it that obvious?"

He gave her an unamused look before he responded. "I could've taken a serious smack down on behalf of Pietro because of you."

"Negative." She slowly lowered her hand and caused the shield to recede. "You can take him on without your powers like you took on all the boys prior to discovering your mutant ability."

He looked away and quietly whispered, just loud enough for her to pick up on his words. "Yeah, well, give a little warning next time..." He shoved his hands into his pockets and began making his way around the Jeep to the driver's side.

"Roger that." She responded quietly and climbed into the Jeep, taking her usual seat.

Todd came bouncing around and jumped into his seat, avoiding eye contact with Gabrielle. He was still embarrassed about the situation and he wasn't sure who was supposed to apologize to who. Fred was carrying a paper bag with his lunch that Gabrielle had packed for him today, cradling it to his chest once he was in the Jeep. Pietro climbed in last, taking the front seat so he could select the music for the drive. He also took the liberty of making them all listen to him talk about the fact they had to go to the mall after school so he could buy eleven cologne bottles. He felt the need to specifically mention the fact that if they didn't take him, he was going to go to the hardware store and purchase materials to make traps for them to get trapped in. In the end, it was an unanimous agreement they'd go to the mall after school so Pietro would stop whining about it.

Lance dropped off Gabrielle in the usual spot, not too far but not close enough to be on school grounds. He then drove off with the rest of the boys while Gabrielle walked the rest of the way. She walked around the side of one of the buildings to go to her quiet place. She tended to hang around there until it was ten minutes until class was about to start. She was actually surprised that the Brotherhood showed up to school early though they expressed it wasn't for the sake of education. They simply liked to harass others and keep tabs on people. She wasn't clear on the how and why of their little "before school ritual" but she was sure she'd rather not know.

She dropped her bag on the grass and stretched, enjoying the shade beneath the tree. She inhaled a deep breath of air and she knew the grass had been cut not that long ago. There was a sudden violent gust of wind that forced her to stumble forward. She struggled to regain her footing but once she did, she firmly crossed her arms over her chest and balanced her body weight on one leg. She waited a bit and an arm draped across her shoulders while a lean and toned upper torso pressed against her. She rolled her eyes since she knew who it was already. He knew that she was aware it was him but he still leaned in close, his lips just shy from pressing against her ear. He whispered in the softest voice he could manage, trying his best to be especially sensual.

"Mornin', my princess~"

She groaned loudly and shoved him off, taking a brisk step forward to hide the chill that ran down her spine. She wasn't going to let him see how much that little whisper had rattled her. Satisfying his ego was not on her to do list. She spun around after a moment of gathering her thoughts and her eyes pierced into his.

"What do you want, Pietro?"

He smiled and casually slipped his hands into the pockets of his jeans. "I'm just checking up on our princess."

Her brows furrowed. "Okay, yeah. I totally buy that." She then stomped her right foot on the grass and pointed one angry finger at him. "NOT!"

He chuckled and stepped towards her. "I just can't seem to fool you, can I?"

"It took you this long to figure it out? Really? You?" She arched a curious brow.

"Well..." He shrugged casually. "It's not like I didn't know, just sorta wish I could fool you like the others."

She scoffed and rolled her eyes. "Oh please, trying to hide anything from me is pretty much impossible."

"I know, that's why I followed you here. I wanted to talk to you about what happened this morning." He took slow deliberate steps towards her while he enunciated each of his following words. "You gave
me quite a scare this morning. I didn't like that. Broke my colognes and some of my furniture."

A chill ran down her spine as she noticed his gaze to have become a sinister one. "Uh... Yeah... You know I can pay for the damages, right?"

"Oh, I know you can but I have an idea in mind of how you can pay me without it involving money..."

He looked like a predator that cornered his prey in that moment. Something in Gabrielle told her to run but that was stupid. There was no way she could ever outrun him. No, he'd catch her in a split second. Fight, her body told her. Fight him how? Hand to hand? Cancelling his ability? Trying to knock him out? She was stumped and afraid.

There was no escape.

He was right before her the next time she blinked, holding out his hand toward her. The sinister gaze was gone and replaced by a warm and friendly one. She thought she'd imagined it but she knew enough to know it had been real. She was confused. What the hell had just happened? What the hell was happening now?

His lips moved but she couldn't hear his voice. They moved again and seemed to have asked a question. She blinked and stared at him. "What?" She choked out.

He chuckled and smiled that charming smile of his. "I said, do you trust me?"

"Trust you...?" She repeated the last part.

"Yes. Do you trust me?" He asked with that smile still there. "I'll consider the debt cleared if you help me with something but I can't tell you what it is until you tell me if you trust me."

Her heart dropped to her stomach. He'd asked a question she hoped she'd never have to answer. She'd seen things in his mind, things he was hiding from the others but she dared not speak of them to anyone. They were not her secrets to reveal despite the fact that hiding them would surely shatter her bonds with the Brotherhood. She trusted them all. . . except Pietro. She did not trust him at all. He was going to manipulate her and she knew that.

He could see the way she hesitated. She didn't respond the first time. Nor the second time. She responded with a question on the third time and now she hesitated to answer. She didn't trust him at all. She'd seen him for who he truly was and not just what he showed. His plan was totally screwed now. He mentally cursed himself for not thinking this could've been a possibility. He kept his hand out to her as a way of securing trust but if she touched him again, she'd see more.

Gabrielle decided to reach out for his hand to show she trusted him but he quickly pulled his hand back. She blinked and watched him spread his arms wide at his side, flashing a cheeky smile at her. His eyes showed he was hopeful and she wasn't sure if she could crush that hope, no matter how twisted he was.

He lightly waved his arms a bit, keeping them spread to his sides. "Well. . . ?"

She swallowed a hard gulp and answered as confidently as she could manage. Every cell in her body screamed in protest but she ignored the calls. "I trust you, Pietro." She then flashed her bright warm smile. I trust you're going to use me, she thought, but I don't plan on being the only one used here.

His smile became a triumphant grin and he quickly walked up to her, wrapping an arm around her shoulders again. "Awesome, let's head out then."

She blinked as she found herself walking with him. "Wait, what? We have class." She stopped and made him stop walking as well. "Class starts in three minutes."

"Are you worried about skipping one day? Come on, live a little." He teased as he flashed a mocking smile.

"Least you could do is let me grab my bag then." She retorted and bent down to pick it up. She slung it over one shoulder and turned to him. "Now we can go."

"Great. Hold on."

Pietro swiftly picked her up bridal style before she decided to make excuses. He wasn't going to let her slip away, not today. Before she could register that she was being carried, he'd sped away from the school. He ran across streets, through tree lines, over bridges and across water before they reached their destination. He set her down on her feet and she placed her palm to her forehead, exhaling a deep breath of air before she took in their surroundings. They were in some forest. . . somewhere. She couldn't be sure if they were somewhere in town or somewhere else entirely. The only thing she could think of was : isolation.

The thought sent a shiver up her spine and she dropped her purse on the grass. She brought her arms close to her chest and cupped her elbows, using them to pull her arms tighter around herself. She suddenly felt very exposed. Vulnerable is more like it, she thought to herself. She eyed Pietro worriedly but his attention seemed to be miles away. She frowned a little and took a small step closer to him.

"Pietro...?" She called softly but he didn't react. "Pietro, where are we?"

He glanced behind him, completely ignoring her.

"Pietro, please tell me what we're doing here." She pleaded as she worriedly glanced around, trying to pinpoint where she could be.

He kicked the grass and his left hand slapped his thigh a few times. He seemed agitated, like there was something he was trying to rush or run away from. Her stomach began to sink as her mind began to shove negative thoughts into her mind. This was a trap for her. Something was going to happen to her.

"Pietro, please! Talk to me!" She desperately called out.

He clicked his tongue against the roof of his mouth. "BRB."

"What?! No! Pietro, you can't—!" She began to protest but he'd already sped away from her.

She felt nauseous. This wasn't looking good for her at all. She wanted to call for help but who could she call? She didn't know where she was to ask for someone to come get her. She hardly knew anyone except for the guys from the Dark Brotherhood. What use would calling them be? Maybe they were in this... whatever this was. She brought her hands up to push through her hair, from her scalp down to her tips. God, focus! Pietro is coming back... right? He said he would... but is that really something to be excited about?

There was a snarl behind her and she froze immediately. It sounded like an animal but she knew it couldn't be. Every sense in her was screaming mutant but... that animal like presence. She readied her shaky arms at her sides but she couldn't move anymore. This was fear unlike any she'd felt before. She was about to scream when she felt something hit the back of her head with great force. In an instant her world became unfocused. Everything began to tilt and somehow she knew this meant she was collapsing to the floor. Her vision was like snapshots of the world then a black abyss, each coming right after the other.

World.

Nothingness.

World.

Nothingness.

World.

Nothingness.

World.

She collapsed on to the grass, struggling to stay conscious but the world was fading away in faster snapshots. Fuck, no, I can't move at all. I can't... Her lids closed but this time they didn't open again. Though; right before she completely lost all her senses, she could've sworn she'd heard Pietro's distressed voice call out her name.

That was impossible.

Pietro had betrayed her.

He'd betrayed whatever kind of relationship they had going to save himself.

Author's Note

My apologies for not updating in TWO YEARS but this story is still alive and updates WILL be coming in still. Currently working on more projects than I can handle but I hope to flush them all out on here, even if it takes years.