Andy felt like the walls of the bank were starting to close in. He tried to be as helpful as he could and hated that he got so uncomfortable with crowds and resented that there were so many mutant refugees. He knew that part of the problem was his and his family's presence.
Agent Turner seemed to have it out for the Strucker family specifically, especially since they had escaped his clutches several times in the past few weeks.
Even though there were mutants and their families leaving regularly, they were also coming in faster than they could move them. It also took time to create the fake passports and other things they may need to start a new life. The in-state safe houses were being targeted, and the closest out of state safehouses were quickly filled.
Some of them had no idea what to do, the Struckers had decided to stay and help. His dad had decided that they would not go to Mexico, and while there was still tension between the family of the former prosecutor that put a lot of mutants away and the others, it was starting to calm down.
Part of his daily chores was helping with the laundry. It was a constant, nonstop task. Once someone was done using linens because they left, they were washed before given to someone else. This was when he and Lauren weren't trying to track down supplies and hand them out to the new refugees.
If the refugees were staying indefinitely, then most asked their linens to be washed routinely every two weeks, some went as long as a month.
Andy didn't want to know how dank the sheets got if some of them didn't wash them for even longer.
Then there were regular clothes that needed washing every week. Most wanted to deal with their personal garments themselves, he was grateful for that, but normally pants and tops were washed by him and others on a weekly basis in the nearby stream.
His mom appointed herself as chef and tutor to kids who wanted something to do but were too young to help out otherwise. Most of the teenage runaways had no desire for tutoring. He himself was trying to avoid it as best as he could. He had a feeling his mother was going to use training with Polaris as leverage. He was tired of being treated as one of the younger kids, he could help with real things like runs and whatever missions to save other mutants in danger.
He had wanted to come with them to save the mutant who was staying at the posh penthouse downtown, but his parents had put the squash on it and the Mutant Underground leaders had agreed.
Sometimes he wanted to roll his eyes at his mother's over protectiveness. He loved her, but she had to see that it would be better that he master his powers rather than try to depend on them while he didn't know what he was doing.
Part of the whole reason they were in their current mess was because he lost control of his powers. He almost leveled the school gym, and that was when he had no idea he was even a mutant.
What would happen if their location was found, were attacked by Sentinel Services, and then he lost control? Would he wipe out entire city blocks, all because his mom wanted to live in denial that he had powers at all? His father was no better. Reed Strucker might not be as vocal about his son not using his powers, but he supported his wife and mumbled half-assed platitudes of how dangerous Andy's powers were.
Andy thought him having extremely dangerous powers was the entire point of getting control of them. Mastering his powers was not something he would just grow into, he had to learn how to use them.
They were also being actively hunted by a dangerous and well-funded government that wanted to jail mutants, or worse. His father had even admitted that some mutants went missing from the system and he had no idea what happened to them. He hadn't gotten fully into WWII in history class before they were on the run, but he was aware that a government that made people they didn't like to disappear wasn't a good sign. How could either of his parents expect him to just sit idly by and hope things got better?
It was dark and they had already eaten, but it was too early for him to go to bed in his opinion. Some were playing board games with half the pieces missing, and others were meddling about. He had no desire to be social with new people as they would be gone soon, and he didn't feel like interacting with his family.
Since there was nowhere to just go sulk and nothing to occupy his time otherwise, he decided he would fold laundry for any new mutants that came. The mutant they were rescuing would definitely need linens.
Gossip spread quickly in the Mutant Underground; they were in too close quarters, there was no television, and only Sage had access to the internet for the work she did for the Underground. He wasn't enough of a spoiled suburbanite to ask if they could stream something for their entertainment.
Not that anyone had anything to stream off of, his own phone had been lost when they first ran from Sentinel Services.
The current gossip was that the mutant they were attempting to save from Sentinel Services was staying at the Claremont, which was an ultra-posh high rise that he had been to only once. He was actually required to wear a suit jacket, and it was for a dinner with one of his father's high up coworkers.
The food was pretty nice if not entirely too small portions in his opinion. His mother and Lauren had liked the high-end shops on the ground floor, and he was aware that some of the building was residential. He wished that they could stay at the Claremont, and he just entertained himself with thoughts of the Underground moving their operation to an abandoned motel. Somewhere there were at least real beds and rooms for privacy.
He desperately missed having any kind of privacy. If he didn't think he'd get yelled at for wasting sheets, he would pin them up somehow to create walls. Even if they were basically threadbare and could see silhouettes, it was still better than nothing.
Or maybe they could find some abandoned mansion out in the middle of the woods, he was aware there were at least some because of the economic downturn from 7/15. He also recalled that the X-Men had supposedly had their own school somewhere in upstate New York. So, commandeering a mansion and keeping hidden was possible.
To help him get through the next hour, he started to dissociate with fantasies of better accommodations while he folded blankets, towels, and sheets.
While he was fantasizing, Marcos and Sage took it upon themselves to give Gemma a mini tour of the compound. They showed her the communal showers and bathrooms.
That is absolutely not happening.
Gemma had an almost pathological issue with public bathrooms, so she would definitely risk jumping to one of her previous squats in order to use the toilet and she could use her powers to shower while clothed. She could easily jump in and out for the bathroom, and if the Underground leadership had issue with that, then she'd basically create her own private shower and outhouse in the woods if it came to it.
She would risk Sentinel Services if it meant she could use the bathroom in peace and privacy.
The habitable areas of the compound were few, so the tour was short. Marcos figured one of the Strucker siblings could show her around in the morning when there was daylight, but it would mostly just be the bit of woods that was within Pedro's sphere of influence.
The trio came upon a tall boy folding linens, who seemed to be off in his own little world. He didn't notice them right away as he mindlessly went about his chore.
Andy noticed Gemma first, the other two were a constant presence at the compound and basically just background minutia unless they wanted something from him.
He immediately stopped what he was doing, and to his later embarrassment he stared at her far longer than what was polite.
There was an influx of mutants that came through the Underground lately, the one in front of him was the most beautiful he had seen so far. She was probably the most beautiful he had seen in his life, human or mutant. Dark eyes, dark hair, and pouty lips in a shy smile. He had gone through a growth spurt the last few weeks and was starting to tower over many, the girl in front of him was petite and had to almost crane her neck in order to meet his eyes.
Gemma thought living in an abandoned bank might not be so bad. The boy Marcos and Sage brought her to had mesmerizing green eyes, even in the dim light of camp lights. She too was caught up in stares that were lingering. He was probably the first boy she had met where she liked everything she saw about him.
Marcos had said Andy's name twice, but the teens seemed to be in a staring contest. His first instinct was to think they were just being flighty, a good dose of ADHD, and that they just didn't have any respect for adults.
He hated when the Underground had to house teenagers. He didn't say it out loud, but when a family had teenagers, he tried extra hard to get them processed through as quickly as possible. The Struckers were case in point that teenagers brought a lot of trouble. He wouldn't have even attempted to help them if not for Reed's insider knowledge of how the justice system worked and to free Lorna.
He looked to Sage to commiserate his hatred for young people, but she was smiling instead. She looked like she was struggling not to smiled even bigger or say something. He furrowed his brow in confusion and decided not to inquire.
"Andy," he said for a third time and then snapped his fingers in his face.
That finally tore both teens from their hypnosis, and they took a few seconds to be a little embarrassed. Both were glad that there weren't too many witnesses and that it was dark enough that neither of their blushing faces were too obvious.
"Right, hi," he tried to play it off and glad neither adult was being obnoxious about his staring.
"This is Gemma," Marcos wanted to get this over with as soon as possible, he was tired and all he wanted to do was snuggle up with Lorna. "Gemma, this is Andy. Could you show her around, get her something to eat, and try to find a place for her to sleep?"
"Yeah," Andy quickly abandoned his chore to show Gemma the rest of the bank and do as he was asked.
Marcos rolled his eyes and was annoyed at the pile of linens the teen left.
"Can you believe this?" he expected Sage to agree with his irritation, but all she could do was giggle once the teens were out of hearing.
"Oh my God, that was so cute," both hands covering her mouth to try to contain some of her excitement.
"What are you talking about?" all he saw were two idiot kids.
"They were both instantly enamoured with each other…they couldn't stop staring," Sage couldn't believe how dense Marcos was being.
By his scrunched face, she knew he didn't believe her and thought she was crazy.
"They basically fell in love, right in front of our eyes…it's so adorable. Mutant love at first sight," she sighed dramatically. She laughed harder when Marcos looked like he wanted to stab his head with a screwdriver. "Come on, it'd be the greatest teenage rom-com ever…Love in the Underground…by the Hallmark Channel."
"Please tell me you're kidding," he groaned when Sage was dead serious. "We cannot have two horny, insanely powerful mutants on our hands."
If Gemma and Andy really did have such a reaction to each other, he was about to quit the Mutant Underground and take Lorna and the baby to Mexico.
"Oh, don't be that way. You act like they're about to tear each other's clothes off the second they get alone," she ignored his expression of "obviously" and continued on, "They're only 15 and there's hardly any kids their age here. Let them have their cute little romance. Besides, there is no privacy here."
"No, no, no…she's a cute little Latina and he's an idiot teenage boy, they'll find a way. Mark my words," he almost instantly regretted those words as they came out of his mouth, he found it was a little too close to something his father would say. "I know what I was getting up to at 15."
Sage just rolled her eyes and refused to believe him. She thought they were cute, and she couldn't wait to gossip with Dreamer and anyone else who would listen.
She needed something light and fun, something other than listening to police chatter on how they were hunting mutants.
With a bounce in her step, she looked for the aforementioned mutant and couldn't wait to gossip over some beers.
Marcos did a deep sigh and looked to the heavens and prayed, the last thing they needed was teenage drama. He then went in search for some paracetamol, he didn't have a headache, but he knew he'd need it eventually.
Andy continued to show Gemma what there was of the living spaces of the bank. There wasn't much, and he wondered if he could somehow finesse having her stay closer to him.
He pointed out where they kept the board games for the little entertainment to be had. He motioned where the library was, which was mostly filled with textbooks that children happened to have and then abandoned when they came through and whatever the permanent residents donated after they had read something they bought.
"And this is the kitchen area," which was a generous description of some slapped together tables with butane and propane burners. There were also cases of water, and box after box of MREs and Kraft Mac & Cheese.
"We mostly survive off the MREs, and when those run out we eat a ton of mac and cheese. Sometimes we even have dry milk to add, but most of the time it's just the cheese packet and water."
He didn't go into detail how bland it made the food, which was almost torturous to eat after several days of it.
"I guess it's safe to say that you guys don't get fresh food very often?" Gemma said it sarcastically, she wasn't expecting the Mutant Underground to be McCormick & Schmick's.
"Nah. Besides that the money is tight, there's no refrigeration. Since there's so many now, everything would be gone in seconds even if we could afford fruits and veg."
Although Andy wasn't exactly the best at eating the produce his mother insisted the family eat before they had gone on the run, after several weeks of eating military grade rations and vending machine food, he'd kill for anything fresh.
"Well, then. I am about to be the most popular mutant in the Underground," Gemma gave an impish smile as she reached into one of her many pockets in her black cargo pants.
Andy furrowed his brow when she showed him what looked like a rock.
"What is it?"
"This, is a peach stone. Can you show me anywhere outside that has some space?"
"Yeah, but it's dark and they really don't like us taking the lamps outside or using the flashlights unless we really have to, like to go to the bathroom and stuff."
The Underground was strict about saving their resources, and that included making batteries last as long as they could.
"I go that covered too," and with her other hand, she created a flame.
"Whoa," despite the bank being filled with mutants, most were pretty shy about using their powers freely besides Polaris. Which, Andy thought was fair enough because so many had destructive powers that really weren't meant to be used for everyday life.
Gemma smiled, her chest nearly bursting with pride at how awed he appeared at her power. She was certain he'd be even more impressed when she showed him what she could do with the peach stone.
She closed her fist, and the fire went out, she looked around to make sure she didn't catch anyone's attention. There were too many adults around who she thought would be annoying and scold her for using her powers indoors.
Andy wanted to spend more time with her, was also incredibly bored, and Gemma was already exciting. No one paid them any mind as they made their way towards the back of the bank. The grounds had another outbuilding but there was too much damage for anyone to live there. Everyone mainly stuck to the main building, and even some floors were still untouched because whoever abandoned the bank left a lot of stuff that the Underground hadn't bothered moving yet.
If they kept getting so many refugees, then they may try to open up the top floors and hope the building was stable enough to support the weight.
Once Gemma felt they were out of sight of most of the others, she raised her hand like a torch and gave them light. She adjusted the flame so that they weren't too bright less someone from the woods would see them, but bright enough they weren't stumbling in the forest in the dark. They had to walk past the fence as Gemma could sense that although nature had taken back a lot of the parking lot that used to be beneath them, the top soil wasn't deep enough over the concrete and asphalt. They went past the fence to the wooded area until Gemma was satisfied with the space and ground.
Before Gemma could show her other powers, they heard a twig breaking and footsteps.
"Andy," Lauren hissed as loud as she dared. "What are you doing out here in the dark?"
"What are you doing following me?" he snarked back at his sister. "And who's this?" he motioned towards another teen that had followed Lauren.
"I'm Wes," he introduced himself with a smile, glad that Lauren trusted him enough to come collect her brother. It was really to spend any time he could with her. He went to shake his hand and Andy was still polite enough to accept.
"This is Gemma, she's new," Andy introduced her although it was obvious she had just come to the compound. "Gemma, this is Lauren, my sister."
The two smiled at each other and also shook hands.
"OK, so what are you two doing out here?" Lauren was in "mom" mode and actually didn't care why they were out there, she just wanted them both back in the safety of the bank.
"It's none of your business why we're out here, what are you doing out here?" he knew they weren't doing anything wrong or even dangerous, they were in the middle of the woods in an essentially abandoned area of Atlanta where no one went, but as a younger brother he balked at telling his sister anything.
"I'm here to get you, dumbass. We're not supposed to be out at this time of night," she reminded him with a scoff as if he were simple.
"We won't be long, and trust me you'll thank me in a minute," Gemma interrupted. She had enough cousins that had siblings to know this stupid argument could go on forever if they let it.
She didn't give Lauren or Andy the chance to keep arguing as she used her power to keep the flame going in the air, kneeled to the ground and used her hand to dig a little hole. The other three teens were a bit entranced at the self-sustaining ball of fire in the air. She plopped the peach stone into the hole and covered it with dirt. As she rose, she motioned for them to move back a bit and they all obeyed.
Gemma hovered her hand over the bit of earth and in the little light the flame produced, they saw a sprout of green emerge from where she buried the peach stone. Quickly that sprout became a sapling, that turned into a young tree, that turned into a mature tree with a thick trunk.
At first the branches all blossomed with vibrant pink flowers. With a wave of her hand, the wind rustled the flowers and a cloud of yellow pollen swirled amongst the flowers. The petals then fell like snow and in their place verdant green leaves sprouted and green buds of fruit began to appear. Those green buds grew bigger and bigger, until they were the size of softballs and turned sunshine yellow and sunset orange.
The three of them had their mouths open in awe and weren't sure what to say. They could only admire the beautiful fruit and their mouth start to water at the smell of perfectly ripe peaches.
Gemma was used to her own powers and was the first to move. She took the fruit from the branch and offered it to Andy.
"I promise you; this is going to be the best peach you've ever had."
He wasn't one to turn down free food, and he agreed that it was probably the best peach. It was unblemished and the biggest one he's ever seen; the scent was even stronger so close to him. He didn't even bother to enjoy the aroma; he bit right into it. The juices burst in his mouth as the flesh gave way; so much so that it ran down his chin.
It had been so long since he had anything fresh or didn't come in a box or bag. They also had to ration his food. He ate a lot less than he wanted and he knew his mother worried about his calorie intake and how fast he was growing. He wouldn't complain about being hungry, as they were all hungry. They were all losing weight, not just because the lack of food but the stress of being hunted and on the run.
He couldn't help the almost sexual moan that escape his mouth at how good it tasted. He was enjoying it so much he didn't even get embarrassed when he started to really tear into eating it.
"I swear, it's not poisonous or anything," she told Wes and Lauren who were still not moving. She wondered if they were waiting to see if Andy dropped down dead or something, but with her encouragement they also helped themselves to the closest peach they could get their hands on.
Lauren had a bit more self-control and took a deep breath at the scent that reminded her of summer.
Peaches weren't her favorite fruit, but the smell of the sweet and tarte brought a lot of good memories of summer bar-b-ques and picnics to her mind. They reminded her of better times and like Andy, when took that first bite she couldn't help the sound she made.
Wes had been on the run and homeless for a while, he couldn't even remember the last time he had a peach, or any fruit for that matter, but he too was rendered speechless as he ate.
They each quickly finished, uncaringly wiped their mouth with their top sleeves, and then reached for more.
Gemma didn't care as she could always grow more and there were a ton on the tree she grew, but she did warn,
"I wouldn't have more than two. If you guys haven't had fresh fruit in a long time, the acidity, fiber, and sugar might upset your stomach."
She didn't want to go into detail how she knew that, but hoped they would just accept that she knew what she was talking about.
Luckily, they all deferred to her expertise on the matter, and they weren't that greedy anyway. They each enjoyed the second peach as much as the first.
"So, think everyone would enjoy one back at the bank?" it was more of a rhetorical question, but Gemma thought to ask it anyway.
"You're definitely going to be the most popular mutant at the Underground," Andy agreed with her earlier sentiment.
"Awesome, I'm going to win at being a mutant…which is a totally normal thing to want and is achievable."
Andy laughed and Lauren was confident that she hadn't seen her brother smile that much since before he started having issues at school. And he had definitely never looked at a girl the way he was looking at Gemma.
She was glad that Gemma was looking at him much the same way and smiling just as much. She desperately wanted to start to tease him, embarrass him a little, but refrained as Gemma had just given them the best food they had in a while.
She also glanced at Wes who was seeing the exact same thing she was seeing. She couldn't help but think that maybe she also was guilty of giving heart eyes.
It seemed the Strucker siblings had similar taste in talented Latin mutants.
"I would estimate there are about three hundred peaches on this tree. These are bigger than natural peaches grow, so for a 25 lb half bushel, we're looking at 50ish peaches per bushel. That should be enough for everyone, right? Or should we just make more than one trip?"
She'd normally rather die than make a second trip which always caused issues when carrying groceries from the car, but that was another life.
"How are we going to carry 50 peaches each?" Wes was willing, he just didn't think his arms could carry that much.
"When I was on the run, I learned English ivy basket weaving."
They all just kind of blinked and she laughed. Instead, she just looked around and easily found English ivy as it was an invasive species in Georgia and much of the U.S.
Again, she held out her hands and willed it to grow to great lengths with her powers. Then she started to wave her hands about in an intricate pattern, the vines obeyed her command to weave themselves tightly together and soon there were four baskets of sturdy ivy that could easily carry their bounty back to the bank.
"Wow," Lauren was impressed. "They even had handles," she also couldn't help testing the tensile strength and felt they were good sturdy baskets.
Gemma smiled, proud of her work and warm and happy that she was being useful and welcomed. She willed a few vines to weave into a bracelet and placed it on her wrist. The plant was prolific and versatile, and she wanted to have easy access to more in case she needed it.
The four of them started to pick the fruit from the tree and place them as gently as they could in the baskets. They were ripe and could easily bruise, though they doubted anyone would be too picky on how they looked.
The peaches seemed to have a vitalizing effect on the Strucker siblings and Wes. Gemma found it nice to be around teens her age and they were smiling and happy. It'd been so long since she was on the run and by herself.
No one was actually counting how many peaches they got into the basket, but Wes and Andy kept trying to pile them on as high as they could go, not taking into account how heavy and cumbersome they were making the baskets.
"Guys," Lauren giggled at their antics. "We can always come back and get more."
The other three looked at her as if she were crazy and said something heretical. She scoffed, slightly offended.
"Fine," it was pointless to argue with crazy people.
It took a couple of rearrangements, but they finally got a good ratio of peaches they could actually carry back.
They boys decided they wanted to show off a bit and had a race back to the bank, while the girls let them and enjoyed the view from the back.
Lauren kind of felt like they were on some magical journal with a witch, as the flame Gemma conjured followed them from above to light their way.
They were abruptly stopped by Reed and Caitlin Strucker at the back entrance to the bank.
Caitlin flinched when she was confronted with a flying ball of fire in the air, not sure if she was witnessing what she thought she was. Despite being among mutants with all sorts of powers for the past several weeks, it was still jarring to see their abilities on display.
She was then confused to see her children and two mutants she hadn't met yet carrying what looked to be woven baskets filled with peaches.
"Where have you been?" the question was more directed at her children, but she was addressing all of them. "It's dark, you shouldn't be outside."
Gemma and Wes didn't know who the woman was, but they were never told there was some sort of curfew.
Gemma straightened up when Andy spoke,
"Mom, we're just getting some food. This is Gemma, she was nice enough to grow it for us and just came here tonight," he was still carrying the basket and nodded his head towards the petite raven haired girl. "Gemma, this is my mom and dad," he didn't really think to tell them their names, they were mom and dad.
She smiled and raised the basket a little as if she were offering it to the adults. If this was Andy's mother, then she hoped to make a good first impression.
Caitlin was torn between being grateful to see fresh produce, something she had not had in weeks, and wanting to protect her children. These mutants were unknown to her, and they weren't in the safety of the bank. Who knew where they had grown these peaches and by what means. If anything, they could have waited until morning and for an adult to accompany them.
Reed had nodded his head, as he knew there was a mutant from the Claremont that they were expecting. He was glad they were able to get her safely.
"And this is Wes, he's been here a few days," Lauren introduced her new friend as well.
The teen put down the basket because he was determined to make a first good impression as well. It was rare to see mutant families intact, and he hadn't met many fathers in his time as a runaway, but he gave a firm handshake and was polite.
"Reed," he introduced himself as it seemed his children had forgotten they had names. "And this is my wife, Caitlin."
She gave a tight smile, as she was still irritated at her children for wandering off with two unknown mutants in the middle of the night.
"Anyway," Andy was not in the mood to deal with his parents' overprotectiveness. Not when they had good things to share, and it just wasn't a big deal. They had always been within eyesight of the bank, and it wasn't like they were setting off fireworks or using his own power to blow things up.
Part of him wanted them to see that mutant powers were not all explosions or scary. Gemma had been generous with her gift, and it brought about good fruit for people to enjoy. She had just been rescued and probably tired, but she chose to gift them the peaches with her powers.
Growing up, he had only ever been told that mutants were dangerous because their powers were dangerous. Gemma proved that they could use their power for something good.
Instead of waiting to hear his mother berate them some more for nothing happening to them, he started to walk away.
"Andy," she huffed and followed him. The rest joined them.
Teenagers carrying bushels of fruit caught many people's attention and they started to gather around them. The four teens placed the baskets on the ground and Gemma told everyone to help themselves.
Most didn't need to be told twice. Some had only been there a few days, but after several meals of MREs, they tore into the fruit like ravenous beasts.
They even got the attention of all the ranking members of the Underground.
Although Marcos rolled his eyes when he found out they had gone outside to grow the fruit as he agreed with Caitlin it was an unnecessarily risk, it didn't stop him from taking a few.
Lorna and the baby she carried certainly appreciated the peaches as it was Vitamin C and good fiber.
Even though Clarice was still righteously angry that Dreamer had messed with her mind and with John for keeping it from her on purpose, she couldn't help the allure of something fresh and sweet.
Andy kept close to Gemma on the couch in the middle of the bank as she was actually becoming popular at the Underground, and he didn't really want others to get too close to her. He couldn't help but notice that not only did she not seem to mind, but that her knee touched his and continued to touch even when she was speaking with other people.
People were having a good time, and just kind of being social. Food, even something as simple as fresh fruit, brought people together.
The kids were especially entrance with her powers, and she was happy to show them off.
"No, no fires," Marcos put a stop to that when she started to create dancing flames and was relieved that she had immediately put them out.
He was firm despite all the disappointed sounds from the little kids. He turned to Lorna who had raised a flirty eyebrow to him, and he wondered why.
"You're such a dad," she grinned at him in a low voice and pulled him close, clearly liking his use of his authority.
"Oh yeah?" He wasn't one to waste the opportunity for amorous attention from his girlfriend.
"Yeah…lets go upstairs," she mouthed the last part, and he certainly wasn't going to deny her.
"No, fires," he turned back to the teens, with Lorna still in his embrace, pointing at Gemma. "No creating shields," he pointed to Lauren. "No exploding things," he pointed to Andy who he definitely thought would be dumb enough to use his powers in a condemned building to impress a girl. "I don't know what you do," he pointed to Wes, "But don't you do it."
He thought the teen Latino would also be dumb and try to impress Lauren as he had seen them walking about together. He ignored the boy when he had thrown up his hands in confusion as not only was his power essentially harmless, or at the very least would not compromise the integrity of the building, but he had no intention of using them.
When Marcos and Lorna had gone upstairs and she was pretty sure he couldn't hear her anymore,
"Well, he didn't say no ice," and then she made a life size ice sculpture of Olaf which delighted every kid there who gasped in glee.
She then made a small area of gently falling snow that melted and disappeared before it hit the floor. They all started to sing Let It Go and were eager to touch the magical falling snow.
John allowed it as she wasn't making a mess, and it had been so long since he'd ever seen little kids laugh while under their protection. Normally, what they did was so stressful that laughter was a rare thing. He certainly enjoyed seeing the kids happy for once and it took his mind off of the extreme stress he was under, not only as the leader of the Underground, but worry for what was happening to his best friend.
Dreamer and Sage hung back a bit, each enjoying one of Gemma's peaches and a rare beer they happened to have. It felt like as good of a day to have a celebratory drink. They saved a mutant who was clearly already endearing herself to the Underground.
"Oh, you're right. They're so cute," Dreamer conspiratorially whispered to Sage. "They are sitting almost right on top of each other."
"I told you," Sage bragged, she knew Marcos was just being a grump. The two were adorable and there was nothing wrong with the two having a little crush on each other.
"She's a cute little kitten and he's an awkward tall giraffe," Dreamer noted, which made Sage almost spit out the drink she just took.
Thankfully no one was paying attention to them as they giggled.
"OK kids, I need to grab something to eat, but have a peach and enjoy," Gemma hated to disappoint them, and their sad little faces broke her heart, but she did need to eat something other than just a peach for the night. "I'll be here in the morning, I promise."
That seemed to satisfy them, and their happy parents took them back to their sleeping areas, most should be headed for bed for the night anyway.
Of course, Andy hopped up quickly to join her and they both went to the kitchen area.
"So, what do you recommend?" She asked as they got to the boxes that held the MRE.
He couldn't help the grimace as he saw what was available.
"That look does not bode well," she snickered.
"Sorry," he tried to keep the mood light. "We've had so many pass through lately that the ones that are good, are gone."
Gemma nodded and still, food was food.
"Well, as the resident MRE connoisseur, what pairs well with water and a peach?"
"That's a tough one, it's such a bold combination of flavors…"
They both laughed and went through the options.
Meanwhile,
Caitlin was about to go over and invite herself over to eat with Gemma and Andy but was stopped by her daughter.
"Mom, you already ate and he's not going to appreciate you barging in."
"I'm his mother," she insisted, "I wouldn't be barging in…I should meet and get to know any new friend he has."
It would be the exact same if he were still in school.
"Come on mom," Lauren asked her to be serious. "They're totally flirting with each other and have been all night. You're just going to make him mad."
She was glad that she more or less sent Wes away for the night, because her parents obviously couldn't handle their children having friends.
"Caitlin, leave him alone," Reed agreed with his daughter. "She also just got here, fresh from running from by Sentinel Services. She doesn't need Mama Bear to read her the Riot Act."
Caitlin huffed as she was outnumbered. She started to fold the linens that Andy had left earlier, frowning as she did so. She kept the two in the corner of her eye, not liking just how casual the girl was with her powers. Creating ice cubes, and from the smell that wafted over to them, it looked like she was caramelizing the peach with heat from her palm. She especially did not like how Andy was so smitten and impressed by her.
The two teens laughed as Andy took a bite of the roasted peach that was clearly still too hot.
They just met not a few hours ago. They're moving too fast.
She definitely thought they were sitting too close to each other; it wasn't a particularly large table, but they didn't need to be sitting side by side as they were. She was just glad that he wasn't showing off his own powers, the last thing they needed was for the building to come down on him just because he was showboating. She did worry, that eventually he would want to.
She had been a teenager once, and she remembered plenty of boys doing silly things in order to impress her.
His powers were just too dangerous and volatile. No one should have them, much less her son.
She was about to go over to them, not liking at all how blasé the girl was about using her abilities, but she was stopped by a honeycomb wall of condensed air.
"Lauren," she couldn't believe her daughter would use her powers against her. It seemed already the girl was a bad influence if her children thought they could just use their abilities on a whim.
"Mom, leave them alone. He's actually making a friend, he's never had many of those," Lauren put her foot down and pointed out that Andy needed his space. She also hoped that Andy would return the favor if her parents went crazy about her and Wes.
"OK, both of you need to stop," he said a little louder than he meant as used his body as a shield between the both of them and between them and where Gemma and Andy sat in the kitchen area across the bank. Their commotion was drawing a lot of attention of the other refugees who were trying to settle in their sleeping area, but the two teens were so lost in each other that they didn't notice.
It seemed Gemma was too focused on making a sour face when she had her first bite of the MRE and Andy was trying his best to not laugh too much at her apparent misery.
"We can speak with Andy later tonight or first thing tomorrow. We have concerns about his new friend and her…casual use of her powers. That's fair. We can make clear our boundaries and expectations of him and his own use of power. We're not her parents, but we're still his…does that sound reasonable?"
Caitlin wanted to just take her entire family and get somewhere safe, and she was irritated her husband made it seem like wanting to protect her son was unreasonable and unfair or that she was a hostile witnesses he had to sooth in court. But she agreed,
He does look happy.
She had to admit. He had been struggling in school, and he had always been sensitive and a bit of a loner. He's always had Lauren as his best friend growing up, they were only a year apart.
Lauren had become beautiful and charismatic, making friends left and right when she entered high school. She wondered if Andy felt left behind or abandoned, but she didn't know what to do when her children were so different, where one was struggling while the other one was flourishing.
Even as they were at the Underground for weeks, he still stuck so closely by his family. Even when more refugees came and there were a few around his age, he had not taken to them like he had to this new girl.
Maybe I am being too hard on her…Reed said she had runaway, maybe she is so free with her powers because she didn't have anyone in her life to caution her.
She couldn't help but think of the young boy she had helped the day before, who said he had to use his powers in order to eat, even if those same powers made him sick. If Gemma had been out on her own, and she was clearly experienced in growing fruit, then she probably had no choice but to use her powers and become good at them.
"You're right," she finally admitted and would not intrude on Andy's little dinner. It was getting late and they'd probably all be going to bed soon anyway. "Any talk can wait until tomorrow…maybe you and Andy can have a little chat while you both do laundry," she said slyly.
Laundry was Reed's least favorite chore on the compound, but it would be a good excuse to not only spend time with Andy, but maybe give their son some much needed fatherly advice. Her son clearly didn't just like the new girl as a friend, he was all but following her around like a lovesick puppy.
In any other life, she would have been ecstatic that her son had a potential girlfriend, and Gemma was a cute little thing. She would have teased him for liking someone such the opposite of him, with her pretty dark features and being so petite while he started to shoot up like a beanstalk.
In another life, she would have cooed over Andy doing these milestones and shared her own stories of school dances and dates to the movies.
But the life they had, dating would just be a distraction. They had decided to stay to help the Mutant Underground, but that could change at any moment. She had a feeling things would get too dangerous soon, and she would pack up the family and move on with little regrets. She felt for the plight of mutants, she really did, but in the end, all that really mattered to her was protecting her family.
Reed agreed to speaking with Andy the next day, he was desperate to keep the peace.
Caitlin went back to finishing the linens and was at least glad there wasn't any room near them for Gemma to sleep the night.
Gemma finally choked down the MRE and was glad that it was at least filling, if not the worst texture and poorly seasoned food she had ever had in her life. Saving some of the peach for dessert helped wash the taste out, and she definitely would be sticking to growing her own food rather than the MREs for when she could help it.
She had hoped she wouldn't have to jump to closed grocery stores to steal, but maybe she would quietly continue to do so if her only options were boxed meals for days on end.
It was a terrible meal, but with good company she felt it had ended too soon. It was getting late, however, and she had a tiring day. There was always tomorrow, and she was glad she came with Clarice.
"Did you only come with what you had on you?" Andy asked, as they cleared the table and got rid of the trash.
"Yeah, I had a hiking backpack with a bunch of my clothes and other stuff, but I had to ditch it. I don't feel like it's worth trying to retrieve from the Claremont, which sucks."
Andy nodded, he knew all too well having to go on the run with basically nothing but the clothes on his back.
"My powers manifested at a school dance," he didn't want to get into how he was bullied, "Sentinel Services was at my house within the hour, we didn't even get a chance to think to pack or anything. We were lucky we were even able to get away in our car. I got to use my new powers on them though," he was a little proud that he had been a little useful that night, rather than just ruining everyone's life. "Lauren too, totally badass."
Gemma agreed as she followed him to the supply area of the bank.
"We basically let people take a set of toiletries as they pass through. Mini toothpaste, the cheapest piece of shit toothbrush ever made that's better than nothing, mini shampoo, and a mini soap."
Each item was in its own little cardboard box and none of them were brands Gemma had ever heard of, but grateful nonetheless. She helped herself to one of each and made a list in her own head for a hairbrush and hair ties she could steal later. She eyed some tampons and pads in the corner that she was grateful she didn't have to ask Andy about.
He continued to help her settle for the night by gathering a few blankets for her, advising which were the best and most comfortable to be had.
He showed her where a family had just left, and he tried not to show too much disappointment that it was so far from him.
"Why isn't anyone in that office?" she pointed to the corner of the large second story floor.
"The floor has rotted out, it's not safe."
But it was the largest office on the floor and otherwise cleared out. Gemma went to investigate and saw that it was mostly empty, and it had no door. There was a huge hole, but otherwise it was prime real estate.
"I can work with this," she smiled at him confidently and gave him her bundle of stuff she had collected.
He took her stuff and was curious as to what she was about to do.
To give them some light, she created a torch and left it burning in the air in the middle of the ceiling. It was brighter than any camping lamp they had, and it didn't use batteries. The leadership had to be happy about that, as long as Gemma could prove she could control it and not burn the place down.
She then started to rifle through the many pockets of her pants. He'd seen cargo pants before, but the black ones she wore had to be the most pockets he'd ever seen on a pair.
Gemma took out a few things and started to mumble to herself,
"Lettuce, carrots, tomatoes, a cool rock I found, tiny pinecone…ah, here we go: wisteria," she waved a Burpee seed packet with purple flowers on the front.
She tossed a few seeds to the windows that looked out to the great hall, and she held out her hands to command them to grow. Soon, vines started to climb and twist along the windowpanes. Purple flowers bloomed and hung, covering the glass and doorway for privacy.
Curious stares started to disappear as their view were covered with flowers.
Normally the bank was musty and had a distinct dusty smell, made worse with so many people in a tight space. He rather enjoyed the green and floral smell of the wisteria.
Gemma then turned to the hole in the floor and unwrapped some of the ivy she had kept from making basked from her wrist. Again, she hovered her hands and willed it to grow. This time instead of thin vines, she grew them thicker and wove them tighter and tighter. The plants filled in the hole, and it looked like she had done a magical patch job that blended in perfectly with the floorboards.
She went over and tested the strength of her work with her foot. At first, cautiously tapping her foot down, once she was confident, she put her full weight down and then walked over it. She even did a few small jumps and had a proud smile.
It was a lot of room for one person, but as far as Andy was concerned, she earned it. He doubted anyone would throw a fit, and if they did, then he'd back up Gemma's right to the space.
In the corner, Gemma grew moss that seemed to have been growing there already. She had created a soft looking bed the right size for her, and probably vastly better than the bare floor with just a thin blanket.
He was almost jealous because the moss looked softer than the cot he had. He wouldn't complain as most didn't have one.
"It's official, I'm jealous of your powers," he said good naturedly, and Gemma's heart fluttered at his smile.
"They are pretty awesome," she agreed with a grin.
He really just wanted an excuse to keep hanging out with her, she was probably the first mutant he'd come across that seemed to find joy in her powers and wasn't afraid of them. He desperately wanted someone to share his own feelings of liking his powers. Everyone, especially his parents, kept harping to him that they were something to be afraid of and never use.
He helped her put down the blankets over the moss to make it more comfortable for her.
It turned out she had many types of flowers hidden away in the many pockets of her pants, and they joked around about decorating her new sleeping space.
It was late, however, and she had a long day. She couldn't help the yawn that escaped her lips.
"It's late, I can get going," he offered so she didn't have to kick him out.
"Thanks for showing me around," she said with a sleepy smile, and was actually looking forward to the next day.
"De nada," he cutely shrugged his shoulders. He said he was leaving but was having a hard time actually making his feet go towards his cot.
She reached into her pockets again and pulled out a few seeds, within her palm she grew several stalks of purple flowers and gave them to him.
After he took them, and he felt a current of electricity of where her fingers brushed against his hand and was very aware of her, his first instinct was to smell them,
"Lavender," she told him, unsure if he knew what they were. She stood close to him than was probably necessary, but he did not mind at all. "Put them next to your pillow and it will help you sleep."
He had no idea if that was true, but they smelled nice and certainly better than the old pillow he currently used.
He finally forced himself to start leaving, because he was also getting tired, and he did not want to seem weird. He did, however, walk backwards out of the office and past the curtain of wisteria so that he could watch her for as long as he could.
Unbeknownst to either of them, they had both fallen back onto their beds with sighs. Both remembering everything about the other, from their eyes to their lips; both wondering what the other was doing or thinking of that very moment.
Since Gemma was alone, she allowed herself a silent little happy dance while on her back. In her excitement, the wisteria blooms grew larger and more fragrant.
She grew a little sad because she had no one to talk to about the cute boy she just met. If she were still home, she would have told her mom and texted her cousin nonstop. Then she would have stalked his socials to get to know even more about him.
Since Andy was out in the open, he tried to contain his own burst of feelings that threatened to spill out of him. He couldn't help the smile that graced his face that anyone could see from a mile away.
Lauren, and their parents all eyed each other. All of them thinking the same thing, Andy was clearly smitten, and each had different reactions.
As his big sister, it was her duty to do at least some light teasing.
"So…what do ya got there Andy?" she asked from her cot, sitting up on the edge as he continued to lay down and stare at the ceiling like a lovesick idiot.
He wasn't so stingy with the flowers since Gemma had given him several sprigs and handed two to Lauren,
"It's lavender, Gemma said it'll help with sleep," he wasn't paying all that much attention to his sister, he instead took his remaining sprigs and smelled them again, remembering his conversation with Gemma that he literally had a few minutes ago.
In lieu of teasing him some more, she brought the flowers to her nose to smell them and thought they were lovely. She recalled somewhere in a memory long ago and mostly forgotten as soon as she heard it, that lavender was supposed to help with sleep.
If anything, it helped with the musty smell of the old linens they used.
No matter how much they washed, the bank was still a dank, abandoned building. The purple flowers Gemma grew in the office and the lavender she gave Andy certainly helped.
"Well, Gemma is certainly…generous with her powers," Caitlin just couldn't help herself.
God damn it, mom.
Lauren wished her mom would just let Andy have his cute little moment with his crush.
Caitlin immediately understood that her comment wasn't appreciated from the sour looks both her children gave her. She stood firm and it was her right to care about the safety of her children.
Andy didn't bother to say anything, he just got up to wash up for the night.
Caitlin kind of wilted, and Reed promised to speak with him tomorrow.
The bank was dark by the time Andy got back and everyone was in bed.
He didn't care what his mom thought, he thought Gemma was awesome, and he brushed his thumb along the stalk and soft petals of lavender she gifted him.
He fell asleep with a smile on his face and couldn't wait for tomorrow. The lavender did help him sleep.