"What about that?" Annie pointed. "It's green."
Rogue looked around with a little trepidation. She'd learned fairly fast that Annie's fashion sense extended as far as "hard wearing" and "comfortable" and "doesn't show the dirt," and stopped right there. She had two pairs of denim overalls and one pair of jeans and that, until today, had been the majority of her wardrobe. That said it all, really. "Which one?"
Annie pointed again. "The green shirt. It's got long sleeves, look. And it's all soft."
Rogue unhooked the green silk shirt from the rack and held it up. "Not bad," she said in some surprise. "Are you sure it's my colour, though?"
"Oh, green's definitely your colour," Annie assured her. "And it'll go nice with your coat. That's green too."
Rogue giggled. "That's true," she agreed.
"You should get it," Annie said firmly.
"I'll try it on," Rogue agreed. "But we're supposed to be finding clothes for you, remember?"
Annie gave her a whipped-puppy look. "I got clothes," she said hopefully. "New jeans, two new shirts, some socks...plenty of stuff. We should find things for you now."
"That's not enough, silly," Rogue chided. "Ya still need something nice to wear, and a new jacket, and underwear..."
Annie perked up at the suggestion of a new jacket, but Rogue could swear her ears went down at the mention of underwear. "But..." she protested.
"Come on, you've got to need some new stuff," Rogue said firmly. "If you've been on the road for three months, you have GOT to need new underwear, believe me, I know."
Annie got a hunted look.
Rogue dragged her firmly over to the lingerie section of the store. "Come on, don't be silly. Doctor Grey told us to get everything you needed, and that includes underwear."
Annie grabbed the first package-of-eight that caught her eye. "Right! Got underwear! Can we get my jacket now?"
Rogue looked dubious. "Don't you...uh...want to look around? For...stuff?"
Annie gave her a blank look. She looked down at the eight changes of sensible black cotton underpants in her hand. "Like what?"
Rogue opened her mouth. She closed it. Her eyes narrowed. "I don't wanna get too personal, Annie, but...uh...are you wearin' a bra?"
"No."
"Do you HAVE one?"
"No." Annie shrugged. "Don't need one."
Rogue eyed her new friend. Annie might only be thirteen, but she was thirteen-with-the-major-growth-spurt-in-full-swing. "Oh, yes you do."
"No I don't." Annie bounced illustratively on her toes. "They hardly even move, see? Muscle tone, that is."
Rogue blushed. "I don't care, you still need at least one," she said firmly. "What about when you...uh...wanna wear a thin shirt or something?"
"What if I DO? What's that got to do with ow! That's my ear!"
Rogue, gloved fingers clamped firmly on one ever-so-slightly pointed ear, hauled her over to the appropriate rack. "There. What about that one?"
Annie pulled away, rubbing her ear and scowling. Rogue had been THIS close to a messy disembowelment... "It looks itchy."
"It does not either look itchy," Rogue argued. "Satin isn't itchy."
"It is for ME. I have sensitive skin. I only wear natural fibres." Annie folded her arms and scowled. "And I don't NEED one."
Rogue looked around. The argument was attracting some rather intent male interest. "Look," she said in a quieter voice. "Just get a couple of the sports ones, okay? Then we can go."
Annie eyed her cautiously. "If I do, you'll stop bugging me about it?"
"Yes."
"Okay." She grabbed a black one and a white one. "There."
Rogue looked puzzled. "Don't you wanna try them on?"
Oops. She could hardly say "no, I'm a shapeshifter, I'll just adjust myself until they fit." "I know how wide around I am, Rogue," she said patiently. "Trust me, they'll fit."
"I still think-"
"Rogue, please. I like you. Don't make me stab you to death with a plastic hanger."
Rogue admitted defeat with a sigh. "Okay, okay. Let's go get you a coat."
"I want one like yours. With a hood. And big pockets."
"We'll see."
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"Did you girls have fun?" Jean asked, looking up as Rogue wandered into the common room and flopped dramatically into a chair.
"I swear, it's like shopping with a toddler," Rogue moaned. "Can we go look at the toys, can we go look at the puppies at the petshop, I'm hungry, I'm bored, I want to go home...and I had to physically drag her out of the bookshop."
Jean smiled sympathetically. "I can imagine. Annie can be very...ah...individual."
"She can be a real pain," Rogue grumbled. Then she smiled ruefully. "Although it was kinda cute, the way she ran around looking at everything. I don't think anyone ever took her shopping before."
"I got that impression, too." Jean shook her head. "Scott's fairly sure she was in an orphanage before she took off...he says she reminds him of some of the kids he grew up with, who'd been orphaned or abandoned when they were very young."
Rogue nodded. "I thought so...she never talks about having a home or parents. She said something about a doctor, once, but then she just clammed up. Wherever she was, I don't think she liked it much."
"Neither do I." Jean shook her head. "But if she doesn't want to talk about it, we can't make her."
Rogue sighed. "I know, I know...oh." She dug the school credit card -- which she'd only been allowed to borrow after swearing on her life, her soul, and her grandma's grave that she'd only use it to buy things she and Annie really needed -- and gave it back to Jean. "I just got a couple of long sleeved shirts for me, and some clothes and books for Annie."
Jean nodded. "We trust you," she said gently. "There are only a couple of students allowed to use this."
Rogue smiled shyly. "I appreciate it," she said softly.
"I know." Jean patted her shoulder, careful to only touch her shirt, and stood up. "And I appreciate you taking the time to take Annie shopping. She doesn't really trust anyone but you and Scott, and...well..."
"He's still got a dislocated elbow." Rogue smiled ruefully. "But Annie's going to apologize, don't worry. She promised."
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Annie peeked around the door. "Mr. Summers? You busy?"
Scott looked up from trying to use his mouse left-handed. It was actually easier than he'd thought it'd be. "Yes?"
She slipped around the door, and held out a small paper bag. "I got you something," she said a little shyly. "To say I was sorry for dislocating your elbow."
Scott blinked, glad that most of his face was hidden behind his visor. "You didn't have to do that," he said seriously. "But thank you." He took the package, and opened it awkwardly.
"I didn't know what you liked," she admitted. "But everyone likes chocolate, right? And it's in little bits already, so you don't have to try and break it with your left hand."
"Thank you." He smiled at her. "Was this your idea?"
"No. Rogue told me to." She gave him a puzzled frown. "I'm not sure why food is supposed to make a damaged limb less annoying, but I guess it might take your mind off it or something."
"It's a social custom," Scott explained. "It indicates that you're genuinely sorry that you hurt someone, and that you'd like them to feel better."
"Oh." The frown cleared a bit. "Why didn't she tell me that?"
Scott grinned. "She's naturally good with people. I'm not, so I have to think about it."
"Well, that makes sense." Annie scrunched up her face and gave him a humorous look. "I'm not good at people either."
"I noticed. Uh...this is just a suggestion, but I think your classes might go better if you pretended not to know more about the subject than your teachers." She'd spent over an hour arguing voiciferously with Jean about some medical point or another, in class, and, eventually, had been proven right. Jean really didn't LIKE Annie very much.
Annie blinked. "Really? I should lie?"
Scott measured an inch or so between finger and thumb. "Just a little."
"Oh." She looked puzzled, then shrugged. "If you say so."
"Trust me."
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Two days later, and somewhat against his better judgement, Scott took a group of students to the Metropolitan Museum of Art...including Annie. Rogue seemed to be able to keep her more or less under control, and the girl was really trying hard. It wasn't her fault she was a bit...antisocial. Scott had had similar problems when he was young. If he was honest, he sometimes still did.
She seemed to like the Museum, though...if the loud comments from the back of the group were anything to go by. For someone who didn't know much about art, she sure had a lot of opinions. Rogue was looking terminally embarrassed, but John was getting into it, trading opinions and comments with almost equal volume. They were getting shushed a lot, but it didn't seem to be sticking.
Scott sighed, asked the gods for patience, and herded his charges into the next room. "All right...you've all got your assignment sheets, so spread out, pick a painting, and fill out the first page."
Obediently, the kids spread out, finding unoccupied benches or cheerfully frightening people away from occupied ones. But that was all right. Kids did that. It was a field trip, and it was going fine...he was doing his deep breaths and he'd taken his hypericum tablet and everything was going to be fine...things were not necessarily going to go wrong just because he was injured and out alone with the children...
"NOBODY MOVE!!!"
Scott closed his eyes. "I knew it," he sighed.
The shouter was a thin, unremarkable looking man...well, unremarkable except for the machine gun. That was a real attention-getter. "I AM ANGRY!" he screamed. "AND I WANT PEOPLE TO KNOW WHY! I'M ANGRY BECAUSE PEOPLE, ORDINARY PEOPLE LIKE YOU, ARE KILLING AND DESTROYING A PEACEFUL AND GENTLE SPECIES! GORILLAS ARE PEOPLE TOO, AND--"
There was a sound entirely unlike "bam" or "pow."
The man sighed softly, his eyes rolled up in his head, and he tumbled to the floor. That left Annie standing behind him with an interested look on her face, and John holding the machine gun. "Hey, Mr. Summers, look!" he said proudly.
"John, put that down!" Scott said automatically. "How many times do I have to tell you kids not to touch automatic weaponry?"
John sighed heavily and laid the gun carefully on the floor. "You never let us have any fun," he said reproachfully.
"You're at the Art Museum. That's plenty of fun." Scott looked around at the rather baffled expressions on the faces around him. "Uh...okay, kids, I'm glad you've all been paying so much attention in your self-defense class. But I think you should let the security guards handle it from here, okay?"
"Okay," the kids chorused, still gazing at the unconscious man on the floor with much more interest than they'd shown in the artworks.
"What security guards?" Annie asked. "I don't see any...oh, hey, there's one, hiding under the bench." Her voice really had marvellous carrying power.
"Yes, Annie, and I'm sure he can take it from here." Scott risked life and limb just a little by settling his good hand between her shoulderblades and propelling her firmly into the next room. "Come on, kids, fun's over."
The other kids trooped after him, babbling excitedly. Under the cover of the chatter, Scott leaned down and murmured to Annie. "What took you so long?"
"I wanted to know what he was angry about," she explained in a whisper. "What did he mean about the gorillas?"
"They're endangered," Scott explained quietly. "I'll give you a book about it when we get home." He and the other teachers had learned that that was the quickest way to shut her up.
"Okay. Will there be pictures?"
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Jubilee rubbed her eyes sleepily, peeking over her quilt at the window. There was someone sillhouetted against it, and a fading flashlight was beaming on an open book. There were several other books on the floor.
"Annie?" she said sleepily. "Have you been up all night?"
"Yes." Annie looked up, blinking a little. "I ate your Snickers stash, too. Don't worry, I'll get you some more." She held up her book, voice taking on an aggrieved note. "Did you know that there's a square kilometre of rainforest being cut down EVERY MINUTE??"
"No. Is there?" Jubilee pulled the covers back over her head. It was barely even dawn. She could get another hour or two's sleep if she hurried.
Annie pulled the covers down again. "Yes! And the gorillas! They're being WIPED OUT!!"
"Yeah, well, I didn't do it." Jubilee pulled her pillow over her head.
"Yes you did! Every time you eat at McDonald's, you kill a mile of rainforest all by yourself!" Annie made a face. "Not to mention the hideous cruelty to your stomach microbes."
"I'm toughening them up. You know, like Marines." Jubilee gave up on sleep and sat up. "What do you think people should do about it?"
"Well, eradicating humanity would solve the problem, but I think we should keep that for a last resort."
Jubilee chuckled. "Yeah. The staff come down hard on it. Look at Magneto."
"He's in jail, isn't he? That doesn't sound fun." Annie frowned. "Do you think there're mutants who can make rainforests grow?"
Jubilee wrapped her arms around her knees. "I guess. I mean, there're mutants who can do pretty much anything."
Annie plopped down on the end of Jubilee's bed. "The gorillas might be harder. I mean, it's not like there are mutants who can make baby gorillas...at least, I don't think there are..."
"Eww!" Jubilee giggled. "I sure hope not."
"Me too. I mean, unless they're mutant gorillas."
There was a moment's pause.
"Mutant gorillas."
"Yeah."
"With the power to make many baby gorillas. Like, more than they could the normal way."
"Yeah."
"No, still gross."
"It is, isn't it?" Annie pulled her knees up under her chin. "I guess they're gonna have to handle that themselves."
"I know I don't wanna help." Jubilee felt around. Yep, Gummi Bear stash still there. She pulled it out and offered them to Annie. "I think there are like...clubs and stuff you can join, for caring about the environment."
"Oh." Annie took a Gummi Bear. "How do you join?"
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"Mail call!" came a voice from the main hall. Prudent teachers, on hearing this call, had been known to climb bookcases to avoid the stampede.
A herd of adolescents thundered down to the front hall...and skidded to a ragged halt.
On the hall table, next to the small pile of letters and a couple of parcels, was a mountain of coloured papers and envelopes. Even a couple of small parcels. Some of them had spilled onto the floor. And Mr. Summers was standing next to it with his Stern Face on.
"What's going on?" someone asked.
"The mail is here. Bobby, hand it out." Scott scanned the crowd. "Annie?"
Annie bobbed up from near the back. "What?"
"Why do you have mail from eighteen save-the-rainforest groups, thirteen save-the-whale groups, fifteen save-the-endangered-animal-of-your-choice groups, nine lots of people who want to save the ozone layer, and one that wants you to save starving children in Africa?"
Annie took the envelope he was waving and looked at it. "Children in Africa? I didn't send for that one." She shrugged, and tossed it over her shoulder. "They can stand on their hind legs and verbalize. They can take care of themselves."
The stunned silence took on an element of shock.
"But you did send away for all the others?" Scott said patiently.
Annie nodded, her face a picture of trusting innocence. "Yeah! 'cause, you know...the gorillas. And I read all the books you gave me, and there was an address in the back of one. So I wrote to it and asked them to send me everything they had."
Scott blinked.
Annie gave him a worried look. "Shouldn't I have? Only Ms. Monroe said that if something interested me I should research it thoroughly."
Scott looked helplessly at the mountain of mail. She'd obviously been bad, but he couldn't actually figure out anything she'd done that was actually wrong. "Well..."
Annie smiled up at him, her eyes bright and innocent. "They have newsletters and things, to keep you up to date. And if I join the Southern Amazon one, I get a stuffed snake."
"Really." Well...it would keep her out of trouble...although what Annie would do with a stuffed snake didn't bear imagining. "I suppose. But you can only join a few, all right? One of each kind."
Annie's lip quivered.
"All right, two. But that's ALL. And don't do anything dreadful with the snake."
Annie grinned. "Define 'dreadful.'"
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"Mr. Summers?"
"If it's another petition to save...whatever it is you're saving..., just forge my name at the bottom," Scott said absently. "I've got papers to mark."
"Oh, I already put your name on the petition. The Doc said I could." Annie slipped around the door, tucking her hands behind her back. "Uhm. Can I talk to you?"
Scott looked up. "Is it something important, or something that can wait?"
"It's something I'd like to talk about."
Scott nodded, pushing the papers away and leaning back in his chair. "All right. Take a seat."
Annie curled up in the small armchair, tucking her feet under her with sublime disregard for the upholstery. "Uh...you know how I'm on that mailing list? You know, they send me brochures for charities and environmental groups and stuff?
Scott nodded. "You really sold Jean on that one for saving the eagles. She sent a donation."
"Yeah, so did the Professor. I told him the eagles were bald like him, and he laughed and gave me money." Annie rested her chin on her fist. "Well...I got another one today. For saving the humans. From mutants."
"Oh." Scott's carefully blank Leader Expression slid quickly into place to hide his shock and sympathy. "I see. And you wanted to talk about that?"
Annie nodded. "Why do humans need to be saved from mutants?" she asked in a small voice. "I mean, given that the human to mutant ratio is 10,000:1 in their favour, they control 99.99992340845082349075% of the world's wealth, they have a forty percent greater chance of living to old age and they're allowed get medical insurance...why are they so threatened by us?"
Scott blinked in surprise at all the figures, but he courageously launched into the they're-just-afraid-don't-worry-we'll-reason-with them speech. "Oh. Uh...well...the idea of someone with mutant powers is very scary to a normal human, and--"
Annie gave him a flatly disbelieving look. "The real reason."
"The same reason that they used to supress ethnic minorities and women. They're afraid we'll get all the good stuff they've got."
"Oh." Annie thought about that. "That makes sense, I suppose..."
"That's just my opinion, mind you," Scott amended quickly. He wasn't supposed to tell the students his personal theory on the subject. The Professor worried that it might make them bitter. "But...well, when people have a certain standard of living, they get protective of it. They want to be sure that nobody can take what they have away from them...and somebody with powers they can't even imagine is pretty threatening."
Annie twiddled with a blonde curl. "I guess...is that why there's no human/mutant tension in Zimbabwe?"
Scott nodded. "I think so. When you've got nothing, what's to lose?"
Annie looked down at the expensive carpet. "Humans kill mutants, though," she said softly. "That's taking possessiveness of their status a little too far."
Scott wished he was better at being comforting. "It doesn't happen often, really--"
"I used to have brothers and sisters. They were killed," Annie said flatly.
Oh.
Oh, god.
Scott abandoned dignity and got up, moving to kneel beside her chair. "I didn't know that," he said very gently.
Annie's face was still calm, but her voice caught ever so slightly. "They were executed," she said quietly. "Of no more use, they said. Expendable."
"I see." He didn't, but never mind. He took her hand anyway, patting it gently. "Is that why you're on the run now?"
Annie nodded.
He nodded. "I only have one brother," he said softly. "I haven't seen him since we were very small. He was adopted, you see, and I wasn't. We lost contact after that. But he's alive, at least, and I'm very grateful for that."
There was the slightest trace of moisture in Annie's eyes. "Do you miss him?"
"Every day," Scott said softly.
Annie's eyes filled up slowly, and her lip trembled. "I miss mine, too," she whispered.
Scott nodded. "I'm not very good at this sort of thing, but... Will you break my arm if I give you a hug?"
Annie shook her head mutely.
Tentatively, Scott slid a comforting arm around her shoulders, and winced sympathetically as she started to cry quietly. "Shh..." he whispered soothingly. "It's going to be all right now." Then he frowned. "Annie?" he said as gently as he could manage. "What did you mean...expendable?"
