Okay! I finally thought up a good reason for the car accident: the title of the story. "Bittersweet"? That would imply that there is both "bitter" and "sweet" things in the fic, right? Right. ::nods:: Of course! How silly of me! Silly Psycho B! :D So, since we already had the slashy fun stuff, there had to be dark, dreary stuff to, you know, balance it out... yes. And everyone go look at my, umm, awesome(?) pumpkin pic on my author info page! It's... a pumpkin! And it's throwing up! Does it get any better (aka any more bizarre) than that? And it IS bizarre, no? It's the only thing nifty enough that I had saved on my computer in the right file format, so... there it is! O.o Boo-yah! Should I change it? Or keep it the same? Yay! New episode Saturday! Operation: Rebirth! I liked how they gave us all more info on Logan's past, I guess he's a lot older that I originally thought -- old enough to have served in WW2 and still look exactly the same... Damn! I hope I look that good when I get to be close to a hundred! And it was cute how Logan was the one who saved Baby Magneto... okay, not baby so much, but little-boy Magneto! Yay! Pie-Pie's daddy! Lance's daddy-in-law... naaaah. :D Ridiculous absence of Brotherhood AGAIN!!! (Well, except for Magneto, but he ain't cute, so he don't count... Just kidding! He's Cutie-Pie's pop, so he's sporting those older-version-of-Pietro good looks... or something. :P) And response to... (don't bother reading unless you've reviewed/read the reviews recently) *DarkFire: OH, that is SO NOT TRUE!!! Go read "Falling a Step Behind" by Shindo -- in that one, Lance DIES in their car wreck! Pietro's fine, except for his broken heart... sigh. I think, in fact, that was the first ever fic that made me cry (not including tears of frustration over my own fics...) It is incredibly well-written, and I delayed in reviewing it for a long time because I didn't know what to say... words just didn't describe the feelings, man. *SaliorWade: I don't mind being your inspiration for a fic -- not at all! I love knowing I had something to do with things! I wish I could tell all the people who ever gave me inspirations that they had such an impact on me, but then they'd think I was a freak... *ahem* I'm ashamed to say that I never even reviewed the fic that was my biggest motivation to make my own, and that's because I can't think of anything good enough to say! (And for me, the ultimate blabbermouth, that's saying a lot...) Lemme know how it's going! And how that site worked out! *Sky_Angel: Bank drive ups are, uh, well, there's three lanes, the ATM is the last lane. And people send their deposits/withdrawals/other assorted crap into the building through the little tubes... does that kinda make sense? No one stays in the ATM, except for when we're servicing it (which sucks, cuz it's usually me out there, rain, snow, or shine... what's that postal service motto again?) No Easter holiday for Psycho B! I will be online and busy all day... and I'll be liking it. Except when my mother is cramming Easter dinner down my throat from about 5:30 - 6:00 pm... I'm gonna barf if I have to eat a bunch of ham, yams and other necessary fixings, I swear... ick. It seems like we just had some kind of holiday that involved a big meal, doesn't it? Thinking about it has made me sick now... I'm gonna go take a nap, methinks. After I finish the review responses, of course! ^_~ The count is always changing, but at this chapter's release time, chapter one (the one all readers must go through to get to any other chappy) is up to... 392 hits!! Woohoo! Even though at least some of those hits were just me making sure everything's cool and going to my reviews page, that's pretty good, considering I've only had the service tabulating the totals for a few days... :D *batE: I never knew there were so many review-slackers! Doesn't it just make you wanna be able to see just who was reading it, if they were signed in? Argh! So much curiosity... will kill... the Psycho B! ACK! And we'll see about the "damaged goods/Pietro" in this chappy! So keep reading! ^o^ *Imhotep Ardeth Bey: Hey, little missy! No bitching about being like me with my long, rambly rant sessions, or Psycho B will stop communicating and go hide under a rock and be a hermit! Oh, wait -- too late! I'm already a hermit! I only leave the house when absolutely necessary, since I started this infernal fic... anyways... Damn computers! I don't trust mine one bit, so I'm always wasting loads of paper printing everything out, just in case it dies on me. Or in case mommy decides to delete my "gay porn" cuz it makes her uncomfortable... I have more trouble trying to recall things I've written, even if it's recently, so I have to print it out. It never fails, too -- you write some really cool thing, and then the computer claims you pulled an illegal function or whatever, and freezes and shuts down... and you can't save it! I did see the Jamie part in the latest ep, it was all Jamie/Rahne snugly, but the total absence of all things Brotherhood left me with an empty feeling, since, I believe, that was the last ep of the season? Am I right? I haven't heard of any other new ones... ::sigh:: *Cherry Drop: Honey, we all go into that mode sometimes... it's natural. ^_^ I kinda hoped someone would comment on that teaser question! I'd hafta agree... Lance and Pietro lapdances for Psycho B! Yeah, baby! Take it ALL off! Woohoo! ::smacks self:: `Kay, I'm better now. Ya don't need to see Logan in the buff -- you practically already get it in Grim Reminder! He's in his undies in the lab, and that's about it! ^o^ That chapter was awfully short, yes? I feel all bad now, ever since doing that massive chapter before it... I'm setting myself up for failure! Making unreasonable precedents! Too much pressure! >:D *Kelly: Nothing but a bowtie... ::drools all over self:: ::smacks self, again:: Yeah! Ewww -- thinking about bowties kinda made me think of PeeWee Herman -- most definitely NOT my first Chippendale's choice! So I shall revert back to thinking about Pietro and Lance in bowties... only bowties... ahh, yes. There we go. Very nice. >:D *Taiorami: I get to be a goddess? COOL! :D I am a power-hungry control freak -- does this mean I get to wear a pretty gown and order people around and stuff? (That should go over real well at work... :P) And I completely agree with you -- our little Toddles is in dire need of some boyfriending! But, there's no one to pair the poor guy up with other than Freddy, unless I want to involve more X-Men, which I kinda don't... so he will be a bachelor awhile longer! (Sorry, Todd! You know you are just so disappointed you don't get to have a boy-toy! >:D) I'm glad to know I'm not the only one who neglects her babysitting charges in lieu of the computer... eh, who am I kidding? I haven't babysat for years... since, actually, my evil cousin threw a laundry basket at my, gave me a black eye and a bloody nose, and told me he was "going to rip my boobies off!" Warm, fuzzy memories... ::sigh:: I am glad we moved far, far away from those freaks. Unfortunately, I must visit them and all my other irritating relatives sometime this summer, unless I can't get the time off work... heh heh heh. Loophole if I ever saw one! ^_~ *Medusa171: Guess you're one of those people who has to constantly be aware of what you're saying, so you don't dig yourself into a hole... I was always the exact same way. But now, I don't say much to real people aside from "Thank you, have a good day!" so I'm safe. And I did intend to be kinda sad and depressing on that last chappy, but that's okay, cuz it made sense! I think! O.o But seriously, I'm not sure what you mean by "references," not just that one in particular. But I'll drop it, cuz I'm beating a dead horse here. ^_^ *Saralyn: Everyone must rationalize. It is a natural part of human nature. I bet you're rationalizing something right now! I know I am! ^_~ Our boys and a bed always leads to fun stuff... Disclaimer: As if! No, really, if you actually believe I own any of this (makes grand sweeping gesture) then I have some prime swamp land down in Florida you may be interested in... No, seriously. I don't own anything. (Duh?) Oh, I don't own Stephen king or his little book, either.

Lance's first conscious thought when he awoke was that it was too cold -- and this was coming from a boy who had no heat in his home at the moment. He blinked his eyes slowly, focusing on the features of the dimly lit room. Where was he? Oh yeah. The X-Geek's mansion. Joy. Where's Pietro? As if in answer, Lance heard a slight rustling noise to his right. Pietro! "Pietro...?" Lance started, wincing at the raspy, gravelly sound of his voice. How long had they been there? "Lance!" an equally raspy voice returned. Lance could make out two shining orbs in the dark of the room. "Do you remember what happened, Pietro?" "Not really... just some big noise and then you were carrying me, then I was here..." "Good enough." "We've gotta get out of here!" "Why? We have no way to care for you at our place. Everything's free here," Lance argued lamely. He wasn't thrilled at the possibility of being trapped in the X-Men's mansion forever either, and possibly chopped up and held hostage like that poor dude in that Stephen King story... "Misery" was it? Naaah, they'd never actually do that... or would they? But it was better than the alternative -- no medical care at all. Lance struggled to sit up. The starchy-white cleanness of the bedsheets were rough against his skin. Maybe, if he wished hard enough, he and Pietro could turn back the clock and both be back in Mystique's nice, soft, warm bed together, completely naked... "Lance! C'mon, let's get outta here before they come back!" "Why are you so paranoid about the X-Freaks coming back, anyway? Did they do something to you?" "Well, no, but they could!" Pietro laid back in his hospital bed, crossing his slender white arms over his chest in a pout. "Why are you still here, then? Go, if you want to! But I don't think I feel good enough to move quite yet. I think I may have been hit pretty hard too..." Pietro narrowed his icy blue eyes. "What do you mean, `too'? I wasn't hit by anything! I'm perfectly fine. Never better." Lance rolled his eyes, instantly regretting his movement as the blinding headache using his powers earlier had brought on intensified. Lance moaned. Pietro was by his side in a flash, collapsing beside the earth-shaker's bed. "Goddamn it, Pietro!" Lance hissed through clenched teeth. "You can't be moving around yet! You were just in a major accident! Sort-of!" "Owww..." came the pained reply. Lance peered over the edge of his bed to see Pietro curled up into a ball on the floor, clutching his ankle. "You're obviously in no shape to be moving around yet. Get back in bed." Pietro only half complied -- he eagerly hopped into Lance's bed, propelling up on his good foot. He then turned his full attention back to his ankle. "Must be a sprain. They'd have you bandaged up if it were broken," Lance decided, earning a scowl from Pietro. "It can't be sprained. It wouldn't be. My body wouldn't betray me that way," he insisted, sniffing slightly and turning to face Lance again. "Maybe your body wouldn't, but the Jeep sure would. I don't think the thing had a scratch on it though. Crazy. Maybe Mystique and Magneto--" Lance was interrupted by Pietro's involuntary squeak. "What?" Pietro looked fully terrified. "Um." He peered at Lance in the near-darkness. "...I prolly shoulda mentioned this before now, but, uh... Magneto's... kinda... my dad. And he's kinda gonna kill me now," Pietro finished with an obscenely bright smile. Lance stared. "Kinda?" "Uh, yeah. Long story..." "We've got time," Lance persisted, but was rudely interrupted by the sound of the door opening and the soft light from outside spilling inside the dim room. Lance and Pietro blinked, adjusting their eyes to the new light source. "Well, isn't this a surprise," Ororo Munroe commented as she entered the room. Pietro blushed, looking to Lance for support. Lance glared at the intruder. "Child, you have nothing to fear from me. It was I who shielded you from the prying eyes of the other young ones," she added, shooting a meaningful glance in Lance's direction. Ororo knew she would have no problems from Pietro. The boy had been her nephew's best friend for years during grade school. He knew she meant no harm. "What happened before?" Lance demanded, embarrassed by the crack in his voice. Ororo chuckled; a soft, soothing sound. "My dear, you succumbed to the strains of your emotions. The effort of bringing young Mr. Maximoff to safety, paired with your own injuries, then using your powers took it's toll on you, I'm afraid. You simply passed out from the exertions." She gestures with her graceful hands, hypnotizing Pietro. She began rearranging flowers in a vase on the counter, an object neither boy had noticed before then. No one but she would care enough to do something so warm and personal. Lance knew she spoke the truth. He just wasn't happy about their current situation, that's all. He scowled again. "Pietro, dear, it is lovely to see you again, even if it is under such unfortunate circumstances," Ororo continued, ignoring the scowls from Lance as she fixed Pietro's mussed bed. Pietro made no move to leave the relative safety of Lance's bed and return to his own. Ororo looked amused, then surprised, as the realization hit her. "Oh," she breathed, looking from the blushing speed demon to the annoyed rock-tumbler. "I see." Lance smirked. "And just what is it you think you see, lady?" "Your, er, relationship?" Ororo supplied. Pietro's cheeks flamed red. Evan would know for sure now! That's just what he didn't need right now -- Daniels tormenting him relentlessly about being queer. `Oh, the fun,' Pietro thought bitterly. Guessing easily at what the pale boy was embarrassed about, Ororo backpedaled, promising that no one would hear of their closeness from her lips. "I imagine the professor may already know," she explained, "Since he was forced to do a bit of digging to learn just what happened today. So he could help you, of course." Pietro resisted the urge to hide his face behind his hands in shame. No one was supposed to know about this! It was bad enough Todd and Freddy knew, but the X-Geeks? How would he ever be able to show his face in public again with the cat out of the bag? Lance saw Pietro's fear and took command of the situation. "How long till we can leave?" he demanded. Ororo looked over the clipboard that was hanging at the foot of the bed. "Tomorrow morning, I would imagine. Neither of you have any permanent trauma that would require our further keeping of you. I'd like you both to get a full night's rest here, and not attend classes for the rest of the week. The professor will handle your excused absences. Just take it easy for awhile," she added, winking at the two. She asked if they would care for some food or drink, and Pietro's tummy growling was the `yes' answer they couldn't bring themselves to say aloud. Ororo laughed and left to gather a proper meal for the boys, promising to return with a `simply scrumptious' entree. Lance could finally relax a little when she left. He lay back on the bed, Pietro laying on his chest. "Wow. She's pretty nice to you, considering her nephew is your mortal enemy." "Eh. We were actually friends in elementary school. No one liked Evan, because, well, I don't know, he's annoying I guess, and no one liked me, cuz I was the little foreign kid who couldn't speak very good English. We were the outcasts," Pietro explained. Lance looked at Pietro, the tears in his eyes threatening to spill if he continued. "What caused your falling out? Pietro smirked, his tears drying up abruptly. "Evan came on to me, in the eighth grade. I didn't know I was gay yet," Pietro followed up quickly. "I guess I kinda freaked out -- a lot like I did after we, umm, you know..." "I know," Lance supplied helpfully. Why make the boy suffer more than he already was? "I mean, I guess I kinda knew... it wasn't like I'd never thought about it, but... it ruined the good thing we had, just being friends! And look how that turned out," Pietro finished, looking at Lance. "I don't want that to ever happen to us." "It won't," Lance promised, kissing Pietro's bandaged forehead gently. They looked up to see Rogue in the doorway, pushing a silver cart with a massive domed platter on it. Other covered edibles were crammed onto the large, flat surface as well. "Hey, ya'll," Rogue greeted the two, somewhat surprised to see Pietro and Lance so *together* already that they would be sharing a bed. She'd only talked to the kid yesterday! `Damn, I'm good,' she thought with pride as she made her way over to the bed with the cart. She smiled to see Pietro practically drool at the sight (and smell) of the food. "Hope ya guys are hungry," she babbled, taking the silver dome off of the main course. `Holy crap! An entire turkey! No wonder Rogue left us,' Lance thought before mentally kicking himself. `That's not nice,' he scolded himself. "Ow!" "Sorry," Pietro apologized for sticking his elbow in Lance's ribs as he grabbed at the food. He was starving! They'd never made it to Taco Bell for lunch, after all. Rogue looked behind her suspiciously, and went to close and lock the door. "Ya guys, I gotta tell ya somethin'," she said in a rushed whisper. "The prof's plannin' ta try an' git ya'll ta join our team, now that we helped ya an' all." she said quickly, still glancing over her shoulder. "What? Why?" Lance demanded, not surprised that baldy had ulterior motives for his generosity. "Shoulda just taken our chances at a real hospital," he grumbled under his breath. "Well," she drawled, "since ya'll don't have a legal guardian right now, an' ya don't seem ta have any money, either, he's gonna bring out the big guns ta try ta git ya to abandon yer cause, or whateva." Rogue stepped back, her hands tugging nervously at her gloves. "How do you know?" Pietro questioned. Not that he doubted her story in the least. "Ah was kinda, ah, spyin' when he was talkin' ta Wolverine," she revealed. "God, Ah hope he's not listnin' ta me right now. He'll kick me out in two shits." "You know we'll always have you back, Rogue. Anytime life here gets to be too much, our door's always open." Rogue looked at the boys gratefully. "Ya'll don't know how much that means ta me," she said, sniffing back her emotions and composing herself. "There *is* a lot of food here... would you care to join us?" Lance asked politely, moving his legs to the other side of he bed to make room for her to sit. "Sure thing," she accepted, and the three of them made a meal out of roast turkey, mashed potatoes, and fond memories. *~*~*~*~*~* I was toying with the possibility of making Pietro an amnesiac, but decided against it. That would be mean! Not to mention a pain in the ass... :D And I brought Rogue back, just so I could mercilessly butcher her accent! She can help the boys do stuff... *nods* Yes, help them do stuff. Anywho! o.O Last time's interactive trivia/cool quote(s)/crazy X-Men and/or Brotherhood related thing I do (so ya'll can laugh at me)/random category thing! (TM): Just how old, exactly, does everyone think Mr. McCoy/Beast is in Evo? I am pleased (and gloating to my other `Beast Wars' person) to announce that PSYCHO B WAS RIGHT!!! And all of you were, too -- McCoy/Beast is totally over thirty, *at least* -- here's why, in my opinion: aside from his entire build, his demeanor makes me believe he's more than a overgrown high school kid (unlike what this other person thinks -- that he's in his early twenties... wrong, wrong, WRONG!!) His hair is done in a two-tone grayish-blue, and although blue is not a real life hair color, it looks like it's meant to show age/hair graying. I myself placed him in the 30 - 40 zone. He doesn't seem to have a youngster's physique, despite being a former high school football star. He *looks* like one of those people who did it in high school, maybe in college too, but that's it. He looks more `bulky' as opposed to `muscular' I think. Not to say he's fat, but it's not pure muscle -- just compare him to Wolverine -- big difference. Until he turned into Beast! Now he can be all strong and swing around in trees and other nifty stuff like that! Do I make sense here? I thought it did, but I had to read it over a few times just to be sure... O.o New interactive trivia/cool quote(s)/crazy X-Men and/or Brotherhood related thing I do (so ya'll can laugh at me)/random category thing! (TM): I really am going to ask about last time's teaser question -- the one about who you would most like to see working at Chippendale's or Hooters (for the guy readers, if there are any... O.o) This means that if you already answered this just be funny, you don't have to answer again, which means a night off! Whew! Can I get one too? Umm, no. Sorry. Get back to work, slave!! :D Which cast member would *you* most like to see working at Chippendale's or Hooters? REVIEW! GODDESS PSYCHO B COMMANDS YOU! >:D