Love of a Family: Chapter 2

An X-Men Evolution Fanfic

Kitty woke to a scream.

Having lived several years in a house with a dozen other kids, it took half a second to realize it was an excited scream, not an I’m-in-danger scream, but since she was already awake, she decided to get up anyway.

The sight that greeted her when she reached the living room made her laugh. Lance was still lying on the couch, with the blankets pulled over his head, and Todd was sitting on top of him, bouncing.

“Lance is back, yo!” he cheered.

Lance rolled over, knocking Todd to the floor. “Ge’off me!”

Todd looked up at the sound of Kitty’s laughter. “And Kitty-Cat! You’re here too!” He bounded up and over to her.

“We know," Pietro complained from the kitchen.

“Maybe you knew, but we didn’t!” Todd gestured to him and Fred.

“I didn’t know I get such an enthusiastic greeting too,” Kitty laughed.

Todd shrugged. “You’re cool. Especially now that you left those X-geeks.”

“Are you here to find Wanda?” Fred asked.

“That’s the plan.”

“Can’t you guys be quiet?” Lance complained. “Why is everyone up so early?”

Kitty shook her head. “It’s not that early.”

“It’s Saturday!" She decided to ignore him and headed into the kitchen to ask Pietro where the cereal he had (kind of) offered them was.

Something exploded.

“Seriously?” Pietro complained as the front door opened too easily considering it had been locked a moment before. “Destroy Mystique’s house all you want, but this is my place."

Tabitha ignored him as she came inside. “Hey, is Lance here? I thought I saw his car outside. Unless someone stole it, of course. He makes it so easy.”

A pillow smacked her in the face, and Lance sat up. “Fine! You guys win! I’m up!”

Tabby picked up the pillow, dusted it off, then threw it back at him. “Does Kitty know what a charmer you are in the mornings?”

Kitty grinned. “You forgot he lived at the mansion for a while. I got to witness all his early morning cheer in Logan’s training sessions.”

Tabby whirled around. “Kitty! You came too!” She ran over and hugged the other girl, then turned back to Lance. “Alright, what’s the plan?”

He rubbed his hand down his face. “I don’t know. Am I allowed to eat first?”

Tabby sighed heavily. “I guess.”

Kitty thought breakfast sounded like a great idea, so she joined Pietro in the kitchen. To her surprise, the counter was already covered in not only cereal, but also several packages of bread and bagels, a jar of peanut butter, a jar of jam, and a stick of butter. Pietro stood at the stove with a carton of eggs next to him, glaring at the eggs in his pan, probably for not cooking fast enough.

“I thought you just had cereal.”

Pietro turned his scowl on her. “Yeah, but I went to the store this morning before you two lazybones got up.”

She opened a bag of bagels. “Thank you.” He pretended not to hear and turned back to the stove. She picked up the still-wrapped stick of butter and turned it over.

Pietro glanced over at her. “It’s kosher, if that’s what you’re looking for.” She grinned and unwrapped it.

The others crowded into the kitchen and fixed themselves some food while Pietro grumbled about being eaten out of house and home. When they all sat down around the table, Pietro pulled out a piece of paper and set it on the table.

“I put together that list you asked for.”

Lance nodded and swallowed his food. “Okay, first thing is we know she’s gotta be staying somewhere, so one of us should go around to the motels int he area and ask about her.” He frowned. “Kitty, you should probably do that. If one of us boys go, someone might call the cops on us.”

“Hey, what about me?” Tabby asked.

“You need to go somewhere I can trust you not to blow anything up.”

Tabby put her hands on her hips. “I find that offensive.”

Kitty stared down at her bagel as the bickering voices faded. A horrible thought had popped into her head, and she wasn’t sure if she should say it. She tried to pull herself back to the conversation around her.

“I guess I’ll go check out the music store,” Tabby was saying. “I’ve taken her there a few times, and she says it helps her calm down.”

“You don’t–” Kitty broke off and chewed her lip. Everyone turned to look at her. “You don’t think she would have . . . have left Bayville, do you?” She regretted her question as soon as she looked up at the five stricken faces staring at her.

“I’ll ask around as the airports,” Pietro said quietly.

Lance grabbed the list lying on the table. “The rest of us can split up this.” He scanned it, then frowned. Kitty stood up and circled the table. She leaned her hand on the back of his chair and read over his shoulder.

A cafe, a park, and two clothing stores she liked. That was it.

Pietro winced when they looked up at him. “She, uh, she still doesn’t go out much.”

Lance dropped the list and left the room. No one said much as they put away the food. Todd, Pietro, Fred, and Tabby left to begin their search. Kitty took a quick shower, then found the phone book and made a list of all the motels in the area.

“I’m leaving,” she told Lance as she slipped on her shoes. “I’ll see you later.”

“Yeah.” He didn’t look up as he flipped through the phone book.

She chewed her lip, then walked over and threw her arms around him. He looked up, startled, then smiled and hugged her back.

“I love you,” she said softly.

“I love you too.”

The first few motels went smoothly. No one had seen anyone matching Wanda’s description in the past few days. The next one was far too expensive, and Kitty walked right past it. The manager at the next one watched her suspiciously until she left, but she was fairly sure the receptionist’s assurances that Wanda wasn’t staying here were true.

The familiar streets began to stretch to three times their length, mocking her. The sun moved further across the sky every time she glanced away, and with every address she scratched off her list, she could feel her anxiety rise.

What if they couldn’t find Wanda? What if she was actually in trouble? What if what if what if?

She crossed off the third-to-last address with no information and no phone calls from the others, then started down the road to find the next.

“Hey! Hey, Kitty-Cat!” Kitty turned and found Todd hopping over to her. “You found anything?”

She shook her head. “I guess you didn’t either?”

“Nah. I hung around the place till it closed, but nuthin'.”

Kitty held up her list. “I’ve only got two places left.”

“Oh.”

He joined her on the way to the next hotel, then waited outside while she went in. “Anything?” he asked when she came back out. She shook her head.

“Hey, doesn’t Professor Baldy have some sort of supercomputer that can find mutants?” he asked as they kept walking. “Think he’d help if you asked pretty please?”

Kitty shook her head. “It’ll only work if she’s using her powers, and since her powers aren’t exactly subtle . . .” Todd nodded.

If only Cerebro worked like that. If only–

She stopped walking. “Wait!”

Todd jumped back and looked around. “What? What? Is something wrong?”

“No, no, I just thought of something!”

His shoulders sagged. “Don’t scare a guy like that!”

“Sorry. I just remembered that one of the Morlocks can locate mutants!”

Todd gaped at her for a second, then asked, “What’s a morlock?”

“A group of mutants who live in the sewers. Evan lives with them, and I know he’ll help! Come on!” She turned on her heel and rand down the nearest alley.

Todd hopped after her. “Daniels? Y’know, I kinda wondered where he went. You sure he’ll help us?”

“Yes!” She stopped at a grate in the street and held out her hand. “Hold my hand.”

“Oooh, you sure Loverboy won’t mind?” He grabbed her hand.

“What he doesn’t know won’t hurt him,” she teased, then phased them through the grate.

They landed in ankle-deep water, and Kitty was very glad she had worn her boots. “Oh, nice!” Todd said. “Very homey.” She glanced over at him, but couldn’t tell if he was joking or not. “Do you know where we’re going?”

“Nope!” She set off straight ahead.

“Cool.”

Kitty didn’t know how long they wandered under the city, but for a long time the only sounds were their splashing steps and the traffic above them. The tunnels were dark already but soon the sun had set too far behind the buildings to reach the grates above them. They pressed their hands against the wall to keep moving in the right direction, and Kitty grabbed Todd’s hand again, only to make sure they didn’t get separated. Definitely not because the dark made her feel completely alone and separated from the rest of the world.

Something flickered ahead, but when she blinked, it disappeared. A few seconds later, it flickered again. Light.

“Who’s there?” a voice asked. It was deeper than she expected, and it echoed strangely down the tunnels, but she recognized it anyway.

“Evan?”

The light shifted suddenly and glared in her eyes. She shut her eyes at the sudden brightness. “Kitty?” She heard splashing footsteps coming towards them, and the light shifted away again. When she opened her eyes, she could see Evan holding some sort of flashlight. “What are you doing here?” he asked. “And with . . . Toad?”

“Evan! I’m so glad to see you!” She threw her arms around him, which was a little awkward around all his armor plates.

He hugged her back. “It’s good to see you too, but I thought you were at school!”

“I was, but then there was . . . a problem. That’s why I’m here. I need your help. You told me before that there’s a mutant here who can find other mutants, right?”

“Yeah, Caliban. Why? Is someone missing?”

“We can’t find Wanda anywhere,” Todd said. “And I mean anywhere, yo. We’ve been looking all over today.

Evan frowned. “Wanda? But–”

“What’s going on?' There were more footsteps, than someone else stepped into the light’s circle.

Wanda.

“You’re here!” Kitty shouted at the same time that Todd said, “Sweetums!” They both ran over and hugged her.

“Get off me, Toad!” Wanda shoved him away, but grudgingly accepted Kitty’s hug. “What are you doing here?”

“Looking for you! Do you know how worried everyone’s been? You haven’t been answering any of our calls–”

Wanda’s brow furrowed. “You called me?”

“Only, like, a million times!” Kitty was fully aware she sounded hysterical, but she didn’t particularly care. “Have you been here the whole time?”

“Most of it.”

“She was helping me with something,” Evan said. “We didn’t know you were looking for her, though.”

“What were you working on?”

Wanda and Evan shared a look, then Evan said, “Maybe we should wait and tell everyone at once.”

“We need your help,” Wanda explained.

Todd propped one arm against the wall and gave a charming grin. “All you have to do is ask.” Wanda rolled her eyes.

“So you’re coming back now, right?” Kitty asked. “Pietro’s been so worried–”

“Right. Yeah, I’m coming back.”

“Good!” She hugged her again. “I missed you.” Wanda softened a bit and smiled.

“We should probably head back before it gets any later,” Evan said. “I don’t know where you two even came from, but I know a much shorter way to get back.”

He led them down several tunnels, and then, much sooner than Kitty expected, he climbed up the wall, pushed a grate aside, and climbed out. The two girls followed next, and then Todd. As soon as she got out, Wanda started walking home, but Evan waited for the other two and then put the grate back. Todd caught up with Wanda and started talking, and Kitty fell into step beside Evan.

“It really is good to see you,” she said. “I’ve been wanting to come back and visit for a while, but I just hadn’t done it yet. Then Wanda disappeared, and I, like, totally freaked out–”

“Yeah, I get it,” Evan said. “But when did you join the Brotherhood?”

“I didn’t join the Brotherhood. I just . . . I was helping them. To find Wanda.”

Evan grinned. “Uh huh. That’s how it starts.”

“Oh! I forgot to call Pietro!” She pulled out her phone and found his number.

“Didyoufindher?” he asked before she could say anything.

“Yes, we did! She was with the Morlocks.”

“But she’s coming home now, right?”

“We’re on our way right now.”

He sighed in relief, and Kitty thought that if he’d just let Wanda see how worried he was, they wouldn’t argue so much. Of course, that would require Pietro actually expressing his feelings, which was about as likely as Wolverine and Sabertooth suddenly becoming best friends.

“Are the others with you?” Kitty asked.

“Yeah, everyone but Todd. We can’t get a hold of him.”

“Oh, sorry. He’s with me and we didn’t have reception earlier. We’ll be back soon, though. Tell the others.”

“Yeah.” He hung up, and Kitty ignored Evan’s amused look as she put her phone away.

When they got back, Wanda walked up to the doorstep, but stopped at the door. She didn’t pull out her key, or even knock. Evan looked at Kitty, who shrugged.

The door flew open, and Tabby dragged Wanda inside. “They’re back!” The others filed in.

“Oh, good," Pietro said. He was leaning against the wall with his arms crossed, and Kitty sighed. This was not going to be fun. “Not that you bothered to tell me or anything. I’m only your brother. Why would I want to know where you are?”

Wanda stormed past him and into her room, then into the bathroom and slammed the door and locked it.

“You’re seriously just ignoring me?” Pietro shouted through the door. The shower started running. “Oh, real mature!”

Kitty decided now was a good time to slip behind him and join Lance by the other wall. Evan followed as quietly as he could.

“Fine! Not like I care!” Pietro sped into his own room and slammed the door.

The others all looked at each other. “Are they always like this together?” Evan asked.

“Yeah,” Kitty said.

Tabby rolled her eyes. “Pretty much.”

“Every day,” Lance sighed. “Try living with them.”

“Eh, sometimes they’re worse, yo,” Todd said.

Fred winced. “Like when we tried to throw them a surprise birthday party.”

Kitty gaped at him. “You did what?"

“We thought it was a good idea at the time,” Todd protested.

Kitty whirled around and looked at Lance, who raised both hands defensively. “I was not a part of this. That happened after I left.”

They were quiet for another minute, then Fred stood up. “Anyone else hungry?”

“I’m going to go change first,” Kitty said. The others went into the kitchen, but she went into Wanda’s room to change. Then she phased through the bathroom door. “It’s just me, Wanda,” she said. “I’m washing my clothes and I thought I’d wash yours too.”

“Thanks.”

Kitty hesitated a moment, but when nothing else came, she scooped the clothes off the floor, phased back into the hall, then joined everyone else in the kitchen. She tossed the dirty clothes into the washer, then searched the cabinets to find the detergent. By then, everyone had pulled out everything for sandwiches and fixed some supper.

Kitty fixed her own sandwich, then glanced around the table. There was only one open chair left, which she wanted to leave for Wanda. She walked around the table and sat on Lance’s lap.

He choked on his food. She smacked his back a couple times, then asked, “do you want me to move?'

“No, no, definitely not.”

“Good, cause I wasn’t planning on it.” She smiled, then happened to glance at Evan, who gave her a pointed look. “What? I’m, like, being helpful! There aren’t enough chairs.” He rolled his eyes.

“So, Evan.” Tabitha propped her elbow on the table and leaned her chin in her hand. “Not to be rude or anything–” Lance snorted. “–but what exactly are you doing here?”

“We’re helping him.” Everyone turned to Wanda, who stood in the kitchen doorway.

Pietro zipped by, sending Wanda’s hair flying. She scowled and pushed past him to get to the kitchen cabinets, where she pulled out a mug and a tea bag. “Wait, wait, wait. Did I hear that right? Did Daniels come to me for help?”

Evan glared. “The Morlocks are in trouble, and they need your help. All of you.”

Pietro shrugged. “Maybe you shouldn’t have gotten in trouble.”

“Unlike some people, we don’t go looking for it, but we’re mutants. Trouble comes looking for us anyway.”

“So why come to us?” Lance asked. “Why not ask the X-Men?”

“The X-Men . . . don’t exactly like my methods.”

“What a shocker,” Todd muttered.

“Tell them what happened,” Wanda said.

Evan nodded. “A few weeks ago, I ran into this girl–”

“Oooh, a girl." Todd grinned. “Daniels has a girlfriend.”

“Not like that! She’s a mutant and she needed help. I brought her to the Morlocks. It was clear she was in some sort of trouble, but she didn’t volunteer information, and we didn’t ask. Four days ago, we sent a group out to get supplies. She volunteered to go because she can blend in a little easier than most of us. Callisto and I . . .” He sighed. “We thought it was fine. We let her go, but the group didn’t come back. When we found the other members, it was clear they had been attacked. They were all in bad shape, and if we hadn’t gotten there when we did, none of them would have made it.”

The room grew silent as he continued. No one felt like making jokes anymore. “One of them woke up just yesterday and told us about the attack. Another group of mutants they didn’t recognize came looking for the girl. They took her, and when the others fought back, they left them nearly dead.”

Evan looked up at Lance. “The rest of the Morlocks, they’re not fighters, and they shouldn’t have to be. Usually Callisto and I are enough to protect them, but this time . . .”

“We need to help,” Wanda said, leaving no room for argument as she sat down.

The story was a sobering one, and Kitty definitely wanted to help, but she got the feeling there was more to it than they were telling. “So why did you go to Wanda first?”

“Uh . . .” Evan glanced over at Wanda, who was pointedly not looking at him. “I just happened to run into her.”

Kitty frowned at them, and watched as Wanda stirred her tea, then pulled out a spoon that looked like it had twisted itself into a knot. She glared at it, then dropped it back into her cup.

“So do you know where they went, yo?” Todd asked.

Evan nodded. “Caliban was able to track her, and Wanda and I scouted the location today. It looks like an abandoned office building, but there’s an awful lot of guards there to be abandoned. The top floors are definitely empty, so I think they must just use the first floor, or a basement if they have one.”

Kitty yawned. This was a very serious and important conversation, but it was far too late to be having it. She leaned back against Lance, and he chuckled. “I have to agree with Kitty. I think it’s a little too late and we’re all a little to tired to do anything tonight, but if you give us the address, we’ll meet you there in the morning.”

Evan sat up straighter. “Really? You’ll actually help?'

“I told you,” Wanda said.

“The Morlocks helped me after the mansion was destroyed,” Tabby reminded him. “I’m not going to sit around and let them get attacked.”

“Wanda already said we’re helping, so we’re helping,” Todd said.

Fred nodded. “We’re a team.”

Pietro grinned. “Hey, you actually asked for my help. There’s no way I’m turning this down, and there’s no way I’m letting you forget it, either.”

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