Chapter 9- Time to go
Todd flipped absently through t.v. channels from his sprawled position on the couch. There wasn’t anything interesting to watch. "I hate t.v., yo," he said aloud to the ceiling. Stupid channels all clogged up with crappy reality shows and dating games. God, people were in need of some serious entertainment.
Turning around, he wondered if anyone else was at home. Fred and Lance were still working, and Wanda and Pietro were both out. Todd frowned as he squinted at the clock on the wall. It was 7:47. They’d both left around 3:30. Weird. Todd shrugged away an uncomfortable feeling in his stomach as he settled back on the couch. It wasn’t like anything happened or anything. It was just…they said they weren’t going to be gone for long. And Pietro had gone to play basketball, and it was kind of dark out. But knowing his friend, he just might play basketball by himself in the dark. At least he said he wasn’t going out drinking tonight. Todd settled back comfortable against the squishy seats as he flipped onto The Simpsons.
He was just relaxing into the moronic antics of Homer as Lisa was berating him on the ethics of cloth napkins, when there was a sudden slamming at the front door. Todd started. "Um, hello?" He got up and turned around to see who was at the front door.
Pietro gave him a haggard look before stumbling upstairs as best as he could. He’d obviously been drinking again and it looked like he was reeling sick, but it was something else…
"Uh, Pietro? What-, where you going, man?" Todd wasn’t sure why his voice suddenly sounded so small. The older boy ignored him as he stumbled upstairs to his room and slammed the door. Todd could hear the sound of drawers and closet doors opening and closing as Pietro did whatever he was doing up there. "Um, Pietro?" For some reason, the younger boy couldn’t banish a strange sensation that was fluttering in his stomach.
The door opened again and Pietro came out with a duffel bag. Todd’s worst fears were realized as he watched the set expression on his friend’s face as the white-haired boy came downstairs. "What-, Pietro, you going somewhere or something? Pietro?"
Pietro ignored him and stopped at the kitchen table as he fumbled with a piece of paper and pen. Todd watched from the doorway as he scribbled a note. "Give this to Lance when he gets home." Pietro finally choked out as he stood back up. He shoved the piece of paper into Todd’s bewildered hands, then walked out the front door and slammed it behind him.
Todd stared in shock at Pietro’s departure, then glanced down at the short note that the other boy had hastily scrawled. He couldn’t stop a seizure of panic from squeezing him and ad to lean against the doorway as he looked down at his friend’s message. "Oh shit," he breathed.
* * *
Pietro stalked through the Brotherhood’s front lawn. At the edge of the sidewalk, he looked back. Two years. That house had been his home, a real home, for two years. He felt as though he was looking at the lopsided porch, weed-strewn driveway, and the gaping windows for the first time. Things had changed so much from back then. He’d first come to this house with mixed apprehension and dread, to descend from his foster parent’s nice, clean-cut suburban four-bedroom, to this old house with the overshadowing trees that cast shadows over the entire house. Now this house looked like home. It was home. The first real home he’d ever known, and he was leaving it.
He could feel a tear start in his eye, but he blinked it back. Pietro Maximoff never cried, it was something his father had taught him. His family never cried. It was the worst and best thing Magneto had ever taught him. A part of him longed to stay in this home, where he would be safe, but there were too many bad memories mixed in with the good and the good had all become bad.
Bayville, for all its backwardness and hick-townness, had given him the most he’d ever gotten in his young life, and it was too much. He could no longer stay here. Love could be amazing, but it was too much of a curse. He had to leave.
Pietro squared his shoulders and adjusted his duffel bag as he turned away from his home. He wasn’t worried about himself. It would be better out there. He could be free. He could forget. He just hoped his family would have enough love to understand.
* * *
The lights in the park were turning on as Evan and Wanda sat together on a bench. The gnats were already flying around the lights. Evan watched them as he rhythmically patted Wanda’s back. She’d finally stopped crying, but the traces of tears were still on her cheeks. Looking over, he smiled soothingly at her, then slowly kissed her cheeks. He could taste the salt and it was bittersweet.
Both had sat here for so long, in relative silence, that they’d become completely numb. It was like this afternoon had been lifetimes ago and time had fallen away completely, but for the sun to descend and the park lights to turn on. Wanda watched the silver grass before them and watched it sway in the slight breeze. How nice it would be to sit here forever, in the cool darkness, just watch the grass move and the gnats fly, and feel the detached comfort of bodily warmth and feel nothing but detachment!
Unfortunately, she knew they would have to go back sometime, and Evan knew it as well. "You could come back to the Mansion with me," he whispered in her ear, as though he’d read her thoughts. "The Professor will be glad to have you."
Wanda sighed as she sat up. "I wish it could be that easy," she said quietly.
"Just for a few days, till Pietro calms down. We can talk about this with him later."
Wanda shivered, even though the night was relatively warm, if not balmy. "I-, I don’t think he’ll ever be ready to talk." She remembered the expression on her brother’s face when they made their choice. He might be emotional, but he was pretty set when he said something. Wanda didn’t think she could ever go back to the Brotherhood’s house to face her brother. He-, he would probably kill her. After all, he’d already pretty much disowned her.
"I think I need to just leave Bayville." She gathered up her knees to her chest as she stared blankly at the lights. She had no idea where she would go, but she couldn’t stay in Bayville. Her brother’s spirit would haunt her until she died.
"You don’t need to go," Evan said as he put an arm around her. "It’ll blow over."
"No, you don’t know my brother. He’s not going to calm down, Evan. Besides-," Wanda couldn’t stop another tear from coming to her eye as she said this. "He hates me now."
"No, Wanda." Evan quickly gathered her up in his arms. "Wanda, he loves you. Even-, even more than I do." He couldn’t believe he was saying this, but Wanda needed to hear what she wanted to hear. Needed to hear. Besides, if Pietro loved her with any amount of certainty as she did, he had to love her enough to forgive her for what happened. It had been an accident. Ironically, it was the one time he’d deliberately not tried to set up the speed demon that had gotten him in the most trouble. Rather bad irony.
Wanda stirred in his arms. "Right now, I think you’re the only person in the world that cares about me at all," she said sadly. Evan watched her pale lips tremble slightly and he was suddenly hit with a burst of epiphany. Wanda. She was so weak and frail and delicate, with her pale hair, blue eyes, and wispy nature. And he loved this girl. He could, he could imagine a future with this girl. It had only been a matter of weeks of actually being with her, but he felt he could spend the rest of his life with her, and the thought roused up a new sensation for him.
"Wanda! Let’s elope!"
"Huh?" She looked up at him in bewilderment.
"Let’s leave Bayville!" Evan sat up in excitement. "Listen." He took her hands. "I-, I honestly think that if we had more time and if this had all played out, I could have married you, Wanda. I really think I could have."
"You-, you do?" Wanda was first shocked, then incredibly touched as she looked at the earnest look in Evan’s eyes. She found herself smiling back at him. "I could too."
It would be so romantic. Just the two of them with a fresh start. No Bayville. No father. She remembered how Pietro had so many strings attached to him. Evan had none. They could really do it.
"What do you think?" Evan asked breathlessly. "We could move out to the city and get married with a Court of Justice. We can get witnesses off the street. And I have about sixty-five hundred dollars in the bank. It’ll be enough for us to get a cheap apartment. I could get a job. There only would’ve been a week more of school and I’ll be able to say I have a high school diploma. You can too. Maybe we can take some classes or something. It could be just the two of us, and after a couple years, maybe-," Evan swallowed hurriedly. "Maybe we could even have some kids."
Wanda stared back at him. "You-, you really think we could?" It sounded so good. They could do it, if Evan just had a job. She could take care of the house. They could have kids. She’d always wanted children. Besides, it wasn’t like there were many options left. "I-, I think we should." Wanda whispered. Evan smiled back at her as the two held each other’s hands.
"I-, I love you, Wanda." Evan suddenly found himself trembling. It was all happening so quickly that neither had time to think things through rationally. "We-, we can get married and be together."
"We can."
Evan abruptly stood up. "We just have to go back to the Mansion. I can pack up my stuff real fast and leave a note for my aunt. You have any stuff you want to bring?"
Wanda shook her head. "I can’t go back there. Besides, there was nothing all that important."
Evan sized her up. "All right. We can’t tell Kitty or Amara, because they’ll probably tell the Professor and try and stop us. Damn, if only Rogue were here." He bit his lip. Rogue would’ve let Wanda borrow some of her clothes and other stuff she might need. "I guess we can ask Jubilee or Rahne, and hope they won’t say where we’re going till we’re gone. Then we can stop at the bank and take a train to New York."
"You want to live in New York?" Wanda asked breathlessly.
"We can go there first, but we can go anywhere. New York, Chicago, Boston, Detroit. Anywhere."
Suddenly, both felt the freedom, the wonderfulness of what they were doing. They could go anywhere in the country. West Coast, East Coast, Down South, Up North. Anywhere.
"Let’s just get to the Mansion first."
"All right." Evan felt a shiver go down his bones. "Let’s go."
* * *
At the Mansion, the two had come in quietly and were now in Evan’s room. Wanda sat on Evan’s bed as he packed his stuff into two suitcases. Besides clothes, he folded in blankets and practical items as well. He removed a picture frame of him and his friends at Bayville and stared at the smiling faces. Scott, Jean, Kurt, Rogue, and Kitty. Only Kurt and Kitty were here now, since Rogue had left and Scott and Jean were off in college. Damn, those five had shared a lot of memories. If they were really going to leave and elope, they couldn’t take sentiments back with them. Evan slowly set the picture back on the shelf, then took the camera instead.
"Fresh start." He told her as he dropped the camera into the suitcase. In thirty minutes, they were all packed. Evan took Wanda’s hand and they tiptoed to Rahne and Jubilee’s room. Both girls were sleeping. Evan knocked on the door and a bedraggled Jubilee answered.
"Who is it-," she started sleepily, then, "Evan! What are you doing here! Her eyes strayed over to Wanda, whom she’d never met before. "What-, what is this?" Her eyes darted between Wanda and Evan.
"Shh, keep it down." Evan hissed. "Can we come in real quick?"
"Um," Jubilee looked behind her. Rahne was sleeping in bed. "Fine, all right." She opened the door more so Evan and Wanda could come in. She moved to turn on her bedside lamp. Rahne stirred from under her blankets at the sudden light.
"Hey, what’s going on-, Evan!" The brown-haired girl sat up in surprise. "What’re you doing in here!" Then she saw Wanda standing next to him. "Who are you!"
"Shh!" Jubilee and Evan both hissed.
"All right, now what is it?" Jubilee asked as she turned back to them, hands on her hips.
"I need some clothes for Wanda to borrow." Evan beckoned over to Wanda.
"Wanda? Aren’t you Pietro’s twin?" Jubilee asked, studying her skeptically.
Wanda nodded.
"Look, we can’t explain everything now." Evan said impatiently. "We need to leave before the Professor figures out that I’m here. I don’t want anyone else to wake up. Just, can you and Rahne get some clothes and stuff together for Wanda? She can’t go back home."
"Um," the Asian-girl nodded dumbly. "Yeah, I guess. Just what’s going on?"
"Long story." Evan mumbled.
"I think I have a right to know." Jubilee informed him as she rummaged through her drawers. "I’m kind of getting the feeling that I’m not getting these clothes back."
"We’re eloping."
"What?" Both girls turned on him in shock.
"You’re running away?" Rahne cried.
"Yes, we’re running away," Evan said impatiently. "There was some trouble before, and we’re leaving, and don’t try to talk us out of it."
"But-," Rahne started.
"No buts."
Jubilee stood up with an armful of clothes. "Here. Look, I hope you at least thought this through and you’re thinking rationally about this."
Evan grinned at her as he took the clothes. "So, you’re not going to tell on us?"
Jubilee sighed. "No, at least not for now. Where are you guys going to go, anyway?"
"We don’t know yet." He pecked her on the cheek. "Thanks a million, Jubes."
"Wait, you guys can’t do this!" Rahne cried from her bed. "You can’t just run away! You can’t elope! You’re only eighteen! What-," she struggled to get out of bed.
"You’re not going to talk us out of this, Rahne." Evan told her. "It’s set." He turned to Jubilee. "Look, you can tell the Professor in the morning. I’ll call my aunt once we’re settled somewhere."
Jubilee sighed. "Yeah, I will. Look, Evan, I trust you to make your own choices, but I hope you’re thinking right about this. It’s a big decision."
"Yeah, I know. Thanks."
"You guys have money?"
"We’re going to stop at the bank."
"Wait, Evan! Are you going to come back at all?" Rahne asked piteously. She looked rather forlorn in her pigtails and ragged teddy bear.
He smiled affectionately. "We will sometime, just not in the near future."
"Ohh," Rahne put a hand over her mouth.
"Hey, girl, don’t start crying now." Jubilee put an arm around her friend.
"Look, we better go." Evan said, getting anxious. The longer they stayed, the more paranoid he was that someone else at the Mansion would wake up. If his aunt or the Professor got wind of what they were doing, they would definitely stop them from leaving.
"Wait!" Rahne cried. She wriggled from Jubilee’s grip and raced over to them. "Here." She gave her teddy bear to Wanda. "I think you might need this."
"Rahne, that’s your favorite teddy bear." Evan said in shock.
"I know, but she looks like she needs it more. It’ll just be you two, and at least in the beginning, it’s going to be hard to adjust. Besides, I don’t want you to forget about me."
"Thanks, Rahne." Evan said softly.
"Thank-you," Wanda echoed quietly, her eyes glimmering slightly. "I’ll-, I’ll talk good care of it."
"I know you will." Rahne told her. She gave Evan a hug. "I’ll miss you."
"Me too." Evan hugged her back, then hugged Jubilee. "I’ll write you both, plus my aunt." Him and Wanda slowly edged out of the door.
"Bye guys. Stay safe." Jubilee called after them as they left. There was a pause in footsteps as Evan and Wanda went down the hallway, then it resumed as they left. After it was silent, and it was only her and Rahne at the doorway, she whispered quietly, "Be happy."