[OP: "Hold Us Together" - Matt Maher.]

"I think we're ready," Rogue said. "Whew...what a day.... Somehow nothin's really gone wrong. Storm just let us know that the kid is comin'."

"Terrific," Shine said. 

"Maybe if ole Sabretooth wasn't here, we could relax," Gambit said.

Rogue shrugged and flew out. "I'll round up the kids..."

"You know," Shine said, "we've almost forgotten that Rogue had her own breakthrough yesterday."

"Not forget," Gambit said. "But if she don't want to make a fuss over it, den we leave it be."

"Remy, you are a goose," Shine said. "I wish Wally were here to back me up..."

"Your wish is my command." Wally came in. "It's so funny I literally came in just in time to hear that."

"God is laughing at me," Shine said. "Where's the girl?"

"Still on the plane. I thought I'd run ahead and warn you," Wally said. He whispered to her.

"Oh...that's great," Shine said.

"What?" Gambit said.

"Just excited," Wally said. "Hey, I could totally be a recruiter. Too bad the League had membership drives instead of going out and asking people... Actually, Batman did that."

"He knows how to network, after all, being Bruce Wayne," Shine said. "But, Wally, back me up here."

"Of course...with what?" Wally said.

"Rogue needs to celebrate," Shine said. "Help me out here." She gestured at Gambit.

"Huh?" Wally said. Then... "Oh--oh, right, duh. Dude, you gotta take her out."

"Out?" Gambit said.

"Yes, out, you idiot," Shine said. "This is the perfect chance for you. Don't waste it."

"Now wait a minute. Gambit want to do things his own way," Gambit said. 

"Well, do it your own way, then," Shine waved her hands. "Trust me, as a girl, it would be disastrous for you to ignore this. She'd think it didn't matter. You want that idea to settle?"

"Even if dat made sense, Rogue won't agree to it," Gambit insisted. "Maybe once in a long while."

"She is a little hard to convince," Wally said.

"Oh, I'll worry about that," Shine said. "You get ready."

"Ready?" Gambit said.

"Uh...do you plan to go out looking like you always do?" Shine said. "No girl wants to feel commonplace. I thought you were Monsieur L'amour, tu ne sais pas?" [Mr. Love, you don't know?... And I actually remembered how to say that in french. I was way proud of myself.]

"Might be a good idea," Gambit allowed. "If you get her to agree. But Gambit don't need your help."

"I think you might," Wally said glibly.

Gambit frowned. "You think Gambit can't handle it?"

Shine shrugged. "You said she wouldn't agree. Did you change your mind?"

"It's his pride," Wally said.

"It ain't," Gambit denied it.

"Well, your pride isn't going to change Rogue's mind," Shine said, "as we all know, but I might know what will. Look, don't think of it as me helping you, think of it as me having fun with it. It should be amusing."

"Well, if you want to have fun," Gambit said. "But only because Gambit in a good mood and humor you."

"Thanks," Shine said.

She went after Rogue.

Rogue had just gone upstairs to make sure none of the kids were in rooms they shouldn't be before the new girl got there.

"Everything in order?" Shine asked.

"Looks like it, for a wonder," Rogue said.

"Good, get changed. You're going out," Shine said.

"Huh?" Rogue said.

"Gambit's going to take you out to celebrate your big moment," Shine said.

"What? No." Rogue rubbed her arm. "It wasn't that big... I don't want to make a big deal out of it, all right...? Did you say Gambit?"

"Yes, and this is not negotiable," Shine said, firmly. "You must learn to celebrate your small steps, or you will never be able to believe in the big ones. Don't you want to be ready for it when it comes?"

"If it comes," Rogue said.

"And you see, that is why you need this," Shine said. "And to be honest, so does Gambit. Let him be supportive, all right?"

"But I don't know," Rogue said. "I wouldn't want to...y'know."

"Rogue," Shine said, looking fierce, "you go and change right now, so help me, or I'm going to drag you myself."

"What?" Rogue said.

"And no backtalk about it," Shine said.

"Ya think that's gonna work on me?" Rogue put her hands on her hips.

Shine imitated the gesture. "You think you're going to win this one? Even if you fly away, I can haul you back, by your toes. Now get."

She clapped her hands.

"I like that. You gotta lot of nerve," Rogue said.

"Losing patience." Shine's eyes suddenly gleamed.

Rogue jumped. "All right, all right," she said. "I ain't gonna fight with ya, but I'mma just tell Gambit what's going on here."

"Get dressed first," Shine said.

"It's gonna be a waste of time," Rogue said, "but if it'll please you, yer majesty." Her sarcasm wasn't that effective because Shine just found it funny.

She flew towards her room. Shine followed to make sure she did it.

Rogue sulkily put on more street attire.

"Don't you have a dress?" Shine asked.

"Will you quit it?" Rogue said. "What's the big idea anyway, straight-armin' me?"

"I think you should put your money where your mouth is," Shine said saltily. "Miss Flirts-a-Lot."

Rogue blinked at her.

"I thought you liked Gambit." Shine shrugged.

"I...well..." Rogue said nervously. "Y'know...we talked about this... I don't want to lead him on."

"Are you seeing someone else?" Shine asked.

"No!" Rogue said hotly.

"Then it's not leading him on. Come on, it's not like your intentions aren't clear enough," Shine said. "But it would be good for you, both of you. Like I said. And you're too chicken to do it without prodding, so I'm helping you. You'll thank me later."

"Oh really?" Rogue said. "Like I don't know my own mind."

Shine gave her a cockeyed stare.

"Well, anyway," she said, "you know, before I went out with Wally as more than friends, both my sisters told me to, and God, and my friends, and later his friends...so...yeah...who am I to say we don't need a little help now and then? And I've personally talked a bunch of the girls and guys I know into dating. Pro tip--school students in futuristic Japan are really afraid of relationships, so you gotta be careful not to spook 'em."

"Right...that made me feel better," Rogue said. She sighed. "What's the point of celebratin'...?"

"Sometimes you have to do something before you feel like it," Shine said. "Dress, now."

Rogue made a face at her but switched clothes yet again.

"Happy?"

"Make-up," Shine said.

"I don't really do that," Rogue said. "I mean...uh...maybe lipstick, but..."

"Please." Shine folded her hands. "I'm really good at makeup. It's a hobby of mine, and I hardly get to use it here at all. Can I?"

Rogue found it hard to say no to that face, but she shrugged. "I don't like to get too gussied up."

"I'll go light. Pretty please," Shine said.

"If I don't like it, I'm washin' it off..." Rogue could help but get kind of curious, as most girls will if you convince them to try something new.

Shine summoned her makeup kit...which was a lot bigger than Rogue expected.

"Is this too much for the 80s?" Shine asked.

"Uh...I don't think the time has anythin' to do with it." Rogue inspected something. "What is this?"

"Concealer.... We don't use BB cream a whole lot in the future," Shine said. "But you don't need that..."

"And this?"

"That's just glitter. You put it on top of eye shadow or foundation."

"And this?"

"Lip liner.... Oh, come on, they must have had that."

"Not in the country," Rogue said. "Not where I lived... City girls are somethin' else."

"Suburban," Shine corrected. "So...I guess that's a city, but small..."

It didn't take her long to finish.

"There we go.... See? Really natural," she said.

Rogue inspected herself and decided it wasn't too pronounced to be bad.

"I still feel silly," she said. "How did I let ya talk me into this?"

"I...didn't really," Shine said. "Well, time to go... Oh, purse."

She handed her one.

"What's in here?" Rogue asked.

"It better be lipstick to reapply, a comb, money, and pepper spray," Shine said, raising an eyebrow. "Do you think I go through people's purses?"

"Uh...no," Rogue said.

"Oh, and a compact mirror," Shine added.

[If any guys reading this didn't know half of the stuff I mention in this chapter...don't feel bad. I didn't know what it was before I started watching makeup tutorials on YT.]

"Where...did ya learn this?" Rogue was starting to feel embarrassed.

"The internet," Shine said. "And my grandmother. She taught me to do makeup first..." She shrugged. "My mom wasn't big on that whole mother-daughter bonding with life skills thing, mostly just taught me stuff when I needed it, like driving and cooking...but beyond that, not a lot."

"Yeah, well, ya can guess Momma didn't cover all that," Rogue commented. 

"Well...most people can't shapeshift to have whatever makeup they want," Shine mused. "That would be so cool...but it'd take the fun out of it."

Rogue got halfway down the hall before she tried to run.

"I can't do this, Shine." She started to panic. "I just can't. It's too...puttin' on too much...frills, y'know?"

"You'll dress up to visit someone in a coma, but not to actually go out?" Shine said incredulously.

"Hey, how did ya know--?" Rogue stopped. "I guess it seems silly to you."

"Rogue, this is not silly, but it is sink or swim," Shine said. "Consider this me tossing you into the river. Good luck, and don't worry, you'll figure it out once you just start trying to move at all."

She practically pushed her down the stairs the rest of the way.

Wally and Gambit were waiting, Gambit still saying this wasn't going to work.

Both of them did a double take when they saw Rogue, who looked embarrassed.

"Shine made me," she mumbled.

Shine gave Gambit a look that said: See? I rock.

Gambit was smart enough not to say anything to indicate surprise. "Well, it not too shabby," he said.

Rogue looked like she wanted to die.

"Why are you dressed up?" she asked a moment later.

"Gambit jus' felt like it," Gambit lied.

Shine raised an eyebrow at him but said nothing.

"Well, you kids have fun." Wally struck a patronizing tone. "Don't be out too late and stay out of the bad part of town."

"Huh?" Rogue said.

"We take de car." Gambit just went with it.

"Car? Wait, where are we goin'?" Rogue asked.

Gambit hadn't thought that far ahead. "It a surprise."

"He has no clue," Wally whispered to Shine. "That's what that means."

"So when you told me our third date was a surprise location, did that mean you hadn't put any thought into it beforehand either?" Shine asked.

Wally looked nervous. "Oh...well, that was a long time ago, Shine. You expect me to remember?"

"So a walk in the park with a stop at a hot dog stand was a spur of the moment idea?" Shine said. "Should have seen that coming, actually."

"You kind of made it worse," Wally said. "I remember, because you hate hot dogs, I had to scramble to find a different kind of fast food."

"Good thing the corn dog stand was just around the corner."

"Yeah...why is a corn dog better?" Wally asked.

Shine gave him a look. "You really have to ask me that question?"

[Some of you get it...and some of you have terrible taste.]

Rogue and Gambit left, somehow or other.

"So how did you get her to?" Wally asked.

"I used reason," Shine said.

"Really?" Wally said.

"And I told her to do it and put my foot down," Shine added.

Wally laughed. "And that worked?"

"Oh, sure," Shine said. "I can be very persuasive... This whole thing reminds me--when was our last date?"

"Oh...geez...it must have been a month at least," Wally said.

"You know, just because our rule in other worlds is that it's not always going to be consistent, doesn't mean we shouldn't put in an effort at all," Shine said. "We need to get away."

"Well, it's hard when you have kids," Wally joked.

"Hard too when you have adults who act like kids," Shine said dryly. "Still..."

"We can do that tomorrow," Wally said. "But for now, we're having a party, and while you were up there, I think we actually finished getting ready. Let's go."

* * *

"You were serious," Storm noted, when she walked in and there was music playing, and snacks out, and a fire in the fireplace.

"Of course," Wally said. "Want an h'ordeurve?"

"Before I do anything, I think we need to introduce everyone to Miss Pryde," Storm said. 

Jubilee and the Morlock kids had been making some kind of poster just for this occasion--mostly because the kids had never gotten to do arts and crafts before, and Jubilee was tasked with supervising them.

"Technically we're celebrating getting out of that camp and you guys getting a big moment," Wally said. "But since she came, it's cool that you thought to turn it into a welcome party also."

"It's also a belated welcome party for the others," Shine said. "And you'll have to thank Jean for that suggestion... She thought my reason was a little too obscure and odd."

"I wish Trinity wasn't grounded," Jubilee sighed. "She should have come."

"Maybe it'd scare her, though," Ryan muttered. "I mean...it was pretty freaky...that guy..."

"Kevin saved the day," Jubilee said. "He doesn't seem very happy about it though."

Kevin had been moping all day.

"What's a party?" he asked Morph.

Morph almost had a heart attack. "Your mom never threw you a party?"

"No..." Kevin said. "I was too powerful." 

He said this every time they asked if he'd ever done something.

"It's a wonder you're norma-lish at all," Morph muttered.

"I have never had a party like this either," Storm remarked. "I'm not sure what you do at them, except at Christmas."

"We never had a lot of parties," Shine said. "My mom hates all the work, I think. Just small celebrations, but you do things that you enjoy, eat good food, most of it unhealthy, and play you're favorite jam...which is hard in a day before the internet had it all...but I do have some cassettes. My friend Momo sent me a bunch with my favorite songs recorded onto them."

She held up a case. 

"Aw, she did that? That's sweet," Wally said.

"Nothing that girl can't do," Shine said. "I explained this whole dilemma to her--" She was talking to Storm. "--and she wrote back that if I wanted to use my music, she'd research how to record things on cassettes, so I said sure, if she wanted to, and she did. She said it took her a few tries, but she still had my old playlists from when we'd have dance parties and stuff at their dorms. Get this, she didn't know my password, so Denki hacked into my account. Go figure. I never thought about deleting it."

"I have no idea what you are saying, Shine," Storm said. "You have a bank account for songs?"

"Uh...kind of," Shine said. "That's a good way to think of it. Every time you listen to the song, it's like depositing into the account by making it more popular."

"How?" Storm asked blankly.

"Storm, it'll all make sense in about 25 years," Shine said.

Storm had nothing to say to that. "Well, your friends certainly are devoted."

"Of course. They remember what it was like with them. They are always willing to help," Shine said. "Momo has always been a kind and considerate student. Actually, you remind me of her a lot."

Storm was a bit bashful at the praise and didn't acknowledge it.

"She does kind of have that serious vibe," Wally commented. "Though without the naive, rich kid part.  Always thought it was cute though."

"Yes, well, it would be odd if never was the same," Shine said. "Where is Kitty, speaking of smart people?"

"Logan took her to the Professor's study, I believe," Storm said.

"And here we are," Xavier said, coming in with Logan and Kitty following him.

Kitty's eyes were huge.

"What's this?" she asked.

"The living room," Logan said.

Everyone looked up at Kitty.

"You're the new girl?" one kid asked.

Kitty had not seen a lot of mutants who looked so clearly like mutants--and did a bit of a double take.

"Uh...yes," she said. "I mean, maybe... I'm Kitt--Katherine Pryde. Everyone calls me Kitty, though."

"Like a cat?" one of the other kids said.

"Uh...sort of," Kitty said.

"Well, I'm just glad you're a girl," Jubilee said. "I was starting to feel outnumbered... Uh...we made this poster." She gestured at it. "We're kind of welcoming everyone to the mansion... You guys never gave me a ceremony."

"We didn't get one either," Logan said. "And it's a lot of nonsense. No need to make such a big fuss over it."

"It's not like finding out you're a mutant is anything to celebrate," one of the Morlocks said bitterly.

Shine clapped her hands. "None of that, Trudy," she said. "It's hard all around, but finding a place where you can be safe is always something to celebrate."

She came close to Kitty. "Hello, I'm Shine West."

"This is my wife." Wally grabbed her. 

"Hi," Kitty said politely.

"Jubilee," Jubilee said. "People started calling me Jewels around humans though."

"Uh huh..." Kitty said. "So you all have code names."

"Yes, this is something mutants do," Storm said, "to help keep our identities a secret, and...I suppose you could say it is our culture also."

"So what are your real names?" Kitty asked.

"No one can say hers," Wally snorted.

"I can say it," Storm said. "Ororo, but you can call me Storm."

Kitty looked like she'd prefer this.

"Everyone just calls me Professor," Xavier said. "Though you may call me Mr. Xavier if you prefer."

"I don't have a name," Ryan said. "I mean, I do--Ryan--just not a code name."

"What's your mutation?" Kitty asked.

"Uh..." Ryan looked uncomfortable.

"He has a weird tongue," Billy, one of the Morlocks, known for being a bit rude, said.

"It's not weird..." Ryan muttered.

"I shoot sparks," Jubilee said.

Kitty nodded.

"So...you're having a party?" she said.

"Yes," Shine said. "As a Mazel Tov to a couple of our team here for some important moments that happened yesterday. And to you, of course, if you decide to stay. Do you want to see the house?"

Kitty nodded. She looked a little overwhelmed.

"What is a Mazel Tov?" Jubilee asked.

"It means congratulations in Hebrew," Shine supplied. "A lot of people use it. Jewish people know how to party, though--and dance, I have to say. Real fun dances. I went to a synagogue a couple of times, Messianic, you know. The music was great."

Kitty raised an eyebrow. "Just because I'm Jewish doesn't mean I automatically believe in all that, you know. I'm open to a lot of perspectives."

The others looked at her oddly.

"I was talking about my life, hon," Shine said, with her usual calm, but just a slight edge that suggested Kitty had better not sass her again. "Not yours. It's true. My family is Jewish also, and my parents are very into the intellectual things. By and large, that's what I found the synagogue focused on. A lot of science and theology. My cup of tea, that's all. If you feel like I'm stereotyping you, I'm sorry. It's just something to have in common, that's all. And I'm sure your parents would feel better if at least one of us had a little background with that heritage, don't you think?"

Kitty blinked at her. "I...suppose."

"Good," Shine said. "Jubilee, want to show her over the house? You can show her her prospective room also. It's the last one on the hall with yours and the other girls."

She meant Cindy and Ruthie, two Morlock girls who were much younger than Jubilee.

"Okay," Jubilee said. "Come on, our rooms are really big, so you'll like it, probably..."

She led Kitty upstairs. The other girls trailed after her.

"That was interesting," Wally said.

"She's a little touchy," Ryan said. "Do you think she's one of those really nerdy, snobby people?"

"She's probably just nervous," Shine said. "Wouldn't you be?"

"Yeah, I guess I was," Ryan said. "But I mean, I wanted you all to like me..."

"You know, she did ask a lot of questions on the flight," Wally said, "including if Storm was licensed to fly a war plane. She's a genius, did you know that?"

"When I heard she was taking college classes at high-school age, I had the thought," Shine said.

"She's totally different from the movies," Wally hissed.

"So was Rogue," Shine hissed back. "So was Mystique. I think we can just agree the movies lied to us."

Mystique walked in right then. "Well, is the new novice here?"

"Just missed her," Shine said.

"Why do you care?" Logan asked.

"I like to know who to avoid." Mystique was salty.

"Why are ya still here anyway?" Logan frowned.

"Logan," Shine said warningly, "I suggested she wait till tomorrow. After what happened to Trinity, is it really smart to just let people wander around here alone?"

"Yeah, well, if Magnet Boy is lookin' for 'er for stabbin' him in the back, why should we lead him here?" Logan said.

"He would come here anyway," Xavier said. "And if he does, we have much to discuss."

"He would not show his face here to see you," Shine said coldly. "He'd be more likely to send another minion to do it. It would be quite humorous if it was Psylocke again."

"I don't think so," Warren muttered.

"Where are Rogue and Gambit?" Storm asked.

"On a date," Wally said. "They're celebrating on their own. Thought it'd be more fun for them that way."

"I'll miss their contributions, but maybe they'll be back before we're done," Shine said. "Now, kids, who's ready for a dance party?"

Some of them were young enough to like this.

"Ugh." Logan rolled his eyes.

"Oh, quit being such a stiff," Wally said to him. "Have some punch. Hank made it."

"Is it going to explode this time?" Logan asked.

"We can hope, right?" Morph joked. "It'd give it quite a pop, wouldn't it?"

Some of the kids rolled their eyes.

"Is it going to explode?" Kevin asked.

"I did not put anything in it this time that might cause that," Hank said, "I assure you. It's perfectly safe, and it's ready. Along with Jean's tea sandwiches."

"Are we British now?" Wally asked.

"That would be biscuits," Shine said. "Or cookies, as we call them."

"Maybe some crumpets," Wally said.

"All this merrymakin' makes me sick," Logan said.

"You never have liked fun," Scott commented. "You could put on a brave face for the kids."

"I ain't breakin' somethin'," Logan said.

"That is where the bar is," Shine said. "You and the Hulk can both share that medal of honor, The Not As Big Of A Loose Cannon As You Could Have Been award."

Only Wally got that joke, but he thought it was hilarious.

Logan frowned at Shine.

"It's not so bad," Storm said to him. "At least Jubilee is having fun, and it's just music and food. Where's the offense?"

"I just think we have bigger problems and shouldn't be celebratin'," Logan said.

"You know, celebrating is a biblically mandated practice," Shine said. "You know why that is? Because God knows that we forget to enjoy things because life is hard, so He tells us to do it. Jesus turned water into wine, remember? People don't like talking about that, but, you know, maybe a party isn't so bad. That was His first miracle too."

"A miracle I hope will not be repeated with so many young people around," Hank said. "My punch is non-alcoholic, of course."

"Take all the fun out of it," Mystique muttered.

"Ah, alcohol isn't really fun." Morph said this to Hank. "Not when you can't get a buzz from it, so it's just as well."

"Hey, I can't either," Wally said. "My metabolism is too fast."

"Oh?" Morph said. "I just can't be affected by toxin...so...yeah..."

"Hmm...Logan, how can alcohol affect you, then?" Shine asked him.

"I just recover faster," Logan said. "And what kind of question is that? Who cares?"

"It's just interesting," Shine said. "I know a kid whose power runs on soda, so..."

She got an odd look.

Wally popped a cassette into the boom box. "I haven't done this since I was a kid."

[Another trivia fact: CDs were invented in '79 but were not released for the public until '82. It took 3 years for them to become popular, and then they were in the 90's, up until about 10-15 years ago or so when apps and YouTube and ipods replaced everything. This story is set currently in '83, so while I have some anachronisms, it would be much more likely that the X-men would use cassettes still, not CDs. But there may be hope for Shine yet if she can afford a CD player at some point. It would have been over $1000 to buy one at this time. Now you'd be lucky to find an old CD/radio at a garage sale.]

https://youtu.be/rXaCLCXOnX8

["Good For Me" --Amy Grant. This song is from '91. Style wise it's kind of between 80s and 90s. The 90s really just had that boombox, skater-kid kind of vibe to their music. I was a 90s kid, so it sounds like home to me.]

Shine started singing along. "'When I start to sing the blues, you pull out my dancing shoes. I  think you could be so good for me...'"

"Well, at least she's happy," Storm commented.

The X-men were such sober minded people, getting excited or enthused about things was hard enough for them, but especially celebrating something. Perhaps they had all been disappointed too much.

It was one side of both Shine and Wally that they just didn't understand most of the time, that in between problems and crises, they both managed to just live with a cheerful attitude most of the time and even acted like kids frequently.

[I like that this is how The Flash is, even in official DC material, and I didn't have to add to his character. Makes them a good match.]

The kids loved them though. They were little enough not to be so hesitant to have fun.

The others came back from downstairs and started to dance and throw confetti that someone had found in the garage from some ancient birthday or New Year's party of the Professor's youth.

It made Xavier a little nostalgic, remembering how it used to be, and a little sad. He'd lost much of his childlike ability to be carefree with the years. And, often, his life's dream was frustrating and slow to progress. There was not a lot of time he spent feeling glad.

After the kids had been dancing and making a mess gleefully for a bit, Shine practically forced Storm to join in a little.

"You have to at least try. This is for you," she said. "Kids, let's help her, huh?"

"This is really not necessary," Storm said.

The kids helpfully threw confetti on her.

Billy blew a noise-maker.

Storm had to smile at how absurd it was. "Thank you, but I think I've had enough excitement just from watching all of you."

"Don't ya have any songs that don't sound weird and futuristic?" Logan asked Wally grumpily.

Wally consulted his list. "I never thought I'd be an actual DJ DJ...though I guess I'd need discs for that.... Well, hey, I think this track has some of your music on it.... I mean, maybe not yours specifically. You seem like a Billy Joel kind of guy."

"How'd you know?" Logan gave him a weird look.

"Uh...just a guess." Wally had been kidding, but apparently his musical taste radar was on point.

He put in the tape and an older song did come on:

https://youtu.be/sUcLV-vX37A

["Burning Love" (Lilo and Stitch version) Love this song.]

After that a few more oldies came on. Even one by Billy Joel.

https://youtu.be/-C_3eYj-pOM

["Ain't No Mountain High Enough" -- Marvin Gaye & Tammi Terrell.]

https://youtu.be/nPsn1Wcumpw

["For the Longest Time" --Billy Joel. While I have no canon proof Logan likes Billy Joel, when I was looking up 80s music, I felt like Joel's songs suited Wolverine's aesthetic. And this song in particular is fitting. It's about being older and realizing love is different but still important.]

https://youtu.be/eOv5fF7maFY

[She's a Rebel- Green Day]

Then Shine came over and put in a different one, and the kids got excited and started running around the room again.

https://youtu.be/lSGDwJvacqQ

["No One Else"-- Cory Asbury, Laura Hackett Park.]

The adults were mostly talking in the kitchen now, though the noise interrupted them, but they looked in to smile tolerantly or amusedly.

Kitty, now that they'd come back in, still looked puzzled. "Is it always like this?" she asked Jean.

"Not usually as loud," Jean answered without much nuance. "They do like to play music a lot. I suppose it's how they amuse themselves. Also, it seems to be part of Miss Likstar's curriculum."

"And she teaches Bible stuff?" Kitty wrinkled her nose. "I mean...you know, Christian?"

"Ah...yes, but her class is optional," Jean said. "It's just that a lot of the people here are trying to find hope in religion, with the...problems they have." She frowned uneasily. "Though I have to admit, I can't explain some of the things that have happened...but there is a lot in the Bible about how to treat others well, so it's no harm to the rest of us if they learn it."

"I suppose that's true," Kitty said thoughtfully. "It's just odd to teach it like...well...I mean, there's Hebrew School, so I understand, but I didn't think it was the same. Anyway, I don't really study that much anymore...but it's optional?"

"It is," Jean said. "They don't believe in forcing people to learn about them."

"That's a relief," Kitty said. "For a second I was afraid this was come kind of weird cult."

"No, we're not." Xavier was amused.

Not all of them there were so amused.

"Are we not allowed to have beliefs?" Storm said to Logan, and Kurt, who'd finally come down, aside. "Does that make us a cult? And what is wrong with teaching people about them if they want to learn? Many of those kids have found the lessons useful for understanding morality."

"I'm afraid many people abuse the Vord," Kurt said. "Perhaps she is thinking of that. I know the monks misunderstood vhat I vas. Thankfully they came to their senses, but many people just do not know."

"I don't like the way she's surveyin' us," Logan said. "It's one thing to worry about us kidnappin' her, but if she's gonna have a problem with how we do things too, maybe this isn't a right fit."

"But we're still figuring out what to do," Storm said. "Shine's lessons are not a permanent fixture of this house--they are temporary. And we've hardly even started to instruct. And I, for one, do not feel qualified. And there's the question of whether to train them in battle or not. Some of them may need it, in order to defend themselves. It's too soon to know."

"Ja," Kurt said. "Ve are still in the experimental stages...but this is vhat our new guest must understand if she vants to join us, that nothing is set in stone yet. It may be there is a more efficient vay to do all this, but ve are all new. I've never taught before either."

"We must try not to be hard on her," Storm said. "Her family seemed like cautious people. She probably is just anxious not to be affiliated with anything not respectable."

"Perhaps she is also vorried that her religious backgrounds is different than ours," Kurt said. "Most of you have none, and the rest of us are Christians. That is very important to some people, to be around like-minded individuals."

"Not so open-minded then, is she?" Logan said.

"It wasn't that long ago, Logan, that none of us cared about it either," Storm said. "What a change in 4 months... We'll have to give her time, that's all. Provided she chooses to stay."

But there wasn't much of a dilemma there, apparently, for Kitty, because she called her parents to say that she thought she could do well enough here. And it wasn't a terrorist group or anything, like some of the mutants they'd seen on TV (namely the Nasty Boys and Magneto's crew).

Kitty told them that, while it was a little different than what she was used to, compared to facing certain persecution at a regular school, or being recruited by some other group, she thought it would be the best fit.

"I don't want to stay at home," she said to them seriously. "You guys could be in danger... Jubilee told me about what happened with her foster parents. It's for the best this way... I'll visit and call and stuff. Maybe once I learn how to use my power, I'll come home. But they have the equipment and the tech here to help me."

The Prydes reluctantly agreed with her decision. But told her to call them if anything strange ever happened.

They didn't like that they couldn't come to the school themselves and see, but humans mostly weren't allowed to do this.

At least Kitty, considering her power, would have little trouble escaping if she wanted to. Perhaps that set their minds a little at ease.

[Being a parent in this situation would be the worst, gotta say.

Also, I don't know if everyone will like my portrayal of Kitty...but she's not the easiest character to depict, and I think, given her age and experience, this is what makes sense. This whole situation would be stressful anyway.

But don't worry, I'm sure she'll adjust with time.]