By S. Mark Gunther
-----
Day 1
-----
It had been a bad day. Todd Tolensky knew when he woke up it was going to be a bad day and he wasn't disappointed. Three hex bolts from Wanda, a walk to school in the pouring rain, a late detention and a lecture from Principal Kelly, two more detentions for not paying attention in class, a near black eye from Duncan Matthews over an accidental altercation and finally having to walk home after his detention. He knew that if there were ever days to go and skip school, this was one of those days. Every step brought him closer to wanting to fall down in the street and cry like a wimp. But he soldiered on, trying to just get home and get into bed and not arise for 3 days. The weekend was near and all he wanted was to be able to have time to recuperate.
He walked up the steps to the front door of the Brotherhood house, his back stooped over more then normal. Every fiber of his body was soaked. From the crown of his head to the soles of his worn out shoes he dripped water everywhere. Todd opened the door and walked inside, taking 10 steps before dropping his book bag onto the floor and crouching over on all fours on the wooden floor. He began to shake like a dog, trying in vain to get all the water out of his countenance. As he shook, he could feel all the tension of the day begin to rise off him. He felt like everything was going to be alright. This good feeling that began to envelop over his entire body was the last good feeling he'd feel for a while for he had the sad misfortune to get both Lance and Wanda soaked in his spray of water as he shook. He didn't notice the two of them walking into the hallway from opposite directions and before he could stop he had sprayed a lot of water on them. Wanda got the brunt of the spray and she took it hard.
"TOAD!!!!!!" Wanda screamed as she threw water off her newly cleaned red leather long coat. "What the fuck are you doing?!!!!" At Wanda's enraged screaming, Todd stopped and slumped to the ground. He looked at the source of the scream and saw a pissed off Goth girl with both fists glowing bright sonic blue. He knew another hex bolt was coming so he tried to ward her off as best he could. Lance wiped water out of his eyes just in time to see Todd crawling pitifully over to Wanda's legs.
"Sweetums...umm....I can explain...I was just drying to try off...I mean, I was just trying to die off....I mean....fuck, yo..." Todd stammered, his words all a jumble in his head as he tried to speak. Wanda put a hand up motioning for silence which Todd gave her. For a long moment, Wanda looked down at her wet coat before speaking, her eyes flashing and sparkling.
"I...Just...Had...THIS...CLEANED!!!! You asshole!!!" Wanda screamed again as she launched three hex bolts at Todd's prostrate form. They hit him dead on and knocked him ten feet back against the opposite hallway wall. She looked down at him and snorted a little before walking to the kitchen. Lance watched this macabre scene with nothing more then shock in his heart. He honestly didn't know how to feel at that moment as he looked at Todd's battered body. But then his heart was somewhat cheered when he saw Todd try to pick himself up. He failed and Lance was instantly at his side, attempting to pick the smaller boy up. With a snarl Todd shoved him off and rose slowly to his feet. He looked down at the bruises on his body, his arms in particular, and for a moment he seemed like he was going to cry. But then, he began to laugh. Sick, sad, angry, pissed off laughter flowed from his mouth as tears flowed down his green tinged cheeks.
"I love her...and she hurts me. She hurts me, just like my mother. She hurts me..." Todd said softly, his body giving way to racking sobs. Lance stepped forward again and put his hand on Todd's shoulder.
"Come on, Todd. I'll help you to your room and we can get you into bed, alright?" Lance said gently, trying not to frighten the obviously shattered boy. Todd once again shrugged off Lance's hand but this time he looked up at his friend with a sad smile.
"No, Lance. This is something I got to do on my own. But thanks anyway, yo."
"What?"
"You'll see." At that he began to walk to the kitchen where a still fuming Wanda stood in front of the sink trying to dry her off with a dish towel. He walked into the kitchen and stood near the doorway. "Wanda?"
"What now you little twerp?" Wanda spat, not turning around.
"We need to talk. Turn around so I can say what I want to say to you." Todd said calmly.
"I have nothing to say to you, you slimy asshole. You ruined my coat. Again!"
"Then that's all the more reason why you need to look at me because right now I'm going to dirty you and your coat up real bad, you crazy bitch." At the words crazy and bitch, Wanda froze. He had never called her that. Hell, in reality, Todd had never said one derisive thing against Wanda Maximoff and she knew it. Warning bells began to ring in her head but she paid them no mind. She turned around, her powerful hands already glowing bright blue.
"What the hell did you call..." At that Wanda got no further. Her face was covered in a viscous green slime, so powerful and caustic that it knocked her back against the sink and cabinetry. Todd jumped at her and with one powerful leg, kicked her square in the chest, knocking her out of the picture window above the sink and into the backyard of the house. She laid there for a moment, not moving as Todd calmly hopped out of the hole in the window. He dragged her to a far corner of the large yard and walked to the other side. Todd began to disrobe, right there in the pouring rain. Soon he was naked except for a pair of jeans he had ripped into short in his haste. By this time Wanda began to scream bloody murder as the slightly toxic slime began to work its magic. She felt it drip away from her face as the rain fell down and she scrambled to her feet to see what the hell had happened. She saw something that defied explanation.
Todd stood across from her, shirt and shoeless with his short shaggy hair hanging from his head in a droop. He seemed to be in a fighting stance and his eyes shoe with a fiery gleam she had never seen before. By this time she and the rest of the Brotherhood, watching from the now gaping hole in the picture window, gaped at a Todd Tolensky that was unknown to the world. This was a Todd ready for war.
"What the hell was that?" Wanda yelled, her own hands charging with blue energy.
"That was for hitting me just now, bitch! Now we'll fight because that seems to be the only way you know how to communicate with people," Todd yelled back, his own voice cracking at the sound and tone of his words.
"Fine!" And at that, the fight was on. Both flung themselves at each other with reckless abandon. Wanda got in early shots as her hex bolts found their target time and time again. But soon after Todd connected with a vicious right hook that send Wanda flying back against the side of the house. A moment later she was nearly decapitated by a massive leaping clothesline from the smaller boy. She slid off to the side just as he came into range and watched as Todd put a dent into the side of the house with his swing.
The battle continued on. Todd continued to stay one step ahead of the mystical mutant, all the while screaming all the injustices that she had levied on his head along with all the bad things that had happened to him. Wanda countered by screaming back all her worst days in the asylum and how much she hated the very sight of Todd's existence. And so on. Both fighters continued to struggle on despite the abundance of blood that flowed from both their bodies on open cuts and bruises. After a massive, Ruthian swing with a tree branch Wanda suffered a near broken leg. She replied with a hex blast so strong it fractured several of Todd's already fragile ribs. And still they fought on.
Finally, after nearly 40 minute of battle, Todd stood opposite her and breathed heavily. He still stood in a battle position but he was badly slumped over and he saw that Wanda looked about the same. "It's time to end this," he breathed heavily, coughing up blood as he spoke.
"Fine by me. I'll enjoy beating your ass, Toad." At that, Todd finally decided to pull out all the stops. Leaping from the ground to a nearby branch, he leaped high into the air and came down in a massive torpedo drop kick. Wanda saw him high in the sky coming down and attempted to blast him before he got to her but she was too late to stop his attack. He kicked her once again in the chest and knocked her down. He rolled forward and without missing a beat, rolled back and locked her up in a judo choke he had once seen on television. Todd had her in such a way that she could breathe but that both her arms were stretched almost to the point of breaking from their sockets. Wanda felt stars coming to her eyes...then she heard his screaming.
"SAY MY NAME!! SAY MY NAME, BITCH!!!"
"Wha...what?" Wanda gasped painfully. Todd jerked harder on her near arm, causing another surge of pain to course through Wanda's upper midsection.
"I want you to finally say my fucking name, Wanda! Say who I am! Say my name!" Todd screamed in reply. When no reply came, he jerked even harder causing a pained squeal to escape her lips.
"T...Toad..." Todd finally lost patience with her and rolled back slightly onto his back to elevate her off the ground slightly to allow him to stretch her almost an entire 90 degrees with her arms akimbo. She screamed and cried and struggled but Todd kept the hold locked on. Rain streamed down both their bodies and the entire earth around them but he kept holding on. Finally, after almost another 10 minutes of stretching, she finally croaked out one simple word.
"Todd."
"What did you say?" Todd replied softly, still not easing up on the hold.
"I said..." Wanda croaked softly, "your name. Todd. You are Todd Tolensky."
"Finally you've acknowledged me," Todd whispered as he eased the hold down. Almost instantly Wanda laid face down on the wet grass, breathing heavily. "Forgive me for this, Wanda..."
"Wha..." She never got another word out before Todd's fist came down on one of her pressure points in her neck, knocking her out with one blow. Todd quickly checked her pulse and heartbeat, finding them to be fine and ok, if a bit ragged. Seeing her lying there, he scooped her into his arms and screamed out in a massive, heartbroken wail. For a long moment he screamed...then he collapsed lightly onto Wanda's soft back. Both were knocked out.
"Ok. Now we can get them," Fred boomed as he finally let go of the struggling Pietro. In a flash, the silver haired speedster rushed to the two youth and shoved Todd off, his face flooded with tears. He scooped Wanda up in his thin arms and began to run. Fast. Lance and Fred watched him go then scooped the young man into their arms. Fred cradled the unconscious form as Lance fished out his keys.
"To the mansion," Lance said softly. Fred nodded and both boys ran to Lance's jeep. As the tires spun and the vehicle roared off, the sun began to peek out from the clouds despite the still massive rainstorm. A sun storm was happening, the first in Bayville in many years. Lance couldn't help but feel a slight sense of irony come on as he spotted a huge rainbow over the Xavier mansion. With a sigh and a thrust on the gas pedal, he coaxed the machine forward to the place where both Todd and Wanda could be rested and get help.
-----
Bobby Drake put the last box away in the infirmary and sighed with a small smile. He was done. The entire clinic was just as Doctor McCoy wanted it and the idea that he'd make the blue furred mutant happy warmed his body all over. Not only did he work off the last of his detentions in-house for his latest prank on Kurt but he'd also scored some points with the man he liked the most in the world. For a moment he lost himself in the idea that his crush would finally give him a hug...and a kiss...and mabye more...
A siren pierced through the air, waking Bobby out of his revelry. He looked over and saw the control panel, newly installed and shiny, glowing with lights and whistles. He went to it and pressed a button and after a moment a picture of a very disturbed looking Professor Xavier appeared.
"Bobby! What is your status?"
"The entire clinic is clean down here, Professor. What's going on?"
"Get two beds prepped immediately. We've got wounded we need to take care of. Where is Beast?"
"Doc McCoy will be back from his run in about 10 minutes. I'll radio for him to come home immediately."
"Don't worry about getting him just yet, Bobby. We'll need those beds right now and if he's coming back soon we can wait while you get things started for me. We'll be downstairs in 5 minutes. Xavier out."
Bobby stared at the now blank screen for a moment, not sure what the hell was going on but he snapped to attention and began to prep a pair of beds. Just as he turned down the last cover the door opened and two men carrying bodies came charging in. Bobby stepped back as he saw who the people were, his eyes hiding the shock in his mind. Lance laid Todd down on the far bed whilst Pietro fretted and fussed over Wanda's bedding. Soon both children were reclined and Pietro sped over to Lance. Bobby watched as the two of them began to speak, their voices soft but fierce.
"What the hell were you thinking, Lance?!" Pietro hissed, his body coiled and tense. "They could have killed each other out there!"
"And if they had, they would have settled their issues, wouldn't they?" Lance replied calmly. Pietro tensed for a moment before Lance's sinewy hand clasped his shoulder. The silver haired boy looked up at his team leader with more then a little bit of rage in his eyes. "Look, this has gone on far enough. It's time we told them the truth."
"Which them, Lance? Who gets to know our business?"
"Xavier. Claws. The Witch. Doctor McCoy. Scott. Jean. They need to know because we're leaving the house. Or at the very least, Wanda and Todd are not staying there. They both need psychiatric help and here's where they're going to get it."
"Are you serious?!!"
"Yes. And one other thing." Lance took a deep breath before speaking again. "You're finally going to tell Wanda what happened to her on Arrowrose. Either you're going to tell her or Todd is. Or I will. But one way or another she's going to know what happened to her."
"You can't be serious, dammit!"
"I am. And so is Fred. That's why we held you back from breaking up this fight. this had to happen."
"Bullshit." At that Pietro turned around and looked at Fred who stood against a wall, his large shirt covered in blood. "Is this how you feel as well?"
"Yeah. This is too much, 'Tro. it's time to stop."
"Then fuck both of you. My father will hear about this..." Pietro sped off in a wake of wind nearly knocking over Professor Xavier who stood in the doorway watching this scene. For a moment, no one spoke.
"I guess you want to get them treated, right Lance?" Xavier asked calmly. Lance nodded and looked at the two youth who writhed quietly on the beds.
"That's why we're here. But it's not the only reason."
"What else is there?"
"We'll tell you after we get them treated. But first, they need help. Now."
"And they'll get it. Whomever they are," Hank McCoy replied as he walked into the room. He surveyed the scene for a moment then looked at Lance while walking toward Wanda's bed. "what happened to the two of them?"
"They had a lover's spat."
"Must have been some fight," Hank replied softly as he peeled out of his wet running things and slipped into a white jacket held out by a shyly standing Bobby. He tussled the young boy's hair and turned his gaze to Todd. "They're not critical?"
"No. But they are rather beaten up. Wanda kicked Todd's ass after an altercation involving her red jacket. Todd finally fought back and they beat the hell out of one another." Lance sighed as he walked to the door. He looked at Professor Xavier for a moment before looking again at Fred. "Professor, would you mind if Fred and I took a nap somewhere before we talk to you guys?"
"I'll do you one better, Lance. Both of you spend the night here. We'll talk about this later but you don;t have to rush home. In fact, I know you'll be staying till you know their conditions."
"We will. And thank you." Lance nodded at Fred who nodded back and filed out of the room. Professor Xavier turned to leave but looked over his shoulder to Bobby and Hank for a moment.
"Get them stabilized and then meet me in my office, Henry. Call before you come up. We're in for a long night, my friend." Hank nodded as Professor Xavier rolled out of the infirmary.
---A/N: Well. This one was violent. Blame a lot of watching and reading really angry fanfiction on this one. Most people will think this a departure in tone for me, but some of my old readers from the Ranma 1/2 days know I love writing a good expansive fight scene every now and again. The idea of Wanda and Todd having a titanic fight seemed so right for me and now was the time to write it. I honestly believe that Todd very much could kick Wanda's ass if he tried. The issue is, would he ever be driven to that point? This fic will answer that question and more.
Anyway, review if you like. Part 2 will show why Fred and Lance let the fight go and we'll see Jean try to counsel Wanda. Be scared. :D