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Home; (Open to X-Factor)
Topic Started: Jul 8 2009, 05:52 AM (498 Views)
Havok
Member Avatar
Superheated Plasma Blasts
July 7, 2009
7:32 Pm



Home.

He stood in front of his home, the one place he had truly felt was his home. He barely remembered his other homes. Not really the cabin in Alaska, and the base housing in Hawaii was eclipsed by his kinder aged memories of the beach, the mild celebrity he had as a four year old surfer, sharing a board with his ten year old brother. After that there was Nebraska, which was notable only because it was so empty, their home outside of Omaha in a quiet suburb. After that... the hospital briefly, the Orphanage, then California, and Todd's home, never his... College... Egypt... the Brotherhood... the School...

X-Factor was Alex's home, and Mutant Town was where he belonged. The rebuilding was evident everywhere. Some of the shops were still closed, but there were people on the streets, and children playing on the sidewalk. Life was returning to normal. Thirteen weeks or so since... three months to the day since he did what he had thought was not only necessary, but was his duty, his act of devotion to the First One. There had been such anger and power... and now, there was shame and fear...

But he was Home and he was free. The anger was still within him, and his temper was short, but Jean said that would settle soon if he continued to work on it. It was sort of like when he was a newborn mutant, and every emotion was so right at the surface of his mind, and heart. No pain but agony, no love not absolute, no anger less than rage. He'd learned to control it once, and he would learn again. His people would help him, his friends, his family.

Alex had never wanted a drink so badly in his entire life.

Suddenly, he was struck from behind. He whirled around at the attack, his hand coming immediately to the image inducer he wore around his neck, to hide his soot grey skin from the world, never mind that the fading was noticeably progressing faster and faster thanks to the infusions of Warren's blood, and the almost tireless work that healer kid Josh had done. He didn't want to be seen as the monster who had killed so many, he wanted to be...

"Havok!" said the kid who had skateboarded into him. "You're alive!"

Alex looked at the kid, startled. He remembered him as one of the little boys who had hung around X-Factor, usually listening to Jon spin stories about their adventures that were only slightly exaggerated. Hard not to remember the kid, he had fish like appearance, an orange fin on the top of his head, lifting in what could only be surprised excitement. "Sammy? Yeah, yeah, I'm all alive. Were people saying..."

"No one knew," Sammy said, "Volt said you were alive, but had been hurt, and he couldn't tell us when you'd be back. We thought maybe..."

Alex smiled, Jon covering for him, again. He was going to have to give the clone a raise... if he ever decided to pay him. "I'm ok, I think," he said, "I was hurt, yeah, in a lot of pain, but I'm better now."

"That's awesome," young Sammy said, "After that scary stuff that happened..."

"Your family? Did everyone..."

Sammy nodded, "Yeah, we were actually visiting my gramma in Ontario, at the time, so we missed it all. The store where Mom worked was burnt down, but she got a new job with the construction place that's fixing up the city. Coleridge or whatever. She's a receptionist and it's like a whole lotta more money."

Alex smiled, "I'm glad, Sammy, really, I am. I'm sorry about everything, I'm sorry I counting stop what happened."

Sammy shrugged, "Wasn't your fault." He got back on his skateboard, "I better get back home before Mom flips out, but I'll tell everyone you're back, kay?"

"Kay," Alex said, watching the boy skate off. He shook his head. How could he ever have thought that kids like that were unworthy? They were definitely more than they appeared to be. Mutant Town was going to be ok.

And so was he.

He walked up the stairs into the HQ and called out, "Hello? Anyone? Daddy's home!"
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Jet Black
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The fourth of July had been relatively quiet, which was good. It meant people weren't out being stupid. But it was still nice to see some fireworks. Watching them from the stoop of X-Factor HQ and not staying out to see the grand finale, which was the best part, Jet stayed in for most of the time. She had spent a good part of the day cleaning up the place. Everyone, even herself, had been so busy with cleaning up Mutant Town that the X-Factor building was in need for a bit of housework.

She didn't expect anyone new coming but it'd be nice for everyone else to come in to a relatively clean house. The blonde wasn't a maid after all, she wasn't perfect. The X-Factor member was all finished when she suddenly heard a familiar voice. Lightly jogging to where it was coming from she saw that it was Alex. She gasped and smiled widely, “Bossman!” She ran over and gave him a hug. After a moment she pulled away form him and called out, “Hey guys! Get down here Alex is back!” Looking back at him she couldn't help but to contain her smile, “I seem to always be the first to greet you home.”

Jet didn't give a second thought that he was wearing an image inducer. She didn't even see it. Waiting for the others to come down from where ever they were she continued, “But who cares?! Yay, you're home!” X-Factor had been without their leader for too long. It was long overdue. “And in plenty of time for winter.” Giving him a sly wink she chuckled.
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Strong Guy
Unregistered

Guido’s bio clock was all out of whack. He was staying up late and pulling all nighters in the whole crime fighting scene, and sometimes sleeping all day. Last night was an all nighter. Who knew that bad guys liked to work at night? Most of them did not pull nine to fivers. Sometimes it just helped to be on the same schedule as they were.

Okay, so partially he was goofing around at night too. It definitely wasn’t all work and no play, or Guido would be a dull boy.

Regardless, he was tired. And he was asleep when something woke him up.

Stumbling out of bed, he slapped around on his dresser for his goggles but couldn’t find them. Giving up he headed up the stairs bleary-eyed toward the direction where he remembered the kitchen to be.

Guido was almost completely blind without his goggles, and he was at best only half awake right now, so you’ll have to excuse him that he walked right past Alex and Jet in the living room without so much as looking at them. And he was wearing nothing but a T-shirt and his Home of the Whopper boxer shorts.

Just before he disappeared into the kitchen he scratched his butt.
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Violey
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Aerokinesis, Audiokinesis / Flight
"Welcome back," Violey said from the stairs in an amused tone. It was nice to see Havok back at Headquarters. She's been worried about him but she knew he would be alright. Missing the chance to be the to first greet Havok by seconds, Jet hugged him. By the way it seemed, Jet usually had the pleasure of the first greeting to their returning teammates.

Walking down the rest of the stairs she made her way straight to Havok. Just as Jet did, she gave him a hug as well. "X-factor is not as bright without you," Violey said letting go of the hug. A smile was worn on her face. To have the bossman back home truly made her happy. Yet, the happiness shown was only for appearance sake. Reading the Daily Bugle became a daily thing for her since June. Some articles from a few days ago made her worry but she would not show it. A smile would always be worn.

"Yes, plenty of time for winter," Violey repeated after Jet. Unsure whether Jet was referring to Havok's powers being likely to heat up HQ or something else, Violey just nodded and smiled. Whatever meaning Jet had, the wink made it a joke. "Are you feeling better?" she finally asked. Worry was writ in her voice.

Havok and War were two different people in her eyes. The Horsemen of War was more of a being than a man. No possibility existed in her mind to connect the two. War had been a monster. Havok was a lover who honestly cared about people. Back when the Horseman came to the institute grounds demanding a healer for Lorna, only when she witnessed that did she even consider the possibility of the two being the same. Without any doubt, Havok suffered from when War had possessed him. Two separate people sharing a singular body. Was there not a mutant back at Xavier's with a similar ability?

"Guido is not awake it seems," Violey stated in a displeased tone as the one in question walked by. At least he was clothed even if it was only underwear but the... The strong one should have waited until he was fully awake to check out who'd returned. But, she let his rude behavior slide without further comment. Havok was back and that was all that mattered.
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Lorna Dane
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Lorna stood in the bedroom she shared with Alex, hands resting on her hips as her green eyes moved around the room, resting on the poster which had appeared the wall. “Well that’s not staying here.” She muttered to herself. Since Apocalypse had been defeated, Lorna had spent her time between Mutant Town and the Institute, but had mostly spent her nights sleeping in a spare room at the Mansion, initially while her recovery was monitored but later because she did not really wanting to spend more time than she already had without Alex.

Today was the tentative date set for his return, though she didn’t know if he was actually going to, as she had chosen to let him make the decision by himself. Lorna was caught between wanting to support her boyfriend and not wanting to smother him, allowing him space to find his feet. It was not easy though, as her instinct was to stay as close to him as possible and look after him.

She heard the sounds of voices downstairs, one which she recognised, an excited smile on her lips. Jet called to the rest of X-Factor, letting them know that Alex was home, and Lorna turned quickly, leaving the room. She ran down the stairs, past Violey and Jet, even Guido’s state of undress not giving her pause as she wrapped her arms around Alex, burying her face in his neck. She had only seen him that morning, but there was a vast difference between seeing him at the Mansion and seeing him here, in their home. “I’m so glad you’re home. I’ve missed you so much.” Lorna whispered, arms tightening around him.

Releasing Alex from the hug, but keeping on arm around, Lorna looked towards the kitchen. “Hey Guido, wake up. Alex is back!.” She called out, laughing.
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Havok
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Superheated Plasma Blasts
There was never a chance at stealth when Jet was around, even if Alex hadn't called out himself. She was always full of life and excitement and that was something Alex found himself needing at the moment. He had hoped for a joyful return and Jet hadn't disappointed. She called the others and they began to emerge from their rooms and doing their daily business, whatever they had been doing before his arrival. It was scheduled that he'd come home today, arranged between Lorna and him, but they'd both been very aware that his recovery from all that had happened had to be at his own pace. He'd had second thoughts before leaving the security of the mansion and returning here.

And then Lorna came flying down the stairs and they were wiped clean out of his head. She flung herself into his arms and he caught her, kissing her with every ounce of passion that he hadn't been able to show at the school, pouring all of his love into this one slip of a girl who had saved his life even as he tried to take hers, who loved him so completely that she alone had managed to find him when he couldn't even find himself. “I’m so glad you’re home. I’ve missed you so much.”

"I missed me too," he whispered, "But it's all over, Beautiful. I owe you everything." He kissed her again, much less greedily, but by no means with less passion.

They parted, but Lorna still held onto him, like she was afraid he'd slip away, but there was no chance of that. Violey had asked how he was feeling and Alex, not minding Lorna's arm around his waist at all, said, "I'm beginning to feel more like myself. I have... work still to do, but I'm healing. It... it was all like a nightmare that not only could I not wake up from, but I couldn't recognize that I couldn't wake up from... I need a little patience, maybe, a little quiet, a little home time."

He glanced at Lorna cuddled into him, "I need to remember just being Alex for awhile." With his free hand, he made the gesture that had been their expression of love in the Savage Land and had been the sign that there was something of him left in the armors of War.

Even the sight of Guido in his underpants couldn't lessen this moment.
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Strong Guy
Unregistered

Standing at the open-doored fridge, Guido guzzled down some Minute Maid orange juice. He was about halfway through a freshly squeezed gallon when he heard voices in the other room again. Slowly the words reached his sleep deprived brain.

Alex?

Guido stopped in mid gulp and a thin stream of orange dribbled down his chin onto his white X-Factor shirt. He'd had it specially made. You know, go team?

He still couldn't see jack or squat without his goggles, but he made his way back into the other room with the opened jug of orange juice still in his hand. "Alex?" He said to the fuzzy shapes in the room. It took a second to realize that the skinny one was in fact a lamp. Did I mention that Guido was nearly blind without his goggles?

He squinted and then smiled.

"Alex!"

Guido rushed across the room and scooped up Lorna into a great big bear hug. "Alex! It's so good ta see ya." He hugged her for a full minute, just enjoying the physical contact of a loved one and then looked a little disturbed all the sudden. "Alex," he whispered in her ear. "Did you get a boob job?"

Oh well, he sure smelled pretty.
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Julio Richter
Unregistered

Stepping into his room Rictor quickly finished rubbing the towel over his hair before tossing it into basket and putting on an old t-shirt. After a long day’s work a refreshing shower was always comforting. Slowly but surely progress was being made in Mutant Town, but there was still a great deal to be done. Independent contractors surveyed land to quickly stake their claim to strip it down and build it back up for themselves. More mutants had been turning up at the X-Factor clinic for treatment. The clinic wasn’t necessarily overburdened, but it required long hours with very little breaks.

Exiting his room Rictor walked toward the kitchen for a sandwich when he heard joyful voices downstairs. It puzzled him for a moment, but hearing Lorna voice he quickly realize what was happening. “Hey Guido, wake up. Alex is back!” It seemed like it had been so long since he heard Lorna laugh. The two had endured so many hardships together it was truly a wonderful sight to see them together again.

Picking up the pace Julio quickly made his way down stairs to join the small group in greeting their leader back to headquarters. Alex and Lorna stood together with an arm around each other while Jet and Violey stood close by.

"Alex!" Guido called rushing over mistakenly picking up Lorna and embracing her in a hug, “Alex! It’s so good to see ya!”

Rictor couldn’t help to laugh at Guido. He was also good for some comic relief, but the poor guy didn’t have his goggles on. Knowing Guido even if he was wearing his goggles he probably would have picked up Lorna anyway for a good laugh. “It’s great you have you back, Alex.” Rictor said grabbing Alex’s hand and pulling him into hug.

It didn’t bother Rictor when he noticed Alex wearing an image inducer around his neck. Alex was still going through the healing process, and the inducer was one of the things he used to help him cope. They all have their own ways of coping. Rictor was afraid that any amount of negativity would set him back farther than he had progress. It made no difference to him how he got better as long as he got better. “You look thirsty. I was going to the fridge; can I get you a pop?” Rictor asked.
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Jamie Madrox(Old)
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Impact Enduced Duplication
“Nonono! Pick up the bazooka! Use the BAZOOKA!” the duplicate ordered.

“I can’t find the bazooka!” Jamie cried out.

“You just passed it! Turn around. Duck! Turn around duck and get the bazooka!” the dupe ordered again.

Jamie Prime groaned and gripped the controller harder. He was even leaning his body as if that would make his soldier move faster in the direction he wanted. “You’ve been playing this for three days. I don’t have your experience,” Madrox said as he bit his lip struggling to control the man on the screen. “I’m just happy we’re playing co-op.”

“DUDE! Sticky grenade on your six!” the dupe said.

There was an explosion on the screen and Jamie Prime’s character was reduced to a bloody mess. “Face it, you suck dude,” Gamer Dupe sighed. Then suddenly there was a whir from a chainsaw and the dupe’s character was brutally mudered. “Seriously?!” the copy yelled.

It was then that Jet’s voice ran through the X-Factor headquarters. She must’ve been yelling pretty loudly for it to be heard in Jamie’s room in the basement. Alex was back! Madrox dropped his controller into the dupe’s lap who shouted, “Watch the junk, man!”

“I’m going to see Alex. You stay here and work out your thumbs,” Jamie said as he rushed out the door and hurried up the stairs.

“Alex! Boss! Welcome back!” Madrox said as he came in to find Ric, Violey, Guido, Jet and Lorna welcoming their leader back safely. They had been through hell and it was good to have their team restored once more. Some of the others couldn’t say that much. Jamie knew they had gotten off lucky to only lose Alex and Lorna for a short while. That’s why he knew it was important to make him feel at home and safe; part of the reason Guido had “cleaned house.”

“It’s great to have you back. We’ve been holding the fort down for you,” he added.
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Part of Jamie totally wants to be Facebook Friends with Max Coleridge.
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Volt
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Electrokinesis / Cloned Origin
Something surreal about watching Jamie and his dupes together. Like twins, but not twins, because even then you could tell subtle differences, and even though Jamie's dupes tended to be different aspects of his personality, they were still the same man, which Jon, the clone of another person, found to be slightly disconcerting. He wondered occasionally, what would have happened it Mojo had not been killed by Longshot. Would he have ordered Arize to keep producing clones? There had been twelve of them total, one of each model, but once the process was completed, how many copies of each of them would there have been? Jon had enough trouble reconciling his donor's memories with his own, melding Harper's personality with 26's. He couldn't imagine living 40 lives at once and trying to figure out who was who and what was what.

It explained a lot about Jamie, to be honest.

Jon wasn't playing the video game, mostly because he tended to accidentally erase the saved games when his powers got agitated. Besides, he didn't honestly see the fun in playing killing people, when he'd done the real thing enough times to have found it getting rather monotonous. The trouble with being the best in any field, Jon supposed, even one that being the best in was a bad thing.

But he liked to watch the others play, because it was a very normal and friendly thing to do. They hung out, played games, he was actually able to play rockband as long as he used a wireless guitar, ate snacks, had a few drinks, and for a while forgot that they were superheroes with the weight of the world on their heads, forgot they weren't quite human, forgot everything that made them different. Sure Guido tended to break the drum kit when he got into it, and sure Pietro played all of three seconds of a game once and made the controller catch fire as he pounded the buttons in a blur, but hell, that's what made life interesting.

He heard Jet's call and followed Jamie up the stairs to see the Bossman returned, embraced by Rictor, while Guido snuggled Lorna, strangely enough. He patted the huge arm of the team's muscle man and said, "Easy there, Big Fella, you break her, you bought her."

Once Rictor had disentangled himself from Alex, he smiled and caught him in his own embrace. "Bossman, this is getting to be a habit. Knock it off. I get all sparky when I cry." He, like Lorna, had made regular visits to see Alex in his recovery, anything he really needed to say, he'd already said.
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Jet Black
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One by one the others came pouring in to greet their beloved Bossman. Guido at first walking by and the blonde holding back a laugh. Giving a polite nod as they came in and keeping a wide smile. Until Guido came back in and hugged Lorna thinking it was Alex. She, along with Ric, busted out laughing. While laughing she spoke to the massive mutant. “Guido, where are your goggles?”

As Jon and Jamie came in she wiped the sides of her eyes, having laughed so hard she was in near tears. Everyone was greeting and hugging Alex as they came in, it warmed her heart to see him home. Things were looking to be just a bit more normal. After Jon told him to knock off the habit, Jet couldn't help but to chuckle for a moment. Ric had offered a soda to the newly returned Bossman. “Jon you get sparky on us and I'll have to get hair dryer. I don't wanna get zapped.” She gave him a sly smile and wink.

The blonde folded her arms and kept her smile. She looked around and realized that Pietro and Wanda weren't down yet. But figured they'd be down soon. Not really knowing what to say, not wanting to ruin the moment. Jet just stood by and watched the members of X-Factor greeting the return of Alex Summers.
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Violey
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Aerokinesis, Audiokinesis / Flight
Violey stepped back a bit when Lorna came into the room. Out of them all, it was probably Lorna's passionate embrace that Havok wanted as more of a welcome. It didn't matter to her either way. All of X-factor greeting him would make his day. His return meant X-factor was once again whole. They could now move forward in this post-Apocalyptic world.

"I am glad," Violey said after Havok replied to her question. There was still a lot of healing for him to undergo. An experience such as that wasn't cured by a good night's sleep. If she decided to think too much into it she would guess that he probably wasn't getting any good night sleeps without help. He went on to explain how his being possessed by the Horseman of War felt. Like a dream he didn't know he could wake up from? What an interesting way to describe something.

"If you need it, I will make you an area of silence," Violey offered. "And some tea."

The continued calls to Guido snapped him awake enough to realize who'd just returned. However, the one Guido hugged wasn't who he thought it was. Violey put a hand in front of her mouth in attempt to hide her laughter. She wondered what a sudden Guido hug felt like. He made her laugh like Jamie and sometimes Jon. The case of mistaken identity should have been over when Guido mentioned Lorna's breasts but he just accepted the idea that Havok went through some changes.

"Ah, Guido, Lorna might want to 'ave some room to breathe," Violey said to him. Rictor, Jamie (hopefully Jamie Prime), and Jon also joined the group greeting Havok. The bossman's welcome was definitely a happy one. "Yes, please may you not get sparky," Violey agreed with Jet. The zapping meant fizzy hair. If Jon did get sparky from tears then a simple hair tie would do until the time was proper to fix her hair. "Unless you were joking," Violey said realizing Jon was probably joking about the tears.
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Wanda
Reality Warping
JP Wanda and Pietro



The twins had been out when Alex came home; out... well, just out. What started as a sedate stroll around the neighborhood, to see who had came back and if they had anything to live on, turned into something else. Food, as it turned out, was becoming a problem. The Mutant Town people had talked, and wailed pitilessly, about the prices for what little food they could get being too high. They had to buy from the big stores because the little corner markets had nothing.

And so, Wanda helped.

In an empty lot, plants instantly sprouted and grew in seconds - peas, tomatoes, melons. Vines wove their way through fences that suddenly dripped with grapes. These things however, isn’t what turned people’s heads, it was something any plant manipulator could’ve done, though maybe not that scale; however, the sausages were something else. Wanda had raised her hands and ropes of sausage faded into existence – dripping from tree branches, hanging from signs, even wrapped around people’s necks like a meat boa.

Their cheers and shouts of blessings, to Wanda, and more disturbingly, shouts wanting her blessing, rang after the twins as they left.

His sister was a miracle, and there was nothing that could be said to deny it. Pietro, who had admittedly not had a lot of sympathy for those who complained of having little to eat when, in his never to be questioned opinion, they had been negligent in not planting a garden in the first place. Americans were not used to poverty at the same level as the gypsies, had not had to hunt for food in deep forests or go without. And, yes, in their travels there had been times when Pietro had pretended to have no appetite so that Wanda could eat what little they had. She had not the control she had now... if control was what she had.

Pietro heard the shouts that seemed to disturb his sister, but he said nothing about them. People were scared and fear made them cling to false idols and desperate faiths. He might have been a little put out that they would proclaim her a goddess now, where they had feared she was a bad omen before, but he merely held her hand, and spoke of nothingness to her, the weather, the song her bangles made, a joke that made sense only if you knew Old Tonio from the caravan and his habit of sticking raven feathers up his nose.

Wanda’s bright laughter them as the Maximoff twins entered the impromptu welcome home for their returning leader. He and Lorna clung companionably to each other; steadfast, no matter what fate had in store for them.
“Oh, my darling, you see Alex has returned,” Wanda said with a toothy smile.

"I see," Pietro said, his smile not so toothy... indeed, there was no smile at all, "He has returned, but for how long? Are we to continue to embrace his constant absences, this unstable leadership? Are we to continue to pretend that this frail minded man is capable of doing what we need him to do?"

“My darling,” Wanda put an arm around Pietro and laid her hand on his chest, “we all do as well as we can when we are tested by the world in our own way. You should charitably forgive others, so that you will receive the same generosity when you have your own tests to overcome.”

“And,” she added, “he is not frail of mind – he has returned, not run away to hide in darkness and shame.”

*Harumph* Pietro snorted, and he turned his eyes on Alex, "I suppose, though charity is not my strong point. Your recovery is progressing. It pleases my sisters, it pleases the team... It does not displease me, I warrant." He sighed, "You must do better for us, Summers. Harper has not even the modicum of discipline you have in your leadership, such as it is." He sniffed in irritation, "This town needs to be rebuilt. I would hope that you are capable of it." He tilted his head to rest against his twin's. "Wanda cannot feed all the world, even if she wishes it."

Wanda gave Pietro a pleased smile and wrapped her arms around his waist. She nodded sagely, “Perhaps you are right about Jonny, following him will get us into no end of trouble. What about Guido instead?” she said with a teasing wink.

He cocked one eyebrow at his sister and said, "You might as well put Madrox in charge. It would be only slightly less disastrous." Pietro turned those silver blue eyes on Havok and said, "I suppose you are the best of a bad lot."

"Or," Wanda continued thoughtfully, "it could be in the capable hands of our sister."
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