Betrayal

Avalon and Marley stood in front of Marley’s 2 foot by 2 foot mirror. Marley placed her hand on the glass “Show me Lance.” The Canadian said. The glass immediately obeyed, moving almost like water and solidified showing the girl straddling Lance, moving slowly; up and down, back and forth.

“Does this count as a preoccupied?” Avalon asked.

“It does to me.” Donovan said causally.

“Could you go tell Mystique for us? We had som’n’ to discuss.” Marley asked sweetly.

“Sure thing.” He smiled and headed back to the dinning room. The professor played chess with Eric, Sabretooth stood very menacing in the corner and Mystique and Wanda sat at the table reading: Wanda as far from Eric as she mange.

“Lance is preoccupied.” Donovan announced to the room. Mystique nodded her thanks and Wanda looked up briefly form her book.

Donovan leaned down to read the title, “Frankenstein is on my top ten favorite book list,”

Wanda seemed to look for a good place to stop before looking up, “It’s my favorite,” she turned to Eric, “being out cast by people who think you’re a monster when the real monstrosity lays with those who turned their backs on you.”

Magneto rolled his eyes and moved one of his knights, “check”

“Would you like to get some coffee?” Donovan asked Wanda.

“I don’t drink coffee.” She looked at him evenly.

“Oh, tea or ice cream, then?” He suggested.

Wanda smiled a little, “Sure, but you’re buying.”

“Deal” Donovan glanced at Eric who regarded him with almost a “try anything and I’ll kill you”, look. Donovan just smiled.

_-_-_-_-_-

Stormy Beans rested just inside town. The room had an intimate air to it with a coffee bar, a few two and three seaters and a row of booths to the far wall. Over all it had a gothic bohemian feel, yet some how one couldn’t feel anything but relaxed walking in. Donovan led Wanda to his favorite table in the far corner. Wanda scowled at the back of his head upon seeing the intimacy of the spot.

“Do you always take girls here?” She asked in a dry tone.

“Sometimes I take them to the Chinese restaurant down the block.” He smiled at her. She scowled deeper but sat down none the less. Wanda had heard of Donovan Less. He had left the X men a year and a half ago, making him not much older than her brother.

“What do you recommend?” Wanda motioned to the menu.

“I personally like mint ice cream, but everything is good. Get whatever, I’m paying.” After procuring coffee, tea, and ice cream, Donovan and Wanda sat and talked about music, books, being a mutant. Normal conversation for a Saturday evening on the town.

The pair left when the coffee shop when it closed and slowly made their way back to the car when six people approached them.

“Hey look, dinner and dessert.” One of the boys said, going for Wanda. She jumped and kicked him in the head, using some of the training she had received in the Judo class she’d been taking.

“This one’s got spirit,” another of the boys said. The rest swarmed her. In a flash, one erupted in an explosion of white light and fire. Donovan took another in the heart making her smolder too. The other four started to gang up on him when Wanda pulled one of Donovan’s knives and hit one of the women in the chest. One of them got close enough to hit Wanda in the jaw. She slammed into the wall and saw stars for a second. Donovan kicked his shoe and a blade swung out of the tip. He kicked one of the others and the last two run. Wanda took the dagger from Donovan’s hand and sent it and the one she was holding at the two who were running.

When they returned to her, and she gave them back to him she asked, “What the hell was that?”

“That was a kiss of vampires.”

“Vampires?” She raised her eyebrow

“Hay, you’re fighting each other and sentinels on the east coast, we’re fighting vampires on the west. Oh, it looks like they got you a little bit.” He put his hand over the bruise Wanda didn’t even realize was all that bad. A white light glowed from his hand and the mark went away.

“It feels a little like we’re fighting a loosing battle here sometimes.” Donovan said once they where in the car and on their way back to the house.

“Why?” Wanda looked at him with new respect. The kind of respect one gains after fighting side by side with a person.

“The vampires are multiplying quicker then we can kill them,” He glanced at her with a small, sad smile, “Welcome to California.”