The Halloween Party

[x-roulette.livejournal.com]

It's Halloween, and also Jennie's eighteenth birthday. At the party downstairs, Jennie gets presents from her friends. And one hell of a surprise.



Yes, this year was a definite improvement. No airplane. No sleep deprivation. No being trapped in a hotel during a riot. Eighteen was way better than seventeen. Jennie grinned and thanked yet another birthday well-wisher. It certainly helped that there was an actual party this year. The downstairs was decorated within an inch of itself, and all the younger children were running around on massive sugar buzzes, and it was early yet.

Jennie adjusted her tiara, the Zombie prom queen was something she threw together at the last minute, but she had to admit it came out better than a lot of costumes she'd worked for a month on. Looking around, she spotted a familiar face. Sneaking up behind his left shoulder, she tapped on his right and waited for him to turn around.

Forge turned around, seeing no one behind him. Confused, he turned again to see no one until a giggle made him spin the other way and smile. "Hey there, Living Dead Girl," he said, smoothing down the tin foil "armor" that he'd layered over his shirt and leg for his "Tin Man" costume. Saluting Jennie briefly with the oil can he carried, he took a quick drink from it and smiled. "Happy birthday, by the way. You're looking... delightfully decomposed."

"I am the cutest zombie chick you have ever seen, and you know it." She wrapped lightly on his metal shoulder with a knuckle. "Also? Please tell me that was a clean oil can. Though, you have eaten motor oil before so you could have developed a taste..."

Forge grinned widely, using his thumb to spring open the top of the metal can, revealing a fluorescent green liquid inside. "Red Bull. I've been around enough to know not to trust the punch bowl at any party, even around here. Oh, before I forget..."

He reached down to one of the many pockets adorning his shorts, withdrawing a small wrapped package. "Happy birthday, properly. I was trying to think of what you'd want, or need, or appreciate, but... well, here. Open." He awkwardly held the package out, flushing slightly.

The girl accepted the package and after a moment's hesitation, tore it open. It was a personal organizer. Sleek, shiny and very high tech. Jennie grinned. "It's like you know me or something." She reached out and hugged Forge. "Thank you very much!"

"I do what I can," Forge mumbled awkwardly, hugging Jennie back with his free arm. "So where're you all headed after here? I heard rumors about a 'real party' outside the school - the usual clubbing and wild debauchery?"

"Aha. No. No clubbing. I'm all clubbed out at the moment," Jennie said wryly. "Nah, there's a big Halloween parade in New York City, and we're going to hit that. Possibly Rocky Horror too if a chaperone doesn't drag us all back. I--" Jennie was interrupted when a tall guy in sweats bumped into her.

"Ow, what the--?"

"Oh, pardon me. How unforgivably thoughtless, to be so unaware of one's surroundings." The boy addressing Jennie was tall and olive-skinned, his only concession to the occasion a simple black domino mask. The generic Xavier's-issue sweats hung a little loose, and as he dipped into an elaborate bow the faint odour of disinfectant reached her. Before all the details could even process he was straightening, one hand rising to push back his mask.

"That sort of thing could quite ruin a birthday," Marius grinned.

Jennie gasped and covered her mouth with her hands. It was Marius, Marius before the accident. A bald Marius at that. "You...you.." Momentarily speechless, she turned to Forge, who was grinning like an idiot, and then back to Marius. She laughed, and reached out to lay a hand on his arm. "How?" she finally managed.

"Ah, therein hangs a tale, full of much medical miracles and harrowing moments . . . which at the present time I have no interest in relating, and so will instead shorthand to livin' in a place with entirely too high a concentration of genius an' the undeniable benefit of a blood-relative whose unbearable perfection turns out to be so potent as to undo the tragic side-effects of a flawed mutation entire. But wait! There's more."

With a wide grin Marius stepped back and raised his hands, revealing his palms. Smooth-skinned, fully exposed -- and marred only by two circular masses of scartissue.

"Trick or treat indeed, eh?" he said.

Jennie laughed in disbelief and reached out, tracing the mound of scartissue lightly. "Oh my god," she flashed him a brilliant smile. "You're fixed."

"I suggested having him fixed," Forge admitted, "but Moira and her darn medical ethics." He smiled, putting a hand on each of his friends' shoulders, smirking at the height difference. "And yes, talk about a cascade of unexpected developments. The doctors wanted him to stay for observation, but... hell, it's your birthday, Jennie. Go have fun."

"Ha ha, hark at the clever man," Marius said dryly with a glance at Forge. "But he is forgiven. Because treatment of degenerative marrow-problems notwithstanding, one might consider a daring escape enabled by the school's security officer almost the same as givin' permission." The boy turned his attention back to Jennie and the wide smile returned. "So, yes. Happy birthday, Jen."

He added, "An' I hope the dramatic reveal was as brilliant as it seemed at its conception, because I didn't get you anythin'."

Jennie shook her head. "Oh, you both are so dead for keeping this a secret." She gave them her sweetest smile, "not tonight though, I'm allowing you to enjoy your newfound injury-free existence until tomorrow."

The girl suddenly became aware of how quiet it was. The chatter of the mansion's other residents had ceased, punctuated only with a whisper of "ooh, pretty!" Jennie turned and noticed how everyone else was staring at them. She rolled her eyes. "Ah, no worries. It's what I've always wanted for my birthday, a bald Australian. I think I shall call you George."

"An excellent suggestion. I am a fugitive, after all. Don't forget to murder Kyle as well, him bein' rather necessarily appraised of my medical status, else he will feel quite neglected. No worries, as I hear it he recovers quite handily from minor violence." Marius pulled the mask back down and flashed Forge a quick grin, white teeth shining in a face still slightly too thin. "Like, say, a broken nose. For example."

"He got better," Forge said defensively, holding up a hand before Jennie could say anything. "I'll explain later."

"Boys," Jennie sighed, and shook her head. She looked back up at Marius, whose gauntness was much more apparent now. "You know, now you look just like you did when I met you, albeit bald. And thank God for that, anything's better than your Ziggy Marley impersonation." She snorted, realizing something. "Which was one year ago today. How about that?"

Marius cocked an eyebrow at her. "Now that's a neat trick indeed. Poetic, even. Then again, we do now address the Queen of the Long Odds, do we not?"

He raised one hand to rub the dark stubble dusting his skull. "By the way, I should like to conclusively state for the record that any drastic changes in hairstyle were due to reasons of hygiene rather than peer pressure. The second full-body molt? All right. Pickin' tiny shreds of dropped skin from dreadlocks? Ta, but no. There are limits even to my deep-seated commitment to style."

Jennie smiled and reached up to rub his head. "Aw, now you can give us all good luck." Her lips twitched into a wry smile, "When, you know, I'm not around."

"Oh my God, I need to go fetch the balloons and rub them on your head right this very second," a voice said from behind them. Angel popped out of the crowd and stared at Marius for a second. "...uh. Whoa."

And then she reached up and poked him in the nose. "Okay, that seems pretty solid."

"Ah, evenin', Angel," Marius said, completely unfazed by the poke. He turned to Jennie, a long-suffering expression on his face. "That's right, I've a whole new generation to suffer expound upon the wonder that is the St. Croix family nose, don't I?"

"Indeed you do. And your fabulous hair. Sadly they'll all have to wait a month on that one." Jennie waved a hand in front of Angel's face. "Hello? You okay there, Dove? Breathing is not only fun, it's essential, you know."

Forge cocked his head at Marius, the smug grin still on his face. "You know," he quipped, "There's a whole slew of new students who probably have no clue who you are without the big respirator mask, elephant skin, and sullen demeanor. This is almost an improvement, really."

"Hm, you do raise an interestin' point," Marius conceded, tapping his chin thoughtfully. "What shall my cunning nom de guerre be now that I need no longer be variously known as 'the boy who eats people' or 'that bloke goin' against Mr. Dayspring for record Medlab incidents'? Bugger. Now I've to come up with an entirely new Thing."

Blinking at Jennie, Angel breathed, flushing just a bit. "Oh! Before I lose all track thanks to 'got his face back' over here..." Digging through the candy, she pulled out a wrapped gift and handed it over. "Happy birthday, I hope you like it." She glanced over at Marius and tilted her head slightly. "Man, this is weird. Good weird but still weird."

"Shan't see me complainin'." Marius gave Angel a final beam before pulling the half-mask back down over his face. His eyes stood out against the black paper and olive skin; lighter now, no longer orange, but a kind of tawny yellow that still marked him a visible mutant to those who looked. Like the scars on his palms and the acute awareness that still sharpened at his friends' touch even now, there were some traces not even Monet's donation could erase. And at the moment, Marius couldn't have cared less.

"Well go on then, don't keep us in suspense," he said, folding his arms over his chest to look at Jennie. "I've been keepin' back on the news of my miraculous recovery these last two days for reasons of Timing. Now I demand instant gratification."

Jennie dutifully obliged and shredded the wrapping paper with only another slight hesitation. It was a make-up organizer. Jennie laughed. "Oh lord, you would think I have some sort of reputation here. Thank you so much, Angel!" She gave the younger girl a hug and quick kiss on the cheek. "Man, a party, good friends, excellent loot, and a best friend who won't find new and exciting ways to almost die every month. This is the bestest 18th birthday I've ever had."

"Indeed, it is a veritable Christmas miracle." There was just the barest moment of hesitation at the contact, and then Marius smiled faintly and reached out to punch Forge lightly in the arm. He paused, tilting his head in consideration at the older boy. "You know, except for the bit where it's not an' when you think on it Forge here has just utterly buggered himself for future gifts."

"You both fled the country for mine," Forge accused good-naturedly, "Don't think I haven't forgotten. I keep a tally of these things, you know."

"I think what he means is that you're running out of impossible feats," Jennie responded dryly. They weren't going to go into this, not right now. "Cheer up. You'll be inflicted with our presence at every major event for the foreseeable future. We'll come up with whole new ways to completely embarrass you. It's a way of saying thanks." Jennie checked her watch. "Speaking of major events, I think it's about time to head out. You guys are all coming right?"

Forge blinked. "I'm, I mean, I've got to..." He checked his watch, then looked around and shrugged. "Ah, hell with it. I'm driving."

Marius moved to flick back his hair, which was made totally fruitless by the fact he no longer had any. He coughed. "Much as I would love to be temporarily quit of this lovely institution, which by the way I am still technically prohibited from leavin', I would like to grab a quick bite. I've been a bit peckish of late. It's almost as if my body has undergone a vast physiological change in the last 72 hours while havin' no actual reserves left or somethin'." He glanced at Jennie. "That all right?"

"But of course. Leaving entails actually rounding people up, which could take a while. And I'm making other people do that for me. Heaven forbid I do actual work on my birthday." Jennie smiled. "Plus, I really want to see Lorna's face when she gets a look at you."

Marius smirked. "Ah, maybe we want to hold off on the public reveal 'til after we have successfully attended the parade. I believe I shall be rather less entertainin' if recaptured an' tied to a bed."

"Depends on whose idea of entertaining," Forge replied in a deadpan voice, just to watch Angel blush completely red.

"And I'm about ready, I just...have to go to the bathroom," Angel said, "but I'll be down real quick. No leaving without the fire girl because I can do more than short sheet your bed, you know!" And with that, she grinned and then bolted out of the crowd.

"Goodness." Jennie put a hand to her chest. "Well, in that case. Food? What's the point of being off a restricted diet if you can't milk it for everything it's worth?"

The Australian smiled and flexed his hands slightly. "Indeed. Let's have a quick run at the buffet, shall we?"

Marius raised one hand, strangely tentative, and then let his palm rest lightly against her back as he turned to the laden table.

"Again, Jen . . . happy birthday."

Jennie reached out and tugged on the drawstring of his sweatshirt. "Thanks man," she smiled.