FicWad

Between Life and Death
Chapter 11: Gaining Trust

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"Blaze huh?" said Pietro, not looking too impressed with the Brotherhood's new 'leader,' "So where'd you find him? Failed punk band or something?"

Mystique flashed the stubborn speedster another annoyed look, for he was being particularly difficult tonight. Of all the Brotherhood boys, Pietro had become one of the most unruly since his father's return. While Wanda did keep him in check, he seemed to take a perverse pleasure in making things hard for her. She had brought up his behavior with Eric many times before, but given the amount of time that Mr. Sinister required from them, there was little that could be done about it at the moment. And besides...Eric still wasn't on the best of terms with his kids last time Mystique checked.

"Wait, wait..." said Todd, cutting Pietro off before he could make another snide comment, "Why do we need some new leader anyways? I mean, it's not like we've been in any fights with the X-geeks since big bad Apoc."

"Like I said Todd...It's for your protection," said Mystique, "The less you know, the easier you'll all sleep at night. Both Eric and I trust Blake and that's why we're putting him in charge. His job is to keep you all from getting involved in a conflict that Eric would rather not see you be apart of."

Wanda somewhat scoffed at the idea of her father being concerned for her and Pietro's well being, given what he did to her. But while she still hated him, she had come to trust Mystique. She had helped her too much in the past for her to doubt her now and despite her apparent friendship with her father, that still didn't get in the way of being friends with her. And while Pietro may not have been impressed by Blake, Wanda had to admit...She was curious about the stranger. After all, it was so rare someone new would walk through the doors of the boarding house...Especially someone like this.

"So what does that make him?" said Freddy, not seeing why they needed someone to look after them in the first place, "A leader or a bodyguard?"

"Both..." answered Blake in his deep, low-toned voice, "My job is to see that things around here don't get out of hand and to see that you all are safe. And if I can best do that by being your new leader, then so be it."

"Leader or not, I don't see why bucket head chose you," scoffed Freddy in response, "You don't look so strong. What's your power?"

Mystique stepped back and let Blake take over the introduction. So far, he had done well in terms of carrying himself with some of the more stubborn members of the Brotherhood. And having personally trained Blake with Magneto over the past month, something told her that part of this may be somewhat amusing to watch.

Blake responded to Freddy's question by making his whole body glow in its bright, ruby-red color. It outshined all the lights in the room as he displayed dense balls of highly concentrated energy in his hands.

"My body has the ability to tap pretty much any kind of energy out there, be it solar, cosmic, or otherwise," explained Blake, "I can use it for intense firepower or for an extra push when I need a little more strength or endurance."

"So you're a walking night-light?" joked Pietro, evoking a laugh from Freddy while Lance and the others just rolled his eyes at the ongoing scene.

"Yeah, you don't look so tough!" said Freddy, seeming to agree with the speedster's sentiment.

Mystique then saw a somewhat mischievous look in Blake's eye and something told her that whatever happened next would be quite entertaining.

"Not tough you say? Okay then..." said Blake as he stepped forwards and cleared the table in front of the couch where Fred, Lance, and Todd were sitting, "Prove it...Let me see how tough you and I'll show you just how tough I can be."

Blake proceeded to rest his right elbow on the table while holding his hand up, which Freddy and the rest of the Brotherhood took as the universal challenge to an arm wrestling match. But to the immovable Blob, he just scoffed at the notion that this guy was some how stronger than he was.

"Pal...I know you're new here and all, but what makes you think you can beat me at arm wrestling?" laughed Fred, "I'm the Blob...Nobody can beat me!"

"If you're scared, I understand..." smirked Blake, using a bit of psychology to provoke the strong young mutant.

"Excuse me..." said Freddy, whose mood shifted to one of anger, given his short fuse.

"Oh man...Now you've done it yo!" said Todd as he stepped back to get a clearer view.

Blake, however, did not look dissuaded as the smirk on his face did not leave as he looked back at Freddy with no fear in his eyes.

"I said if you're scared about losing to me, I understand..." said Blake, which only seemed to make the Blob madder.

"Me!? I'm not scared of anything!" bellowed the immovable Blob, "And just for that, I'll send you on a one way ticket to the emergency room!"

Accepting his challenge, Freddy Dukes placed his elbow on the table and grasped the hand of his challenger. Mystique stepped off to the side near Wanda and Lance, unable to hide her amused grin.

"Watch this..." she said under her breath for only Lance and Wanda to hear.

"You mean..." began Wanda, but Lance soon cut her off.

"Quiet Wanda...This I got to see."

Acting as referee, Pietro placed his hand on top of theirs and prepared to initiate the match...Confident that Fred would win and prove that they didn't need someone looking after them like some babysitter.

"Okay guys...You know the rules," said Pietro, "On the count of three...One, two...THREE!"

Muscles then tensed as both Freddy and Blake began the mutant vs. mutant match. Everybody cheered Freddy on with the exception of Mystique and Wanda, while Lance seemed somewhat indifferent to it all for some reason. Either way, the match hadn't been quick and decisive, much to Fred's surprise. He could easily bend bars of steel and make it look easy, but for some reason...He couldn't push this guy back. He was pushing back with every bit of force that he was...Not an easy feat given the large young man's strength.

"Come on Blob! Rip his arm off!" urged Pietro, eager for one of the Brotherhood boys to show up one of Magneto's recruits.

"You got him Fred man! Just pretend he's a tree or something and snap him like a twig!" added Todd.

Freddy's face contorted into one of great struggle as sweat began to form on his face while Blake remained somewhat calmer despite the exertion of the match.

"Mystique...Shouldn't you stop them?" said Wanda, seeing the looks on their faces as the match continued.

"Wait for it..." said the shape shifter with an amused look as she watched the epic struggle between the two powerhouse mutants.

Such confidence only served to heighten Wanda's intrigue over the young man. Lance also began to shed his indifference as he watched with more intent as the match went on.

"You...Won't...Beat...Me!" grunted Freddy as he kept trying to push back the strong arm of his opponent.

"Less talking...More pushing," said Blake in response, meeting every ounce of strength that Blob was putting into the match.

"Come on Freddy! Waste this guy already!" urge Pietro, growing increasingly impatient.

Blake saw the look of struggle on Freddy's face and felt it was now time to prove his point. Using his powerful energy collecting powers, he took a vast amount of power and focused it in his arm. Upon feeling the great strength he suddenly applied a force to Freddy's arm that shocked nearly everyone in the room. With superhuman strength...Blake actually managed to apply enough force to send the immovable Blob flying through the air and across the room. As he landed with a thud, the Brotherhood fell completely silent while Mystique just looked back at their expressions and grinned.

"Wow..." said Wanda, looking quite surprised by what she and the others had just seen.

"I think you all get the point now," she said, fairly confident that she had seen that coming.

Freddy groaned as he struggled to get up, but as he did...He was surprised to see Blake standing over him with an arm extended down towards him, offering him a hand to help him up. Not feeling too proud of himself, he accepted the gesture and returned to his feet.

"Nice match," commented Blake, "I'll give you a rematch later on. That is...If you want me to stick around."

Mystique had to admit, he was playing the psychology card quite well with these boys. It had taken her months after Apocalypse for her to get them to trust her, yet he seemed to be on the fast track to accomplishing this in a fraction of the time.

As much as Freddy hated losing, it was nice that at least he didn't make fun of him. Having lived with sore losers like Pietro and Lance for over a year now, he hadn't been around too many good sports. Not to mention, the promise of a rematch seemed to be the clincher for him at least.

"Hell, you're okay in my book yo!" said Todd as he hopped over beside the victorious young man, "Cause I got to admit...THAT was pretty cool!"

"Tell me about it..." grumbled Freddy, his head still ringing from the sudden impact he had felt.

"Humph!" scoffed Pietro, still not impressed.

However, the look on his face seemed to amuse Lance, who had been growing increasingly annoyed with Pietro's arrogance since Mystique's arrival.

"Hey, this guy's all right if he can shut Pietro up like that," said Lance with a smirk.

"Definitely..." said Wanda in agreement.

Mystique was never one to have much of a sense of humor...But she had to admit, this whole scene had been pretty funny to watch. And not only that, it seemed to work wonders for Blake in terms of earning some respect from the Brotherhood.

"Well I guess that means you're outvoted Pietro," said Mystique as she tossed the remote control to the TV back to Freddy so they could resume watching their shows, "Blake stays and is officially your leader now. I'm only staying for the night and then I'm going back to work. Neither Eric nor I know how long it will take to clear this mess up, but once we do...I'll return and you'll know everything. Until then, I've already made arrangements for Blake to act as a bodyguard at Bayville High and I've altered some of your schedules so that Wanda and Pietro have the same classes."

"What?! You altered my schedule?" said Pietro, not sounding thrilled at all by the level of change that Magneto and Mystique were imposing on him.

"It's already done Pietro," said Mystique, "It's for your own protection."

"Hey, let's get one thing straight lady!" said Pietro as he ran up to within inches of the shape shifter, "And while you're at it...Tell this to dear old dad back at wherever the hell he is! I DON'T need protection!"

And before anybody could respond, the speed demon made a quick dash up the stairs and into his room, promptly slamming his door. Blake didn't look too enthused by this development. Magneto had told him that Pietro was stubborn, but he hadn't said he was THIS stubborn. Was he really so arrogant that he act that way all the time without reason? Apparently...Mystique was right when she told him that this would be a challenge.

"Is he always like that?" asked Blake, as he watched Freddy turn the TV back on.

"Not all the time," said Wanda, who knew him best, "But he can be very stubborn."

"Yeah, there's the understatement of the new millennium," said Lance, thinking Wanda was putting it too lightly.

Lance's mood had been sour ever since he had arrived and while Blake was interested in knowing the reason, his primary concern was getting the whole Brotherhood to trust him...Even Pietro. But such a task was easier said than done and Blake knew it. But to him...He had made a promise to Eric that he would protect his kids. He saved him from Sinister and to Blake, that gave him reason enough to pay him back despite what he didn't know about his past.

"Just let him cool off," said Mystique, "He may be a speed demon...But he's VERY slow at coming around."

"Probably one of the only things he's slow at," added Todd.

"Most likely...Come on Blake, I'll show you where you'll be sleeping," said Mystique as she led him up the stairs.

As he left, Todd once again plopped himself back on the couch next to Freddy, who was still obviously sore over losing.

"Long live the king huh?" grinned Todd.

"Shut up swamp breath!" replied Blob.

"So what do you think of the new guy?" asked Lance, quickly stepping in before Todd made any more stupid comments, "You think this Blaze guy is Brotherhood material?"

"Well...He sure as hell can't be any worse than my brother," shrugged Wanda, thinking Blake was somewhat of a welcomed change, "He already seems to take it more seriously than he ever did."

"Yeah, like that's a stretch," replied Lance, his words dripping with sarcasm, "But why do you think Magneto would want to give us 'protection' anyways? He never really cared much about us before all that Apocalypse shit."

"Hey! You ever think that maybe the real Magneto was never freed...And the guy who we think is Magneto is just some sort of clone?" pondered Todd.

"Dude...You watch too much sci fi," said Freddy, thinking Todd was just being goofy now.

Wanda didn't like conversations with her father as the subject and Lance could tell by he look on her face that it was already irritating her. Not wanting to break another TV, he quickly changed the subject.

"So how do you think our new biker boy will handle school at Bayville?" asked Lance, hoping to get everybody off the topic of Magneto.

"If he can handle an arm wrestling match with Freddy, he can probably handle the pricks in school," said Todd, "Especially since all that mess about Summers being killed."

As the Brotherhood boys continued to watch TV and talk about their new 'leader,' Mystique led Blake past the locked door of Pietro's room towards a spare room where he would stay for the time being. It wasn't very fancy, but it was all Blake needed for the time being.

"And this will be your room for now..." said Mystique as she flipped the light switch, "You're lucky, this room was once used for storage and was a certified disaster area before I managed to get the Brotherhood boys to clean it up."

"How did you do that?" asked Blake as he took in the surroundings of his new room.

Mystique just laughed and shook her head at the memory.

"I offered them a trip to Outback Steakhouse and a bunch of new video games. You'd be surprised how hard those boys will work if you just give them some incentive. It's just a shame I didn't learn that sooner, otherwise I probably would have had a much easier time with them."

"Well I'll keep that in mind while I'm here," said Blake as he sat on his bed to get a feel for where he would be sleeping, "Do you think they'll ever trust me?"

"Don't worry...They'll come around," assured Mystique, "Hell, you've already made more leaps and strides with them than I ever did when I first recruited them. It takes time, but it also takes effort. They can be unruly, but they're also just boys...And there's Wanda, but you probably won't have to worry about her too much unless her powers go nuts. But as long as you don't bring up her father, you shouldn't have to worry about that."

"Yeah...Magneto warned me about that as well," said Blake as he stretched his limbs.

"Then I take then he told you about what he did to her," said Mystique, knowing it was a sore topic for man.

"He did...But I could tell it's just as bad for him as it probably is for Wanda," he recalled, "He also told me about the experiment he did with Sinister on your son all those years ago."

Mystique's mood then shifted somewhat as the mention of what happened to her son brought out some rather unpleasant feelings for her. But Blake was quick to pick up on them.

"Eric...Mr. Lensherr I mean...Is a complicated man, don't think I don't see that. But in talking to him and getting to know him, I've seen that he's not evil in a sense...Just tainted by years of hardship. You probably know a little about his life as well. You probably know he survived the holocaust and lost his wife. It's a volatile mixture for anger, confusion, and intolerance. But I find it hard to completely hold such actions against him given how twisted his mind was from tragedy."

"So if you were Wanda or Pietro...Would you forgive him?" asked Mystique curiously.

Blake thought briefly about that as he considered their position. Having known Magneto for about a month now, he had come to see him in a unique way since he was one of the first people Magneto had recruited that had no prior knowledge to his dark past...Technically that is. But even when he learned about what he had done, there was still a humanistic aspect to him that clearly showed and Blake didn't use the past to judge that. For Wanda and Pietro, however, it was very different.

"I don't think I can safely say I would or wouldn't," answered Blake, "I can't put myself in their shoes and I can't speak for them. I've already surmised that they are pretty stubborn."

"Yeah...You'll learn just how much so the more you hang around them," mused the shape shifter, finding it somewhat humorous when she thought about it.

"I wouldn't doubt that," said Blake, not one to be naïve about something this serious, "But stubborn or not, I still have to protect them. And maybe...With a little luck, I can get them to trust me. But so far, neither of them seems to like me very much."

"Oh I don't know..." grinned Mystique, "I couldn't help but think that Wanda was checking you out during that arm wrestling match."

"Really?" said Blake in a non-believing tone.

"Well she is a teenage heterosexual girl last time I checked and you're an attractive guy. Don't be too surprised by it," she laughed, surprised that the young man hadn't seen it.

"Well, I guess that's more open to opinion," said Blake, rubbing the back of his neck in a little bit of embarrassment, which only seemed to amuse the shape shifter even more.

"Don't sell yourself short Blake. Believe me...If I was a few decades younger...I'd probably take a stab at you," grinned the shape shifter.

"Hey, I thought your mutation didn't make you age. So wouldn't that be kind of redundant and wouldn't it make you that young already?" quipped Blake.

"Touché..." said Mystique, now feeling somewhat embarrassed herself, "Well, I guess I should leave you now. I'll leave really early in the morning, so good luck looking after the boys...And God help you."

Despite the vote of confidence from the shape shifter, Blake simply rolled his eyes and sighed as he laid back in his bed and rested his tired body and mind.

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He felt like his whole body was on fire...Everything around him was collapsing. Time had slowed down and he could hear his own heartbeat and the sound of his breaths. He felt a rumble from deep within wherever he was and an overwhelming feeling of dread came over him as he looked around to see himself surrounded and cut off from any means of escaping.

Then suddenly...He felt something in the depths of his mind. It was strange...Yet warm. It was as if he could feel a presence right with him even though he completely shut off in his hellish trap. As he felt the heat squeeze the life out of his lungs, the feeling became warmer and deeply comforting. Then...As he fell to his knees...He suddenly saw a strange, angelic female figure standing before him. However, something was keeping him from seeing her...Almost as if his mind itself had a barrier built into it. She reached out to touch him...And he reached out to touch her.

Suddenly, Blake shot up in his bed in a cold sweat as it all suddenly vanished before him.

'A dream...' he thought as he felt himself breathing hard in an effort to catch his breath, 'It was just a dream.'

Looking over at the clock radio beside his bed, he saw that it was around six in the morning. Even though it was a school day, he doubted anybody would be up this early. Mystique was most likely gone already and now he was officially in charge. It was a daunting task, given the nature of the Brotherhood. Living as outcasts from both humans and other mutants, they were not very trusting to say the least. Mystique was only a partial exception, but that was probably because she was their legal guardian. Never the less, if he was going to ensure that Sinister didn't get his hands on any of them, they would have to trust him.

Forcing himself out of bed, Blake made his way down to the hall bathroom and splashed cold water on his face in an effort to wake himself up. He then proceeded down towards the empty kitchen and began roaming through the pantry for some breakfast.

Then, as he found himself a couple of pop tarts to heat up, Wanda entered the kitchen still wearing her sleeping attire.

"I take it Mystique left already," she said, drawing the young man's attention away from his food and towards her.

"Yeah, she did," answered Blake, "There's a lot she and the rest of the Acolytes have to take care of. The quicker they do it...The better."

"Do you know what they're up to?" asked the Scarlet Witch curiously as she sat down next to him, "Just what is this conflict that is so bad that she can't tell me or anybody else about it? I know Mystique has been in and out of here for months. And sometimes she comes in with injuries."

With a sigh, Blake knew he would have to keep that part of it from her. One of the big things Eric and Raven made him promise was that he wouldn't tell anybody too much about the seriousness of the situation.

"Well...I do know, but I promised them I wouldn't tell you or anybody else in the Brotherhood," answered Blake, "Trust me though...You're all safer not knowing."

"Yeah, yeah..." muttered the Scarlet Witch, "That's what Mystique always tells me."

"Well it's true," justified Blake, "There are some things out there in this world that go beyond simple conflicts. Some are in the shadows...Some go on without you or anybody else ever knowing. And some are very personal and must be handled in a certain way."

"You're talking about my father aren't you?" said Wanda in a somewhat bitter tone.

"Well I wasn't going to say it directly..." said Blake, not wanting to have brought the conversation to this sore subject for her.

"I don't understand how you or Mystique could ever work for a monster like that..." she said, obviously still very bitter about what he did to her, "He's got so much blood on his hands and so many demons, that I can't see how he can do any good in this world."

"You'd be surprised Wanda..." said Blake as he leaned back in his chair.

"What do you mean?" she asked skeptically.

"Well...Maybe you don't know your father as well as you think you do," he suggested, "I'm not saying what he did to you or Mystique's son was right, but if he shows a great deal of regret for such actions and is willing to repent for them...Doesn't he at least deserve a chance?"

"Him...Repent? Yeah right," scoffed Wanda.

"Believe whatever you want Wanda, but don't judge him without at least talking with him," argued the young man, "I've been around him for over a month and I can tell that despite his shady background, he does have a good heart. I don't care whether or not you believe me, but if the guy shows that he regrets past actions, doesn't he at least deserve to be heard out before you cast away your father in a way not at all dissimilar to the way he cast you away?"

Wanda fell silent upon hearing that and Blake felt that maybe he shouldn't have used such words. He had only been around for a month with the Acolytes and there was still plenty he didn't know about, but if he could see it, then he was confident that others could as well...Including Wanda and Pietro. But their stubborn nature would definitely be an obstacle.

"I don't want to talk about this anymore..." groaned Wanda as she rested her still tired head on the table.

"Then let's change the subject shall we?" suggested Blake, trying to keep her from falling into a stupor, "Why don't you tell me about the rest of the Brotherhood? I know about them from what Mystique told me...But you seem to know them first hand. And if I'm going to watch over you guys, I think I'll need to know as much as possible."

Taking a deep breath, Wanda let out a sigh as she turned to face the newest Brotherhood recruit. She had to admit, he had intrigued her last night with the show he put on around the boys and he did seem a lot more level headed than anybody in the house at the moment. And if he didn't know the full scoop on this constantly chaotic place, then it was better she told him instead of the others.

As the sun began to rise outside, Wanda went into brief details about each member of the Brotherhood. She told them some of their personalities, their likes and dislikes, and what they usually do when they're not being unruly. She went on to explain how Todd was kind of the wannabe of the group, but was mainly a fun loving kind of guy who had his own interests. And while Wanda included some of his hobbies like painting, video games, and catching flies with his tongue...She decided to leave out his little crush on her for the time being.

She went on to tell him about Freddy and where he came from. Like her, he had a rather short fuse, but after Blake's little display last night, she didn't think he would have too much trouble with him as long as he kept food around the place, ready at a moments notice to be devoured. But as she went on to Lance, she got a little more in depth. Lance, who had been rather cranky for the last few months, was kind of the bad boy figure that scoffed at anybody who implied that he wasn't tough enough. For the most part, he was the most level headed of the group and had probably the most concise conscious for right and wrong. However, his mood had been very down ever since his rather unpleasant breakup with Kitty Pryde of the X-men, who was a long time love interest. But Wanda went on to assure him that he was slowly getting over her...As long as he didn't see her in the halls hanging around another guy, namely Kurt Wagner whom he had noticed getting closer to Kitty since their breakup.

As she got to Pietro, the one she probably knew best, her mood once again soured. Last night when he and Mystique had arrived, Pietro had been the most vocal critic of having a body guard...Especially one ordered by his father. But part of that criticism came from his cocky, arrogant personality. While since Apocalypse and the revelation about her past she had managed to gain somewhat of a renewed relationship with her sibling, there was still plenty of room for improvement and to Blake, it seems that he would be the most difficult to handle.

"So Pietro's always like that...Cocky and arrogant?" asked Blake as he finished up his pop tarts.

"No, not always," said Wanda, "He does have a human side to him that he shows from time to time. He's still my brother and I'm still his sister whether we like it or not, but sometimes I have to hex him a few times before he comes around."

"That sounds like a rather interesting sibling bond," said Blake with a laugh.

"Yeah...I guess so," said Wanda, finding it somewhat humorous herself, "Pietro's an okay guy to hang out with around the boys, but the reason he probably seemed like such a jerk last night was because he doesn't like new people coming in and threatening to steal his thunder. One of the defining qualities about him is his rather arrogant notion about not needed anybody else to look out for him. I guess that's just kind of how he sees you...A challenge to his character or something."

"Well I hope I can get him to see me differently," said Blake, "My job is to protect you two and I can't do that effectively if you both don't trust me. I made a promise to your father and I intend to keep it."

"Well I can't say it's a very comforting feeling knowing that he and I are in some kind of serious danger but still being kept in the dark," mused Wanda, "But after seeing how you handled things last night, I guess I can't stop you and I don't want to try. I just still find it hard to believe that Magneto is just 'so' concerned about us after having abandoned us so many times."

"Like I said Wanda, there's a reason for everything," replied Blake, "If you don't trust him, trust me when I say he was genuinely concerned for your well being as well as Pietro. He still loves you both and he doesn't want to lose you...And that's the truth. And after this conflict is over, I'm confident you'll see for yourself and you can make your own decision."

Wanda may have not been too keen on the idea of being in the same zip code as her father at the moment, but judging by the seriousness in Blake's tone...It did sound somewhat true. It was the same thing Mystique had been telling her for quite some time now, but a part of her still found it hard to believe. Then again...Maybe there was still some hope for the future, but being kept in the dark about the danger she and her brother was in didn't help.

Just as Wanda was getting a bottle of water out of the refrigerator, another presence joined the two mutants as the sunlight began to radiate throughout the house and begin a new day.

"Morning Cuddlebumps," said Todd as he hoped over to Wanda, "How's my favorite goth girl?"

With an annoyed groan, she turned to face the ever persistent young mutant who just never seemed to take a hint.

"How many times do I have to tell you Todd...DON'T CALL ME THAT!" she said, with her eyes glowing in a slight purplish color.

"Uh...Sorry," he cowered, even though he had grown somewhat accustomed to Wanda's temper now, "I must keep forgetting."

"Well I'll be more than happy to leave a little reminder for you...One that hurts!" she bellowed.

"Wanda..." said Blake as he quickly walked over to her and tried to calm her with a gentle arm on her shoulder, "Calm down...Is it really worth getting that angry?"

Then, much to Todd's surprise, her eyes stopped glowing and she took a deep breath before simply storming upstairs without saying another word.

"Whew..." said Todd in relief, "Thanks yo. I thought I was gonna get hexed for sure."

"You're welcome Todd," said Blake as he tossed him a couple of pop tarts from the pantry, which he accepted, "Just remember not to push too many of her buttons. There are other ways of showing affection you know."

"Really? Like what?" asked the young mutant with somewhat more intrigue, always open to ideas for Wanda to like him more.

"Well I don't exactly know them myself, it kind of depends on the girl," answered Blake as Todd opened up the package and began eating the pop tarts, "And Wanda's rather unique when it comes to that matter."

"I know..." sighed Todd in a dreamy tone which only made Blake roll his eyes in amusement, "She's the kind of girl that would make a guy wanna shower every day for."

As much as he would have liked to know more about Todd's hygienic habits, Blake valued keeping his breakfast in his stomach. Already it seemed as though Todd and Wanda wouldn't be much of a problem...That is as long as Wanda kept her temper in check. It was a good start, but he would have to go further if he was going to ensure their safety from Sinister. There was no question that there was still much work to be done with them, but it was still early and Blake was confident that he could make it work.

Now, he had a new challenge as more of the Brotherhood boys began to stir from their sleepy state...And that was keeping them out of trouble in Bayville High.

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AN: Well, that's it for now! I doubt anybody ever thought that Scott, or Blake as he is now, would end up as the de facto leader of the Brotherhood! But I kind of wanted to make this fic unique and rest assured there is still more to come! Sinister is still out there and Scott/Blake is still suffering from the mind wipe! See what happens in the next chapter when he actually meets the X-men in school! So what do you all think so far? Please tell me! I'd love to know! Send me your reviews via email or post them on the fanfiction website! I appreciate all feedback! Thank you all very much for reading and I wish you all the best!

CREATIVE ENGINES NEED REVIEWS FOR FUEL! HELP ME REFULE!!!