The Flower That Blooms In Adversity (X-Men/Fantastic Four/Kurt Wagner Fanfic)

Chapter 6 - Girl Time

Hey cupcakes! School is killing my brain, but I will attempt to continue to remember to update on this schedule, though I might space out the updates a bit more. Hope you guys like it! Enjoy!

The next few days were rather monotonous. Wake up, eat, get ready, muddle about the tower, talk some, work on science stuff while Ben watched TV, eat at some point, go to bed (maybe). Ben had apologized to Darcy for everything, and she had forgiven him, but it would be a while before they were on proper terms again.

About a week after Darcy's arrival, things were set in motion. Darcy and Johnny were sitting the main room of the tower, debating pointless things with Ben, when Sue and Reed came in, looking slightly frantic.

"What's up, guys?" Johnny asked, the other two turning to look. Reed took a deep breath, and let it out slightly before speaking.

"We've been invited to a government party tonight, all of us. You too, Darcy."

"Who by?" Darcy asked confused. Who would want her at a government party? The next words, however, made her blood run colder and caused a bad feeling to settle in the pit of her stomach.

"Well, it's being held by the Mutant Registration Division, but they've invited pretty much every notable scientist out there. I'm surprised we were included!" Darcy managed to calm herself quickly, knowing she couldn't let on about her past with the MRD.

"You shouldn't be! You two are brilliant! But why the rest of us?"

"No clue, but it's definitely addressed to all of us. And, it's formal. Yay." Sue frowned, which Darcy caught.

"Well, what time?" She asked, a plan forming in her head.

"Eight o'clock." Reed answered.

"Fantastic! Sue and I are going out now. We'll be back in a few hours to get ready, and we'll meet you at... where is it?" Reed gave her the address, perplexed. "Right. We'll meet you there at eight. Sue." Susan followed Darcy to the doors, and both stepped onto the lift, waving as the doors closed. Johnny chuckled as Reed turned to look at him and Ben, a dumbstruck look on his face as he spoke.

"What just happened?" Johnny answered him.

"You've just met Darcy when she won't take no for an answer."

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Susan followed Darcy through the crowded lobby, being bombarded almost immediately by questions and cameras. Luckily for her, Darcy was completely unfazed by them, answering no questions and pulling Sue quickly out of sight and into the parking area where she had placed her bike. Sue didn't realize that they were headed for that instead of a car, until Darcy sat down, grabbing her spare helmet, and chucking it at Sue as she pulled out her own.

"Seriously?" Sue asked.

"Yup." Darcy tucked her hair inside her helmet, pulling the visor down.

"Where are we going?"

"Shopping! I have nothing to wear to a formal party, and you probably wear the same thing all the time."

"How did -"

"I know you!" Sue laughed, putting on the helmet, and sitting behind her niece.

"Won't it be difficult to bring anything back?" Darcy revved the engine.

"I've got that covered. Hang on!" They took off through the city, weaving in and out of obstacles. Susan simply held on tight, trying to become part of the bike, and allowing Darcy to move it without distraction, thankful that she knew what she was doing. She remembered Darcy had always been a bit of a speed demon. Crazy roller-coasters were a big attraction or their family outings, at least once she had been tall enough to ride them all. Apparently, Darcy had managed to capture her own personal piece of chaos.

Soon enough, the two arrived at an enormous building, heading inside once they left the bike in the garage with the helmets. Sue had no idea where they were, but soon found out when they opened a pair of doors, and were confronted by a huge expanse filled with toys and tons of dresses in all shapes, sizes, styles, and colors. The two browsed through the masses of fabric, occasionally calling to the other to recommend something. A few salespeople came up to them, slightly thrown by Darcy'c clothing, but they were kind, and Darcy handled every question easily, much to Susan's relief.

Eventually, they began to try on the dresses. Susan went first, allowing Darcy to sit and wait for her to come out in each, talking as time passed. Eventually, they got onto the topic of their family, which lead to Sue's problems with Reed.

"Sometimes I just wish I could pick parts of him, you know? Some things I just wish would go away forever." Darcy rolled her eyes from outside of the dressing room. Sue and Reed had always had their issues, but it got frustrating how little they understood and worked them out. The two had been together even longer than Darcy and Kurt, as well as being older and more experienced than the two, and yet, the younger pair understood so much more.

"Well, that's not how love works, Sue. You don't get to pick which parts of them you keep, and which ones you don't. You love them with all their flaws, their scars, and their baggage, along with all the good things. Don't try to change them. If you have to plead or force them to change their behavior, either you don't love them, or they don't love you. Like, if you loved a villain, and they didn't choose you over their revenge and put you first. Love is putting each other before everything else, no matter what." Sue paused for a moment.

"I guess I never thought about it that way. How do you know so much?" Darcy shared a secret smile with her self.

"I grew up over eleven years, and I found a family. It's a little broken, but it taught me what real love is. And that's something I've kept close for a while now." She looked up as Sue came out. "That one for sure. You look stunning, Sue!" The dress itself had a fitted bodice covered in sparkling stones, and flowed out into a billowy blue bottom, swaying as she walked. Susan was grinning from ear to ear as she nodded in agreement.

"This is the one. Your turn, Darcy." Darcy entered the room, trying on a few dresses as they continued their talk. "Tell me about this 'family' you've found." So, Darcy told her about everyone, but leaving out the mutant bit, deciding to save that long story for later. Kitty and her bubbly personality, Kitty and Bobby, Rogue and Gambit, sharing a room with Rogue, Gambit's annoying pranks and her retaliation, Logan's gruff self, the Professor, and, of course, Kurt.

"Oh." Sue said teasingly. "Do you and Kurt have a thing?" Darcy chuckled.

"Don't mention it to the others, I don't need an overprotective freak out."

"No problem. Us girls have to stick together to avoid those." Darcy laughed, walking out.

"I think I'm going to go with this one." The dress was a long, sleek, grey thing that was mostly tight, flowing out gradually at the bottom and creating a slight train. It shone brightly as she moved, the little gems looking like bits of stars. Susan nodded, grinning back at her niece.

"Definitely." They changed quickly, and checked out. They placed the bags carefully inside of Darcy's special compartments, and took off to another building to buy some shoes. Susan came out with a pair of light blue shoes with a low heel, and Darcy with a pair of shining silver and a higher heel. Then, they rode back to the tower, after grabbing the necessary accessories. They pulled up in front of the boys, who were all dressed to go. They pulled off the helmets, and Darcy spoke, snapping them out of their shock.

"Where are you guys goin' all dolled up?" Johnny laughed.

"We're gonna go to the sports bar. Catch the game and some dinner before the big party. You girls want a ride to the thing?"

"Nah, we'll meet you there. Have fun!" They waved, called a cab, and sped off to the bar. Darcy parked in the garage, took out their things, and headed inside, walking confidently through the lobby. The young man scuttled around them, attempting to help. He called the elevator, keeping up his constant chatter until they entered and the doors closed. The two women, who had remained polite and composed, took one look at each other, and burst out laughing, stopping only when the doors opened, and they went to get ready.