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It's been six months since Prom. Six months since she and Roland hooked up. Six months of their attempts at as normal a relationship as two mutants could have. It was only at her parents' urging that she invited Roland to come home with her over spring break to meet her family. Now, their relationship is going to face it's largest challenge to date.


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Kerrigan Schwartz (and family) - Vai Vedrai
Roland Chevalier - I-the-Fallen



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More to come...

The two of them sat in the car, driving along through the Kentucky countryside. The redhead that sat in the driver’s seat seemed to be squirming a bit. Part of him was still wondering just what lead to this now. Six months, Jesus it’d been six months with her. He had to wonder just what she saw in him, frankly he wonder what the hell he saw I himself too. This appeared to be the “jump the shark” moment for him and Kerrigan. But frankly the idea of meeting parents was somewhat exhilarating, if not terrifying. Mostly because he’d never actually met… anyone’s parents before. He’d told her more about her past, the time he’d spent fighting in the pits, the time spent with his step-father, all of it. Apparently her parents were quite insistent on having her bring him home to meet the family.

“Yes I remember what we talked about. Sir or Ma’am, no Mr. or Mrs., and always keep eye contact. And make sure to be punctual. Since I tend to be up early that shouldn’t be much of an issue.” he put a hand on her leg, looking over to her, “Just breathe Kerri, we’ll be fine. I’ll just turn on the ol’ Cajun charm and skirt by this without a hitch.” he finished with a flush of the New Orleans accent to try and get her to calm down a bit.

Granted he was about to walk into a wolves den himself. Kerrigan was the youngest of 4, the older three all brothers. And considering he was a couple years younger than Kerrigan, it was going to be quite interesting. When she mentioned the sparring with her siblings his brow did raise a bit, granted this was something to be expected.

“Ok, just do me a favor and warn them that I may not be able to differentiate? I had “sparring” sessions with my step-dad and his goons, usually involving a baseball bat or a crowbar.” he replied, “Plus we’ve faced far worse things together right? It can’t be that bad right?” They made the turn to Fort Knox, approaching the security gate. Based on the greeting he could tell that they likely knew each other from school. The officer, named Jarrod, offered a hand that Roland took with a hearty grip. The bright Kentucky sun showing off his darker, scarred skin. He wished him good luck with Kerrigan’s parents, which was met with a “playful” slap on the shoulder from Kerrigan. Clearly this wasn’t helping. He kept himself calm and collected, though he was getting quite nervous. He had to keep face and keep himself from freaking out. At least for her sake.

He chuckled when she told him how Jarrod cried when she beat his time, waiting for them to pull into her family’s house on base. She asked him if there was any last minute questions, as well as if he really wanted to go through with this.

With a gentle kiss on her cheek, he answered her very simply, “Well we’re already here, I’m at that point of no return. So whenever you’re ready let’s get this show on the road.” he quickly got out of the car and made the walk around to her side and opened the door, offering her a kind hand and a warm smile.

Roland sat with her in the car, keeping his own feelings of anxiety to himself. If there was one thing he knew it was that if he looked nervous, it’d make her worse. He was one to recognize that fear bred more fear. Much like how stupidity tended to breed more stupidity. Though his thoughts on that subject would be kept mum. After all he was in Kentucky. Despite his southern roots, he still held firm that a large portion of the south needed to have a battery of IQ tests done as well as a selective breeding program initiated. He believed most because if the South could produce people like Kerrigan, there was some hope for this place. She remembered to mention not swearing in front of her mother, another note for his mental checklist. She then mentioned being clever with regards to her siblings.

With a devilish grin he asked, “Does anyone in your family speak Russian? If so, I got a couple more languages I can have a ball with.” another blessing that came from his quad-lingual gifts. Aside from acting as a translator for most of the criminal groups in New Orleans, he could verbally do circles around most people. He noticed her demeanor calm a bit when she noticed his hand on her leg. It was the simple things between the two of them, a touch, a smile, it was all that was needed to calm themselves down. He knew that sometimes he could drive very easily drive her away with some of the moments he had, but she was there for him. Even when he felt like he shouldn’t have anyone there for him. He’d told her a few things about his childhood, mostly the relationship with his step-father and the fights. He’d had a few flashbacks while with her, simple triggers that brought him back to a few short years ago, but she was there to bring him back. It was something that he was grateful to her for, that he tried to do what he could to repay that.

Pulling into the driveway they got themselves rolling. She thanked him as he got the car door open for her, ad gave him a quick kiss before her brother arrived to greet them. The dirty-blonde man was an impressive specimen, clearly the Schwarz family had some good genes passing through the family. He offered a good handshake, something that he returned in kind. He didn’t respond to Kerrigan’s muttering something to him about playing nice. Must have been her warning him to be polite with him, something he could understand. Older sibling watching out for his little sister and all that. He could respect that.

“Randall it’s a pleasure to meet you. And the drive was good, not a lot of traffic actually.” he replied, Randall had a hell of a grip, something he did not betray to anyone. The sight of what appeared to be her mother approaching seemed to make the situation a bit calmer. She took Kerrigan into a hug and proclaimed that she looked good. Roland then decided to get a bit self-conscious with his own appearance. Despite wearing nice clothes, he did have the tattoos and scarring across his body, it may set off some red flags in her mind. She placed a kind hand into his, something that he appreciated from her. He gave her a warm smile, accompanied by his eyes glowing warmly as well. He had to smile a bit when her mother told Randall to get their bags, he could see where Kerrigan got some of her personality. She asked if he’d eaten, a question he had to stifle a laugh. They’d eaten on the way, but to his embarrassment he was once again hungry. Then again, he likely didn’t have a choice.

“It’s a pleasure to finally meet you too ma’am, and I could definitely eat.” He considered going back to help Randall with the bags, but it was likely that Mrs. Schwarz would have none of that. Some hope the rest of this adventure would be as pleasant as this initial meet and greet. Then again with the way their luck was, it was only a matter of time.

Roland sat in the car with Kerrigan, her nerves beginning to show a bit more and more as she laid out the ever increasing number of things to watch out for. He smirked a bit as he listened to her state each thing to be cautious of. She eased up a bit, giving him a small smile when she realized that he was doing what he could to keep her calm. It was the little things for them, and they appreciated it on both sides. The two of them continued to drive along, she responded to his question regarding languages to not get carried away. He chuckled a bit at her response, in the back of his mind concocting a variety of words and phrases he could use and possibly stay out of trouble. He was a little bit unnerved with her childhood friend’s remarks about her family, but he tried not to show it. Granted his eyes did flicker a bit showing off his tell. Christ he hated those orbs in his head, they gave away everything about him. Granted they were sometimes his best trait, they were able to tell Kerrigan how he felt without saying a word. He had a hard time saying what he felt, but his emotions always shined through with the warm glow he felt when he was near her.

The moment of truth came when they finally pulled into the driveway of her family home. Her brother Randall came out to bring them down into the plunge. His handshake was met with a firm response from Roland’s tattooed, scarred hand, followed by a quip about Kerrigan’s driving. He had to chuckle a bit with that, apparently they were going to divert their attentions to make her embarrassed. With a smirk he looked at Randall with a devilish gleam.

“Well if her driving is bad I’d have to wonder how bad her teacher was.” the reply was met with a bit of redness in the face.

“Well said.” he replied, “You’ve got quite a grip.”

“Thanks.” he responded, the moment over when Kerrigan’s mother arrived. She took Kerrigan into her arms and was then they were quickly introduced. She offered dinner, which he gladly agreed to. She then proceeded to speak about her mother’s advice.

“Your mother was a wise woman ma’am.” he shot back. Her mother laughed turning to her daughter with a smirk, “You taught the boy well.”

Mrs. Schwarz announced in the house their arrival, entering the house he took note of the place. Living on base did have it’s benefits, their home was nothing short of beautiful. The deep boom of Kerrigan’s father was introduced.

“Sir it’s a pleasure to finally meet you, I’m looking forward to the next week together.” he took note of Kerrigan’s nerves starting to flare up. As he shook her father’s hand he noticed her other brother Xander and wife Kailen approach. He took note of Kailen’s pregnant stomach, he would likely ask about it later on when they were a bit quieter. Making is way to Kerrigan he politely shook hands with both Xander and his wife. He was gentle with Kailen, not wanting to add more discomfort to her. Likely she had more than enough of that to deal with that baby in her. Kerrigan’s hand slipped into his, and he smiled once more as they made their way to the table. The food had been dealt out and they were all enjoying each other’s company. Her father asked about Roland’s time with the Academy, and his time as an Omega. With a glint in his eyes, he attempted to figure out how best to put his experiences at the Academy. The rest of them seemed to analyze everything he did, how he looked, how he handled the dishes as he passed them around for others to use. He was starting to feel a bit self-conscious, almost trying to hide his scars and tattoos from their peering eyes.

“Yes we’re on the same team. I fit a slightly different role in the team, but I am an Omega. And I can say sir that my time in the Academy has been… interesting to say the least.” he answered Mr. Schwarz, his eyes flickering a bit. He’d tried to establish some ambiguity to his response, he didn’t necessarily want to go into detail of his time before the Omegas. The time in the padded room, the intense therapy sessions, all of it.

“Though I can say without a doubt your daughter is making you proud with the work she does.” he added. He’d wait to see what kind of questions would be asked from them. Though he looked at Kerrigan, his eyes telling her that he was starting to show the nerves he’d long tried to hide.

Golden eyes flickered when he took notice of Kerrigan’s shift in attitude when he and Randall made a few cracks about her driving. His attempt to defend his girlfriend’s driving didn’t exactly go as well as he’d hoped. After all in his mind, those that could not do, teach. And those that can’t teach, well they teach gym. He cracked a grin when he heard Kerrigan mention that he was a quick learner. Considering his background, he sort of had to be. But revealing his talents now would only spoil the show later on. The family was soon herded into the house to meet the rest of the family, Roland taking the opportunity to shake the hands of everyone else. Especially Mr. Schwarz, the family patriarch. The big man was very kind and warm, something Roland had never really experienced with most of the male figures in his life. So to say that was a nice change was an understatement.

He took note of Xander and his lovely, and pregnant, wife. She was pretty far down the road as far as he could tell, but that would be a question for later on. Soon it was dinner time, and the family including himself was sitting down and enjoying a pleasant meal. Mr. Schwarz was one of the first to start, asking him a couple questions about his connection to Kerrigan on the team. He kept the answer ambiguous so as to not impart any information Kerrigan may not have provided. Though as the conversation continued, it became clear that she was pretty open to her family about what she did as a junior X-Man.

Kerrigan reiterated the information, with Randall finishing the sentence calling what they did as being more “impressive”. He disagreed with that notion, preferring to think along the lines of Kerrigan’s thinking. He declined to offer up any other input, lest a big whole debate was started. He didn’t to be the one to start the fire right when he walked in the door. So they continued to eat, with Mrs. Schwarz peppering out a few questions about his life. Where he grew up, what he does at the institute, what interests him. He was about to answer at least a couple of them before Mr. Schwarz was kind enough to deflect, Kailen adding in about how they had a week to get to know him. He smiled internally, his eyes flickering a bit in relief of the tension that was removed from him. Kerrigan would likely be able to pick up on the morse code going on in his eyes of anxiety, but he doubted anybody else would.

“Well, I don’t know what Kerrigan has told you about me aside from the basics. Being on the same team and all. I was born in New Orleans, Louisiana, I did some traveling with my dad a few places up along the Northeast but for the most part I lived in New Orleans. Just a few blocks from Bourbon Street actually.” he answered, giving them an idea of what his childhood looked like.

“What about your mother?” Mrs. Schwarz asked him politely as he took a bite. He realized then that he was going to have to divulge some more information, so he chose his words carefully as he finished his bite of food.

“To be honest, my mother wasn’t really in the picture.” he finally responded, “In fact, my father isn’t really my father at all. He… found me as a baby. Abandoned in an alleyway.” he knew that this was tragic to hear, but the truth was far more damning.

15 grand, Roland, that’s all you were worth to your parents. the words echoed in the back of his head like a bell in the distance. They never let him forget, never let him rest easy with that fact. He never told Kerrigan just how much debt his biological parents had when they decided to trade it off for him. Even sadder, is the fact that with his profession before joining the X-Men, he recouped that debt and then some.

Mr. Schwarz was kind enough to ask what he wanted to do during his time here, and with a smirk he dropped a thought that he knew was going to surprise even Kerrigan. Primarily since he’d never told her this one, “Call it either brave or stupid sir, but I’d love to participate in a morning PT session on the base. If possible of course.” He saw the look of surprise on Mr. Schwarz’s face, as well as the rest of the family.

Taking a moment to recollect himself, Mr. Schwarz replied with a bit of gusto, “I’ll see what I can do about that.”

Randall followed up pretty quickly, “I think we found ourselves a winner for my baby sister!” which was followed by a bit of laughter shared between the three men.

Looking to Kailen and Xander he asked with some curiosity, “Kailen I’ve been meaning to ask, how far along are you?”

“I’m in my seventh month, so getting down to finish line!” she answered, the smile on her face showing the warmth and excitement for the little bit of life she had within her.

With brightness pouring out of his eyes he gave her a small blessing in one of the many tongues he was accustomed to, “Well then, as the Italians might say In bocca al lupo. An old Italian phrase for ‘good luck’.” he could tell that she was one of the good ones, one of those that would do anything for her child. She was definitely a thousand times better than any mother figure that was in Roland’s own life.

“Is that all you know in Italian dear?” Mrs. Schwarz chimed in.

“Actually ma’am, I’m fluent in it. I’m also fluent in French and Russian. I guess you could say I’m the linguist of the team.” he felt Kerrigan’s hand on his leg, he placed his hand on hers, hoping to gain some comfort from the tension slowly building in him.

Hopefully the night would end as well as it started.

The table filled up with the Schwarz family, the conversation focused on Roland's personal life. He saw the look of pain in Mrs. Schwarz's eyes when he told her his redacted origin tale. The information that even Kerrigan didn't know about, that there was a gambling debt and he was given up as collateral would have likely turned the conversation into rounding up a posse. As much as he would have loved to see something like that, Dominic had long vanished. God knows when he'd ever rear his ugly head.

With some hope he was dead in a gutter somewhere.

Both of Kerrigan's parents admitted their concern, but also noted that his life up to now made him who he was. And that it was what drew Kerrigan to him to begin with. He smiled at their compliments, his eyes glowing in warmth and embarrassment, something Kerrigan was well versed in noticing after six months, "Sometimes I wonder how I got so lucky."

The response to his request to getting into a PT session on base was positively received. Kerrigan even added that he was one of a few that could keep up with her workout schedule to which he added with a grin, "I do recall that one time I lead the workout, and got you all tuckered out by halfway. Remember what I was chanting the entire time? Bol' yavlyayetsya slabost' pokidayet telo, pain is weakness leaving the body." He did have to give her credit though, for the most part the two were on equal terms. Both of them worked each other up and up, they had a form of competition. The next rep, the next drill, they had to surpass the other each time. Their philosophies on fighting were also a unique mesh. Kerrigan was more structure, order, her fighting style reflecting that, only to be matched by Roland's wild and chaotic nature. They clashed, but at the same time they learned from each other, channeled each other into their fighting.

Randall chimed in, "Ok now that is a story I need to hear. Also, give me that workout, the other Devil Dogs are going to love this."

The subject soon turned to his linguistic abilities, with Mr. Schwarz asking if that was his ability. The response was initially a chuckle from Randall followed by informing his father that it would be a joke if he had that kind of ability.

"Actually, my ability is a bit different. My language skills are self-taught, my step-dad had me learn from when I was young." he stated simply, before letting some of his armor form over his face. The familiar slither of the material forming his face mask, "I am able to manifest an armor that when covering my body enhances my strength and durability."

"I've usually been a front-line element on the Omega team, at times being used as a shock trooper if you will." he raised his hand, revealing that more armor was forming over his right forearm, covering his closed hand where a dagger was now forming, "I can also generate weapons, limited only by a weight and my imagination. Nothing too complex, just melee weapons. Clubs, swords, spears, shields that sort of thing."

Everyone was quiet for a moment, with Randall finally breaking the silence, "Ok now that is a superpower."

Xander added quickly, "I can see why you'd be used as a shock trooper. That's… pretty impressive."

Roland quickly let the armor retract back into himself, not wanting to dominate the conversation. It seemed Randall in some way envied Kerrigan for what she could do, something Xander tried to keep in line. Mrs. Schwarz apologized for their behavior, stating that she tried her best. He looked over at the picture of the fourth sibling, the fallen brother that Kerrigan missed quite a bit. He couldn't possibly understand that kind of loss, since he never really had any brothers or sisters, but if he did he'd have probably gone through hell to make sure Dom didn't get his dirty hands on them.

Kerrigan talked about what options were available for them tonight. Roland offered his two cents, "Perhaps we can do a tour of the base tomorrow. I'd love to see the rest of your home." part of this was because he was still having a hard time imagining a family like this. So many people, caring for each other, watching out for each other. Kerrigan's joy over Kailen's pregnancy was something that sadly Roland had a hard time quantifying in his head. This was all something he was still having difficulty getting used to.

Hell, a lot of things were hard to get used to, not when he wasn't beating people to a pulp for a living.

Roland was careful to observe the rest of the family and how they reacted to what he said and what he did. When he mentioned how lucky he felt, he could get a good read on the positive reaction from everyone, Randall of course holding back a chuckle. Least the Marine had the good sense not to spoil a good moment like that. However, seeing Ms. Schwarz’s reaction was a good indicator that he was handling this all pretty damn well.

“There was also that stress test we did. Man, we were both wiped out from that.”he stated, a bit of a smirk forming across his features, “I’m having trouble remembering how many rounds we did. Three, four? I was so tired I can barely remember.”

“Stress test?” Mr. Schwarz asked inquisitively.

“We did two full workouts, running, lifting, stretching, and then had a sparring session afterwards. We wanted to test how we could handle the rigors of extended movement and combat.”

“Sounds like one way to test yourselves.” Randall remarked, Roland taking in the man’s demeanor. He’d already seemingly challenged Kerrigan with her mentioning their workout regimen. He looked forward to seeing how a traditional PT session with the Corps would be, he imagined that it was going to be in a word, rough. But he could handle it.

Given what he’d dealt with up to this point, including meeting Kerrigan’s parents, he’d been through worse.

“And to say that these are super-powers is a bit of a generalization.” Roland replied, “I do have to agree with Kerrigan, these are just abilities, extensions of our own natural physiology. Being double-jointed, or possessing perfect pitch are also abilities, yet they are not considered ‘super-powers’ in any sense of the word. Besides, we’re a product of random mutation, a random set of chromosomes could have just as easily ended my life with cystic fibrosis, or made eating a whole lot more difficult with cealiac disease.” he didn’t mean to come across this critical, but he did have to bring up this as a point. What was to say that Randall could have been a mutant? Or even their eldest sibling, given a mutation that could have saved his life?

He felt her hand slip into his, as he pondered this. He smiled at Ms. Schwarz’s apology over her sons, “Nothing to be sorry for. Boys will be boys.”

Kerrigan lead him out of the kitchen, as per the instructions of her mother to give her the “grand tour” before dinner. She gave him a soft kiss, which he responded to in kind, remarking at how well he was doing. He saw the memories that she’d grown up with, from family heirlooms to boyhood shenanigans. It tugged a bit at his own heart, his hand shook a bit.

Placing a hand along the desk, feeling the carved wood along his fingers, he answered her question softly, “It is hard, because I never really knew what it was like to have a family. Never had these kinds of memories, some of which I yearn for, and probably needed. But your parents were right, all these experiences lead me to this moment, with you.” he brought her close to him, golden eyes pulsing with a tenderness and warmth reserved only for her.

“So while I may have that pain, it’s a bit easier to deal with now.” He added, kissing her on the nose. He stood there, holding her in his arms. And for the first time in a long time, he didn’t feel like his skin was crawling from all the scars across his body.

For the first time in a long time, he felt whole.

It seemed that things got easier as time went on at the table. Kerrigan’s parents seemed to be receiving him well, and her siblings were not ready to kill him just yet. The phrase “stress test” brought about a good joke; to which Roland admittedly have to both give Randall a smile and a glare. The smile for crackin’ wise, the glare for crackin’ wise. Granted, he’d have to wait for him to make any jokes. He wasn’t ready to make any jokes around the family, not that confident yet. Though with the next few words from Mr. Schwarz it seemed to make his confidence rise a bit more.

“I always love a challenge sir. A day without a challenge is a day not worth getting up for.” He replied. It was true for him, up until his time at the Institute every day was a struggle. A challenge, a constant struggle to survive. Between the fights, the dealings of his foster father, he worked his way to come out on top. Or at least not drown beneath all the insanity that plagued his life.

And now he was living good, getting an education, trying to build the relationships that he was not capable of having earlier. Being with Kerrigan, it made things all the more important for him to strive further. To push himself further, study harder, practice harder, and train harder. Though to have her with him, it was the best part of the package. “You’re right. It did lead me to here, and I’ve been smiling ever since.” She leaned into him as they stood there alone. She motioned for him to head up stairs so she could show him his room. Xander made a remark about not being handsy, something that at the moment he was capable of doing.

Time-Skip

He slept… well surprisingly. Roland was not the type to sleep well in a new bed. It took him weeks to get used to his dorm bed at the Institute, even more to get used to being with Kerrigan.

Then again, perhaps because this bed was a part of a home. A real, god’s honest home.

A slight knock on his door, and hearing Kerrigan’s voice on the other side made the morning once again worth waking up to. Then again, he’d been up for at least an hour. He did his morning stretches, and even got a cigarette in. He of course smoked out the window, and made sure to ash and dispose of it when he was done out the window. He’ll find the butt and clean that up later. After all, manners. He made his way downstairs and ate a small amount. He never liked to work out on a full stomach, he just needed enough to get started. He continued to stretch outside, and smiled as his red-haired angel came near him. Something that always made him smile was the way she smelled. It was something that only he could pick up, it was a cinnamon-esque odor that always made him smile.

“I did, surprisingly. I’m looking forward to working out with some Devil Dogs. That is what you Marines call yourselves right?” that question was directed towards her brother, who smiled a devilish grin.

“Yep! Though today, you’re a boot!” Randall replied.

Oh Marine slang, this was gonna be a fun one.