Otherwise titled as: Or oh crap, Paige sees how Sammy feels when she gets annoyed about Cable(bah!)...

Set Thursday afternoon

"I don't understand why you are walkin' around like someone just took the last cookie from you, Hannah Louise Guthrie."

Paige ducked back behind the doorway to the kitchen. She wanted to listen to her mother and baby sister's conversation without interrupting. Paige was curious as to why the usually vibrant little girl had slowly become more sullen as the day passed. She'd stopped talking after dinner and that alone showed that something was going on inside Hannah's head. The girl was always talking, always bouncing, but for the last hour she'd been sitting on the couch looking around glumly as everyone else laughed and ate dessert.

"I don't want a cookie," Hannah grumbled, and Paige could almost see the eight year old crossing her arms in annoyance. "I don't want stupid pie or ice cream."

"Then it's high time to voice what you do want," Lucinda Guthrie replied, not even a hint of annoyance or exhaustion to her voice. Paige didn't know how her mother did it, how she was able to always be so calm with all of them.

"I don't wanna sleep with Mel an' Laura. I wanna sleep with Paigey!" There was a bump and Paige was sure her little sister had kicked something. "Why she's gotta share a room with stupid Jub'lee an' Tabby? She sees them always. She never sees me." There was sniffling now and Paige's heart about broke in two. "Doesn't she love me anymore?"


Paige didn't hesitate and walked into the kitchen, chewing on her lip as she found her mother trying to comfort a very sad little girl. She knelt down in front of them. "I got this Ma," Paige murmured, brushing her little sister's hair back. "Oh, Hannah bear. How could ya think I don't love you? I love ya more than the Earth an' the stars. Remember?"

Hannah shrugged and wouldn't look up. "Ya went with Jono ta show him the barn an' you been with Sammy to Daddy's grave an' you had a slumber party with Jub'lee an' Tabby...an' ya see them all the time. You ain't done anythin' with me."

The little girl hiccupped and Paige frowned, tugging her off the stool. "Baby girl, I'm sorry." She pulled Hannah into a tight hug. "You an' me are gonna have our very own special Paigey an' Hannah night tonight. Okay?" She rubbed the little girl's back, trying to calm her down and after a few minutes the crying ceased.

"Why ya gotta be an X-Man?" Hannah demanded, her arms wrapped tight around Paige's neck. "I don't like them. They're stupid too. Stupid X-Men an' stupid Jub'lee an' stupid Jono."

Paige sighed and loosened the girl's grip, thankful no one else had come into the kitchen. Most likely their mother was keeping anyone out. "Why do ya say that? Why do ya think they're stupid?" She reached up and got a napkin off the table, wiping at her sister's face.

Hannah looked entirely too determined, her nose scrunched in annoyance. "Cause they're gonna get ya killed, Paigey! It's dangerous!"

"They ain't gonna..."

"Yes they are!" Hannah interrupted, palms pressing against Paige's cheeks. "An' I don't want ya hurt. Why do ya gotta go an' do stuff with them? They ain't yer family."

Paige blinked. Oh Lordy. Was this how Sammy felt whenever she talked about hating Cable (bah!)? "Hannah..." What was she supposed to say to that? What the hell did Sammy always tell her?

"We're yer family!" Hannah protested, making Paige shake her head. "Yer supposed ta be with us! Not stupid X-Men. Bah!"

Sighing, Paige pulled Hannah's hands away from her face. "An' yer still my family. I just got some more people I consider ta be family now too, Hannah." The little girl shook her head, nearly growling. "That ain't mean I love ya any less. It just means I love more."

Hannah pushed out of Paige's grip, scrambling to stand. "I hate them!" she screamed and was out the door before Paige could stop her.

Paige ran a hand through her hair and frowned. Oh hell. She owed Sammy a big apology later. Maybe. Cable was dangerous. Moreso than the X-Men. Pushing herself up, she sighed as her mother entered. "I know where she's goin'. Same place I did when Sammy left," Paige murmured, heading towards the door.

"We're not always rational about love," her mother reminded, taking two more pies out of the oven.

Paige looked over her shoulder and smiled. "Believe me, Ma. I know."

She took her time walking over to the makeshift tree fort behind the house. It was just a large plank of wood crudely hammered into enough branches to keep it standing. She'd helped Sammy make it a lifetime ago. Using the nailed in wooden steps Paige climbed her way to the top and crawled across to the very solemn looking little girl.

"Ya can't make me not hate them," Hannah grumbled, breaking a stick and tossing the pieces to the ground.

Paige smiled, ruffling her sister's hair. "I know, Han. I feel...the same way about Cable."

Hannah looked over at her. "I don't like him either." She snapped the stick again, this time with a little too much energy. "He's stupid too."

"He..." Oh did she really have to do this? Paige hoped Cable wasn't somehow listening in. "He ain't stupid. An' he ain't a bad guy...an' neither are the X-Men. It's just...Sammy cares for him a lot. Like I care about Jubilee an' Jono an' the X-Men an' he takes Sammy away like the X-Men take me away."

"I know!" Hannah whined, kicking at the remaining pieces of stick.

"But that doesn't mean Sammy loves me or you or any of us less cause he goes off with Cable. Just means he has somethin' he's gotta do. Which is the same with me an' the X-Men." Paige reached out, brushing her sister's hair away from her face. "I'm sorry this is so confusin' Hannah bear. But do ya wanna be mad at me now or do ya wanna be able ta spend time with me before I gotta go?"

Hannah turned towards her and hugged her tightly. "I ain't mad at you, Paigey," she murmured, and Paige just knew she was silently hating the X-Men in her mind. "Can we really do somethin' just you an' me later?"

Paige grinned. "Of course. We'll make ourselves a fort an' we can talk an' eat pie an' I'll braid yer hair." She kissed the top of Hannah's head. "Now come on. Everyone's gotta be wonderin' where in the world we ran off ta."

Hannah scrambled down from the tree house and Paige followed, pleased to see her sister once again the vibrant girl she knew. "An' Jubilee said she had jellybeans for me! She wants ta hear more stories!" Hannah was already taking off towards the house and Paige groaned.

That could not possibly end well...